The Office of the Provost announced Dr. Cheri Simonds and Dr. Justin Vickers have been named Distinguished Professors at Illinois State University.
Dr. Cheri Simonds
Simonds is committed to improved teaching—both at personal and programmatic levels. She views students as active agents in the learning process rather than passive subjects. She has conducted numerous workshops on classroom communication variables such as teacher clarity, credibility, and immediacy.
Since joining Illinois State University’s School of Communication in 1997, Simonds has risen through the ranks, becoming a full professor in 2008.
Her research focuses on how communication pedagogy informs teachers on the best practices in teaching communication competencies and serves as a guide to her teaching and training practices. She and colleagues have developed a line of research on authentic portfolio assessment in the areas of speech evaluation, critical thinking, application essays, preemptive arguments and civic/political engagement which has gained national attention. She is the director of COM110. She and School of Communication Director Steve Hunt have developed a peer mentor program that distinguished ISU’s COM110 program nationally.
She has published several textbooks and works in numerous journals related to the introductory public speaking course and instructional communication. She has presented many papers at national conventions and regional conferences. She has received three National Communication Association (NCA) Advancing the Discipline grants and recently received the Distinguished Faculty Award from NCA. Additionally, she has been asked by NCA to chair a task force examining ways to promote introductory communication courses on campuses across the country. She has also produced several award-winning videos, samples of which are used in introductory communication courses across the nation.
Simonds received the Outstanding College Researcher Award in 2015-16, the Outstanding University Researcher Award in 2016-17, was selected as a College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Lecturer (focused on discussion about designing general education curriculum with assessment in mind) for 2022-23 and was the inaugural recipient of the John Chizmar and Anthony Ostrosky Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award in 2014. She serves as a model of teaching excellence and has mentored over 500 first-time teachers. She has advised numerous dissertations, theses, and 39-hour students. She has published articles with 29 graduate students.
Combining research with service, Simonds has served on many university and college committees including search committees, the General Education Committee, and the College Faculty Status Committee. She has served on the Teaching Effectiveness, Graduate Work-team, and NTT Evaluation Team for most of her time at ISU. Google Scholar Metrics show over 4,000 citations for her works, with over 1,400 of those being since 2017.
Simonds received an undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State University, a master’s degree from University of North Texas, and a doctoral degree from the University of Oklahoma.
Dr. Justin Vickers
As a professor and artist teacher of voice, Dr. Vickers not only teaches, researches, and performs university service but is a classically trained opera singer and a historical musicologist. A prolific researcher, he is a leading international authority on the music and life of the English composer Benjamin Britten. Last year, his six-month Fulbright Scholarship to the United Kingdom included a residency in Aldeburgh, England, at Britten’s former home, The Red House.
Since joining Illinois State University’s School of Music in 2012, Vickers has risen through the ranks, becoming a full professor in 2021. His research and creative activity falls into seven areas: public performance, lecture-recitals, recording projects, musicological publications, archival research and analysis, edited anthology, and public lectures. He strives to bring each aspect into his classroom teaching.
His unique experience as tenor and musicologist means that he brings an expertise in language enunciations and dialects in English (including American and British dialects), Italian, French, German, Spanish, Czech, Russian, Latin, and Hebrew to his students—a crucial skill for performing singers. He revised the entire sequence in foreign language lyric diction. Through his courses he has mentored numerous voice students.
Vickers is the author of numerous monographs, book chapters, and articles. He has delivered papers, lectures, and recitals around the world and has recorded numerous projects including world premiere songs. He has served on numerous college and university committees including the College Faculty Status Committee, College Research Committee, Academic Senate, search committees, and as Ombudsperson. He has also served on the Board of Directors for the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the Board of the North American British Music Studies Association (NABMSA), and completed the Multicultural Leadership Program (later joining its Board). He was instrumental in bringing the NABMSA conference to campus twice.
Vickers has won numerous professional awards at the Metropolitan Opera National Council and the National Opera Association Voice Competitions and was a representative for the U.S. at the International Competition and Festival Maria Kraja in Albania. Additionally, he has completed numerous residencies and fellowships. He will be a Visiting Fellow of Music at New College at the University of Oxford, England, in 2023-24 where he will work with their opera students and musicology students.
In 2020 Vickers received the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts Outstanding Researcher Award and in 2022, he received the University Outstanding Researcher Award. He has also won numerous college and school awards in teaching and service.
Vickers received undergraduate and doctoral degrees from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He received a master’s degree from the University of Kentucky.
