SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin A. Lane (far left) and CHHS Dean Robert Morgan (far right) celebrate aviation flight/aviation technology majors Jared Hermann’s and Kolby Davis’s winning $1,000 from the college’s cornhole tournament in April.
(Photo by Russell Bailey)
From the Dean: A Season of Celebration at CHHS
I write this after just celebrating 733 graduates from SIU Carbondale’s College of Health and Human Sciences (574 undergraduates, 148 master’s degree graduates and 10 doctoral student graduates). On May 11, we rocked the Banterra Center, and it truly was a sight to see. Beyond celebrating students, we recently held our Second Annual Celebration of Excellence (sponsored by Mid-America Transplant, one of our many great partners), to recognize the excellence that our faculty and staff bring to SIU each and every day. At this event, we recognized the following award winners:
- Tammy Rhinehart Kochel (professor, School of Justice and Public Safety): Ernest J and Mary C Simon Distinguished Faculty Award
- Michelle Kibby (professor, School of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences): CHHS Female Faculty Scholar Excellence Award
- Raymund Narag (associate professor, School of Justice and Public Safety): CHHS Minority Faculty Scholar Excellence Award
- Wasantha Jayawardene (assistant professor, School of Human Sciences): CHHS Early Career Scholar Excellence Award
- Xiaoli Li (assistant professor, School of Health Sciences): CHHS Scholar of the Year
- Kelli Whittington (assistant professor, School of Health Sciences): Tenure-Track Teacher of the Year
- Kimberly Parr (assistant professor of practice, School of Health Science): Non-Tenure-Track Teacher of the Year
- Kristina Benson (office support specialist, School of Justice and Public Safety): Service to the College Award
- Denise Croft (assistant lecturer, School of Health Science): Mike Behrmann Spirit Award
Although summer is just starting, we are already planning for the fall as we will have many events and opportunities to connect with all of you. Most notably, we will host our Third Annual CHHS Alumni, Faculty and Staff Appreciation Tailgate for the Homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. on Saluki Row. You can RSVP now for this fun and engaging event. Additional summer and fall events where we hope to see you are listed below.
- School of Aviation Golf Scramble: June 24, Monday (Boulder Ridge Country Club, Lake in the Hills, Illinois)
- First day of fall classes: Aug. 19, Monday
- Saluki football home game: Sept. 14, Saturday (University of Incarnate Word Cardinals)
- Family Weekend: Sept. 19-22
- Saluki football home game: Sept. 21, Saturday (Southeast Missouri State Redhawks)
- Saluki football home game: Oct. 5, Saturday (Illinois State Redbirds)
- SIU Homecoming 2024: Oct. 7-12
- CHHS Alumni, Faculty and Staff Appreciation Tailgate: Oct. 12, Saturday
- Saluki football home game: Oct. 12, Saturday (North Dakota State Bison)
- Saluki football home game: Nov. 9, Saturday (Youngstown State Penguins)
- Saluki football home game: Nov. 23, Saturday (Murray State Racers)
- 2024 Fall Commencement Ceremony: Dec. 14, Saturday
If you would like to join us in the CHHS suite for a home game, please reach out to Hannah Arnold (CHHS assistant director of development; hannaha@foundation.siu.edu) to schedule a game and coordinate ticket transfer. We are hoping to hear from many of you (I would love nothing more than to have to go to Athletics and tell them we need a bigger suite).
As we recently completed another annual Day of Giving as well as the Saluki Ball, which generates student support, I close this edition of the newsletter with a quote from one of our students:
“My family and I moved to the U.S. from Lagos, Nigeria, in pursuit of education. I’m the first in my family to graduate college. With your donations, you help other students like me achieve their dreams.”
— Mercy Ajala, aviation management
I thank you for your support. Together, we can redefine the landscape of health and human sciences education. Your partnership will not only foster growth within our college but will reverberate across generations, elevating lives and strengthening communities. Join us in championing innovation, research and service – pillars that define the College of Health and Human Sciences at SIU.
Best Wishes and Go Dawgs,
Robert Morgan, Ph.D.
robert.d.morgan@siu.edu