CARBONDALE – The Southern Illinois University Athletics Department is announcing the launch of its Name, Image and Likeness collective, Pride of Little Egypt.

The collective will support student-athletes in all 17 of SIU’s athletic programs. Alumni and friends can choose a monthly membership or a one-time contribution at www.prideoflittleegypt.com.

“We are thrilled about the direction of Saluki Athletics, and Pride of Little Egypt collective is a major piece of that bright future,” said Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Tim Leonard. “This is how we recruit and retain the best players and bring championships to Carbondale.”

Working with Student Athlete NIL (SANIL), Pride of Little Egypt will allow SIU’s student-athletes to leverage their name, image and likeness. Pride of Little Egypt will work in unison with various SIU supporters to create marketing plans that maximize student-athlete earnings while ensuring that the university’s best interests remain protected throughout.

“This is an opportunity for Saluki Nation to enhance our student-athletes’ experience. It’s one of the top factors in today’s college basketball environment,” said Saluki Men’s Basketball coach Scott Nagy.

Pride of Little Egypt is independent from Southern Illinois University, and the university does not receive any financial benefit from the collective. NCAA rules allow alumni, fans and other donors to compensate student-athletes through the collective, but such compensation:

• may not be considered “pay for play,”
• must be in exchange for services provided by the student-athlete, and
• may not be a recruiting inducement for a student-athlete to enroll or continue to attend SIU.

“Our staff and student-athletes are thrilled about the possibilities provided by Pride of Little Egypt,” said Saluki Softball coach Jen Sewell. “Our recruits and current athletes are excited to advance their personal brand and connect with the SIU community.”

Saluki Athletics has recently experienced a run of high-level success, including the men’s golf team winning the Missouri Valley Conference championship; softball earning the MVC regular-season title; and two Saluki Football players signing NFL contracts.

Little Egypt, a nickname attributed to Southern Illinois about 200 years ago, was the inspiration for SIU’s choice of the saluki, the royal dog of Egypt, as its mascot in 1951.

Student-athletes are available to do social media posts, attend events, sign autographs or participate in a variety of other marketing activities. Potential partners should contact SANIL at billyray@studentathletenil.com.

By Jeff Wilson

The Saluki Takeover Tour of Southern Illinois visited multiple high schools and community colleges and hosted six receptions for alumni and community members.

Chancellor Austin Lane, Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management Wendell Williams, Director of Admissions Sarah Jiter, and many others traveled to high schools in Benton, Carmi-White County, Mount Vernon, Marion, Johnston City, Gallatin County, Harrisburg, Murphysboro, Chester, Hardin County, Du Quoin, Vienna, Meridian, Cairo, Anna Jonesboro, Cobden, Massac County, Carterville, Carbondale, and Joppa,  meeting with administrators and visiting with students who have committed to attending SIU in the fall. The group also visited John A. Logan Community College, Southeastern Illinois College, and met with other educators around the area.

The Saluki Takeover Tour of Southern Illinois ended Saturday, May 4, at Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort in Carterville. Attend by 400 Salukis, the event included welcomed incoming students with an SIU hat ceremony.

“Southern Illinois is a very large area, and we have been all over,” Lane said. “It has been amazing to see all the students and administrators from Chester, to Mount Vernon, from Pope County to Cairo.”

The evening included the SIU Day of Giving trophy presentation, which honored the groups that performed the best during the Day of Giving on Feb. 28. Those groups were: the Balancing Education, Experience, and Reality Scholarship (B.E.E.R.) group, College of Business and Analytics, Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center, School of Law, School of Medicine, and WSIU Public Broadcasting.

Guests also heard remarks from Williams, Athletic Director Tim Leonard, and men’s basketball coach Scott Nagy.

One of the programs being highlighted by Lane and his staff is the Saluki Commitment, which guarantees that tuition and mandatory fees are fully covered for four (transfer students) or eight (freshman students) consecutive  semesters at no cost to students or families.

Recipients must meet all of the following criteria:

• Be a first-time incoming freshman enrolling full-time on-campus in the fall 2021 semester or later.
• Have a cumulative high school GPA of 2.75 or higher.
• Have an annual family income less than $103,040 with assets less than $50,000 based on your FAFSA.
• Be an Illinois resident who attended an Illinois high school.
• Be a dependent student under age 24.
• Be eligible for federal financial aid.

“There is no reason in the world for a student from any county in Southern Illinois to attend any other university than the one in their backyard,” Lane said Wednesday, May 1, at Fat Edd’s Roadhouse in Metropolis. “You’re not going to find another school that’s close to you that’s an R2 higher research institution. We’re soon to become an R1 institution. That’s our goal.”

Alumni and friends have gathered for five Chancellor’s Receptions at The Granada Theatre in Mount Vernon on Wednesday, April 24, Morello’s in Harrisburg on Thursday, April 25, St. Nicholas Brewing Co. in Du Quoin on Friday, April 26, Alto Vineyards in Alto Pass on Monday, April 29, and Fat Edd’s Roadhouse in Metropolis on Wednesday, May 1.

Dozens of Salukis have come to each event to meet Chancellor Lane and other SIU leaders.

“We want students to know they can come from Mount Vernon, Benton, Carmi-White County, or anywhere else and launch to the world,” Lane said to a crowd of nearly 50 guests Wednesday, April 24, at The Granada Theatre in Mount Vernon. “You don’t have to leave and go anywhere. We have an advantage right here in our backyard.”

At each reception, SIU leaders were met with excitement from alumni and friends from across Southern Illinois.

“I don’t know the last time we’ve had an event like this with boots on the ground, going and seeing high school students, giving out scholarships. That’s what it’s going to take,” said Saluki Football coach and Du Quoin native Nick Hill during the reception Friday, April 26, at St. Nicholas Brewing Co.

The Office of Innovation and Economic Development at SIU and the Small Business Navigator Program are partnering with local organizations to offer Business Resource Meet Ups. The purpose of these events is to provide valuable

insights into the Advantage Illinois Loan Program, along with detailed information on the services of the Illinois SBDC and the Illinois APEX Accelerator program at SIU. Events have already taken place at Innovation Hub in Mount Vernon, MAN-TRA-CON in Marion, Morello’s in Harrisburg, Alongi’s Italian Restaurant in Du Quoin, First Missionary Baptist Church in Cairo, Vienna High School, Carbondale Civic Center, and United Methodist Church in Golconda.

“We’re preaching pride in the region. We’re preaching legacy. We’re preaching accessibility,” said Lane on Monday, April 29, at Alto Vineyards. “All of those things are keeping our students here at home. We have some wonderful Salukis coming in.”

For more information, call 618-453-4900 or email siuf@foundation.siu.edu.

For more photos and video highlights from the Saluki Takeover Tour of Southern Illinois, visit the SIU Foundation on Facebook. 

 

By Jeff Wilson

Aaron Mallory is implementing the skills he learned at Southern Illinois University to advance the mission of his organization, GRO Community.

A mental health service provider, GRO Community specializes in trauma-informed treatment for boys and men from low socio-economic groups and/or Black and Brown communities. One of its keys focuses is curbing gun violence among these groups in Chicago and beyond.

A 2010 graduate of SIU’s College of Engineering, Computing, Technology, and Mathematics, Mallory favors a proactive, process-driven approach to combating these issues.

“We are supporting marginalized communities from a different approach,” he said. “We want to use economics and systems to create change. We want to solve the gun violence issue, which greatly affects Black youth and is heavily intertwined with mental health.”

Mallory came to SIU from Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School in Chicago, and he had to prove himself to stay enrolled.

“I wasn’t the best student in high school, but I wasn’t the worst either,” he said. “Getting into SIU was one of the best things that happened to me. I took University 101 and was able to ground myself in the college experience. I learned life skills and lessons and finished my first year with a 3.7 GPA.”

He joined the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, took part in the Saluki Summer Bridge program, and the Success in Engineering Through Excellence in Diversity program. He eventually became the vice president of Kappa Alpha Psi and received internships with John Deere and Boeing.

“SIU really gave me my foundation. I learned how to navigate business and people,” Mallory said. “My experience at SIU was love. It’s a very diverse environment. It really cultivated the passion within me.”

Returning to Chicago after graduation in 2010, Mallory knew he wanted to be involved in mentoring kids. He earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Chicago.

“I had a job, but it wasn’t my passion,” he said. “I started working on GRO Community full time on March 13, 2020. It grew like crazy. Within a year, we had 10 staff members. Now we have 80, and we’re aggressively hiring now. I am trying to create a pipeline of students from SIU to come work for us. Currently, there are nine Salukis on the staff.”

It was that SIU connection that led GRO Community to become the Cocktail Reception Sponsor for the second annual Saluki Ball in Chicago. With a $10,000 donation to the ball, which raises funds that bridge the financial gap for SIU students, Mallory and GRO Community were among the event’s most notable backers.

“Originally, I was going to buy a table, but then I went online and saw testimonials from students impacted by these funds, and I knew we could do something bigger than that,” Mallory said. “SIU has been really good to me, and I wanted to show appreciation.”

Event is free and open to the public

By Jeff Wilson

CARBONDALE – After traveling to each of Illinois’ 17 southernmost counties, including more than 20 school visits, the Saluki Takeover Tour of Southern Illinois will close with the Southern Illinois Celebration from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort.

Hosted by Chancellor Austin Lane, the event will recognize incoming SIU students. There will also be SIU Day of Giving trophy presentations, a celebration of the university’s recent successes, and a chance to thank our local partners. Many representatives from SIU will be in attendance, including new Saluki Men’s Basketball coach Scott Nagy.

To register, visit https://siuf.org/southern-illinois/walkers-bluff.php. Attendees will receive two complimentary drink tickets, and hors d’oeuvres will be served. This is your chance to join with SIU’s leaders, Saluki alumni and friends, current and future students, and many others for an evening of Saluki pride.

“Saluki spirit is evident everywhere we go, but it has its roots right here in Southern Illinois,” said Chancellor Austin Lane. “These takeover tour events are a terrific opportunity for our local alumni and friends to engage with our leadership and share their Saluki experience with others.”

Lane and many others traveled to local high schools in Anna Jonesboro, Benton, Cairo, Carbondale, Carterville, Carmi-White County, Chester, Cobden, Du Quion, Gallatin County, Hardin County, Harrisburg, Johnston City, Joppa, Marion, Massac County, Meridian, Mount Vernon, Murphysboro and Vienna, meeting with administrators and visiting with students who have committed to attending SIU in the fall. There have been visits to John A. Logan Community College and Southeastern Illinois College.

Alumni and friends have gathered for five Chancellor’s Receptions at The Granada Theatre in Mount Vernon, Morello’s in Harrisburg, St. Nicholas Brewing Co. in Du Quoin, Alto Vineyards in Alto Pass and Fat Edd’s Roadhouse in Metropolis. Dozens of Salukis have come to each event to meet Chancellor Lane and other SIU leaders.

“We want students to know they can come from Mount Vernon, Benton, Carmi-White County, or anywhere else and launch to the world,” said Lane at The Granada Theatre in Mount Vernon. “You don’t have to leave and go anywhere. We have an advantage right here in our backyard.”

“I don’t know the last time we’ve had an event like this with boots on the ground, going and seeing high school students, giving out scholarships. That’s what it’s going to take,” said Saluki Football coach Nick Hill on Friday, April 26, at St. Nicholas Brewing Co. in Du Quoin.

The Office of Innovation and Economic Development at SIU and the Small Business Navigator Program partnered with local organizations to offer Business Resource Meet Ups. These events provided valuable insights into the Advantage Illinois Loan Program, along with detailed information on the services of the Illinois SBDC and the Illinois APEX Accelerator program at SIU. Events have already taken place at Innovation Hub in Mount Vernon, MAN-TRA-CON in Marion, Morello’s in Harrisburg, Alongi’s Italian Restaurant in Du Quoin, First Missionary Baptist Church in Cairo, Vienna High School, and Carbondale Civic Center.

“We’re preaching pride in the region. We’re preaching legacy. We’re preaching accessibility,” said Chancellor Lane on Monday, April 29, at Alto Vineyards. “All of those things are keeping our students here at home. We have some wonderful Salukis coming in.”

For more information, call 618-453-4900 or email siuf@foundation.siu.edu.