Greetings from the College of Sciences Dean’s Office! It is always exciting for me to share with you the college-level perspective of CDS and EIU. As I write this, we are awaiting the arrival of our new president, Dr. William Perry who comes to EIU from Texas A&M where he is an associate provost. Dr. Perry is familiar with central IL. He is a native of Missouri and completed his Ph.D. in mathematics up the road at UIUC. He will be a tenured faculty member in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science in COS. We are looking forward to knowing him and learning about where he will lead EIU.
CDS is involved in another exciting activity, the Laptop Initiative. Last fall when EIU began to discuss options for increasing the use of personal laptops in classrooms, CDS was the first department to volunteer to participate in a pilot project. Just as in the days when you were a student, CDS is always ready and eager to meet new challenges. And this one is a significant one for the Department as well as the University. This year the faculty is collaborating to determine the most appropriate teaching practices for laptop utilization in the classroom as well as innovative clinical applications. Next fall, laptop computers will be an integral part of the CDS curriculum.
Another exciting initiative in the College of Sciences is the WiSM program, Women in Sciences and Math. The program is designed to increase recruitment and retention of women students in science and math majors and to mentor women to careers and advanced degrees in sciences and math. In CDS, recruitment and retention of women is not a concern, however, there is a shortage of PhD prepared faculty in CDS. So the WiSM outcome that we are looking for in CDS is an increased number of MS graduates considering and entering PhD programs in Communication Disorders and Sciences.
One other thing…the College of Sciences has an Advisory Board that meets twice per year. The primary function of the Board is to assist in friend-raising and fundraising. Board members make a modest financial commitment each year and they assist us by reviewing our fundraising initiatives and introducing us to others who will make those commitments to EIU and COS. If you are interested in serving on the Board, send me an email or give me a call (217-581-3328).
There is always plenty to do in the Dean’s office! I enjoy hearing from former students and friends so email (mahanner@eiu.edu) when you can. Let me know how you are doing and, from your perspective, how EIU is doing, and most importantly how you have benefited from your EIU degree. Warm regards to you and yours.
Mary Anne Hanner, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Sciences
Professor, Communication Disorders and Sciences
