A message from the Dean
Welcome to another edition of This Month in CAS! As usual, there are many initiatives that are ongoing in the College, and this month’s edition details some of them. You will find articles on Explore CAS DAY, the Targeted Funding Initiative, and the new associate director of the SIUE East. St Louis Center, our own Shavonda Mitchom, who has served with excellence as the CAS Budget Director these past three years. Go here to read all about them.
The 2017 Targeted Funding Initiative received a wonderful response. Thirty-three proposals were submitted and are currently undergoing review. I hope to announce the winners by January 6th.
In this time of state budget and health insurance crises, it can be difficult to summon the emotion to celebrate anything. Yet, it is precisely in these times when the hard work of our faculty and staff deserve the highest praise, and excellence should be justly acknowledged.
The William and Margaret Going Endowed Professorship Award is the most distinguished award in the College of Arts and Sciences. It is only bestowed on faculty members from our College who have produced outstanding scholarship and have connected that scholarship in fundamental ways to their teaching, and transformed student’s lives. This year’s applicant pool for the Going Award was very strong and the decision was difficult. I want to thank the Going Award committee of Ann Dirks-Linhorst, Elza Ibroscheva, David Kauzlarich, Andy Neath, and Marc Schapman, all past Going Award winners, for playing an invaluable role in the evaluation process.
Thus, please join me in congratulating the 2017 William and Margaret Going Endowed Professorship Award recipient, Dr. Jason Stacy of the Department of Historical Studies for his proposed presentation “Spoon River America: Edgar Lee Masters, the Midwest, and the Myth of Small Town America.” Dr. Stacy’s work as a Whitman scholar and Historian of 19th century America provides the perfect background to explore the emergence of the notion of “Main Street”. Given the current political and social focus on rural America, the topic is both timely and challenging.
Again, congratulations to our colleague for an outstanding application.
Finally, please allow me to wish each of you and your families a peaceful and joyous Holiday season, and a very Happy New Year. May you find it restful and energizing, and I look forward to seeing you all next year.
Best wishes,
Greg
Filed Under: Message from the Dean
