I recently had the pleasure to present our annual Faculty and Staff Excellence Awards. Each recipient has made significant contributions to SIU through outstanding teaching, meaningful research and strong leadership, both at SIU and throughout the community. The recipients — Sukesh R. Bhaumik, Ken B. Anderson, Farhan Chowdhury, Nilanjana Bardhan, Jeff McGoy and Timothy Lyle…
This weekend, nearly 2,600 students will walk across the stage, diplomas in hand, ready to start the next phase of their lives. Whether they are planning to continue their education or enter the workforce, I would like to take a moment to congratulate them. We will also honor the accomplishments and contributions of six outstanding…
In March, we announced the approval of the first seven schools approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education as part of academic reorganization. Today, I am pleased to share that five more schools have been approved by the IBHE: School of Agricultural Sciences, bringing together programs in agribusiness economics, animal sciences, forestry, as well…
The spring semester is in full swing, which means this is SIU’s busiest time. There are more events planned on campus than I can keep track of, including theater productions, musical performances, lectures and more. SIU is celebrating Earth Month and Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month while also gearing up for commencement. All of…
Now that the Day of Giving is behind us, we look forward to a year of events, speakers and general celebration on campus as SIU recognizes its sesquicentennial. I have written before about our themes of Saluki TRADITION, Saluki PRIDE and Saluki PROMISE, and I am ready to see how everyone on campus embraces those…
On Wednesday, SIU kicked off its 150th Anniversary celebration with our third annual Day of Giving. It was an appropriate launch, as our university has always relied on its donors and community to ensure that SIU students advance and thrive. Thank you to everyone who donated, volunteered or otherwise worked to make our Day of…
You may have heard that SIU is gearing up for a very important milestone. This year marks the university’s 150th anniversary, and we have a lot to celebrate. We’ll kick off a year of festive events and more with our annual Day of Giving on March 6. We feel like this is a fitting launch…
We recently announced our participation in an amazing program — the Illinois SMASH Academy. I am personally excited about this program because it reflects so many of our core values as an institution and as a community. The academy brings high school students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds to a five-week summer camp each year for…
On Friday and Saturday, we welcomed more than 320 prospective students and their families to campus to interview for Chancellor’s and University Excellence scholarships. Chancellor’s scholarship weekend attracts outstanding students from Illinois and beyond who have already been admitted to SIU because they are attracted to our programs and our campus. That’s a very big…
When I am in meetings or walking across any campus, I see a lot of people looking down. They’re checking email, texting and — in theory at least — making efficient use of their time. I value the wise use of time, but I also value human contact. You can’t make connections if you’re looking…