Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alumna Alexa Knuth is putting her passion for research into practice as she pursues her doctorate in physiotherapy from Robert Gordon University (RGU) in Aberdeen, Scotland.

SIUE’s strong emphasis on student research and experiential learning, uniquely prepared Knuth for RGU’s competitive program which is among few in the world that offers applied work and high-level research opportunities in the field of physical therapy.

“If it had not been for SIUE, I would not be able to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at RGU,” said Knuth. “Unlike many physical therapy programs, at RGU, we begin clinical placements after the first 16 weeks, and they take place all over Scotland.

The Peoria native earned a bachelor’s in exercise science from the SIUE School of Education, Health and Human Behavior (SEHHB) in 2015 and a master’s in kinesiology in 2017.

During her undergraduate studies at SIUE, Knuth participated in the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URCA) program, which engages students in scholarship, connecting them more fully to their educational process.

“The URCA program is an invaluable opportunity for undergraduate students at SIUE,” said Lindsay Ross-Stewart, PhD, assistant professor in the SEHHB’s Department of Applied Health, and director of the exercise and sport psychology graduate program. “It gives students an inside look at what it takes to complete a study, teaches them how to be critical thinkers, and allows them opportunities to be active learners. Many schools reserve these opportunities for graduate students, so for our students to have such large roles in our research labs as undergraduates truly sets them apart from other students when they graduate.”

As an URCA assistant, Knuth explored a plethora of research opportunities within the SEHHB. Her research career began under the mentorship of Elizabeth McKenney, PhD, and Joel Nadler, PhD, associate professors in the Department of Psychology. She worked to collect and analyze data on Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and participated in a research lab that studied sexual harassment in the workplace.

Knuth earned authorship credits on several presentations that were submitted to the 2013 Midwestern Psychological Association annual conference, the 2014 North American Society for Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity conference, and the 2014 Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) conference.

In 2014, Knuth joined the team of student and faculty researchers in the Sport and Exercise Psychology Research Lab. It was in this laboratory environment where her interest in the use and application of psychological interventions with occupational and physical therapy truly evolved.

During her graduate studies, under the mentorship of Ross-Stewart, she explored occupational therapists’ understanding of the role of self-efficacy in recovery. Her thesis on “Psychological Aspects of Rehabilitation as Perceived by Physical Therapists” was published in the February 2018 edition of the Journal of Physical Fitness, Medicine and Treatment in Sports.

“Based on the findings of my first study, I conducted another study to explore how an individual’s injury or disability treatment is influenced by emotional, behavioral and situational factors from the perspective of the physical therapist,” said Knuth. “This later became my thesis, which I presented at the 2016 AASP national conference.”

In 2017, after a strenuous application process and a flight to Toronto for an interview, Alexa received notice that she was accepted into RGU’s physiotherapy PhD program.  

 “I was thrilled for Alexa when she was accepted into the program at RGU,” Ross-Stewart explained. “Alexa worked hard as a student to gain experiences that would prepare her for future schooling and her eventual career, and to see her embrace her role as a research practitioner has made me very proud.”

Moving forward, Knuth hopes to incorporate psychosocial interventions into the field of physical therapy. She also is preparing to submit her thesis for publication.

Photo: Peoria native and SIUE alumna Alexa Knuth stands outside a Scottish castle as she explores the countryside.

Since high school, JaTerra Castine-Ross knew she wanted to be either a teacher or a dentist. Instead of picking one future profession, she says she chose both by pursuing a degree at the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SIU SDM).

“As a dentist, you not only treat patients, but also teach children and adults about how their oral health impacts the rest of their body,” said Castine-Ross, of Chicago.

Her passion for dentistry and education was on full display as she and her fellow SIU SDM classmates hosted approximately 230 kindergarten and second grade students throughout February in celebration of National Children’s Dental Health Month. Third-year SIU SDM students provided engaging oral health education and fourth-year students performed dental screenings on children from Alton, Bethalto and Roxana.

“Every year, this is a fun field trip for local kids, and it offers our students an opportunity to build their communication and dental skills with this patient population,” said Katie Kosten, DMD, assistant professor in the SIU SDM and director of community dentistry. “Early intervention is extremely important. Some of these children have not been to a dentist before. If we can catch things early on and teach them how to take care of their teeth, it may prevent future oral health issues.”

Educational stations included a spinning wheel with facts about oral health, an interactive brushing and flossing activity, a healthy food category game and an opportunity to make an alginate hand impression.

“We don’t want children to be afraid of the dentist, so we made the activities entertaining, interactive and educational,” said Castine-Ross. “We want them to know we’re here to help make sure they have nice, strong teeth for the rest of their lives.”

“As a student, this annual event helps us have more exposure to kids of primary school age,” added Peoria native Katie Unes, a fourth-year dental student. “We start with talking about what we wear, and what tools we use and why. It teaches us to take a step back and look at a dentist visit through their eyes. We want to show them what these things are and explain what we’re doing in a non-threatening, gentle way.”

Roxana South Primary School students have enjoyed the SIU SDM’s annual offering for years.

“My students always look forward to coming, and they always come back to school able to tell me several things they learned from the experience,” said kindergarten teacher Sheryl Luly. “The event is incredibly organized, and our school is grateful that we get invited every year.”

Photo: JaTerra Castine-Ross, a third-year SIU School of Dental Medicine student, leads an educational station during National Children’s Dental Health Month.

SIU School of Dental Medicine third-year student Kelsie Vandergriff teaches kindergarten students from Roxana how to brush and floss.

SIU SDM fourth-year student Josh Welborn performs a dental screening on a kindergarten student during National Children’s Dental Health Month.

Listening to students’ ideas and getting them to identify their purpose in life are at the top of the to do list for the new Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center (ESLC) Upward Bound Program Director Keith J. Ware, EdD. 

“I have been getting to know the students and asking them what they need from us and the program,” said Ware, who began working at the ESLC on January 8. Ware’s UB programs (Upward Bound EC and BEM) cover the high schools at SIUE East St. Louis Charter, Cahokia and Brooklyn, East St. Louis and Madison. 

Prior to coming to SIUE, Ware was director of the African-American Male Initiative at St. Louis Community College-Forest Park, Florissant Valley and the Harrison Educational Center. Ware ran the $1.8 million grant for three years. 

“When it comes to education, we tend to want to look at the data to determine what is required without also asking the students what they need,” said Ware. “I want to know from their perspective what it is going to take to make them successful. Then my staff and I will design program objectives that intertwine with the Department of Education’s goals and guidelines.” 

“We are thrilled that Dr. Ware is bringing his expertise and passion to SIUE’s longest-running Upward Bound programs,” said ESLC Executive Director Jesse Dixon. “He has hit the ground running with powerful insights and great ideas to inspire, prepare and connect our students to college and beyond.” 

Many students identify a career path based on the expected salary or its popularity, according to the new program director. 

“Some careers sound good, but students don’t know how that fits with what they enjoy doing or feel they were meant to do,” explained Ware. “We want students to investigate and understand what their purpose is in life.” 

“My purpose is to educate, along with providing individuals opportunities to get access,” he continued. “Education is one thing, but people have to understand the benefits of that education and be able to access ways in which they can employ it. There are many people with degrees who are not working in their field of study.” 

Ware initially planned to become a lawyer. But, while on a golf scholarship at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo., one of his history instructors told him he had a responsibility to help his fellow athletes excel in their studies as he was. 

“Dr. Debra Greene, who is now Lincoln University Missouri Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, put me in charge of tutoring student athletes, and that is how I got into education,” said Ware, a third-generation educator. Ware also works as an adjunct instructor at St. Louis Community College, where he teaches American history and African American studies. 

“I enjoy working at the community college level, but with the African American Male Initiative program, I realized that the earlier we can get to all of our students,” said Ware, “the more we can do with them.” 

The SIUE Upward Bound EC/BEM program helps youth prepare for higher education and serves students from East St. Louis and Cahokia (EC), and Brooklyn, East St. Louis Charter and Madison (BEM), High Schools. Participants receive instruction in literature, composition and STEM subjects on college campuses after school, on Saturdays and during the summer. The quality services provided will prepare the students for successful high school completion and entrance into post-secondary programs. Upward Bound is a college-preparatory program designed to serve low-income and/or potential first-generation college students who are currently in grades 9-12. 

Photo: SIUE East St. Louis Center Upward Bound Program Director Keith J. Ware, EdD.

CreativeMornings St. Louis featured SIUE’s Sandra Weissinger, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, yesterday as it celebrates Women’s History Month by highlighting women who are making history through doing creative things in the community. Siavash Zamiran posted the story.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Jeffrey Manuel, PhD, associate professor of historical studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been named a 2018 Collaborative Research Fellow by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS).

The program, funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, supports small teams of scholars as they research and co-author a major scholarly product.

“The scholars who make up the 10^th cohort of ACLS Collaborative Research Fellows exemplify the program’s aim of supporting collaborations that produce knowledge individual research efforts could not,” said ACLS’s director of fellowship programs Matthew Goldfeder. “Together, they demonstrate what can be accomplished when scholars with different expertise work together to ask big questions.”

During the 2019-20 academic year, Manuel will work with Thomas Rogers, PhD, associate professor of modern Latin American history at Emory University, on a project entitled “Agriculture’s Energy: Learning from the History of Biofuels in Brazil and the United States.”

“I am extremely happy that the ACLS is supporting this project through the Collaborative Research Fellowship program,” said Manuel. “Tom Rogers is one of the foremost historians of Latin American energy and environmental history. He brings unparalleled expertise in Brazil’s ethanol fuel program. This collaboration will allow us to answer big, transnational questions about the history of biofuels in the western hemisphere and their likely role in the future global energy system.”

Their co-authored book project traces the linked histories of biofuels in the U.S. and Brazil during the 20^th century.

“Despite rapidly growing interest in the fields of energy and environmental history, few historians have tackled the long history of biofuels as alternatives to gasoline, nor addressed the long history of ethanol in a comparative or transnational context,” Manuel said. “Understanding the history of biofuels unlocks crucial new insight into comparative agricultural, food and energy policies in the western hemisphere.”

A complete list of 2018 ACLS Collaborative Research Fellowships is available at ACLS.org.

The American Council of Learned Societies, a private, nonprofit federation of 75 national scholarly organizations, is the preeminent representative of American scholarship in the humanities and related social sciences. Advancing scholarship by awarding fellowships and strengthening relations among learned societies is central to ACLS’s work. This year, ACLS will award more than $20 million to over 350 scholars across a variety of humanistic disciplines.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s University Marketing and Communications Department received seven awards in the 33rd annual Educational Advertising Awards announced in late February. Higher Education Marketing Report sponsors the awards.

The Educational Advertising Awards is the largest educational advertising awards competition in the country. This year, over 2,250 entries were received from more than 1,000 colleges, universities and secondary schools from all 50 states and several foreign countries. Entries are judged on creativity, marketing execution and message impact.

SIUE received awards in the following categories:  

Enrollment Management Recruitment Print Package   

Award: Gold                                                                            

Category: Total Recruitment Campaign                                  

Cougars Secondary Wordmark

Award: Silver

Category: Logo

Chancellor’s Report                                                            

Award: Silver                                                                           

Category: Annual Report                                                        

Learn.Teach.Inspire

Award: Silver

Category: Total Advertising Campaign

Research and Creative Activities Magazine                     

Award: Bronze                                                                        

Category: Publication/External                                              

Blast from the Past Photo Series

Award: Bronze

Category: Social Media

Freshman Campus Visit Brochure                                    

Award: Merit                                                                           

Category: Brochure                                                                 

Gold awards were granted to 307 institutions, silver awards were awarded to 207 institutions and 159 institutions received bronze awards. Judges for the Educational Advertising Awards consisted of a national panel of higher education marketers, advertising creative directors, marketing and advertising professionals, and the editorial board of Higher Education Marketing Report.

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Education, Health and Human Behavior’s (SEHHB) Department of Psychology will host its first Dreikurs Visiting Scholar, Paul Rasmussen, PhD, a clinical psychologist for the Veterans Administration in South Carolina, the week of March 26.

Rasmussen will host a free lecture entitled “Why is Adlerian/Dreikursian Thinking Relevant Today?” at 1:30 p.m. Monday, March 26 in the Morris University Center’s Meridian Ballroom. Throughout the week, Rasmussen will meet with interested individuals and small groups across campus.

“Dr. Rasmussen is an esteemed teacher, scholar and practitioner of psychology,” said Betsy Meinz, PhD, acting chair and professor of psychology. “We are thrilled to welcome him to campus for a stimulating and informative presentation on Adler-Dreikurs theory and practice, which focus on the holistic and socially embedded nature of humans, and the belief that human emotions and motivations are goal-directed.”

Rasmussen will consider such questions as, if humans could reset and fix all the problems of life, what realities in terms of good ideas would persist? What resources would we consider the most optimal to face life realities? What constitutes a good idea in discussion of the human experience?

“Visiting scholars like Dr. Rasmussen enhance the intellectual climate of the University and heighten the curiosity of our students and faculty members,” added Paul Rose, PhD, interim dean of the SEHHB.

SIUE’s Dreikurs Visiting Scholar Fellowship was established in 2016 to honor the ideas and methods developed by Alfred Adler and his younger colleague, Rudolf Dreikurs. Dreikurs taught at SIUE in the early 1960s and his influence in psychotherapy, counseling, education, parenting, and in broad areas of social relations, has been worldwide.

Photo: SIUE’s first Dreikurs Visiting Scholar Paul Rasmussen, PhD, clinical psychologist for the Veterans Administration in South Carolina.

Graduates of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s School of Pharmacy class of 2017 have exceeded both state and national averages, boasting a first-attempt board pass rate of 92.86 percent on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam (NAPLEX).

The graduates’ combined score was the highest board pass rate of any program in Illinois or Missouri and exceeded the 2017 state and national averages of 84.52 percent and 87.95 percent, respectively. The NAPLEX results place SIUE in the top 30 percent of all pharmacy programs in the country.

“We are extremely proud of our graduates’ remarkable accomplishment,” said Gireesh Gupchup, PhD, dean of the SIUE School of Pharmacy. “Their NAPLEX pass percentage is largely due to the rigorous preparation provided by our curriculum and is a testament to the excellent educational experience provided by our faculty and staff.”

The NAPLEX is one component of the licensure process, which measures the knowledge of prospective pharmacists. According to data from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, when all nine graduating classes from SIUE (2009-2017) are considered together, SIUE graduates rank number one among the eight programs in Illinois and Missouri with a 95.7 percent first-attempt board pass rate.

 “The excellent board pass rates are an outward reflection of the effort expended by an incredibly bright group of SIUE students, who have intentionally prepared to enter the pharmacy profession,” said Mark Luer, PharmD, associate dean of Professional and Student Affairs, and professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice.

“The annual success on the NAPLEX exam by graduates doesn’t just happen,” he continued. “It is the culmination of talented individuals coming together with the common goal of preparing graduates ready to promote the health and well-being of their communities.”

Photo: SIUE School of Pharmacy class of 2017 during their pinning ceremony.

Darryl Cherry puts a lot of love, dedication and time into working to better the lives of young people through education, networking and his expertise in counseling. The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Student Opportunities for Academic Results (SOAR) Retention Coordinator is being honored as an Unsung Hero of East St. Louis for enhancing the quality of life in his hometown and beyond.

Cherry will be one of 10 people celebrated at the third annual Unsung Heroes of East St. Louis Ceremony at 5 p.m. Sunday, March 11 in the East St. Louis City Hall Rotunda, 301 Riverpark Dr. A reception will be held prior to the ceremony at 3:30 p.m. The Office of Mayor Emeka Jackson-Hicks is hosting the awards ceremony.

“I do not see myself as a hero,” Cherry said, “Rather, I am thankful for the investments made in me by my mother, family, community and educators like Peggy LeCompte, Ledora Williams, Samuel Morgan and countless others.”

The Office of the Mayor of East Saint Louis applauds these individuals for their contributions and efforts to improve the quality of life in our community,” said Darius Chapman, mayor executive assistant. “Mayor Emeka Jackson–Hicks and the committee agree that these honorees possess the capability to serve as beacons of leadership, by utilizing their diverse talents to create a healthy and productive environment for the citizens of this great city.”

“I am grateful for the sacrifices made by people like Dr. Martin Luther King, the Little Rock Nine, James Meredith and Thurgood Marshall, so that we have the right to go to college and earn a degree,” said Cherry. “I have a deep sense of responsibility to develop and leverage my gifts, experiences and opportunities to encourage, empower and support others towards academic achievement, social development, spiritual freedom and degree attainment.”

Cherry, a minister and growth group leader at New Life Community Church in East St. Louis, began his career in 1992. He served as a youth worker, and later director of the Youth-In-Action after-school and summer youth program at the East St. Louis Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House. He later worked as a Foster Care and Adoption coordinator for the Children’s Home and Aide Society of Illinois (CHASI).

Cherry has spent the last 17 years working in education. From 2000-2015, he worked as a TRIO Upward Bound counselor at St. Louis Community College and then as the TRIO Upward Bound director at the SIUE East St. Louis Center, where he helped to prepare, send and support hundreds of students into post-secondary institutions. TRIO Upward Bound is a federally funded, year-round college preparation and access program supporting first generation low-income participants.

In 2015, Cherry transitioned into his role as coordinator of retention and academic advisor for SOAR, where he develops and facilitates programming and necessary support to help students overcome the social, academic and cultural barriers/challenges to higher education. He works especially hard to assist African American males in the assimilation, development and matriculation through postsecondary education.

In other community work, Cherry is the principal consultant with Insight Consulting where he presents and provides support towards grant-writing, grant peer review, program assessment and development, student college preparation and student development.

He is a founding member of the Regional Consortium of Higher Education Initiatives Supporting Black Male Success (the Consortium). The Consortium is bi-state network of St. Louis area colleges and universities that works to build its members’ capacity to educate and graduate African-American male students through radical and strategic collaboration, resource and data sharing, and program alignment.

He was formerly a founding member and advisor for Curriculum Development at St. Louis Graduates, a collaborative network of organizations whose mission is to advocate for state, federal and institutional policies that support degree attainment, and promote and encourage the use of best practices to support access and success for low-income students, first-generation students and students of color.

“My life’s mission is to have made a difference,” said Cherry, “and to have helped as many as I could to grow academically, personally, socially, professionally, spiritually and to earn college degrees.”

Photo: SIUE’s Darryl Cherry, coordinator of retention and academic advisor for Student Opportunities for Academic Results (SOAR).

Show Me St. Louis hosted SIUE’s Kathy Mora, PhD, assistant professor of nutrition in the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior's Department of Applied Health, for a cooking demonstration on the topic of “going further with food,” the theme of National Nutrition Month.

See the guest segment, which aired Thursday, March 8, here.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville hosted its third annual eHacks event March 2-4 at the T-REX Innovation Center in St. Louis. A pair of brothers from Maryville proved victorious in the invention competition, earning the Most Innovative award for their creation of Art Drop, a mobile graffiti app.

“Art Drop is an easy way to leave a drawing or a message anywhere in the world,” explained co-creator Quentin Reiser. “It’s graffiti, without the destruction of property.”

“Quentin picked up coding as a hobby and has published several apps,” added Owen Reiser, a freshman at SIUE. “I’ve taken a keen interest in 3D CAD designing and modeling.”

The annual hackathon was hosted by the SIUE School of Engineering’s (SOE) Department of Computer Science and sponsored by area technology companies. The event challenged approximately 90 collegiate participants, comprising 24 teams, to build something new with software and computer hardware.

Participating students from SIUE, the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Washington University, Principia and other bi-state colleges worked for 36 hours during the event to produce their projects.

“It is wonderful to see participants work and learn together,” said Dennis Bouvier, PhD, associate professor of computer science in the SIUE SOE. “The teams created great projects. T-REX is a place where technology companies get started, so it was the perfect location for our eHacks event.”

Along with the top prize, six other awards were presented, including most ambitious, best user experience, best use of data, best educational application, best mobile application and best game. Engineers and recruiters from St. Louis’s leading tech companies served as judges.

Eight SIUE computer science students, along with Bouvier, invested weeks in event planning and preparation. The students included Meghan Heisler, Taylor Dowdy, Jared Schooley, Justin Bruce, Eli Ball, Zane Norris, Jacob Novosad and Zach Anderson.

For more information on the event, and its sponsors, visit ehacks.cs.siue.edu.

Photos: (L-R) Maryville’s Reiser brothers took home the Most Innovative award during SIUE’s third annual eHacks event. Standing on their left and right are SIUE organizers Dennis Bouvier, PhD, associate professor of computer science, and Meg Heisler, a senior studying computer science.

SIUE eHacks organizers (L-R) included Jared Schooley, Justin Bruce, Dr. Dennis Bouvier, Taylor Dowdy, Eli Ball, Zane Norris, Jacob Novosad and Meg Heisler. Zach Anderson is not pictured.

The Higher Education Channel (HEC-TV) featured SIUE research on imagery-assisted virtual reality Thursday, March 8 on its INNOVATIONS show. The story by HEC-TV’s Kathleen Berger can be viewed here.

The SIUE School of Education, Health and Human Behavior’s Lindsay Ross-Stewart, PhD, is the leading researcher of imagery-assisted virtual reality in both athletics and medicine.

As part of her innovative, applied research, she and graduate student Jeff Price, worked with the Cougars baseball team in 2015 to study how athletes can use imagery-assisted virtual reality to increase their confidence and performance. The research was published in the Journal of Sports Science in 2018.

The SIUE community is mourning the loss of freshman College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) student Bryce Sheffer, who died from injuries sustained in an ATV accident on Thursday, March 8 near his home in Morganfield, Kentucky. He was 19.

Sheffer was a freshman on the Cougars wrestling team. He was able to wrestle unattached through the 2017-18 season, compiling a 10-6 record, while winning six of his last seven matches in open events at 141 lbs. Sheffer enrolled at SIUE after wrestling for Cougars alum Robert Ervin at Union County High School. 

“It was an honor and a privilege to have Bryce as part of our program,” said Jeremy Spates, SIUE wrestling head coach. “We are deeply saddened by his loss and would like to express our heartfelt sympathies to his family and friends. He always will be a part of our team.”

Information regarding visitation and services will be made available, as they become known.

Counseling services are available to students by calling 650-2842 or visiting the Counseling Health Services Office in the Student Success Center lower level adjacent to the Morris University Center.

Academic Advising Today has published an article entitled “The Odyssey: How to Help Students Reach Their Ithaca” written by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Academic Advisor Efrosini “Effie” Hortis.

Hortis used Homer’s poem The Odyssey as a metaphor for students’ academic journey and the important role advisors play in helping them reach their desired destination. View the full article here.

“Our students are like Odysseus; they enter our offices full of dreams, interests, fears, and confusions, ready to begin their academic, personal, social, and developmental wanderings! Advisors are like the Goddess Athena; we need wisdom, knowledge, resources and authenticity to help students find the right paths during their wanderings!” Hortis wrote.

Hortis recommended that during advising appointments, an effective teaching/advising philosophy should be followed. She advocated the development of such skills and qualifications as preparation, honesty and real interactive communication.

“Advisors must pay genuine attention to each student and, through our conversations, realize the hidden meanings behind their words, a key point for the developmental advising process,” Hortis wrote. “When we pick up the clues, we can provide our advisees with the right information to enable them to think critically, learn and find the motivation to connect the pieces of the puzzle.”

Academic Advising Today, the electronic publication of NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising, is distributed quarterly to over 13,000 members worldwide.

Upon the publication of Hortis’ article, Charlie Nutt, EdD, NACADA executive director, said, “Efrosini’s contribution indicates her commitment to providing quality advising for SIUE students, as well as demonstrates her dedication to the profession of advising and the academic success of all students.”

SIUE’s Office of Academic Advising provides a collaborative, educational experience that empowers and encourages students to explore their full potential regarding academic, professional, and personal goals in a challenging and supportive environment.

Photo: SIUE Academic Advisor Efrosini “Effie” Hortis.

Two SIUE alumnae were among those honored for their commitment to the growth, betterment and vitality of the community during the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Community Awards Gala and Auction held Thursday, March 8 in SIUE’s Meridian Ballroom. This year’s theme was “Business Builds: Economies. Leaders. Communities.”

Alumna Linda Cassens received the Albert Cassens Award for Outstanding Community Service. She earned a bachelor’s in psychology from the SIUE School of Education, Health and Human Behavior (SEHHB) in 1983.

SIUE Foundation President Bev George was presented the Tallerico Leadership Award, which honors individuals who have mentored others and served as a role model. George achieved a bachelor’s in English from the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences in 1975 and a master’s in secondary education/reading from SIUE in 1979.

The Edwardsville Intelligencer detailed the event in an article posted Thursday, March 8. 

Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine’s (SIU SDM) Dr. Anita Joy is the recipient of the 2018 American Dental Education Association/ADEAGies Foundation Education Fellowship.

Joy is an associate professor and chair of the SIU SDM’s Department of Growth, Development and Structure. She is an 8-year member of the SDM faculty, having joined in 2010 and began her interactions with the ADEA at that time.

“Being awarded this prestigious fellowship is an honor both personally and professionally,” Joy said. “I hope to be able to translate my experiences into practical policies and assessment protocols for the SDM. I plan to focus on strategic planning as it relates to educational/curricular competency assessments.” 

The ADEA and ADEAGies Foundation annually provide the opportunity for a dental educator to become familiar with a broad range of timely issues facing dental education through a unique learning experience.

Joy noted that change is constant in dental education. “Educational improvements are vital and need to be part of the culture of any institution, because of the far-reaching effects they can have on the learner, the teacher, and in the case of the dental school, our patients,” she said. “The American Dental Education Association is a unique organization, whose primary focus is academic dentistry. I have used every opportunity to learn from, teach or share my experiences and network with dental educators from across the country.”

Joy will receive a stipend valued at $15,000 to pursue a cumulative 2-3 month fellowship at the ADEA office in Washington, D.C. She will accept the award at the 2018 ADEA Annual Session and Exhibition in Orlando on Monday, March 19 at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center.

“Dr. Joy is a valuable member of the School of Dental Medicine, both as a faculty member and an administrator,” said SIU SDM Dean Bruce Rotter, DMD. “She is always poised to take on additional responsibilities, continually improving herself, as well as the school. This recent award/fellowship is further evidence of her willingness and ability to develop and contribute.”

The ADEA’s mission is to lead institutions and individuals in the dental education community to address contemporary issues influencing education, research and the delivery of oral healthcare for the overall health and safety of the public.

As the only philanthropy dedicated solely to dental education, the mission of the ADEAGies Foundation^® is to enhance the oral health of the public by funding programs that support innovations in dental education, research, leadership and recognition. To achieve its mission, the foundation awards grants and annually hosts The William J. Gies Awards for Vision, Innovation and Achievement.

Photo: Dr. Anita Joy, associate professor and chair of the SIU SDM’s Department of Growth, Development and Structure, is the recipient of the 2018 American Dental Education Association/ADEAGies Foundation Education Fellowship.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville first-year School of Pharmacy (SOP) students visited nearly 350 kindergarten through third grade classrooms Feb. 20-March 9 in Madison and St. Clair Counties to teach more than 6,500 children about poison prevention. Forty-two teams of SOP students engaged children on the important topic through unique lesson plans and hands-on activities.

In Sina Rowe’s classroom at LeClaire Elementary, SOP students Akosua “CoCo” Adu and Britney Nguyen interacted with students as they played a game with “Mr. Big Mouth,” categorizing which items could be safely consumed and which required the kids to “Stop. Ask first.”

“I tried to put my mind in theirs and present the important content in a way they could understand,” said Nguyen, of Vietnam. “I enjoyed helping the children learn and hope they went home with one or two key messages they will remember.”

“It’s wonderful that the University is close by and that we’re able to partner with them to give our students a wider education,” said Rowe, a K-2 CASTLE (Collaboration for Autism Spectrum Teaching Learning and Excelling) teacher. “This was a medium that our students in the autism program could access. Visuals are super important for them. The pharmacy students took their feedback well and offered a successful lesson on poison prevention.”

SOP students found the annual service learning experience rewarding and appreciated the opportunity to positively impact the community through education.

“While this opportunity helps pharmacy students further their ability to work with others, build communication skills and practice public speaking, the greatest benefit may come from the experience of breaking down a large, complex topic into an understandable and meaningful format for their audience,” said Jennifer Arnoldi, PharmD, SOP clinical associate professor and experiential education coordinator. “As future pharmacists, this skill is invaluable for communicating with patients about complicated disease states and medications.”

“As first year students, we’re working to figure out which avenue of pharmacy we want to pursue, whether it’s a hospital setting, community-based setting or otherwise,” said Adu, of Ghana. “Either way, we’ll be in situations where we need to communicate with and educate children and adults. This has been a great experience.”

Photos: SIUE School of Pharmacy students Akosua “CoCo” Adu and Britney Nguyen played an interactive game with Edwardsville elementary students as they educated them about poison prevention.

SIUE first-year pharmacy student Britney Nguyen offers a coloring page to a student during a lesson on poison prevention.

The Illinois Metro East Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is hosting a workshop on Advancing the Development of Minority Entrepreneurship (ADME) from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21 in the Morris University Center’s Hickory/Hackberry Room.

The workshop is open to all entrepreneurs and will focus on a variety of general topics that are designed to instruct new business start-ups as well as individuals who have an interest in entrepreneurship.

The topics covered in this workshop will include:

• Business planning
• Business entity formation
• Types of business enterprises
• Importance of credit
• How to gain access to capital

The State of Illinois and the SBDC will be available to offer advice to entrepreneurs looking to start their business and will answer any questions.

“This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs of all backgrounds to learn from the Department of Commerce’s experience on how to start a business,” said Jo Ann DiMaggio May, SBDC director and experienced small business counselor. “While a goal of this workshop is to help minority entrepreneurs, such as veterans, international students, women and minorities, this is a great opportunity for all entrepreneurs to join the conversation, as well.” 

The free event is open to all members of the Metro East. For more information, call (618) 650-2929. Registration is available at events.r20.constantcontact.com.

The Metro East SBDC assists existing companies as well as new businesses headquartered in the nine-county Metro East region of Calhoun, Jersey, Madison, Bond, Clinton, St. Clair, Washington, Monroe and Randolph. It is a no-cost service to the community supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and SIUE. 

CLI is an executive education program jointly developed by SIUE’s School of Business and the School of Engineering’s Department of Construction. It brings together professionals from many sectors of the building industry.

Since CLI’s creation, approximately 370 emerging leaders and executives have benefitted from the nine-week program that strengthens leadership, strategic thinking, communications and key management skills.

For more information on the Construction Leadership Institute, visit siue.edu/cli or call 618-650-5440.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville graduate student Amr Metwali was among 12 fitness professionals nationwide to attend the American Council on Exercise (ACE) Cut Score Exam Development Meeting held Feb. 21-25 in San Diego.

Metwali is pursuing a master’s in sport and exercise psychology at SIUE, and works as a fitness graduate assistant for Campus Recreation. His committee’s objective was to establish criterion-referenced scores for scaling, normalizing and equating certification examinations for the ACE Personal Training program. 

“I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and take part in the review process for the ACE Personal Training certification,” he said. “It was interesting to see the components involved in test writing and the review of test materials.”

This work is an essential step in the exam development process of certification programs accredited by the National Commission of Certifying Agencies.

Photo: SIUE graduate student Amr Metwali.