SIU Today - April 11, 2022

SIU earns Tree Campus recognition for seventh year, plans tree planting

Southern Illinois University Carbondale has for the seventh consecutive year earned national recognition as a Tree Campus Higher Education program in honor of its commitment to effective forest management. As the university celebrates this Arbor Day Foundation acknowledgment, it is continuing efforts to make SIU a greener, more sustainable campus by hosting a tree planting event on April 19, and everyone is welcome to participate.


Morton-Kenney lecture to probe misperceptions that surround women voters

Christina Wolbrecht, a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame, will discuss the persistent myths that surround women voters during the Morton-Kenney Public Affairs Lecture on Wednesday, April 13, in Morris Library’s John C. Guyon Auditorium. The lecture will also be available via livestream.


Flexible schedule summer program starts May 29

The university will offer an employee flexible schedule program again this summer. Employees may request departmental approval to flex their hours in order to shorten a workday. The program will begin May 29 and continue through July 30, 2022.


Open forums for vice chancellor for research and graduate school dean

Three candidates for vice chancellor for research and graduate school dean at Southern Illinois University Carbondale will meet with faculty, staff and students during a series of virtual open forums this week, beginning Tuesday, April 12.


Saluki Con 22 features celebrity guests and more April 15-16

Saluki Con is back on campus later this week, and the fourth edition of the event is bigger and better than ever, organizers say, with panels, gaming, a cosplay contest, artists, vendors, virtual reality, an escape room, workshops, demonstrations and much more!


Employee stress relief sessions available

There are two special employee stress relief programs planned this month as part of the Chancellor’s Faculty-Staff Lounge at Old Main for April.


Southern Illinois Learning in Retirement enrollment is open

Faculty and staff are invited to join Southern Illinois Learning in Retirement (SILIR), an education community of adults 50 and older who wish to continue learning and expand their horizons through peer learning and collaborative leadership.


Help SIU improve technology by completing a brief survey

SIU Carbondale needs your help to improve how we integrate technology into all that we do. Please complete a confidential questionnaire, which should take about 10 minutes, by Thursday, April 14. Your candid responses will help identify opportunities to extend and improve administrative technology resources. Survey data will be compiled and used by the Ellucian team to facilitate further discussion on April 19-20 as part of a strategic alignment planning process.


Deadline to complete the diversity climate survey is Thursday

Faculty, staff, students and administrators are encouraged to participate in the campuswide diversity climate survey, which will be used to identify strengths and opportunities related to diversity, equity and inclusion. On March 14, you received an email invitation to participate in the online survey directly from Campus Climate Surveys, LCC. The survey will be available until April 14. If you have any questions, please contact Sheila.Caldwell@siu.edu.


Debates expert to discuss civil discourse, political depolarization

April Kornfield, the director of debates for Braver Angels, a nonprofit dedicated to depolarizing American politics, is set to speak on Tuesday, April 12, in a virtual event hosted by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.

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