Jason Klein, regional director of electric operations (left), and Brad Kloeppel, regional director of natural gas operations (right), pose with John Shaw, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, to celebrate Ameren’s $10,000 contribution to support the institute’s “Illinois Authors” speaker series.
The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale received a $10,000 grant from Ameren Illinois to expand its “Illinois Authors” speaker series statewide.
The institute started “Illinois Authors” in August to meet the writers who bring the Prairie State to life. The series builds on the institute’s “Illinois 101” essential reading guide, for which several Illinois leaders recommended histories, biographies, novels, or essays to provide a deeper understanding of the state.
The funding from Ameren Illinois will allow the institute to host a series of public events in 2022 in Carbondale and other Illinois communities.
“The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute is very grateful to Ameren Illinois for this generous grant,” John Shaw, institute director, said. “It will help the Institute expand our ‘Illinois Authors’ program, which seeks to deepen our understanding of Illinois through compelling conversations with Prairie State authors. This grant will be instrumental as we present these conversations throughout Illinois.”
The grant funds were made available through the Ameren Cares program. Brad Kloeppel, regional director of natural gas operations for Ameren Illinois, said the key focus of the Ameren Cares program is to connect the company with the communities it serves to help empower and improve the quality of life in Ameren Illinois’ service territories.
“Illinois has such a rich history and we’re happy to support the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute as it helps expose students and the community to its literature as a way to successfully move forward,” Kloeppel said.
Bill Sahlin has lived and worked all over the world, but he hasn’t forgotten the role SIU played in his life over 50 years ago.
“I enjoyed my experience at SIU tremendously. Coming from urban Chicago to a small-town beautiful environment was refreshing. I worked at Neeley Hall as a maintenance manager at night and took classes during the day. Between that job and the scholarship I received, I managed to make ends meet,” said Sahlin.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the SIU College of Business, Sahlin went to Loyola University and received an MBA. Sahlin spent many successful years working for TransUnion Corporation headquartered in Chicago as an accountant. He ultimately worked for the U.S. Department of Defense as a senior auditor and retired from there in 2013.
During his professional career, Sahlin worked all over the world in such countries as Saudi Arabia, China, Taiwan and Thailand. It was during his time in Hong Kong when he met and married his wife Kim. Together, they recently established the Bill and Kim Sahlin Endowed Accounting Scholarship to the SIU College of Business and Analytics. This scholarship will be funded through an estate gift of $62,500.
“I know I never would have received a four-year college degree had it not been for the scholarship I received,” said Sahlin.
“SIU is a good place to go, especially for people like me. Like so many who attended SIU, I was a first-generation student. SIU provided people like me with a good education and it was a great choice. I just want to help a young person who is in the same boat as I once was so many years ago.”
Meet Peter Renz, ’97, who majored in Fire Science Management through SIU’s extended campus’ program, now known as Public Safety Management. Renz received his SIU degree at the off-campus location of Quinn Fire Academy with the Chicago Fire Department. He also earned a master’s degree in Non-Profit Administration from the University of Notre Dame in 2001. Peter is a retired fighter from South Holland, Illinois, with a career that spanned 27 years working as an Engineer/Paramedic.
Renz currently works as an instructor, recruiter and as an advisor for the SIU’s Public Safety Management program. He is currently teaching public safety management, research, and risk reduction.
Renz says he receives great satisfaction in working with people from the first handshake all the way to their graduation from the program.
“It is very satisfying to see a student that you first met at a recruiting event or through word of mouth, and then to see them graduate and to see how happy their families are at graduation. After graduation, you can see the gratitude they have for us helping them succeed with a bachelor’s degree or their master’s degree,” said Renz.
Renz credits the SIU Extended Campus Program for allowing him to get his bachelor’s degree and appreciates the help he received from his classmates.
“If it wasn’t for this program, I would not have gone to college. The flexibility of this program allows a student to be successful. I also liked the comradery in the classrooms. Everyone was helping others if they were struggling. I especially enjoyed the labor relations, grant writing, and legal and budget courses,” he said.
Renz says that the courses he took during his time as a student in the SIU Extended Campus Public Safety Management allowed him to apply what he learned directly to his career.
“The labor relations course that I took in college helped me start our firefighter’s union, Local 4109 in South Holland. When I served as a school board president, I was able to negotiate one of the more difficult bargaining sessions, which I also learned from that course. Everyone involved was grateful at the ease of which the contract was hashed out. The grant writing course SIU offered me helped in an innovative way to give raises and fund special projects at the fire department,” said Renz.
Renz says one of the aspects of the extended campus program he enjoys most is that he gets to interact with students all over the country.
“I get to interact with students from a geographically wide range of locations. You quickly realize that every fire department shares many of the same issues from coast to coast,” he said.
Renz also enjoys the variety of his work and his interactions with a wide range of people.
“Depending on where I am on any given day, I may be meeting with the Commissioner of the Chicago Fire Department, or the over 5000 members of the department, to the newest candidates at the academies. I also meet with the union leaders, officers, engineers and firefighters of many departments in the Chicago region,” said Renz.
Renz credits his wife for his success throughout his career.
“My wife, Lori and I were going to college at the same time. She would push me from time to time. She is the smartest person I know. I also learned from others around me that taught me how to do something and how not to do something. You can learn from others’ mistakes,” he said.
As a donor to the SIU Public Safety Management department, Renz gives back because he believes the program has developed him into someone that can make a difference.
“Being a Saluki has taught me to look out for others and to help where I can. You know, I’ve often wished that if I had a $1,000 to give to the program, I would like to start a lending library of public safety management textbooks. We have some students that struggle when it comes to the cost of books. I try to offer alternatives. A $1,000 would be a nice start. My hope is that others will help me give back to such a wonderful SIU program as the SIU Extended Campus,” he said.
To learn how you can donate to SIU Extended Campus, click here.
Left to right: Dean Xiaoqing “Frank” Liu, Dr. Mike Murray and Dr. Bruce DeRuntz
By Rebecca Renshaw
The College of Engineering, Computing, Technology, and Mathematics received two checks for $19,000 each from a longtime supporter of the university.
Dr. Mike Murray, trustee of the George A. Bates Memorial Foundation, presented Dean Xiaoqing “Frank” Liu with a $19,000 check to go toward the George A. Bates Memorial scholarship.
“We greatly appreciate the ongoing support by the Bates Foundation for these undergraduate scholarships,” Liu said. “These scholarships are important to our college, and we are deeply grateful to the Bates Foundation for their history of partnering with SIU.”
Murray also presented Dr. Bruce DeRuntz with a $19,000 check to support the College of Engineering’s Leadership Development Program. Based in the College of Engineering, Computing, Technology, and Mathematics, the LDP is designed to mold students into future executive leaders in a STEM field (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) by providing leadership training, mentoring and community service opportunities.
The LDP began with a donation from Dick Blaudow, an SIU engineering alumnus. Blaudow, along with his wife, Brigitte, established the program as a way to help develop the next generation of America’s technical leaders. DeRuntz, professor of technology who leads the LDP, said the program truly transforms these students into leaders.
“To achieve success, these students must prepare for success,” DeRuntz said. “This program gives them the tools to do so.”
Bates was a successful stock market investor and avid big game hunter. He was born in 1903 in the Chicago area, and resided in Cary until his death. The Bates Foundation was formed when he passed away in 1989. The foundation provides funding to numerous charitable organizations, as determined by its board of trustees. Along with SIU, the foundation supports The Hope Light Project, a cancer awareness organization, also located in southern Illinois.
“Mr. Bates believed in supporting education,” Murray said. “It has been an honor to be a trustee for the George A. Bates Memorial Foundation, and it was a privilege to deliver these checks.” Other local organizations the foundation has supported include Brehm School, SIH Cancer Institute, the Poshard Foundation, Saluki Kids Academy, and Lead SI. The foundation supports eight different charities and has donated $3 million dollars in the last 10 years. A total of $6 million has been donated since its inception.
Murray was instrumental in securing funding from the Bates Foundation. As a former close friend and confidant of Bates, Murray was aware of Bates’ philanthropic tendencies. He submitted a proposal for support in 1997 while working as a central development officer for the SIU Foundation. Now, as a Bates Foundation trustee, he is able to continue to provide funding to scholarships at the College of Engineering.
The foundation looks for two things when deciding to support an organization: Dedication by the organization to the mission and passion for the cause of those representing the organization. “I know the dean, and I know professor DeRuntz very well,” Murray said. “I have no doubt this money will be put to good use.”
Hundreds of SIU alumni gathered for a series of events during the Saluki Takeover Tour Chicago.
Hosted by the SIU Foundation, the takeover tour lasted five days and packed numerous events into a small window. There were events for alumni and donors, and Chancellor Austin Lane announced partnerships with three community colleges.
More than 125 Salukis gathered at Ravinia Brewing Company for the Saluki Takeover Tour’s kick-off event on Sunday, Oct. 3.
“This is the inaugural Saluki Takeover Tour Chicago. There are 46,000 alumni that live in this area. Here’s the idea: We bring the campus up here, and we plant the flag in the ground. This is Saluki Country,” said CEO of the SIU Foundation and Interim Athletic Director Matt Kupec.
Ravinia will soon locate a production facility within the McLafferty Annex on SIU’s Carbondale campus. This lease will not only generate revenue to support the Fermentation Science program, but also provide world-class training for students by allowing on-site access to large-scale production and packaging equipment not currently available in Southern Illinois. In addition, Ravinia intends to provide contract brewing and packaging services to regional breweries, which will provide growth and economic development opportunities in Southern Illinois.
“Recently, we received a $1.1 million grant from the SIU Foundation, which allows us to bring Ravinia Brewing into the McLafferty Annex in Southern Illinois,” said Matt McCarroll, director SIU’s Fermentation Science Institute. “In one building, we’ll be able to take students from the classroom and walk down to the other side and see a full production brewery and packaging facility in real time. That’s unique in the country.”
During the event, Matt (’89) and Laura Soucy (’87) presented a $25,000 check to establish the first scholarship for SIU Fermentation Science program. The Karen “K-Dawg” Jakstas Memorial Scholarship is in honor of Laura Soucy’s sister, Karen Jakstas (’91).
Vital Partnerships
Chancellor Lane signed agreements with Harper College, Oakton Community College, and Harold Washington College. These agreements will bring the expertise of a doctoral research university to place-bound students.
“SIU Carbondale is committed to providing access and affordability and removing barriers for all students,” Chancellor Lane said. “We are proud of our beautiful campus and the first-rate education and unique opportunities Salukis receive. But we understand not all Chicago students can move to Carbondale to complete their education, so we will bring SIU Carbondale to the Windy City.”
Harper College and Oakton Community College signed Saluki Step Ahead agreements, which provide qualified community college students the option to earn their bachelor’s degrees remotely at a lower cost in six academic programs: accounting, business and administration, health care management, radiologic sciences, criminology and criminal justice, and psychology.
SIU and Harold Washington College signed agreements for equity in accounting and a renewal of Star Scholars, which offers scholarship opportunities to students.
The highlight of the week was the Chancellor’s Reception on Tuesday, Oct. 5, at the Palmer House Hilton.
“I did my Listening & Learning Tour over the last year, and all I did was listen,” Chancellor Lane said. “When our alumni started talking, we listened. You said we needed to be in Chicago more. Guess what, we’re here tonight. We’re here all week.”
Attended by about 250 Salukis, the evening was emceed by SIU alumnus Marc Silverman. Host of the “Waddle & Silvy” sports talk radio show on ESPN Chicago 1000 AM, Silverman regularly promotes SIU on his show and Twitter account (@WaddleandSilvy). Earlier in the day, dozens of SIU alumni gathered outside of the ESPN studio in Chicago for an opportunity to take selfies with Silverman and the Saluki mascots.
“We are the Dawgs. We have great things going, and we know, at SIU Carbondale, we have a great thing to begin with,” Silverman said. “Spread the word. Tell your friends about SIU. Tell your coworkers about SIU. We check all the boxes. We’re diverse, we have a beautiful campus, we have a social life, we have athletics, and best of all, we have academics and hands-on experiences.”
SIU System President Dan Mahony joined Chancellor Lane and Silverman on stage, and he spoke about how SIU Carbondale has overcome the challenges posed by COVID-19.
“I actually started my role on March 1, 2020. We have done great things, even during the worst of periods of time,” Mahony said. “I’m incredibly excited to see what’s going to happen when we’re out of the pandemic. The sky is the limit.”
Dunbar Leadership Society
Left to Right: SIU Foundation CEO Matt Kupec, SIU Chancellor Austin Lane, Senator Roland Burris, Director of Development Kevin Clark, Chair of Dunbar Leadership Society Kennard Tucker
On Wednesday, Oct. 6, alumni and donors gathered to support the Dunbar Leadership Society. Through the society, the university plans to reinvigorate its diverse alumni and create opportunities for current and future Salukis. The society will raise scholarship funds and host events that resonate with members of a multicultural campus.
“When the chancellor decided to have the takeover tour, he encouraged us to put something together,” said Kennard Tucker, chair of the Dunbar Leadership Society. “It was a great event. There was a lot of Saluki energy in town.”
Former U.S. Sen. Roland Burris gave the keynote address during the event at Chicago’s Gallery Guichard. Burris was the first African American elected to statewide office in Illinois when he became comptroller in 1978. In 1990, he was elected as Illinois’ attorney general, and was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2009, replacing Barack Obama.
Burris previously made a $100,000 donation to support an emergency fund that assists Black students at SIU in times of need.
“The reason why I created the fund is because I care, and I’m hoping and praying that you all care about the future of our Black kids that need to get a college education,” Burris said.
Burris was honored during the event for his philanthropic leadership.
“It’s all about philanthropic giving,” Tucker said. “It just seemed right that we recognize him. He sets an example for us all.”
See You in 2022
Plans are already under way for next year’s Saluki Takeover Tour in Chicago. The second annual event will take place Thursday, Sept. 15, through Saturday, Sept. 17, in conjunction with Saluki Football’s matchup with Northwestern.
Stay tuned for more information about this event and others.
“This is going to happen each and every year, and our job is to get all 46,000 alumni pumped up, engaged, and excited about support our great university,” Kupec said.
For more information about this event and future events, follow the SIU Foundation on social media and visit www.siuf.org.
Evan Martin, a member of the SIU baseball team, was drawn to SIU because of the opportunities for financial assistance.
“Being raised by a single mother, the biggest factor when it came to deciding where I wanted to go to school was making sure it would not put her in any uncomfortable financial situations,” he said.
His mother, Barbara Graham, is an SIU alumna, which opened more scholarship opportunities for Martin. He received legacy, academic, and athletic scholarships.
“These scholarships have been the greatest thing that has happened to my family and me,” he said. “It gave my mom a chance to take a deep breath and focus on herself for the first time in 21 years.”
Martin played the 2021 season as a redshirt freshman, hitting .261 with 10 doubles, five home runs, and 31 RBIs. In the Salukis’ MVC Tournament win against Valparaiso, he was 3-for-4 at the plate with two doubles and three runs scored.
“My Saluki experience has been unbelievable,” he said. “Since my first day on campus, the coaches, staff, faculty, and everyone else in Carbondale has welcomed me with open arms.”
Studying mathematics with the hopes of working in the analytics department of a Major League Baseball team, Martin has found success off the field at SIU as well.
“The math department at SIU has provided me with a holistic mathematics education, but statistical analysis is my focus,” he said. “I was able to take multiple 400-plus level statistics courses that use many of the same programs being used in Major League Baseball. I feel as though this blend of playing baseball and taking courses that enhance my understanding of data and statistics will make me a well-rounded candidate when I am able to pursue my career.”
Salukis Forever
Student-athletes like Martin are the main beneficiaries of the Salukis Forever fundraising campaign.
The $25 million campaign, which launched in February, coupled with appropriate cost-cutting, and increased revenues from other sources, will provide sustainable funding to drive Saluki Athletics forward. “Receiving these scholarships has assured my mother that all of her hard work has paid off,” Martin said. “I know it makes her so happy to see how successful I have become, and that matters to me more than anything else.”
By supporting the Salukis Forever campaign, more student-athletes will have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Martin and others like him. For more information, visit www.foreversiu.org/athletics.
Meet Eric Brevik, a professor of geology and soil science from North Dakota’s Dickinson State University. Brevik began his duties as dean of the College of Agricultural, Life and Physical Sciences (CALPS) on July 1, 2021.
Brevik said the job attracted him because the programs within it span his professional background, which includes deep study in both geology and soil science.
“I started my academic life as a geologist, getting my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geology, and that fits in well with the School of Earth Systems and Sustainability. I then got a Ph.D. in soil science, which fits well with the School of Agricultural Sciences,” Brevik said. “I have also taught both geology and soil science coursework throughout my 20 years as a tenure-track faculty member and have published several papers that discuss the intersection of soil science and geology.”
In addition, Brevik has collaborated with biologists, chemists and physicists during his career.
“So the college is a really good fit for me professionally,” he said. “On a more personal note, SIU is also about as central to family for myself and my wife as it is currently possible to get, so that was appealing.”
Brevik is proud of what the college offers students and is eager to create an atmosphere of collaboration among the faculty, staff, alumni, and donors.
“The opportunities students have for a hands-on learning experience is phenomenal. Not all universities have farm facilities, but here at SIU, you can literally step outside the classrooms and be on the farm in five minutes,” he said. “There, our professors can provide personal training. Students can also find employment at our farms. We have some great scientists who do impressive field-based work. This region, with its rivers, bluffs, caves, and forests makes it a prime location for our students to learn outdoors. Our forestry program is ranked second in the country. It helps that the Shawnee National Forest is in our backyard for our students to get real-life experiences as they study. We also have highly-regarded fisheries, wildlife, and geology programs that take advantage of our surrounding environment.”
Brevik points to the relationship the college has with John Deere and hopes that other types of collaboration will occur in the coming years.
“I am so appreciative of Sydenstricker Nobbe Partners, a John Deere dealer. Thanks to a lease they gave us last year, we now have brand new farm equipment for the students to use. We have new tractors, combines and several other pieces of equipment valued at more than $2.5 million dollars,” he said. “Having such equipment positively impacts the education our students receive at SIU.”
Brevik notes that while the college has benefited from such partnerships, much remains to be done to keep the college thriving.
“It takes a lot to maintain the many buildings we have on the farm. We have several buildings that could definitely use updating. The Beef Center is an example where we recently got a generous helping hand from Compeer Financial,” he said. “As the state continues to cut our budget, we continue to have needs that cannot be ignored. Having alumni and donors give us a helping hand is a critical component to our success.”
Brevik is proud of the diversity of programs that CALPS offers students.
“We have over 1,500 undergraduate students, making us one of the largest colleges at SIU. We offer programs in agricultural sciences biological sciences, chemistry, earth systems and sustainability, fermentation science, and physics” he said. We offer great laboratory-based experiences for students with an interest in laboratory science work. Our chemistry and physics programs have also hosted a highly-regarded research experience for undergraduates (REU) program funded by the National Science Foundation for many years.”
During the past summer, CALPS was proactive in its efforts to recruit new students. Staff and professors engaged prospective and admitted students through phone calls, emails, and webinars, and they hosted open houses, academic showcases, virtual tours, and campus visits.
If you would like to learn more about the SIU College of Agricultural, Life and Physical Sciences or you would like to provide your support, visit www.calps.siu.edu/give.
Lida and her class at Tamaroa Grade School where she began her teaching career.
Lida Lisenby Taylor’s life and commitment to education are being remembered through a scholarship fund set up by her daughter, Cynthia Taylor Rice.
The Lida Lisenby Taylor Future Educator Scholarship Fund is awarded to a student enrolled in the school of education and majoring in teaching, counseling, or administration. The student must be a graduate of DuQuoin High School, Pinckneyville High School, or Tamaroa Grade School.
The scholarship was created by Rice in honor of her mother, who strongly believed in the power of an education.
“She came from a family of educators. My mom began her teaching career in Tamaroa after graduating from SIU in 1942. She was offered a position in DuQuoin where she taught English and Latin until her retirement in 1968,” Rice said.
Rice said that through the years she has met many of her mother’s students and they would share how important Latin and her mother were to them throughout their lives.
Lida and her roommates in front of their Carbondale boarding house when it was Southern Illinois Normal.
“I had one of her former students tell me what an influence my mom had been on his life. He said my mother wasn’t just a teacher but an educator of the highest degree. His message and the many letters she received from scholarship recipient students have made me very proud of my mother and her influence on others,” Rice said.
When Taylor passed away in 2003, Rice went through the process of cleaning out her mother’s home.
“I found Latin projects and posters and memorabilia throughout the house. She had Roman chariots and Parthenon replicas everywhere. I remember one of her biggest projects was throwing a Roman banquet for the students. They wore togas and drank Roman punch. She pulled out all the stops for her students,” Rice said.
Rice said the scholarship is a way for her mother to continue to influence future educators.
“There are not too many things in the world that are more important than being a teacher and loving what you do. That philosophy very accurately describes my mother and her love of teaching,” said Rice.
Meet Jamie Newton, recipient of the Lida Lisenby Taylor Future Educator Scholarship
Jamie Newton, a senior majoring in elementary education is a recipient of the Lida Lisenby Taylor Future Educator Scholarship. Newton looks forward to teaching first or second grade after she graduates.
“I’ve always had a love of school and learning. SIU has provided me with the tools and confidence so I can be a good educator,” Newton said.
Newton is grateful for the Lida Lisenby Taylor scholarship and how it has lessened the burden of her student loans.
“I would like to tell Mrs. Rice how thankful I am that they have so graciously chosen me to be the recipient of the Lida Lisenby Taylor Future Educator Scholarship. I feel so grateful to have her support because she has helped give me the opportunity to further my education at SIU. The scholarship has definitely helped lift some of the weight of student loans,” she said. “Although Mrs. Rice does not know me personally, she will always be a part of my journey throughout college and into my future career. Her contribution has left its mark on my life and will affect the students that I will one day teach.”
Newton hopes others will follow in the path of Mrs. Rice and give to students who need financial assistance.
“For many students like me, scholarships help pursue our dreams and lessen the burden of student loans. Being the recipient of a scholarship, I understand how it comforts us to know that we don’t have to be alone while trying to pursue our dreams,” she said. “I also hope that someday I will provide the same sense of relief that I have felt after receiving a scholarship.”
It’s been 40 years since Adaire Putnam graduated from SIU, but her continued affinity for the school and its students is what brought her to the SIU Foundation Board of Directors.
“SIU is a tremendous place. It’s very important to me,” Putnam ’81 said. “My husband and I sent our two kids to SIU as students, but it wasn’t until recently that I became more involved on campus.”
It was a fellow alumnus who urged Putnam to join the SIU College of Business Advisory Board. She eventually became the chair of that board and was later elected to the SIU Foundation Board.
“The work done by the SIU Foundation is very powerful,” she said. “Our donors are investing in the future.”
Since joining the SIU Foundation Board in 2015, Putnam said she’s been excited by what she’s witnessed.
“I’m passionate about helping first-generation students, especially those of limited means,” she said. “Through scholarships and other programs, we’re able to help ensure that SIU is a university of access. I encourage alumni and others to continue to support the university’s vision.”
From then to now
After transferring to SIU following one year at Illinois Wesleyan, Putnam graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications in just two years. During this time, she also worked as an administrative assistant in the Department of Anthropology.
“Coming from a big city high school in Chicago, SIU was a good fit for me,” she said. “I was able to achieve my goals thanks to the dedicated faculty and outstanding courses.”
Directly thereafter, she started her lifelong career in corporate communications. She has worked for a number of large, global companies, including Edelman and Ketchum public relations agencies and Kellogg Company.
Currently, she’s the owner and president of Putnam Communications, helping companies advance and protect their reputations.
Through the years, she’s spent time living and working in Chicago and Michigan, but nowadays, she works and lives in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
“I’ve been working remotely long before the pandemic took it mainstream,” she said. “If I need to be in the U.S. for a meeting, I’m just a short flight away.”
While Putnam doesn’t live near SIU these days, her connection to the university has never been stronger.
“It’s never too late to get involved,” she said. “This is where I feel I can make a difference.”
Brad Choate ’79, ’84 and his wife, Julie, are one of the university’s most devoted supporters. Their recent $1 million estate gift will provide funding for undergraduate scholarships and other key priorities.
The Choates, who reside in Georgetown, Texas, wanted to place SIU in their estate and help SIU remain strong for generations to come. The money will establish an endowed scholarship.
“I am so proud of SIU, and I thought this was the right way to give back to an institution that changed my life,” Brad Choate said. “While I am a first-generation alumnus, my parents drilled into my head at a young age that I would attend college. SIU just made sense as it was in the backyard of Marion, Illinois, where I grew up. I have to thank my parents for pointing me in a direction that would change my life.”
Choate is a veteran leader in the advancement industry, having served over 40 years as a fundraiser. He has served as president and CEO of the Minnesota Medical Foundation, vice president at the University of South Carolina, vice chancellor at the University of Arkansas as well as leadership positions at Penn State and Ohio State. He currently serves as special advisor to the vice president for development at the University of Texas at Austin. He and Julie, who is an accomplished artist, are also dedicated volunteers in their community.
“SIU is grateful to the Choates for their generosity and outstanding leadership,” said Matt Kupec, CEO of the SIU Foundation. “They demonstrate the values that we seek to instill in every SIU graduate.”
Choate said establishing the endowment through their estate just made sense, both financially and charitably for his family.
“I have seen the impact on both the donors and the students when a scholarship is created,” he said. “The impact positively affects our society and country at large.”
Raised in rural Carbondale and attending high school in Marion, Choate’s parents taught him the value of hard work, integrity, and giving back. “My parents had a clear vision of what they wanted for me so there was no doubt that getting a college degree was going to happen. I will be forever grateful to them for their direction,” he said.
Southern Illinois has a special place in his heart, largely because that is where he met Julie.
“I will never forget. I first laid eyes on her at the Dairy Queen in Marion. I was sitting at a picnic table with a friend one night, and this red Firebird drove up, and this beautiful girl jumped out,” he said. “She came over and we were introduced. I took her to Carbondale to see the sights, and we’ve never looked back since. We’ve been married 43 years.”
Choate’s Southern Illinois roots go back even further as his great uncle was Clyde Choate, a politician from Anna, Illinois, and a soldier. Choate served 30 years in the Illinois House of Representatives and during World War II, received the U.S. military’s highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for single-handedly destroying a German tank.
“SIU was always important to my Uncle Clyde. Even after he retired from the Legislature, he went to work for SIU to continue helping the university,” Choate said. Julie’s mother, Colleen Norman, has three degrees from SIU and taught at SIU and the university’s campus in Japan.
The Choates raised three children, Brent, Lauren, and Lindsey.
“Brent graduated from the United States Air Force Academy and became a fighter pilot. Lauren is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin who works in marketing for a commercial insurance company in Texas, and Lindsey earned a Ph.D. in psychology from Arkansas and runs a prep school in Austin,” Choate said. “Julie and I are so blessed that all three of our children have grown up well and thrived in the world. Now, we want to ensure that other young people have the same opportunities as our children did.
“You don’t have to be phenomenally wealthy to help people. Lots of people can make an estate gift and really help others with a gift to SIU. It is our hope that we inspire others to do the same as we have done,” he said.
Bill Sahlin has lived and worked all over the world, but he hasn’t forgotten the role SIU played in his life over 50 years ago.
“The labor relations course that I took in college helped me start our firefighter’s union, Local 4109 in South Holland. When I served as a school board president, I was able to negotiate one of the more difficult bargaining sessions, which I also learned from that course. Everyone involved was grateful at the ease of which the contract was hashed out. The grant writing course SIU offered me helped in an innovative way to give raises and fund special projects at the fire department,” said Renz.
Dr. Mike Murray, trustee of the George A. Bates Memorial Foundation, presented Dean Xiaoqing “Frank” Liu with a $19,000 check to go toward the George A. Bates Memorial scholarship.
Meet Eric Brevik, a professor of geology and soil science from North Dakota’s Dickinson State University. Brevik began his duties as dean of the College of Agricultural, Life and Physical Sciences (CALPS) on July 1, 2021.
Meet Jamie Newton, recipient of the Lida Lisenby Taylor Future Educator Scholarship
It’s been 40 years since Adaire Putnam graduated from SIU, but her continued affinity for the school and its students is what brought her to the SIU Foundation Board of Directors.
Brad Choate ’79, ’84 and his wife, Julie, are one of the university’s most devoted supporters. Their recent $1 million estate gift will provide funding for undergraduate scholarships and other key priorities.