Since I started at SIU Carbondale in July 2020, we have made strides to increase our visibility through marketing and outreach in many places, including the Southern Illinois region. We are proud to call this area home, and we want students from this region to imagine themselves achieving their goals on our beautiful campus.

We have cultivated – and sometimes repaired – relationships with local schools and organizations. We held virtual meetings and personal visits, including congratulating Chancellor’s Scholars in person at their schools.

On the 10th day of fall classes, we learned our efforts paid off. Enrollment of new students from this region increased almost 34% from 2020 and is nearly double what it was in 2019. While we are pleased with the result, this is no time to rest.

As we continue to respond to COVID-19, we understand there is nothing like seeing our campus for yourself, even if you live in this area. This often seals the deal for students. In recent weeks, our university has safely hosted in-person events for future students, especially those in the Southern Illinois region, to get to know us better.

In July and October, we welcomed hundreds of students to our open houses based in Banterra Center. Activities included games, a student panel, campus tours, housing tours, academic showcases and a resource fair. University leaders, faculty and staff were on site to answer questions.

On Oct. 20, we held our first in-person SIU Day since 2019. About 430 students from 11 area high schools toured of the campus, met faculty and got a close look at academic programs at various locales around campus.

We are planning to hold our final admissions open house of the fall semester on Nov. 6, and we’re planning more events for spring.

While the fall 2022 recruitment cycle is well underway, we need to think further into the future, guided by our new strategic plan Imagine 2030. The plan’s five pillars include student success and engagement as well as branding and partnerships.

That means we must go beyond marketing, advertising and visits to our campus. The partnerships we made this year with Carbondale School District 95 and Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois will allow us to plant the seeds of an SIU education early.

We are also making connections with community colleges. Our agreements with Shawnee Community College will allow students to seamlessly continue their education with us, whether they do it on our campus or remain in their hometowns.

As we move ahead, our capable marketing and admissions staff will keep promoting what we have to offer future students throughout Illinois, the nation and the world. And we will continue to forge partnerships in Southern Illinois, St. Louis and the Metro East, Chicago and other communities.

Yet we also want students in our own neighborhood to know they are welcome and wanted at SIU Carbondale. They can get a world-class education, personal attention and unique opportunities close to home.

Earlier this month, a large delegation from SIU Carbondale traveled to the Windy City for the Saluki Takeover Tour: Chicago. Representing many colleges and units, we had one goal in mind: building and enhancing partnerships, one of the pillars of our Imagine 2030 strategic plan.

To position SIU Carbondale as a first-choice institution, we must actively improve connections within the community, state, nation and world through key partnerships. It is vital that we build and maintain our relationships in Chicagoland, which is the top contributor of students to our campus and home to thousands of our alumni and dedicated supporters.

While our team was in Chicago, we did a lot of listening to inform our outreach efforts as we move forward and lay the foundation for potential agreements to benefit future Salukis. This trip provided us the opportunity to energize and engage Chicago-area alumni. Five events attracted a total of over 500 Salukis. We raised $750,000 from donors, with another $500,000 in submitted proposals.

We developed pipelines with Chicago-area community colleges and public schools to enhance enrollment of traditional and nontraditional students. We signed agreements with three Chicagoland community colleges to make it easier for place-bound students to earn their bachelor’s degrees from our university – improving access to higher education.

We had fantastic engagement on social media, received favorable coverage in Chicago-area news media and beyond, and built awareness of SIU with key legislators and Chicago community leaders.

The SIU Foundation, which organized and sponsored the tour, has an excellent recap of the week’s events on its website. I encourage you to read “Salukis plant flag in Chicago during Takeover Tour.”

Even as we celebrate the success of our first Takeover Tour of Chicago, we are already looking forward to 2022 and nurturing our relationships in the Windy City.

Go Dawgs!

In recent months, we’ve talked a lot about attracting students to our beautiful campus and helping them decide to become Salukis. Equally important to our efforts to grow enrollment is keeping the students we already have and guiding them on the path to graduation.

In recent years, SIU Carbondale has invested in student retention. We opened the nationally recognized First Saluki Center for the 40% of our students who identify as first generation. We have implemented software to better track students’ progress, improved advising and UNIV101, and are using an early warning system to identify and assist students who might not be doing well during those critical first few weeks of college.

Another important part of our retention efforts is to encourage students to register for fall classes before they leave for the summer. It is a campuswide effort. You may have noticed the signs around campus. You may have noticed graphics and videos of professors and students on social media.

In addition to the social media posts, students may have seen digital ads, read about registration in the weekly e-newsletter that goes to every student’s inbox or heard from a relative who saw an article in the e-newsletter for Saluki families.

A lot is happening behind the scenes. Advisors and admissions professionals are communicating with students by phone and text, and UNIV101 instructors are reaching out to former students. As students sign up for housing, they are reminded about registration. Colleges are reaching out to their majors, while university leaders are getting in touch with other students. The SIU Foundation’s student callers will urge fellow students to register.

We’re also working to remove barriers. Financial Aid is talking to students who have holds on their bursar accounts, and Student Affairs is working with students who need to update health records or resolve other issues to remove holds. In residence halls, resident assistants are directing students to resources to address personal concerns.

If students register for fall classes now, they are more likely to return after summer. Of course, this is in our university’s best interest. Growing enrollment provides the foundation to address other institutional priorities such as equitable and competitive compensation and hiring people to fill essential needs. This is why you may have read brief articles in SIU Today about encouraging students to register.

Many times, I have heard faculty and staff ask how they can help with enrollment. One simple step you can take is to ask students you teach or supervise at work if they have registered for classes. If they have yet to do so, provide them with a friendly reminder that if they sign up for courses now, they are more likely to get the classes they desire at the days and times they want. If a student expresses a concern, you can refer them to Saluki Cares at salukicares.siu.edu.

It is also in our students’ best interest to register now and continue to see a return on their investment of time and resources. We must do everything we can to set Salukis on the path to earn their degrees and achieve success after graduation.

Although it’s too early to make specific projections for fall 2021, the numbers so far are promising, thanks to the efforts of Salukis across campus, in our community and across the nation.

I am really excited to see so many people have made enrollment a top priority and are working very hard to encourage prospective and admitted students to become future Salukis. I am also grateful for the efforts to help students become graduates and set them on a path for success as alumni.

Spring is a critical time for admitted students – they are making their final decisions. We want them to choose SIU Carbondale.

As you are likely aware, this process takes months and months of work from all across campus. Targeted advertising for specific academic programs showcase SIU’s offerings, and we have seen a positive correlation between the ads and the number of applications. As part of a strategy to attract and intentionally engage future students, professionals in Admissions follow up with students who apply to ensure their submissions are complete and answer any questions.

We discuss the hands-on learning and personal attention SIU provides. We talk about unique opportunities, including research projects available only to grad students elsewhere.

We communicate how we are doing everything we can to improve access to higher education. We have launched the Saluki Commitment and the Saluki Transfer Commitment for eligible new Illinois students – our pledge to close the gap for tuition and mandatory fees after students receive financial aid. And students who live outside Illinois pay the same tuition as in-state families. Children of alumni may also qualify for a 20% tuition discount.

Because many students want to see where they will study and socialize in person, we found a safe way to allow future students and their families to see our beautiful campus for themselves. The groups are small, and they follow the health and safety protocols of the Restore Illinois plan.

Still, the pandemic forced us to refrain from many in-person gatherings, and we have found innovative ways to connect. Students can visit campus virtually. Colleges have held webinars for future Salukis. And I am pleased to see our faculty have gotten more involved. Throughout campus, faculty have made many phone calls to admitted students and sent them hundreds of handwritten postcards.

Our professors are crucial to this partnership and can help seal the deal. Advertising can pique students’ interests, and recruiters can bring in students. But the people behind these efforts are not experts in specific academic disciplines. Faculty can articulate better than anyone else about the subjects they teach, the research they conduct and answer students’ questions about creativity, science or other fields they hope to pursue.

Every week, the university leadership team discusses enrollment. We take nothing for granted in our own region, the state or Saluki Nation. It’s why I made a personal visit to Carbondale Community High School to congratulate a recipient of the Chancellor’s Scholarship. It’s why in March we announced our plans for in-person classes this fall, based on the information we have now.

Equally important to recruitment is retention. We have made several investments to help our students succeed from the moment they arrive on our campus.

We opened the First Saluki Center as a resource for the 40% of students who are the first in their families to attend college. For all students, we have invested in software to better track their progress, improved advising, revamped a course introducing students to university life and revised the University Core Curriculum. We also implemented an early warning system to reach out to students who might be struggling during those critical first few weeks of the semester.

Growing enrollment is a collective endeavor. Working together, we can reach a bright future.

Although we are still experiencing a pandemic, current trends give us reason for hope of getting back to normal in the future.

More and more of our population has been vaccinated — about one in four people in Jackson County are fully vaccinated. And positive COVID cases on our campus remain low. These are good signs for us to celebrate the planned in-person commencement we all want, for our staff to return to campus offices soon and for our faculty to lead in-person classes in the fall. Let me assure you that we will do all of this safely.

We have done well so far, thanks to the collective efforts of Salukis. We have arrived at this point because Salukis care about the safety of those around them. Of course, this is no time for overconfidence or complacency. We still have a lot of work to do.

But I believe we can all stay safe and get to where we want to go if we keep working together. We must still wear our face masks, practice social distancing, wash our hands and follow other health and safety protocols in the Saluki Safety plan.

Getting vaccinated will also help us all reach our goal. It is the reason I decided to get my vaccine. Research shows that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and have been highly effective in preventing serious illness and death.

Understanding that getting the vaccine is a personal choice, if you have yet to receive your vaccine, I encourage you to keep asking questions as you consider your options. Since March 22, employees in higher education, including student workers, have been eligible for vaccination. This week in Jackson County, all Illinois residents age 16 and older became eligible. This includes SIU students from Illinois and outside our state. You can find out more on the Jackson County Health Department website.

The university’s leadership team will continue to monitor the situation and adapt as needed. As we move forward, we will adhere to the Restore Illinois plan and continue to partner with local and state health agencies.

Right now, we are in Phase 4 of Restore Illinois and have all the precautions in place. When certain metrics are met, we anticipate moving to the Bridge to Phase 5, which loosens restrictions and allows more people to gather. We will continue to follow the state’s mandate of mask-wearing in indoor shared spaces. At this point, Illinois has reached a significant milestone — about 70% of residents age 65 and older have received at least their first dose of a vaccine.

For about a year, we have faced unprecedented challenges, but our students, faculty and staff found innovative ways to learn, teach and work. Salukis have been a model of resilience in the time of COVID-19.

As we look toward the future, we have an opportunity to really come back and do it in a safe way.

As I continue to meet with people, the overwhelming desire I hear is to return to having most classes be face-to-face this fall. Right now, our leadership team is working with faculty, staff and students on a comprehensive Saluki Safety plan that has us returning to normal, provided that we continue to test, wear masks, practice social distancing and stay within the guidelines of the state, county and city.

We are at this point because of Salukis’ determination and diligence. It is why I look toward the future with hope. We had a successful fall semester and a strong start to the spring semester, thanks to you.

I thank our faculty for being so flexible in their teaching and research, often keeping up the tradition of providing undergraduates with opportunities reserved for graduate students elsewhere. Our professors and students adapted to many classes being held online or a hybrid of in-person and virtual instruction. I thank our staff for serving students and going out of their way at all times to see students get what they need.

I thank our students for wearing masks, practicing social distancing and following other health and safety protocols. In circumstances like no other, they stayed committed to their education. Because of their — and their professors’ — carefulness, we have no reports of COVID infections from attending classes in person.

I thank our leadership team, which has been very busy with planning, facing many unknowns. As the situation evolved, they adapted those plans to ensure our success.

In the face of unprecedented challenges, our students, faculty and staff found innovative ways to learn, teach and work. Salukis have been a model of resilience in the time of COVID-19.

We have done well so far, thanks the collective efforts of Salukis. We have arrived at this point because Salukis care about the safety of those around them. Of course, this is no time for overconfidence or complacency. We still have a lot of work to do. But I believe we can all stay safe if we keep working together.

At SIU Carbondale, we are doing better than many other places, as evidenced by our low number of positive cases. And we intend to stay that way. If we calmly address the obstacles and continue to adhere to health and safety protocols, we will maintain our progress, come through this cloud of COVID and get close to normal.

If trends continue in the right direction, fall 2021 could more look like fall 2019 than fall 2020.

Authentic.

Remarkable.

Passionate.

Determined.

Resilient.

From my first interactions with the campus community during the interview process, I found everyone to be authentic. They were welcoming, straightforward and true to who they were. This authenticity applies across the SIUC community and is reflected in the university and its mission. SIU strives to be true to what it is: a place that gives people of all backgrounds an opportunity to find success through hard work and with the support of a caring community.

Every day, I learn something remarkable about SIUC. Faculty and students who work around the clock to deliver needed COVID-19 supplies to the state. Donors who give generously to help students in need. Programs that have 100% pass or placement rates. Innovative research that addresses critical societal needs. Partnerships that contribute to the economic vitality of our region and state. We have amazing, remarkable stories to tell.

Passion, determination and resilience

As I meet with people on and off campus, they are always eager to respond to my core questions: What do you love about SIUC? What can we do better? Regardless of the answers, they are passionate in their responses. The people of SIUC care deeply about this university and its future. They want to see us succeed. The depth of universal passion for our university goes far beyond what you will find at many other institutions.

You often hear the phrase “grit and determination” associated with the university and its students, faculty, staff and alumni. I agree that we are determined. How else would we have grown our research funding, achieved continuing accreditation meeting all criteria, and increased our new student enrollment by 31%? When we put our minds and energy behind something as a community, it gets done.

SIUC is an institution that has faced challenges over its 150 years. Buildings have burned down. Budgets have been cut. Leadership has turned over. Then there was the pandemic. Yet we have made it past every roadblock because we are resilient. Perhaps this resilience is created by our authenticity, remarkable nature, passion and determination.  Regardless, our resilience has ensured that we emerge from each challenge stronger as a community.

Seasonal reflections

My reflections on my time here coincide with my reflections on the season. This is the time of year when we think about what we are grateful for. While each of us has our own way of celebrating and giving thanks, I hope you will join me in sharing appreciation for all members of the SIUC community. We have come through a year of unprecedented challenges because we have worked together. Thank you.

May you all have a safe, healthy and happy holiday.

Even as we embrace our global status, we cannot forget that we are also a local university. In fact, nearly 23% of our current students come from 17 counties in southern Illinois.

Since arriving at SIU just over 100 days ago, I have been doing what new chancellors do: reaching out to high school superintendents and principals as well as community college leaders close to home. The conversations have been eye-opening, and much of the feedback I am receiving is very positive.

But one universal message is clear and not positive: They don’t feel that we have been doing everything we can to recruit their students to SIU. I don’t want to look backward to determine whether their views reflect perception or reality. I know many people have worked very hard on these relationships in the past. However, we must acknowledge the perceptions and work hard to change them.

We need to work harder to demonstrate that we want every qualified student in our region to consider SIU as their academic home.

Initiatives that matter

More outreach is, of course, a first step. Our meetings, combined with a renewed emphasis on southern Illinois from our capable admissions and marketing staff, are a productive step. We have also implemented several programs, including SIU Day and a Counselor Choice Scholarship, for students in the region. These initiatives have paid off, contributing to a nearly 30% increase of new students from the region this fall.

Other initiatives for all prospective students, like the Saluki Commitment, the Saluki Transfer Commitment and the elimination of test scores as a requirement for admission, should also appeal to prospective first-time and transfer students from the region.

An economic engine

The recruitment of students from southern Illinois relates to our responsibility as an economic engine for the region. While enrollment from any part of the world is important, enrollment from southern Illinois has the potential to keep more students in the region – and contributing to its economy – after graduation. Even keeping them here for four years as students will have a beneficial impact.

In short, we simply can’t do enough to tell southern Illinois that we care about students in the region. It doesn’t mean that we are ignoring students from other parts of the state, country or world. It means that we want to make sure that the students and families in our own backyard know they are wanted and welcome at SIU Carbondale.

I hope you will join me in sharing this message and helping us deliver on its promise.

In a normal semester, it would be enough to acknowledge that classes are going smoothly, students are learning and research is moving forward. But this isn’t a normal semester, and simply saying “thank you” doesn’t begin to cover all of the additional efforts you have made to fulfill our mission during a pandemic.

We prepared for this unconventional semester carefully, even though we understood it would be impossible to account for every twist and turn that might come our way. We knew we would have to be firm in our safety standards yet fluid in our plan. We knew to expect the unexpected.

And here we are, in the eighth week of the semester. Courses are on track, offices are open, services are accessible and we are going about our work. It’s not routine, but it’s happening. We are here because you found innovative ways to learn, teach and work while wearing masks, practicing social distancing, washing hands and following other safety protocols. We are here because you care about the safety of those around you.

While it’s far too early to declare victory over fall 2020, I think we need to take a moment to give ourselves – and each other – credit for getting where we are today. Thank yourself. Thank your fellow faculty, staff and students. Take a moment to celebrate being part of this caring community called SIU.

Perseverance

We began the semester with a lot of uncertainty. People had conflicting views about what we should do, and we were all reading a lot of inconsistent advice about best practices for staying safe. We heard skepticism, fear and concern.

None of that has changed. We still experience uncertainty and concern. The difference is that we have demonstrated that we can move forward together. We have put our trust in each other, and it has paid off.

Now we must persevere. We can’t relax because things seem to be going well. It takes only one person without a mask, one gathering without social distancing, one individual with symptoms who doesn’t get tested or follow directives of a health professional – and the second half of the semester can look very different from the first.

Heroes everywhere

There are a lot of people who deserve special acknowledgement, but I am afraid that if I start naming names I will leave someone out. From our faculty and staff to our students, everyone has put forth exceptional effort. Our alumni and donors have stepped forward to support students through the Saluki Cares Student Emergency Fund.

Our community partners, including the Jackson County Health Department, Southern Illinois Healthcare and the City of Carbondale, have been extraordinarily collaborative and supportive. And there are many, many individuals who have been working tirelessly since March – at all hours of every day – developing and implementing plans to keep our community safe.

We are surrounded by heroes. Please thank yourselves — but also take time today to thank someone else.  Maybe there’s a faculty member, an academic advisor, a nurse, a building service worker or a resident assistant who could use a lift today by hearing a caring message of “thanks for what you do.”  After all, we’re in this together.   

Based upon what we know about COVID-19 today, we anticipate that we will need to take all of the same precautions in the spring that we are taking now. We are advised by medical professionals that we should not count on the wide availability of an approved vaccine in time for the semester to begin.

As your chancellor, I am dedicated to seeking the input of our constituency group leaders in the decision-making process. For example, the decision regarding the spring semester schedule was considered very carefully and with input from multiple groups, including the Faculty Senate, Graduate Council, Chancellor’s Leadership Council, Undergraduate Student Government, Graduate and Professional Student Council, the Civil Service and Administrative Professional Councils, the Faculty Association and Graduate Assistants United.

Here are some updates regarding the spring semester.

Schedule

We have expanded the break between semesters an additional week, so spring semester will start a week later than planned. Classes will begin Tuesday, January 19. Final exams will take place Monday, May 3, through Friday, May 7, as originally scheduled. We will not have a traditional spring break in order to minimize the risk of bringing COVID-19 back to campus due to travel. However, we recognize that this creates a long stretch for students and faculty alike, so we hope to provide some days off filled with lots of things for students to do close to campus.

Classes

Classes for the spring semester will again be offered in online, in-person and hybrid formats. Instructors are currently making decisions related to class format. Since we all learned a lot regarding course formats at the beginning of the academic year, we do not anticipate the last-minute format changes some students experienced after registration for fall semester.

Students will receive an email from their academic advisor (if they have not already) to schedule advisement appointments. All appointments will be conducted virtually. 

Testing

We will continue to make on- and off-campus COVID-19 testing available to faculty, staff and students in the spring. In fact, we are working on finalizing a partnership with Southern Illinois Healthcare, SHIELD and the University of Illinois to bring more testing this spring.

As an aside, our new testing plan with Southern Illinois Healthcare has been going well, and you are now able to schedule online as well as by phone for both on-campus and off-campus tests. We remain grateful to SIH and the Jackson County Health Department for the partnership that made this possible.

Overall, we still have details to work out regarding the spring semester and will post updates on our coronavirus website. As always, you may email pandemicinfo@siu.edu with questions.

The situation with COVID-19 is fluid. Plans may change based on the course of the pandemic and recommendations and directives from governmental and health agencies. We remain flexible, diligent and committed to the safety of our students, faculty and staff.