Dear Faculty, Staff, and Friends of the College,

I’d like to welcome you back following what I hope was a pleasant and productive holiday break. We’re on our way to what promises to be yet another successful year in the College of Arts and Sciences.

You’ll be pleased to learn that the Office of the Provost has announced this year’s winners of the Outstanding University Teacher and Outstanding University Researcher Awards. Many of the recipients are from our College. The Outstanding Researchers are announced in this issue of CASNews; the Outstanding Teachers will be featured in the January 22 issue.

This year, the College is conducting national searches for three department chairs and twenty faculty, and I hope you will participate in these searches as much as possible.

The Office of the Provost has announced that David Williams, Professor of Biological Sciences, and Saad El-Zanati, Professor of Mathematics, have won the 2008 Outstanding University Researcher Awards. These awards recognize faculty members who have established national and/or international reputations in their fields. The College is also honored to have three University Research Initiative Award winners: Joan Brehm, Department of Sociology and Anthropology; Renee Tobin, Department of Psychology; and Corinne Zimmerman, Department of Psychology. Click Read More for More Photos.

On November 15 more than 250 alumni, faculty, students, and friends gathered at Chicago's Congress Plaza Hotel for a special alumni reunion sponsored by the School of Communication. School of Communication alumnus Dan Roan served as master of ceremonies for a program that included remarks from President Al Bowman, Vice President of University Advancement Dianne Ashby, Dean Gary Olson, and Director of the School of Communication Larry Long. “We have made the successful transition to becoming a school with the help and support of our alums,” Long told the crowd. “And their help is critical as we continue to pursue our goal of having not just the top school on the Illinois State campus, but the No. 1 School of Communication in the United States.” Click Read More for More Photos

The fall semester concluded with Winter Commencement ceremonies in Redbird Arena on December 15. Two ceremonies were held. The first, held at 9 a.m., included graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Applied Science and Technology, and the College of Fine Arts. The second, which began at 1 p.m., included graduates from the College of Business and the College of Education. President Bowman addressed the graduates and noted that ISU alumni are helping the United States meet a wide range of challenges, particularly in science and in education. A total of 1,107 bachelor’s degrees, 174 master’s degrees, and 50 doctorates were awarded during the two ceremonies; the College of Arts and Sciences bestowed degrees on nearly 600 graduates.

Tomasz A. Fediuk is a new Assistant Professor in the School of Communication. He received his BS in Public Relations and MS in Communication from Illinois State University and earned his PhD from Michigan State University with a focus in strategic communication. His research is on how stakeholders perceive crisis situations, and the impact of communication strategies designed to reduce reputation harm. Other work includes focus on public communication campaigns, primarily pro-social and health campaigns. Dr. Fediuk is also the faculty advisor to the ISU Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). “I was a member of PRSSA as an undergraduate student and assisted when I was a graduate student.” he said. “It is an honor to return and advise such a great program.”