Sakaluk is an internationally renowned scholar and a master teacher who has been on the Illinois State faculty since 1987. Considered a pioneer in behavioral ecology, he has made fundamental discoveries in his field, earning the respect of his colleagues around the world as the foremost expert in his research area. Sakaluk currently serves as ISU's Director of Research and Sponsored Programs.

The College hosted its fall Faculty Forum on November 6. Associate Professors from departments across the College gathered to discuss a wide range of issues, including how purchase of equipment is prioritized, how to work with colleagues in other Colleges with regards to admitting students into courses, and how advisors work with students to determine course loads. “What I enjoy most about the Faculty Forum events is the opportunity to meet and talk with faculty from across the College,” said Julie Jung, Associate Professor of English. “I get the chance to step outside the boundaries of my department and learn about problems and issues important to researchers in disciplines other than my own.” A Forum for assistant professors will be held in the spring. Click Read More for More Photos.

Mandorla, a literary journal co-edited by Assistant Professor Kristin Dykstra, Department of English, has been awarded its third Illinois Arts Council (IAC) Project Grant, in support of its forthcoming 2008 issue. IAC funding helps with the cost of printing the annual journal.

Dykstra began working with Mandorla as a guest editor on Issue 7. Afterward, she was invited to co-edit the journal with founding editor Roberto Tejada (Department of Visual Art, UC-San Diego) and freelance writer/critic Gabriel Bernal Granados, who lives in Mexico City. Mandorla’s subtitle, New Writing from The Americas / Nueva escritura de las Américas, indicates its international scope. “We are cross-cultural and bilingual—English and Spanish, with a little bit of Portuguese coming in from Brazil as well,” says Professor Dykstra. “A common mistake we see from libraries, bookstores, and others is to say that either we publish U.S. writing or Latin American writing, in one language or another. We create a meeting space for writers from many Americas.”

Thomas Burr joins ISU as a new Assistant Professor of Sociology. He earned a BA from the University of California, Berkeley, an MA in international relations at San Francisco State University, and an MA in history and the PhD in sociology from the University of California, Davis. His dissertation analyzed the French and American bicycle markets over the late nineteenth century. He compared how consumer tastes interacted with industry strategies over time, and how these differed nationally, producing different market outcomes. Thomas also has interests in global historical sociology and economic development. In his free time, he likes cycling and watching movies with his wife Lisa and his daughter Gabbi.