Alumni

With more than 20 events that included live music, food trucks, games, vendors, college sports, an NPHC Yard Show, more than 620 runners and a petting zoo, the 2025 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Homecoming & Family Weekend proved to be a tremendous success.

Families such as those of lifelong friends and nursing students Jessica Gutierrez and Danna Rivera-Cortes, traveled as one large multigenerational unit from the suburbs of Chicago to the Edwardsville festivities, just to suppor...

Nearly 50 years after leading Southern Illinois University Edwardsville men’s soccer to its first national championship, Cougar legend Chris Carenza is preparing for a different kind of finish line. The 1972 national title hero, SIUE Athletics Hall of Famer and lifelong Cougar supporter will run the TCS New York City Marathon in support of Team For Kids, a youth running program that promotes fitness and healthy lifestyles.

Carenza, 73, has set his sights on completing the iconic 26.2-mile...

State Representative Jay Hoffman Discusses Pension Inequities and Reform Efforts

State Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea, 113th District) spoke to the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Chapter of the State Universities Annuitants Association (SUAA) regarding the longstanding inequities in the pension system for public sector employees hired after 2011. He emphasized the urgent need for corrective action and highlighted ongoing efforts to address these issues. 

Hoffman, who serves as A...

With the publicity still fresh surrounding Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s fall enrollment growth despite challenging national trends, SIUE Chancellor James T. Minor, PhD, gave an encouraging address, thanking students, faculty, staff, and administrators for achieving the monumental feat.    

Minor delivered the University Budget Update on Thursday, Sept. 4 in the SIUE Morris University Center’s Legacy Room to a crowded audience. Minor opened his remarks b...

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will “Unleash the Spirit” during Homecoming & Family Weekend, Sept. 24–28. The annual celebration invites alumni, students, families and community members to reconnect, recharge and enjoy a weekend packed with high-energy events and time-honored traditions.

“Homecoming & Family Weekend is one of my favorite times of the year,” said Cathy Taylor, associate Vice Chancellor for University Advancement and Executive Director o...

An SIUE-led research team is taking a statewide look at what lingers in the tap—measuring and mapping potential contaminants in Illinois drinking water using advanced chemical and geospatial analysis. The initiative, “Sustaining Illinois through Safe Drinking Water for All: A Detailed Chemical and Geospatial Analysis of Agricultural and Pharmaceutical Contaminates in Drinking Water Across Illinois” brings together faculty and students from Southern Illinois University Edwardsvi...

 
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alumna Halie Hebron earned the title of First Runner-Up at the Miss Missouri 2025 competition receiving multiple honors recognizing her excellence, leadership, and artistry. 
  
Hebron, from O'Fallon, MO, is the first recipient of both the Simone Esters Mentor Award, voted on by teen contestants, and the Photogenic Award in the Miss division. She began competing in the Miss America Organization in 2018. Since then, she has held ...

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Makayla “Mak” Mallon, currently pursuing her graduate degree in African American Literature, has spent this summer as a Servant Leader Intern for the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools® hosted on SIUE’s campus. Mallon graduated SIUE with a bachelor’s in history (’24) and also co-founded the student organization Black Literary Analysis Club (BLAC). “I was also privileged enough to...

The Savannah Bananas brought their world-famous baseball entertainment to St. Louis for the first time, and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville fans of Banana Ball were right in the middle of the action. With two sold-out nights at Busch Stadium and more than 90,000 fans in attendance, the SIUE Alumni Association hosted a memorable gathering for hundreds of alumni to celebrate the occasion and support fellow Cougar, Matt Graifer (’10), who now serves as Cast Director and Chief Pota...

Here are some of the recently published stories featuring Southern Illinois University Edwardsville students, alumni, faculty, and broader initiatives showcasing SIUE’s regional impact:

1. Dr. Tandra Taylor Profiled as a St. Louis Character
   St. Louis Business Journal
   
   SIUE’s own Tandra Taylor, PhD, historian and director of the Institute for Community Justice and Racial Equity, was featured as a "St. Louis Character" for her community-based scholarship and leadership. The article highl...

Here are some of the recently published stories featuring Southern Illinois University Edwardsville students, alumni, and initiatives:

1. WGEL: Clinton County 4-H Foundation Awards Scholarships to SIUE Students
    WGEL Radio highlighted the Clinton County 4-H Foundation’s 2025 scholarship recipients, including two SIUE students recognized for academic achievement and community service. The Foundation's support helps rural students access higher education, reinforcing SIUE’s stron...

 
Students from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville won top awards at the second edition of the Wildey Short Film Competition, held April 17 at the historic Wildey Theatre located in downtown Edwardsville.

“I am incredibly proud of our students. Their creativity, dedication, and storytelling talents stood out in their films,” said Suman Mishra, PhD, chair of the Department of Mass Communications.

The annual competition, hosted by Friends of the Wildey, a nonprofit organiz...

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Denise Cobb, PhD, conferred Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degrees upon 55 graduates of the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SIU SDM). The commencement ceremony was held Saturday, June 7 at the First Community Arena at the Vadalabene Center on the Edwardsville campus. The Class of 2025 represented the 50th graduating class of SIU SDM, which held its first comme...

“I wouldn’t be where I am right now if it wasn’t for SIU,” said Major Elester Latham (’75). “SIU was everything to me.” Latham, who graduated 50 years ago with a degree in theatre  was one of more than 40 Golden Graduates at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s 2025 spring commencement exercises on Saturday, May 10. Latham, began his career as a United States Air Force and commercial airline pilot eventually returning to his first love ...

Messages of girl power, positive self-esteem, healthy body image, community activism and more were packaged in sparkly, eye-catching motion and decorative costuming during the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center for the Performing Arts’ (ESLCPA) 2025 Spring Dance Recital. 

Students took to the stage at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 15 in the Multipurpose Room of Building D of the Wyvetter H. Younge Higher Education Center. Social justice was the theme of the d...

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville conferred degrees upon 2292 eligible graduates during May 2025 commencement exercises, held Friday and Saturday, May 9-10 in the First Community Arena at the Vadalabene Center. The SIUE spring commencement weekend included six graduation ceremonies, led by Denise Cobb, PhD, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and respective deans. Throughout the ceremonies significant moments included inspiring keynotes, recognition of the 2025 Distinguish...

Free Information, Screenings and Prizes; Fraternity Gives Clinic $7,000  

Metro East residents received valuable information, participated in health screenings, enjoyed free haircuts, beauty services, clothing, lunch, and major door prizes during the Spring Forward Health and Wellness Fair, co-hosted by the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing’s (SON) WE CARE Clinic in East St. Louis. 

The WE CARE Clinic partnered with the East St. Louis (IL) Alumni Cha...

The Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for the Metro East at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is happy to announce the winners of its 8^th Annual Metro East Start-Up Challenge (MESC). The 2021 business plan competition attracted more than 25 entrepreneurs to compete for a $25,000 prize package. 

A2 Creative, Inc--3D Gloop!, of Edwardsville, was awarded the first-place prize of $10,000.  A2 Creative, Inc--3D Gloop! creates unparalleled, specifically-engineered ad...

Silvia Torres Bowman is passionate about helping small businesses become competitive in the global marketplace. As director of the Illinois SBDC International Trade Center (ITC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Bowman has assisted southern Illinois businesses in making over $175 million in international sales during the past five years alone. For these accomplishments, Bowman has been named the recipient of the 2021 Hispanic Heritage Month Outstanding Commitment in Education award b...

The southern Illinois region has long needed a customized, action-oriented export training initiative to put local businesses on the international map. Now, five regional businesses have benefited from such an opportunity, EXPORT NOW.

Presented by the Illinois SBDC International Trade Center (ITC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, in partnership with the Southwest Illinois Trade and Investment Council, LR International and the Illinois District Export Council, with financial support...

Fifteen Southwestern Illinois-based entrepreneurs and their innovative business concepts have been selected to move into the second round of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s 8^th annual Metro East Startup Challenge.

The Metro East Startup Challenge welcomes entrepreneurs and new businesses from a nine-county area of Southwestern Illinois, and this year expanded to include Fayette and Montgomery Counties. More than 40 entrepreneurs expressed interest in the regional competition t...

Choosing the right distribution channels can be difficult for businesses, whether a small-scale custom t-shirt design company or a giant producer of goods. A virtual conversation with Southern Illinois Businesses will offer expert advice on Gaining Sales Channel Partners for Exporting.

The free webinar is part of an ongoing virtual roundtable series hosted by the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) International Trade Center (ITC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and t...

A longstanding Collinsville-based manufacturer of industrial ink jet printers and other products is expanding its exporting to three additional countries, thanks to funding and expertise via the Illinois SBDC International Trade Center (ITC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Marsh Shipping Supply Co., LLC (MSSC) – the maker of industrial printing, marking, sealing and stenciling products – has been exporting its products for decades to more than 250 distributors worldwid...

Small businesses in southern Illinois are invited to take a strategic look at the world and create a plan to expand their business internationally with guidance from industry leaders during the new, virtual, action-oriented series EXPORT NOW.

EXPORT NOW is presented by the Illinois SBDC International Trade Center (ITC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, in partnership with the Southwest Illinois Trade and Investment Council, LR International and the Illinois District Export Council.

The Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) International Trade Center (ITC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is partnering with the Southwestern Illinois Trade and Investment Council (SWITIC) to host a virtual roundtable conversation on “Selecting the Right Logistics Partner and INCOTERMS 2020.”

Southern Illinois businesses are encouraged to participate in the free discussion being held via Zoom from 10:30 a.m.-Noon Thursday, Feb. 25. Register via email at i...