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Notes from the chair
Dr. Joan Brehm, department chair and professor of sociology Another energizing and engaging year has come and gone, and I remain honored and grateful to serve as Chair for the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. It is a privilege to serve such an outstanding and committed group of faculty, staff, and students and I am grateful to be able to continue to lead and support the critically important work of the collective. Thanks to the tremendous generosity of so many friends and colleagues, we raised nearly $17,000 to support the Skibo Scholars Scholarship, in honor of our dear friend and comrade, Emeritus Distinguished Professor Dr. Jim Skibo. In August, we welcomed five Skibo Scholars to campus and awarded them each a $1,000 scholarship. These students were energized and engaged, and we had the gift of spending nearly two days with them before the semester started to get to know them and to build a stronger sense of community and collective, welcoming them to ISU and to our department in a very meaningful way. You can read more about our Skibo Scholars and our activities to support them in our Inaugural Skibo Scholars story. Of all the things I do as Department Chair, this is truly the most important and meaningful and we could not have done this without your generosity and support – THANK YOU for helping to make this happen! We are continuing to encourage gifts to the Skibo Scholars Scholarship, with the goal of making this an endowed scholarship that will help students in perpetuity. I think that would make Jim smile. Despite on-going challenges to higher education and the foundations of a fair and just social fabric, I remain hopeful and encouraged through the actions and engagement of our faculty, staff, and students. They continue to demonstrate immense compassion, resilience, and a strong commitment to supporting each other and standing for what they believe in to navigate the evolving struggles on campus and in our broader society. There is a very palpable commitment to social justice and basic human rights that is inspiring and motivating. These experiences continue to propel me forward with the continued dedication to support and empower those around me and have made me immensely proud to be a member of this department. As you will see in the following pages, we have much to celebrate this year as we continue to flourish at Illinois State University and beyond. Our students continue to make us proud with their impressive accomplishments. We are excited to share that Jayden Wilburn-Johnson (Sociology) was selected as one of 12 prestigious Robert G. Bone Scholars for 2024-2025. We also welcomed seven new SOA Student Ambassadors (and two returning) for a total of 9 SOA Ambassadors for 2024-2025. These students are doing great work spreading the word about the value of Sociology and Anthropology and helping us to recruit more students to our program. In Spring 2024 we honored our outstanding students with various scholarships and awards in our Spring Awards Banquet, which is always a highlight of our year. We also celebrated numerous alumni throughout the year. In this issue, we showcase one of our recent Alumni, Bryan Yelk, as he received his MS in Sociology from Moorehead State University in Kentucky. In Fall 2024, we welcomed our distinguished alumni Bunmi Akinnusotu (MS SOC/ACED Fellow ’06) back to campus as our Homecoming Alumni Guest to share her journey and amazing accomplishments since her time at ISU. Bunmi oversees Bloomberg CityLab at the Aspen Institute, an annual convening of mayors and city leaders innovatively solving urban issues. Students were so deeply engaged in her insightful discussion, and we are very grateful for her willingness to share her experiences with our students, highlighting how Sociology can take you almost ANYWHERE, even places you never imagined! As part of our Homecoming celebrations, we also honored Dr. Wib Leonoard for his 55 years teaching Redbirds at ISU. Our faculty and staff continue to excel and reach new heights in their work. Distinguished Professor Dr. Sue Sprecher has received a prestigious Templeton Foundation Grant to support her continued scholarship on personal relationships and we congratulated Ryan Gray as he moved on to his new role as Assistant Registrar in May, 2024. Shortly after Ryan moved on, we welcomed Natalie Schaad (a Sociology alumni) as our new Director of Student Services and Assistant to the Chair. Dr. Jim Stanlaw and Dr. Nobuko Adachi curated a powerful exhibit for Schroeder Hall Gallery in collaboration with Project Returned Memories: Kiseki, entitled “Let War Memorabilia Come Home”. We also welcomed Dr. Frank Beck back to the Department as he steps down from 20 years of leading the Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development. Frank served as the director of the Stevenson Center for 20 of the Center’s 29-year history and was the first faculty director to serve in this role. He led efforts to support more than 200 Master’s students during that time, and secured over $10 million in external grants and contracts to help support students and to conduct leading-edge community-based research. Although we are sad to see him leave this role, we are thrilled to have him return to SOA full time and to engage more directly with our students in the classroom. There are so many accomplishments to celebrate among students, staff, and faculty and reasons to have hope for the future. It is this hope and the celebration of our achievements that carries us forward to work for a more collective and socially just worldview. I hope that you will enjoy reading about all that we have to celebrate in our department and know that you have all played a role in some way in helping us to reach these goals and milestones. |
From scholarship to community: How the Skibo Scholars Fund is transforming lives The Sociology and Anthropology Department (SOA) at Illinois State University launched a fundraising campaign in August 2023 with one goal: honoring the legacy of Dr. Jim Skibo by awarding scholarships to first-generation and/or underrepresented students who are interested in anthropology, sociology, or a related major at Illinois State University. |
Read More
Jayden Wilburn-Johnson named a 2024-2025 Robert G. Bone Scholar Sociology and Anthropology department chair celebrates sociology major and Bone Scholar nominee Jayden Wilburn-Johnson and his achievements |
Department of Sociology and Anthropology welcomes 2024 student ambassadors The Department of Sociology and Anthropology (SOA) proudly announces their newest Student Ambassadors cohort to help with student recruitment and peer advising. |
2023-24 SOA student recognition and awards banquet held The Department of Sociology and Anthropology recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of its students for the 2023-2024 academic year |
Sociology and anthropology alumni spotlight: Bryan J. Yelk Sociology alum Byan J. Yelk reflects on his academic journey at and beyond ISU. |
Sociology and Anthropology celebrates Redbird Homecoming 2024 and honors Dr. Wib Leonard’s 55 years of teaching The Department of Sociology and Anthropology celebrated alumni and faculty at homecoming 2024. |
Weak ties: New, funded research on their importance and their formation Dr. Susan Sprecher reflects on her research on relationships and recent funding supported by both the John Templeton Foundation and ISU. |
Sociology and Anthropology Department welcomes new staff member Sociology and Anthropology welcomes a new staff member into its department. |
Let War Memorabilia Come Home: Newest Schroeder Hall Gallery exhibit commemorates Japanese soldiers’ lost memories of WWII This year’s exhibit at the Schroeder Hall Gallery focuses on the repatriation of Japanese souvenirs gathered by U.S. soldiers and Marines during World War II. |
Honoring Dr. Frank Beck’s 20 Years of Service to the Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development After 20 years of leading and championing the Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development, Dr. Frank Beck is returning to a faculty role in his home department, Sociology and Anthropology |
Archaeology Field School, May-June 2024 Five Illinois State students spent the summer uncovering the remains of a 700-year-old Native American village and receiving hands-on training in archaeology. |
Students gain new skills, career trajectories in funded research experience Dr. Shelby S. J. Putt, assistant professor of Anthropology, reflects on new funded research experience for anthropology students. |
My “stay-bbatical”: sabbatical news from Dr. Gina L. Hunter Dr. Gina L. Hunter reflects on her research, scholarship, and civic engagement during her sabbatical leave in the spring 2024 semester. |
Fall 2024 Sociology graduate program news and updates The master’s degree in sociology shares its latest news and updates. |
Fall 2024 Anthropology graduate program news and updates The master’s degree in anthropology shares its latest news and updates. |
Make your campus workplace green certified through the Office of Sustainability Elisabeth Reed and Christine Bruckner ’09, M.S. ’11 from Illinois State University’s Office of Sustainability are two of those fortunate people who get to do work they are passionate about. One of their newest passion projects is the Green Workplace Certification program, which launched in October 2023. |
Department of Sociology and Anthropology faculty publications and presentations 2023-2024 The Department of Sociology and Anthropology celebrates its faculty’s publications, presentations, and other creative works from 2023-2024. |
SOA Research Series 2023-24 An overview of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology’s research series talks delivered during 2023-24. |
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