What are the points of pride you wish everyone knew about SIU Carbondale?
In my State of the University address, I encouraged everyone to learn all you can about SIU’s attributes so you can be an advocate for the university. Here are the questions I asked:
Did you know every U.S. undergraduate student can attend the university at in-state rates?
Did you know that SIU is the birthplace of Special Olympics?
Did you know that one of the first African-American women in space is an SIU graduate?
Did you know that the SIU School of Medicine was among the first to incorporate problem-based learning and standardized patients into the medical school curriculum?
Did you know that SIU student-athletes have earned 99 Academic All-American honors – the most of any school in our conference?
Did you know that we have produced 52 Olympians? One of those is DeAnna Price, who, in September, made history as the first U.S. woman to win the world championship in the hammer throw.
Did you know that iconic futurist and architect Buckminster Fuller taught at SIU Carbondale?
Did you know that William Howard Taft, Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Barbara Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have all spoken on our campus?
There’s so much to learn, and the 150th anniversary is the perfect time to brush up on all things.
What are the hidden gems about the university that you think should be brought to light? Email me at jmdunn@siu.edu and I’ll share some of them in a future blog post. Meanwhile, you are welcome to review the State of the University address to learn about all we are doing to move the university forward. A text version is available here, and a video of the address will be posted soon