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…
Author: Austin Lane
Austin A. Lane is chancellor of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Learn more about him at chancellor.siu.edu.
Our hope for an in-person fall 2021
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,…
Reflections on six months as chancellor
As I reflect on my first semester and first six months at SIU Carbondale, words that characterize the university and its people come to mind. 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…
Building bridges close to home
SIU Carbondale students come from every county in Illinois, all 50 states and exactly 100 countries. Our status as a national and global university is a point of pride. It is also a message to prospective students: At SIU, you will have opportunities to interact with people from around the country and world that will…
Pausing to give credit during an unconventional semester
As we near the midpoint of the semester, it’s time to pause and acknowledge what we have accomplished as a community. 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”…
Plans for spring semester take shape
With fall semester well underway, it is time to look forward to spring. Our goal for the spring semester remains the same: provide a quality education in a safe environment. 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…
Listening and learning
As a new chancellor, I know that I need to listen more than talk. I don’t assume I know everything, and I don’t have all of the answers. SIU Carbondale has its own culture and history. Our many stakeholders have their own, differing perspectives about what we do well and what we could do better….
Rankings and the company we keep
The 2021 U.S. News and World Report rankings were released today, and SIU Carbondale is ranked 258 among all national universities. Among public universities in the same category, we are ranked at 126. Of course, a number doesn’t tell the story. A ranking is simply a snapshot of a university at a point in time…
Fall 2020 enrollment and beyond
Today, we released our official enrollment for fall 2020. As I hinted earlier, we have a lot to brag about. Enrollment of first-time college students is up 31.2%, enrollment of new students from Southern Illinois is up 32.9%, and our freshman-to-sophomore retention rate has increased to 80.6%, the highest in 20 years. This is higher…
Three hints about fall enrollment
What do you get when an admissions counselor, an academic advisor and a faculty member want to recruit a student? The question is no joke, and I can’t give you the answer just yet. But here’s a hint: When we officially announce our new student enrollment after August 28, we’ll all have something to brag…