News Outlets Feature Visits by Legislators to SIUE for Discussions on Illinois Business and Innovation

News Outlets Feature Visits by Legislators to SIUE for Discussions on Illinois Business and Innovation

November 29, 2024, 5:50 PM

During this fall semester Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has been the location for a number of groundbreaking initiatives and important dialogues involving state and federal officials. News coverage throughout the region has featured these events on both Edwardsville and Alton campuses.

Gubernatorial Tour in Alton

On November 14, Gov. JB Pritzker, along with SIU System President Dan Mahony, PhD, Chancellor James T. Minor, PhD, and several local leaders, were given a construction tour of The Wedge Innovation Center in Alton. The Wedge is a 55,000 sq ft social impact, research lab, think tank, and workspace serving as a hub for the digital economy in the Alton Metro Region and a product of AltonWorks, SIUE and TechSTL.

SIUE plans for The Wedge to include a Geospatial Mapping, Applications, and Research Center (GeoMARC), Center for Predictive Analytics, Successful Communities Collaborative, and other programs ready to provide community-engaged, timely problem-solving.

Pritzker's tour was covered by St. Louis Business Journal, KSDK-TV, AdVantageNews.com and a host of other media outlets in attendance for his press conference in the facility.

"This is a phenomenal development for Southern Illinois, for Alton, for entrepreneurs, for the University, and I, frankly, I'm very excited to see it," said Pritzer. "I can tell you that having the University involved directly in this space and available to the entrepreneurs is a huge benefit. To have the resources that a major university-and a very successful one at that-can bring to the table, means that there will be economic success that's greater than it otherwise would have been, because they're sharing space and sharing ideas."

A conversation later that evening with the Governor involved a discussion on the growing applications of artificial intelligence. SIUE's Chancellor provided context for how The Wedge positions the University as a crucial resource for advancing technology on all fronts.

Minor stated, "The Governor has mentioned our ability to partner with the industry to improve the technology, both technically and intellectually. There are a whole host of ethical concerns, parameters, policy issues associated with AI, and we want to be at the epicenter of solving those problems."

Congressional Roundtable Discussion

Just days before her reelection into office, U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski of the Illinois 13th Congressional District along with SIUE's School of Pharmacy hosted a Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM) Roundtable on the SIUE campus, Saturday, Nov. 2.

Riverbender.com covered the Congresswoman's visit.

"Having the personal stories of how legislation is impacting our communities as it relates to the PBM is most important-the infrastructure, how they are structured, how this is especially impacting independent pharmacists," said Budzinski. "We have heard very loud and clear about the importance of this issue in this district and how it is impacting the work force and healthcare in rural communities."

Budzinski ended her visit with a tour of the construction site that houses the three-story health science building on the Edwardsville campus.

SIUE Alumnus Vincent Williams, (Bachelor of Science, '08), participated in the roundtable. Williams majored in biological sciences and minored in chemistry while at SIUE. He now co-owns LV Health & Wellness Pharmacy with his wife, Lakeisha, in Shiloh.

"Having a personal relationship with the patient means we can have just casual talk. 'Hey, how's you doing, you know, how's everything going? How's your pet? How's your mom? How's your dad?' And then they start talking about, 'Oh, I started this new over the counter medication,' or 'I started this at the herbal shop.' And we can say, 'Oh, you may not want to take that,'" said Williams. "I think that as a community pharmacy, we build that relationship and all of our patients just keep coming back. So we want to continue to express this to the legislators, and anyone else who has an ear and has influence, that the community pharmacy has to stick around. We have to stick around."

PHOTOS: State Rep. Amy Elik, of the 111th District, and State Sen. Erica Harriss, of the 56th District, Emily Hemingway, The Wedge and TechSTL Executive Director, Gov. JB Pritzker, John Simmons, Chancellor James T. Minor, PhD, SIU System President Dan Mahony, PhD, and Alton Mayor David Goins, Dennis Hyland; Pritzker; Hemingway, Minor and Pritzker; U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski of the Illinois 13th Congressional District speaks to roundtable; pharmacy owner and SIUE alumnus Vincent Williams