Saluki Takeover Tour makes inaugural trip to Memphis

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.

Saluki Takeover Tour Memphis
More than 80 alumni gathered at King Jerry Lawler’s Hall of Fame Bar & Grille on Beale Street in Memphis on Thursday, Oct. 24.

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.

Saluki Takeover Tour Memphis
Matt Kupec, vice chancellor for development and alumni relations and CEO of the SIU Foundation, SIU alumnus Terry Counce, and Chancellor Austin Lane pose outside of King Jerry Lawler’s Hall of Fame Bar & Grille Beale Street in Memphis.

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.

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