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Instructors to Enrich SIUE’s Objectives

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has selected its inaugural cohort for the Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, according to Vice Chancellor for Anti-racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Jessica C. Harris, PhD. 

In efforts to enhance its mission, vision and values, SIUE launched the Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in 2023, created by Harris and headed up by her office. The Fellows, who are appointed for two years, began their work this fall. 

“Through the program, we seek to attract scholars who will enhance the breadth, depth and quality of our academic programs, and support the retention and graduation of SIUE’s diverse student population,” said Harris. 

“Fellows will teach three courses or an equivalent each year, aligned with their field of study. They will also have dedicated time for research and creative activities,” added Harris. “The postdocs will participate in structured mentorship, relationship building and professional development opportunities to support belonging and facilitate connectedness with the broader SIUE community.” 

The Fellows and their subject areas include:

• Vivian Feldblyum, PhD, Philosophy
• Kyunghwan Lee, PhD, Sociology
• Evelyn Malinowski, PhD, Honors
• Treasure Shields Redmond, PhD, English
• Ruchi Saini, Educational Leadership (will begin January 2025)
• Jacqueline Shea, PhD, CODES
• Yayra Sumah, PhD, Political Science 

“Dr. Candace Hall serves as the inaugural faculty fellow for the Chancellor's Postdoctoral Program,” said Harris. “Given her scholarly expertise on recruiting, retaining and supporting faculty of color, and her particular dedication to creating communities that support faculty belonging and thriving, she was especially well-suited for this role.” 

“I am intentionally connecting to each postdoc (individually and collectively) to offer support as they transition to the institution, and hopefully, tenure-track faculty roles,” shared Hall, EdD, assistant professor in the SIUE School of Education, Health and Human Behavior’s (SEHHB) Department of Educational Leadership. 

“Being in close conversation with them about their experiences and continued research concerning experiences of faculty of color in academe, will help me advise administrators on promising practices in not only recruitment, but intentional, proactive, retention and supportive measures,” added Hall. 

Postdoctoral fellows were selected following a national search, according to Harris. 

“While we sought applications from scholars representing a wide range of academic disciplines in any of the University’s current academic programs, we did consider appointments based on an assessment of institutional needs, priorities and opportunities for growth,” shared Harris. “In terms of minimum qualifications, applicants must have earned a doctorate degree or equivalent terminal degree or anticipate degree conferral by the start of the contract date and evidence a commitment to the teacher-scholar philosophy, inclusive excellence and student success.” 

The quality of the postdoctoral fellows chosen is evident by their academic and scholarly body of work. Several fellows shared some of their plans and expressed their gratitude for being part of the inaugural program. 

“In 2020, I completed a dissertation focused on the recorded performances of Black women poets and how they used sound to influence justice movements,” shared Redmond. “I am excited to offer this course. In this digital age where the typical college student listens to media during most of their free time, I am certain the subject matter will engage students on several levels.” 

“We use podcasts to preserve community stories, and I am eager to share this skillset with SIUE's student body,” continued Redmond. “Through the Eugene B. Redmond Learning Center, (the archival space named for my father, SIUE emeritus professor in the Department of English Language and Literature, author, editor and Poet Laureate of East St. Louis), I plan to collaborate with faculty and staff to promote historical preservation of our community stories and enlarge the scholarship in that area.” 

Malinowski’s mission in part will be to help students reason analytically. 

“I want students to practice thinking critically and theoretically,” said Malinowski, who is teaching the two Honor courses: Questions and the Spirit of Inquiry, and Rhetoric. “I hope they learn to convey new ideas through concise, persuasive and well-informed language. I also want them to gain a new sense of intellectual confidence.” 

“I have much to offer SIUE’s mission and values in regard to my commitment to student success through the growth of interdisciplinarity,” she continued. “I understand how the diversity of students, their backgrounds and interests, and innovative curriculum create the stimulated, growing community that is SIUE.” 

“As a faculty member, SIUE’s greatest strength is its vision for its faculty to be scholar-teachers in a way that does not separate those two activities,” shared Feldblyum. “My research and teaching are linked in exactly that way, so I hope to embody those values as I do my work here over the next two years.” 

This year, Feldblyum will teach the seminar, “Patterns in Human Endeavors in the Honors Program, Reasoning and Argumentation” in the Department of Philosophy and Peoples and Cultures of the East in International Studies. 

“My main philosophical interests lie at the intersection of moral psychology, metaethics, and ancient philosophy (especially Aristotle),” noted Feldblyum. “My current work is concerned with the nature of pleasure and its relationship to value, perception and motivation. Taking inspiration from Aristotle, I am developing an account of pleasure on which it is best understood as a non-intellectual form of evaluative cognition. In many of my classes, I tend to use the ancient model of doing philosophy – not merely understanding it intellectually or academically, but as a way of life. I hope to continue to grow my ability to help students live philosophically in a way that enriches their minds, bodies and hearts.” 

Photos:
SIUE’s inaugural cohort of Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellows: (Top row, L-R) Dr. Vivian Feldblyum, Dr. Kyunghwan Lee and Dr. Evelyn Malinowski. (Bottom row, L-R) Dr. Treasure Shields Redmond, Dr. Jacqueline Shea and Dr. Yayra Sumah. Not pictured, Ruchi Saini.  

Operating the Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program are Vice Chancellor for Anti-racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Jessica C. Harris (left) and Dr. Candace Hall, assistant professor in the SEHHB Department of Educational Leadership.