CARBONDALE – John and Nancy Jackson’s names are synonymous with education and service around Southern Illinois University and the city of Carbondale. Those names will soon be honored at the John and Nancy Jackson Lobby at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.

At 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, at the institute, located at 1231 Lincoln Drive on Southern’s campus, the public is invited to join the naming celebration. After a few remarks, a reception will follow with light refreshments.

John and Nancy Jackson have shown unwavering dedication to the university and the Carbondale community for more than 50 years. In 2002, the couple was named Carbondale Citizens of the Year.

“We are so proud to honor John and Nancy Jackson in this space that meant so much to them at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute,” said Chancellor Austin Lane. “It’s vitally important that we take time to recognize the contributions of time, talent and treasure that both John and Nancy have shared with the university and the Carbondale community.”

Dr. John Jackson first came to Southern in 1969 as a lecturer. He has served the university in many capacities, including interim chancellor, vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and associate dean and acting dean of the graduate school. He also served as visiting professor at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and edited “Southern Illinois at 150 Years: Growth, Accomplishments, and Challenges,” which details the history of the region and university.

Nancy Jackson earned her master’s degree in elementary education from Southern in 1982. She taught for many years in the Carbondale Public School system, focusing largely on reading. She spearheaded the “Book in Every Home” program on the SIU Carbondale campus, which collects books to provide to local children. Through the program, tens of thousands of books have been donated.

The Jacksons and others have combined to contribute more than $50,000 to endow the John S. and Nancy Jackson Scholarship Endowment Fund, which provides scholarships to political science students in the College of Liberal Arts. To donate to that fund in honor of the Jacksons, visit siuf.org/give and search for “John S. and Nancy Jackson Scholarship” in the designation menu.

By Jeff Wilson

MEMPHIS – The Saluki Takeover Tour is expanding its reach to new areas of the country this year, and the first new stop was this week in Memphis.

Chancellor Austin Lane, staff from the SIU Foundation, SIU Admissions, SIU Alumni Association, and other university leaders met with donors, school administrators, and alumni in and around the city on Wednesday, Oct. 23, and Thursday, Oct. 24.

More than 80 alumni and friends of the university attended the Chancellor’s Reception at King Jerry Lawler’s Hall of Fame Bar & Grille on Beale Street on Thursday evening.

“These events matter,” Lane said. “We need you to put the Saluki flags in your front yards. The students are here. We have a lot of alumni that work here.”

Lane gave updates on topics ranging from enrollment to fundraising.

This fall, SIU Carbondale reported the highest enrollment jump in 33 years. Overall enrollment for fall 2024 grew 3.8 percent to 11,790, or 431 more students than last year. This is the highest overall boost in the number of students since 1991 and the highest percentage increase since 1987.

“(Our enrollment) is up because we show up,” Lane said. “We will not grow to 15,000 students, which is our goal by 2030, unless we get students out of Memphis.”

The SIU Foundation is in the midst of the Imagine SIU 2030 fundraising campaign, which has raised more than $360 million toward its $500 million goal. It’s the fifth largest such campaign in the history of Illinois higher education.

“Sixteen percent of SIU students received Foundation scholarships, and that’s because of the generosity of you and so many others,” said Matt Kupec, vice chancellor for development and alumni relations and CEO of the SIU Foundation.

On Wednesday evening, the SIU Alumni Association hosted a group of alumni at Meddlesome Brewing in Cordova, Tennessee. SIU Admissions representatives visited multiple high schools, furthering relationships and building pipelines for students who are considering college. Representatives from the SIU Foundation met with multiple donors throughout the region.

“These takeovers are designed strategically to recruit areas where we have alumni and that we have high schools and populations of students that we know we can get,” Lane said.

The next Saluki Takeover Tour will be November 19 and 20 in Dallas and Houston, respectively. Hundreds of alumni and friends have already registered for these events. Register for the Houston event here. Register for the Dallas event here. 

To see highlights from past Saluki Takeover Tours, click here.

By Jeff Wilson

Where others see a challenge, Dr. Janet Tinoco sees an opportunity.

That’s been true throughout her life and career, which spans from Belleville to Southern Illinois University Carbondale to the defense industry to outer space. It’s what led her to donate $25,000 to endow the Jesse Salvador Tinoco Scholarship for Women in Engineering, named for her father. The scholarship benefits students in the College of Engineering, Computing, Technology and Mathematics, with preference being given to females of Mexican descent.

“Some of it has to do with how I was raised,” she said. “My father was raised by Mexican immigrants. His parents pushed education as a way to improve one’s lot in life.”

Tinoco transferred to SIU from Belleville Area College (now Southwestern Illinois College) and graduated in 1982 with a degree in engineering.

“I come from a hard-working, wonderful family, but we were not wealthy,” she said. “I was the youngest of four girls, all of whom have some element of engineering, science and technology in their careers. My parents worked hard to give us a good education and help us through college.”

After her father passed away nearly a decade ago, Tinoco began to reflect on his impact on her life.

“Looking back, I realized what an influence he was in my education. Without him recognizing my personal need to spread my wings and support me, I would not have been able to come to SIU,” she said. “While my mother wanted us to be self-sufficient, I think my father wanted more for us.”

As an SIU student, Tinoco worked her way through college. She wants the scholarship to ease some of the financial burdens faced by today’s students.

“I hope this scholarship shows students that someone cares about them and their success,” she said. “Working my way through college was hard. I was a good student, but not a straight-A student. There were very limited scholarship opportunities for me, at least that I was aware of.”

Tinoco also hopes her gift may inspire others to give back any way they can.

“All alums that have a passion for SIUC can help the institution. In addition to financial support, we can help spread the word on the good works and educational opportunities at SIUC by simply following, liking and sharing SIUC posts on social media platforms. Or post relevant news about yourself and tag SIUC,” she said. “It doesn’t take much time yet can have a significant positive impact for the university by increasing its visibility.”

After graduating, Tinoco took an engineering job with a defense company in Orlando working on laser-targeting systems for F-16s for the Air Force. She then transferred to Washington, D.C., to work with the Federal Aviation Administration on air traffic control modernization, and then back to Orlando to continue her work in defense.

“My career path was not a straight line. I took lots of turns,” she said.

She later earned her Ph.D. and began teaching at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. During her time at the university, she co-wrote the book: “Runways to Space: An Introduction to the Spaceport Industry.”

“I have always had a passion for space,” Tinoco said. “I enjoy working with emerging economies and indigenous communities to find growth and economic opportunities within the space realm. Currently, I am working to identify opportunities in this field for Native Americans. There are many opportunities in space. You do not have to be an engineer, scientist or astronaut. Anyone can have a role in the space sector.”

Tinoco hopes her scholarship will provide others with the satisfying career she has experienced.

“It really has been an interesting, wonderful career that keeps giving back to me the more I put into it,” she said. “I want everyone to realize they have potential, and they are valued for who they are.”

By Jeff Wilson

CARBONDALE – On the Friday of Southern Illinois University’s Homecoming weekend, the sun shone brightly on the Mike Hanes Marching Salukis Band Tower and the large crowd gathered to honor Hanes’ memory.

Hanes came to SIU in 1965 and served as director of bands until his retirement in 2005. He remained involved with the Marching Salukis until he passed away in 2022.

“The Marching Salukis have always been and will always be one great big family,” said Hanes’ daughter, Lisa Breithaupt-Hanes, during the ceremony on Friday, Oct. 11. “Dad would truly be humbled. He’s smiling down on all of us.”

The new band tower is located on Sam Rinella Field in front of the towers on East Campus.

“The Marching Salukis are ambassadors for this university,” said Chancellor Austin Lane. “We wanted them to be at the center of our vibrant student life here at Southern.”

Construction of the tower was partially funded by a generous gift from SIU alumni, Drs. Phil and Pam Pfeffer. The Pfeffers met while attending SIU in the 1960s. Pam was the head majorette, and Phil was field announcer.

“This is a great tribute to Mike Hanes’ impact on our alumni,” said SIU System President Dan Mahony. “The SIU Foundation pushes projects forward. So thank you to them, and thank you to Pam and Phil.”

To cover the remaining costs of the band tower construction, the SIU Foundation is asking others to make a similar investment. Donations can be made by searching for the “Mike Hanes Memorial Naming Fund” at siuf.org/give.

“This project has been an incredible collaboration between the Foundation, the Music Department, and many others,” said Matt Kupec, vice chancellor for development and alumni relations and CEO of the SIU Foundation. “There’s nothing better than the sound of a marching band, and no one plays it better than the Marching Salukis.”

The band, which has students from nearly every college and school on campus, had previously practiced in parking lot No. 56, which had a band tower that was deemed unsafe for anyone to climb. Director of Athletic Bands George Brozak is thankful to have a new, sturdy structure that honors his mentor, Mike Hanes.

“His spirit is here. He was a great man, and I miss him every day,” Brozak said.

Director of the School of Music Dick Kelley echoed that sentiment.

“We want this to not just be the Mike Hanes band tower, we want it to be the Mike Hanes Facility,” Kelley said. “It’s where we will share stories and memories. It brings permanence.”

By Jeff Wilson

CARBONDALE – As Southern Illinois University Carbondale celebrates Homecoming, it will also celebrate the first major campus construction project in nearly 12 years.

The SIU Foundation will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the Tedrick Welcome Center at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, at the construction site, 1255 Lincoln Drive in Carbondale. The event will take place inside the construction fencing. A reception will follow at the site immediately after the ceremony.

Named for Roger and Sally Tedrick, whose $6 million leadership gift was instrumental in helping fund the project, the state-of-the-art welcome center will be the first stop for prospective students. Open houses, campus tours, orientations, and other events will begin at the welcome center.

“Construction of the Tedrick Welcome Center is 100 percent funded through the SIU Foundation. It will require no taxpayer dollars and no tuition or student fee monies,” said Matt Kupec, vice chancellor for development and alumni relations and CEO of the SIU Foundation. “The Foundation prides itself on maintaining a strong partnership with the university, and the welcome center is its gift to this spectacular campus.”

The building, scheduled to be completed in May of 2026, will include a visitor center capable of hosting conferences, lectures, seminars and catered events for up to 300 people, and the philanthropy center, which will be the new home of the SIU Foundation. It will also serve as a hub for donor visits, alumni activities and campus and community events.

As the SIU Foundation continues the Imagine SIU 2030 fundraising campaign – which has raised more than $360 million toward its $500 million goal – its offices will move into the southern wing of the new building and be known as the Philanthropy Center. In its most recent fiscal year, the SIU Foundation provided $5.4 million in scholarships to 1,842 students, impacting more than 16 percent of all SIU students.

“Aligning with the Imagine SIU 2030 strategic plan, the Tedrick Welcome Center is going to help the university increase enrollment, engage with alumni and friends, and provide a laboratory for SIU to solidify its role as a philanthropic leader,” Chancellor Austin Lane said.

Currently, the SIU Foundation is housed in Colyer Hall, the last active building in the area which is the former home of Greek Row. The university has informed the SIU Foundation that it must vacate that location as the dilapidated building is scheduled to be razed.

In recent years, the power of philanthropy has been on display around campus. Fundraising efforts and major gifts solicited by the Foundation have led to new construction and major improvements in multiple areas, including:

• The revitalization of the Ralph E. Becker Pavilion at the boathouse
• The building of the SIU Credit Union Pavilion at Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center
• A new, improved sign at the entrance of Touch of Nature
• The Mike Hanes Marching Salukis Band Tower and practice field on East Campus
• Improvements to the Fermentation Science Institute at McLafferty Annex
• A planned fountain to be added to Campus Lake
• Numerous other yet-to-be-announced projects across campus

“The philanthropic support of our alumni and donors is transforming campus in an incredible way,” Kupec said. “There are many opportunities for enhancements and new construction. SIU is a university on the move. Beyond the construction of the Tedrick Welcome Center, the Foundation will continue to have strategic impact on many improvements across campus.”

For more information about the Tedrick Welcome Center, visit siuf.org/twc.

Dedication ceremony taking place Oct. 11  

By Jeff Wilson

CARBONDALE – Southern Illinois University Carbondale is calling all current and former Marching Salukis and the group’s supporters to come together and honor the legacy of Mike Hanes.

The SIU Foundation will host a dedication ceremony for the Mike Hanes Marching Salukis Band Tower from 4 to 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11, at Sam Rinella Field on East Campus. There will be light refreshments and a special performance by the SIU Marching Salukis.

Hanes came to SIU in 1965 and served as director of bands until his retirement in 2005. He remained involved with the Marching Salukis until he passed away in 2022.

“Mike Hanes is one of the most revered Salukis, and his impact on our beloved Marching Salukis is unequaled,” said Kupec. “The band tower honors Mike’s legacy by supporting the future of the Marching Salukis, which meant so much to him.”

Construction of the tower was partially funded by a generous gift from SIU alumni, Drs. Phil and Pam Pfeffer. The Pfeffers met while attending SIU in the 1960s. Pam was the head majorette, and Phil was field announcer.

To cover the remaining costs of the band tower construction, the SIU Foundation is asking others to make a similar investment. Donations can be made by searching for the “Mike Hanes Memorial Naming Fund” at siuf.org/give.

Hanes became a promising percussionist in his hometown, Salem, Illinois, where his father was the high school band director. He graduated from Milliken University where he majored in radio/television. He enrolled at SIU as a graduate student in music education.

During a stint in the U.S. Army, Hanes conducted the Army band during stops in Fort Collins, Colorado, and Wurzburg, Germany. In Fort Collins, he volunteered to work with high school music departments, giving private lesson to young musicians. After the Army, he returned to Carbondale and completed his master’s degree.

Beyond his influential work with the Marching Salukis, he also led the SIU Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band and served as conductor for both the university’s Summer Playhouse and Opera Theater.

By Jeff Wilson

Marilea Koch’s life was a testament to the value she placed on education and family. Through her estate planning, those deeply rooted convictions were more than confirmed, they were celebrated.

When Koch passed away in January of 2024, the gift that she left to the SIU Foundation materialized, in the form of hundreds of thousands of dollars to establish the Edward and Elizabeth Ann Paddison Endowment Fund. Named for her parents, her gift funds scholarships for students who live in Illinois counties south of Interstate 70.

Koch made her cousin, Carolyn Stubblefield, and her husband, Richard, trustees of her estate. They shared their fond memories of Marilea.

“Marilea valued education and wanted others to have access to books,” Richard Stubblefield said. “To that end, she endowed a scholarship to SIUC because she wanted students to be able to afford a college education. She also left a sizeable amount of monies to her community’s public library, and she made her church a beneficiary of her trust.”

Born and raised in Southern Illinois, Koch graduated from the Goode Barren Township High School in Sesser. She then attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale, graduating in 1952 with a degree from the College of Liberal Arts. During her time at SIU, she lived in Anthony Hall (which now houses the chancellor’s office) and developed lasting camaraderie among the young women who lived there.

“Marilea spoke fondly about her experience at SIU,” Richard Stubblefield said. “She was pleased that she could compete at the college level after her experience of attending a very small high school in Southern Illinois. She also spoke about the fact that she would not have been able to afford and attend college had it not been for the teacher education scholarship that she earned by being valedictorian of her graduating class.”

After college, she began her career as an English and speech teacher, holding positions in towns throughout Illinois, including Polo, Lincoln and Hinsdale.

“She was a teacher’s teacher,” Richard Stubblefield said. “She enjoyed the students that she taught and challenged those students to be writers.”

Family focus

Her parents, Edward “Ned” and Elizabeth Ann Paddison immigrated to the U.S. from England as children. Her mother was a homemaker, and her father was a coal miner until he became water superintendent in Sesser. The couple eventually moved to Chicago for better job opportunities.

“Marilea understood the sacrifice her parents made by leaving their home, family and friends to seek employment and a better life in order to support her higher education goals,” Carolyn Stubblefield said. “The scholarship she endowed honors her parents’ commitment to her education and seeks to enable young men and women with an opportunity to attend college at SIUC.”

In her final years, Koch composed two family histories, one for each side of her family.

“With her parents being from England, any time one stopped by the Paddison home, the kettle was boiling for tea,” Richard Stubblefield said. “Marilea’s extended family consisted of aunts, uncles, and cousins on both sides of the family, and she would always make time to squeeze in a visit with them or drop them a note, even in her retirement years.”

Even though she was born during the Great Depression, her parents made traveling a priority, which is something Koch continued into adulthood. She traveled extensively across the U.S. and Europe.

“Marilea easily made friends wherever she taught and wherever she traveled,” Carolyn Stubblefield said. “She kept in touch with those far-flung friends with her annual Christmas letter, which was both newsy and amusing. As her younger cousin, I always looked forward to her personal notes at Christmas because she managed to interject humor into retelling stories about challenging situations, whether they dealt with car trouble or with a classroom experience.”

To learn more about estate planning, visit siufgiving.org.