| | Welcome from the ChairFriends and Alumni,Final grades have been submitted, the class of ‘25 has crossed the stage at Groniger Arena, and students have cleared out of the dorms and left campus. Summer has officially arrived here at EIU. | |
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Dr. Don Holly Jr.Department Chair & Professor of Anthropology | | | |
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| | Department NewsOur proposal for an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Social Work program (a collaboration with the Department of Human Services) continues to move along. The program was approved by EIU’s board of trustees last fall and this spring by the Illinois Board of Higher Education. It is now on the desk of the Higher Learning Commission. If approved by the HLC, it will move on to the Council of Social Work Education. Ideally, the CSWE will approve our program sometime in the fall of 2025 and we will welcome our first class of social work students in 2026. It’s a long road, but we are very happy to be a part of this exciting new program. I imagine that many Alumni reading this newsletter are likewise pleased to see this program affiliated with our department. It is sure to enhance our curriculum in ways that will serve our Sociology and Criminology majors.
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| | | | We were fortunate to have been able to run two faculty searches this year, and I’m very happy to report that both ended successfully. This fall, we will welcome Hyeri Choi to our department as an Assistant Professor of Social Work. Hyeri has undergraduate degrees in Social Work from the University of Seoul and SUNY Stony Brook, a master’s degree in Social Work from Columbia, and a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Illinois, where her research focuses on the relationship between social welfare policy, labor, and worker well-being. | | | |
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| | | Hyeri Choi, Assistant Professor of Social Work | |
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| | | | Paul Odér, Assistant Professor of Criminology | |
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| | | | | Paul Odér will also be joining us in the fall as an Assistant Professor of Criminology. Paul earned a B.S. in Forensic Science from Youngstown State and then went on to the City University of New York where he earned his M.A. and is currently finishing his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice. Paul’s work explores the neighborhood spaces where crime, gentrification, and lead poisoning intersect—street crime, green crime, and structural violence. | | | |
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| | Mersadeez Barrett, 2025 Wood Award Recipient | | | |
| | We held our annual department honors reception in April, and over fifty guests, students, faculty, alumni, and administrators attended. At the reception, we awarded four department scholarships, inducted students into AKD (the national honors society for Sociology), welcomed a new class of student ambassadors, and presented the William G. Wood Award to an outstanding graduating senior. This year’s Wood Award went to Mersadeez Barrett. Mersadeez graduated this spring with majors in Sociology and Psychology, minors in Criminology and Anthropology, and a perfect 4.0 GPA! She was student president of the Sociology and Anthropology Club at EIU and worked as a case assistant for a senior service agency in Danville, Illinois—her hometown. Mersadeez has been accepted into the University of Illinois’ Master of Social Work program and will be starting there in the fall. | |
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| | Alumni NewsIn this newsletter, we spotlight Phoenix (Marr) Rebman, who graduated from EIU in 2007 with a major in Sociology and a minor in Criminology and Criminal Justice and is now Senior Manager of Life/Health Underwriting at State Farm Insurance headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois. On her time at EIU she writes:
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| | EIU played a transformative role in shaping my journey, and I’m so proud to call myself an alum. When I first showed up as a freshman, I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life — honestly, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to be there. But everything changed because of some incredible professors who truly cared about helping me figure it out. Dr. Eckert, Dr. Lovekamp, and Dr. Kashefi were absolute rock stars in getting me to fall in love with Sociology and Criminology (and statistics! Who knew?). Their passion for what they taught was contagious. Dr. Eckert went the extra mile and helped me land one of the only paid internships at the Coles County Public Defender’s Office. That internship was hands down one of my favorite jobs ever and really opened my eyes to how rewarding it is to take what you learn in the classroom and apply it in the real world. | |
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| | Phoenix Rebman, Alumna and Senior Manager of Life/Health Underwriting, State Farm Insurance | |
| | After graduating with a Sociology degree and a minor in Criminology, I didn’t have everything figured out, but EIU gave me the confidence to take the next steps. I’m now a Senior Manager in Life Underwriting at State Farm, leading an amazing team, and tackling big, strategic initiatives. My path wasn’t linear, but it was fueled by the lessons and experiences I gained at EIU, along with the incredible guidance from my professors in the Sociology and Anthropology (and now Criminology) Department. From my early days working at K-Mart to working as a paralegal before making the leap into the corporate world, the ability to embrace challenges, learn new skills, and influence others propelled my career forward. And while my journey had its share of setbacks, I credit EIU for equipping me not only with knowledge but with the confidence and tools to pursue my dreams and rise above obstacles. The relationships I built, the experiences I gained, and the life skills I developed during my time there continue to guide me in both my personal and professional journey. EIU shaped me into the leader I am today, and I’ll always look back on my time there with gratitude. | |
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| | | | Give Back & Pay it Forward
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| | Engraved Bricks in the EIU Commemorative Courtyard | | | |
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| | | Many thanks to those of you that answered the call and donated to the department on EIU’s Day of Giving (April 22). If you missed that opportunity, I’d like to draw your attention to a unique and memorable way to give to our department and to honor your time or someone at EIU. If you haven’t been back on campus recently, we now have a Commemorative Courtyard situated to the west of the Library Quad. The space features a bronze panther sculpture underlaid by bricks and paving stones that you can have inscribed with a personal message. When you donate a brick, 80% of your gift can be directed to a scholarship or department fund. Please consider allocating this to us: select “Other Gifts” from the drop-down menu and specify “Sociology Gift Account.”
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