Outstanding faculty recognized at SIU Board of Trustees meeting
September 22, 2023
East St. Louis, IL - The Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees met at the SIUE East. St. Louis campus this week. During the meeting, the inaugural SIU System Faculty Collaboration Award was presented. Created to foster continued collaboration among faculty across SIU System campuses, winners were selected by the Faculty Advisory Committee for the SIU System (FACSS). The FACSS is an advisory body that serves as a collaborative channel between the faculty at SIUC, SIUE, the SIU School of Dental Medicine (SDM) and the SIU School of Medicine (SOM).
In making the presentation, FACSS members Dr. Barbara McCracken associate professor at the SIU School of Dental Medicine and Dr. Bethany Radar, associate professor in the SIUC Department of Microbiology, both Faculty Senate Presidents at their respective campuses, explained the award’s purpose is to recognize faculty for impactful collaborative endeavors across campuses in the areas of teaching; scholarship and creative activities; service; and/or antiracism, diversity, equity and inclusion (ADEI).
While there were nine outstanding and varied applications ranging from collaborations in music to collaborations in the areas of nursing and medicine, the committee selected Dr. John Matta, Associate Professor and Department Chair, Department of Computer Science at SIUE, and Dr. Koushik Sinha, Associate Professor, School of Computing at SIUC as the winners.
Matta and Sinha’s collaborative project, entitled “Estimating the Burden of HIV in Semi-Urban and Rural Illinois,” involved conducting a survey of communities affected by HIV in Southern Illinois with a focus on small and hard-to-reach groups in rural communities such as drug injectors, prostitutes, gay men, street youth and the homeless, among others. The project has broad impact in the areas of teaching and student learning, scholarship and creative activities, and antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“As we congratulate all our nominees for their collaborative efforts, but especially Drs. Matta and Sinha as the recipients, it is important to note another common thread of all the nominations is the added outcome of support for the communities we serve with enriched cultural, scientific and scholarly outcomes. They are a great example of how our campuses are not just educating students, but are building communities,” said Gireesh Gupchup, vice president for academic innovation, planning and partnerships at the SIU System.
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The 2023 SIU System Faculty Collaboration Award was presented to Dr. John Matta at SIU Edwardsville and Dr. Koushik Sinha at SIU Carbondale. Joining in presentation (left to right) were SIUE Chancellor James Minor, Dr. John Matta, Dr. Koushik Sinha, SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin Lane and SIU System President Dan Mahony. (Photo by Howard Ash, SIUE).
