In 1969, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville initiated a remarkable performing arts series called the Mississippi River Festival. Over 12 summer seasons, between 1969 and 1980, the festival presented 353 events showcasing performers in a variety of musical genres, including classical, chamber, vocal, ragtime, blues, folk, bluegrass, barbershop, country, and rock, as well as dance and theater. During those years, more than one million visitors flocked to the spacious Gyo Obata-designed campus in the countryside near St. Louis. The Mississippi River Festival began as a partnership promoting regional cooperation in the realm of the performing arts. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville invited the St. Louis Symphony to establish residence on campus and to offer a summer season. To host the symphony, the university created an outdoor concert venue within a natural amphitheater by installing a large circus tent, a stage and acoustic shell, and a sophisticated sound system. To appeal to the widest possible audience, the university included contemporary popular musicians in the series. The audacity of the undertaking, the charm of the venue, the popularity of the artists, the excellence of the performances, and the nostalgic memory of warm summer evenings have combined to endow the festival with legendary status among those who attended.

The "story of a child prodigy caught in a grotesque pattern of exploitaiton and abuse, her oppressor, her father, whose controlling passion was money, not music. After fleeing from her father and growing up in unhappy obscurity, Ruth Slenczynska has become again a remarkable and now mature pianist." Pub W.

For many years the residents of Southwestern Illinois lacked convenient, affordable access to higher education. To address this situation, Southern Illinois University opened residence centers at the former Shurtleff College in Alton and in East St. Louis in 1957. Enrollment at the two residence centers during 1957-1958 exceeded all expectations, and continued to increase dramatically. In 1960, Illinois voters approved a statewide Universities Bond Issue that included $25 million designated for an Edwardsville campus of SIU. Situated on 2,600 acres of Illinois hills northeast of St. Louis, and featuring buildings designed by architect Gyo Obata, the beautiful campus opened in September of 1965. Within five years, enrollment surpassed 13,000. Since 1957, SIUE has become the largest university in the St. Louis metropolitan area, and has produced more than 70,000 graduates. The university today offers 83 degree programs to students enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Schools of Business, Engineering, Dental Medicine, Nursing, and Education.

St. Louis Currents: The Fifth Edition carries the series into its 30th year. The publication started in 1986 as a way to disseminate critical essays from local leaders on issues facing the entire region. Thirty years later, Currents is still shaping the St. Louis region's thinking. The fifth edition addresses a wide variety of topics. It has strong essays on the region's historical experience and economic outlook, which are common themes in all editions. New topics include historical perspectives on adult entertainment in Metro East, a demographic study of the region's immigrant population, plus a scholarly look at "The High School Question" (Yes, it matters ). It is a thought- provoking volume that is a must-read for regional leaders-public, private, and nonprofit. As the editors note, St. Louis is rather typical of most urban centers across the country and faces the same issues others do. What is unique is St. Louis's particular mix of leaders and the specific decisions that we the people choose to make for ourselves. As the region climbs out of the Great Recession and processes the lessons of Ferguson, the decisions made by the people ultimately will define the region's successes and struggles. The essays in this volume will help prepare citizens and leaders alike for action on some of those matters, and hopefully start some important discussions that will carry the region forward.