ST. LOUIS – The Saluki Takeover Tour returned to St. Louis along with the SIU Men’s Basketball team for the week of the Arch Madness MVC Tournament.

The keystone event was the Chancellor’s Reception, hosted Wednesday, March 6, in the Lindbergh Room of the Hilton at the Ballpark. 150 alumni and friends gathered to celebrate their Saluki spirit.

“It’s great to see all the Salukis here,” Chancellor Austin Lane said. “We do the Saluki Takeover Tours in several cities throughout the year, and we always look forward to coming back to St. Louis.”

Earlier in the day, Chancellor Lane and a group of university leaders visited Eureka High School and Collinsville High School on recruiting trips. On Thursday and Friday, the members of the group planned to make their way to STEAM Academy, Duchesne College Prep, and Lutheran St. Charles.

Many other events dotted the schedule between Tuesday and Friday:

• The College of Liberal Arts hosted an alumni social event at The Armory STL on Tuesday.
• The SIU Foundation hosted a Corporate Partners Brunch at the Hilton at the Ballpark on Thursday.
• There was also a Planned Giving Social Hour at the hotel on Thursday, hosted by the foundation.
• Members of the Paul & Virginia Society gathered on Friday morning at The London Tea Room.
• The SIU School of Medicine hosted an alumni dinner at Kreis’ Steakhouse.
• The SIU Alumni Association hosted a pre-game event Thursday evening at PBR St. Louis in Ballpark Village.

Six corporate partners took part in the brunch on Thursday morning, including the St. Louis Cardinals, Boeing, First Mid Bank & Trust, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Horner & Shifrin, and StraightUp Solar. The discussion, led by Sherrica Hunt, assistant vice chancellor for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and Shane Bennett, senior director of development for corporate and foundation relations, focused on how companies can benefit from engaging with SIU and its students.

The Salukis fell Thursday night in the first round of the MVC Tournament, 84-82, in a double-overtime thriller against the University ofIllinois Chicago. The Dawgs finish the season 19-13.

The Saluki Takeover Tours, which began in 2021, include student recruitment visits to local high schools and colleges, as well as alumni events, and meetings with valuable partners around the country. To see highlight videos from previous Saluki Takeover Tours, click here.

The 8th annual SIU Day of Giving was Wednesday, Feb. 28, and once again, Saluki spirit was on display for 24 straight hours.

The SIU Foundation raised more than $3.15 million, and more than 2,600 donors participated. In total, there has been about $17 million donated during the Days of Giving. Every gift pushes the Imagine SIU 2030 fundraising campaign one step closer to its goal of raising $500 million by 2028.

“We put those dollars to work,” said Chancellor Austin Lane during the Day of Giving livestream from WSIU-TV studio. “Once we receive the support that’s coming from those who give during the Day of Giving that were able to put that in hands of our students.”

Leading the way with 670 donors was the Balancing Education, Experience, and Reality (B.E.E.R.) Scholarships, driven by the Carbondale in the ’80s and ’90s Facebook group. Nearly $45,000 was raised for the endowed scholarship fund.

Other areas that topped the donor total list included:

• WSIU Public Broadcasting: 502
• School of Medicine: 279
• College of Engineering, Computing, Technology, and Mathematics: 240
• College of Health and Human Sciences: 142
• Saluki Athletics: 127
• College of Arts and Media: 120

The College of Business and Analytics raised $764,835, the most of any college, school, or unit.

Other areas that received the highest dollar amounts included:

• School of Medicine: $555,765
• School of Law: $526,456
• College of Agricultural, Life, and Physical Sciences: $195,917
• College of Engineering, Computing, Technology, and Mathematics: $188,893
• College of Liberal Arts: $157,143
• Touch of Nature: $93,510

Some donations were still being counted, including donations made through fundraisers at St. Nicholas Brewing Co. MDH at Southern Illinois Airport and Freddy’s in Carbondale. Both restaurants donated percentages of some of Wednesday’s sales to the College of Health and Human Sciences.

SIU Credit Union kicked off the Day of Giving by donating $35,000 in total, designating $20,000 to New Student Programs and $15,000 to Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center.

The Day of Giving livestream aired from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and can be viewed in its entirety on the SIU Foundation YouTube channel. It featured segments from every college and school and many other units. Hosted by Vice Chancellor of Development and Alumni Relations Matt Kupec, there were interviews with campus leaders, including Chancellor Lane.

To see the full totals, visit siuday.siu.edu.

The Saluki Takeover Tour returned to Florida for the second straight year.

On Monday, Feb. 19, the SIU Alumni Association hosted an event at the Savannah Center in The Villages, followed by a Tampa Alumni Chapter gathering on Tuesday, Feb. 20, at Coppertail Brewing Company.

Like last year, the first Chancellor’s Reception was hosted in Naples. Seventy-five Salukis came together at Windstar on Naples Bay.

“We need you to help us spread the message about how great SIU is,” Chancellor Austin Lane said. “The more we come and engage with you, the more we hear about the great things you’ve done in your careers, we want to make sure we’re telling our students and campus community about that.”

Many guests stayed after the reception to watch as the Saluki Men’s Basketball team took on Murray State on ESPN+. The Dawgs won the game, 72-68.

Thursday in Miami

Chancellor Lane, Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management Wendell Williams, and others met with representatives from Miami Dad College on the afternoon of Wednesday, Feb. 22.

That evening’s Chancellor Reception was hosted at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville. Alumni and friends gathered to share stories and camaraderie.

Friday in West Palm Beach

The takeover tour in Florida wrapped up Friday with a Chancellor’s Luncheon at Norton Art Museum. This event was sold out.

Afterward, there was a visit to Oxbridge Academy to explore potential partnerships.

More to come

There will also be a Saluki Takeover Tour of Southern Illinois in April and May. Information on those events will be available soon.

To see highlight videos from previous Saluki Takeover Tours, click here.

Everyone can make an impact on Wednesday, Feb. 28

CARBONDALE – The 8th annual SIU Day of Giving is Wednesday, Feb. 28, and expectations are higher than ever.

Raising more than $14 million in its first seven years, the SIU Foundation is asking everyone to donate online at siuday.siu.edu. Every gift makes a difference, no matter the size.

“Each year, the SIU Day of Giving highlights the power of philanthropy and community engagement,” said Matt Kupec, vice chancellor for development and alumni relations and SIU Foundation CEO. “We ask our alumni and friends to show their Saluki spirit, and Saluki Nation never disappoints.”

Each year, the SIU community comes together for a 24-hour online Day of Giving. Supporters are encouraged to visit siuday.siu.edu on Wednesday, Feb. 28, and make a gift of any size. Donations can be directed to any college, unit, program, or initiative.

Last year, more than $4 million was raised through more than 3,700 individual donations. Donors can choose to be honored on the Donor Wall, give in honor of another, or give anonymously. All gifts are made securely and are tax-deductible.

Gifts can also be made through Venmo by searching for “@SIU-Foundation” under the Charities tab and typing “Day of Giving” in the message. Donors should also add the area of campus they want to support.

Day of Giving broadcast

The SIU Day of Giving will feature every college and unit on campus during its live broadcast from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the WSIU-TV studio. Streamed on the SIU Alumni Association’s Facebook page and hosted by Kupec, there will be live interviews with Chancellor Austin Lane and other campus leaders and live Day of Giving updates.

“The broadcast is one of the most unique parts of the SIU Day of Giving,” Kupec said. “We engage with our campus leaders, showcase every area of our great university, and watch along as the totals rise. It’s an exciting, inspiring day.”

During the broadcast, viewers will learn about the exciting things happening each day at SIU and how they can best support their favorite area of campus.

Getting involved

Other than making a gift and watching the broadcast, there are other ways for alumni and donors to support the Day of Giving.

Simply by using #SIUDay on social media and sharing posts from the SIU Foundation and other units on campus is a great way to show support. It’s not too late to become an SIU Day of Giving advocate by signing up at siuday.siu.edu. Advocates get special Day of Giving updates and can share their own Day of Giving messages with others.

More events coming soon in Florida, St. Louis, and Southern Illinois

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Saluki Takeover Tour made its second annual stop in Nashville, Tennessee, this week.

Between Monday, Feb. 12, and Wednesday, Feb. 14, representatives from SIU visited high schools and hosted events with alumni and friends.

SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin A. Lane and Nashville State Community College President Shanna L. Jackson signed the agreement that includes the Saluki Step Ahead program during an event on the college’s White Bridge campus in Nashville – the first such pact in Tennessee.

“SIU Carbondale is providing Nashville State Community College graduates a seamless path to a bachelor’s degree, saving them time and money,” Chancellor Lane said. “And if students can’t come to us in Carbondale, Illinois, we are bringing the experience and resources of a doctoral research university to them through Saluki Step Ahead.”

Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management Wendell Williams and others visited Independence High School, LEAD Southeast High School, Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School, Brentwood Academy, and Hume Fogg Academic High School. These recruitment trips build bridges between potential future Salukis and the university.

“Strategically, we knew Nashville was an area we had to take over,” Chancellor Lane said. “Salukis are here. There are some exciting things happening. We’re hitting some really high points.”

This year’s Chancellor’s Reception was hosted by SIU alumni Drs. Phil and Pam Pfeffer. The Pfeffers, two of SIU’s most distinguished alumni, welcomed dozens of SIU alumni, staff, and friends into their home the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 13.

“Pam and Phil, thank you for hosting us and for your commitment and dedication and many years of service to SIU,” said Judge Phil J. Gilbert, chair of the SIU Board of Trustees. “It’s people like you that put us on the map.”

On Thursday, Feb. 14, the SIU Alumni Association hosted an event at Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint. Dozens of alumni enjoy food, drinks, and Saluki spirit before the Saluki Men’s Basketball team took on Belmont. The Salukis fell to the Bruins, 82-68.

The next stop on the Saluki Takeover Tour is a three-location run through Florida, including events in Naples, Miami, and West Palm Beach. Those events are Wednesday, Feb. 21, through Friday, Feb. 23. For more information, click here.

After that, Salukis will take over St. Louis during the Arch Madness MVC Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Chancellor’s Reception will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, in the Lindbergh Room at the Ballpark Village Hilton. For more information, click here.

There will also be a Saluki Takeover Tour of Southern Illinois in April and May. Information on those events will be available soon.

To see highlight videos from previous Saluki Takeover Tours, click here.

By Jeff Wilson

Janice Kelly and her daughters Pamela Hyde and Patricia Kelly knew they wanted to honor their husband and father’s legacy, and they decided that SIU’s College of Business and Analytics was the place to do it.

Douglas Kelly, graduated from SIU with a bachelor’s in accounting in 1957. He was one of the university’s first Black accounting students. Spurred by their mother’s desire to establish a living memorial to their father, the family donated $50,000 to establish the Douglas E. Kelly Memorial Scholarship to support African American students who are studying accounting at SIU.

“The education my father received at SIU was the foundation of many of the opportunities my sister and I have been able to take advantage of,” Hyde said. “It’s important to us as his family to leave that legacy where he went to.”

Douglas Kelly, who passed away in 2003, met his wife, Janice, while attending SIU.

“He was established on campus, and our mother heard about him,” Hyde said. “They met in 1956 and were married in 1957 after he graduated. My sister and I are implementing our mother’s vision. We decided to pick up the ball and run with it.”

After working as a laborer for a bit, Douglas Kelly took a job with the IRS. He started as an agent and rose to the position of chief of appeals in the St. Louis region. He was a member of the National Association of Black Accountants. Janice Kelly was a professor at St. Louis Community College. Both were CPAs.

“Our father mentored a great number of minority employees of the IRS,” Hyde said. “This scholarship exemplifies his philosophy of helping someone in need. We want to lift as we climb; you don’t want to pull the ladder up behind you.”

A Du Quoin native, Douglas Kelly was fully immersed in campus life. He was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, an organization known to give out scholarships that honored students’ character.

“He was very much into giving back. You can see that throughout his life,” Hyde said. “We thought this was a really good way to honor and keep his memory alive. We want to help students stay fully engaged with their studies and to be able to take advantage of the opportunities in front of them.”

The family also hopes that seeing such philanthropic support coming from a Black family will make the scholarship even more impactful.

“We want to inspire the imagination of these students,” Hyde said. “We’re putting a face on the scholarship, and it’s a Black man’s face. I think that means something.”

For more information about how to make a similar gift, visit siuf.org.

By Jeff Wilson

For years, brothers Samir and Sahir Khan’s only connection to SIU was the stories their parents shared about Carbondale and the university where they met.

“Our family started at SIU,” said Dr. Samir Khan, a Director with the Government of Canada and an adjunct professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Ottawa. “It was always a bit of a mythical place.”

When their father, Chowdhry Rafiq Khan, passed away in February 2023, they decided to honor his legacy with a $50,000 donation to establish the C. Rafiq Khan Scholarship, which will benefit an international student in SIU’s School of Analytics, Finance, and Economics.

As a teenager emigrating from India, Rafiq Khan had been accepted into the University of Alabama and SIU. He settled on attending Alabama and was ready to board a train in Chicago that was headed to Tuscaloosa until a railway employee intervened and explained that Carbondale would be more hospitable.

“At that time, SIU was a progressive island,” said Sahir Khan, executive vice president of the University of Ottawa Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy. “Our dad came to SIU during an age when America was opening up to the world. SIU was a university and campus ahead of its environment.”

It didn’t take long for Rafiq Khan to establish himself on campus. He became a leader of many student organizations and was active in student government.

“There was always a fondness for the people in and around Carbondale,” Sahir Khan said. “He remembered them as fundamentally good people. Both he and our mother have nothing but good things to say and fond memories to share, to this day.”

A couple of years after coming to SIU, Rafiq Khan was approached about meeting a fellow Indian student who was going to be arriving by bus. That student was Lila, who became his wife soon after.

“They were from two very different parts of India and didn’t even speak the same language. English was really their shared language,” Samir Khan said. “They made lifelong friendships at SIU. Their friends’ kids are now our friends.”

‘A force for good’

Samir and Sahir Khan hope to inspire others with the story of their family and by honoring their parents by helping students like them.

“Our dad loved universities. He believed that they are a force for good,” Sahir Khan said. “We want this scholarship to attract other foreign students and show that this school can represent you. SIU is opening its doors and hearts to students from around the globe, recapturing the sense of leadership that existed when our parents went there.”

That’s why a scholarship made the most sense. SIU’s impact on the entire Khan family was too great to be ignored.

“We wanted to do something that would leave a strong legacy,” Samir Khan said. “It’s all about education. It was very logical for us to give back to SIU. We’re grateful for the education and experience our parents received in Carbondale. It’s perfectly poetic.”

To make a gift, visit siuf.org.