When I arrived on campus nearly eight months ago, I knew I was coming to a university with strong faculty and staff, loyal alumni and friends, and a welcoming community. I also knew that that we had a lot of intense, meaningful work to do to fulfill the promise of the university’s mission. Looking back…
Author: Carlo Montemagno
A special tie to the Special Olympics
I have spent a lot of time recently talking about the future of SIU, but I have also been impressed by the amazing things this institution has accomplished throughout its past. For instance, you may know Special Olympics is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year, a celebration that kicks off Friday at Touch of Nature….
Responding to a funding proposal
I have received a number of questions from our campus and community about a proposal to be considered by our Board of Trustees regarding the potential reallocation of state funding from the Carbondale campus to the Edwardsville campus. The proposal requests the reallocation of $5.125 million in funding for Carbondale to be shifted to Edwardsville…
Big things are coming April 7
This Saturday, hundreds of Salukis will fan across Southern Illinois to participate in community service projects. The Big Event started last year as a way for the SIU students, faculty and staff to further our mission of making our community a better place. Community service is at the heart of SIU’s mission SIU is already…
Collecting input on college-level changes
We have received a number good questions and thoughtful feedback following last week’s post announcing that we would move forward with the renaming of the colleges as well as the movement of some departments to new homes as a consequence of the proposed renaming and refocusing of colleges. As a reminder, the proposed restructuring and…
Embracing Accuracy
Following is a statement I have issued in response to a press release from the Illinois Education Association’s regional office and the Faculty Association. Statement of Chancellor Carlo Montemagno The Faculty Association’s continued efforts to mislead our community by misrepresenting information is a disservice to everyone who cares about the future of SIU. Here are…
Defining what makes us remarkable
Seth Godin, in his book “Purple Cow,” notes that the phrase “you can’t out Amazon Amazon” was once posted on a banner in Walmart headquarters as the company was deciding whether to venture into online retail business. The point was that the company should find its own path rather than emulate – and lose to…
Retention is magic
Growing enrollment isn’t only about recruiting new students. It’s about retaining those we have. Enrollment growth on the recruitment side of the equation will take time as we revitalize SIU, so it’s critically important that we also immediately focus on retention. A number of factors contribute to student persistence: the quality of our academic programs,…
A Status Report on Academic Reorganization
The reorganization process continues to move forward. We are finalizing and distributing program change plans that take into account feedback from stakeholders, which we continue to welcome. There are many steps and touch points in the academic reorganization process, some spelled out in our collective bargaining agreement, some defined by constituency group and college operating…
It’s Greek to me
Congratulations to all members of our Kappa Alpha Order fraternity for earning five awards – including Samuel Zenas Ammen Award for Chapter Excellence – last month. The award for chapter excellence is given to the top 10 percent of chapters nationally for excellence in all chapter functions: academic programming, academic achievement, community service, philanthropy, public…