Accomplishments - October, 2025
Andrew Pardieck, SIU Simmons Law School Alumni Professor of Law, recently received a 2025 Innovation Award in the legal education category from Relativity, a global technology company. Students use the company’s software in Pardieck’s electronic discovery class and in the law school’s eDiscovery Pro Bono Project, which participates in Relativity’s Justice for Change program and is currently working with the Georgia Innocence Project.
SchoolStory, published by Regional Office of Education 30, highlighted University Housing’s Culinary and Nutrition Services program’s involvement with the Pre-Employment Training Services program, operated by the Tri-County Special Education District in partnership with Illinois’ Division of Rehabilitation Services. The program has put 15 students into working at Lentz Hall and five of them are now civil service employees.
Four communication disorders and sciences faculty members have authored the textbook “Communication Disorders in Schools: Collaborative Scenarios,” published by Cognella. Maria Claudia Franca, professor; Valerie Boyer, associate professor and director of the School of Health Sciences; Denise Croft, program director, assistant lecturer and director of the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders; and Juhi Kidwai, assistant professor, bring extensive experience and research to the project, which features supportive materials for efficient service delivery in schools. The book is already being used in two CDS courses on campus, and the authors anticipate its use will grow as the field is trending toward dynamic application of interprofessional practices and education.
Olusegun Ojewuyi, professor, School of Theater and Dance, is one of the featured directors in the 2025 Cambridge Encyclopedia of Stage Directors, published by Cambridge Press.