They say everything is bigger in Texas. In many ways, that was true for the Saluki Takeover Tours in Dallas and Houston.
Traveling to the two cities from Monday, Nov. 18, through Thursday, Nov. 21, Chancellor Austin Lane and other campus leaders visited nearly 20 high schools, multiple community colleges, hosted two chancellor’s receptions, two corporate engagement events, and 25 donor visits. There were also two events hosted by donors. Each Saluki Takeover Tour is hosted by the SIU Foundation, in its role as an accelerator for Southern.
“We come here, and we connect. We have been trying to strategically get to Dallas and Houston since I started,” Lane said to a group of more than 125 alumni and friends Tuesday, Nov. 19, at The Henry in Dallas.
More than 110 people gathered at the House of Blues in Houston on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
“We have been doing these takeover tours for three years, and we kept saying we have to get out to Texas,” Lane said. “We can’t recruit and increase enrollment without your energy. Students will come to Southern Illinois if you help us recruit them there.”
At each stop, Chancellor Lane and others touted the importance of spreading the word about SIU and sharing the good news coming from the Carbondale campus. This includes details about recent enrollment increases, the upcoming transition to an R1 research institution, and the ongoing Imagine SIU 2030 fundraising campaign, which is the fifth largest in the history of Illinois public universities.
“We have a half-billion campaign going on. That’s big time,” Lane said. “We started these takeover tours three years ago … to establish relationships and re-engage. Our Foundation is the reason we’re doing the things we’re doing.”
The Imagine SIU 2030 campaign has raised more than $375 million, and it continues until 2028.
Over the past three-plus years, Saluki Takeover Tours have visited Chicago, St. Louis, Springfield, Southern Illinois, Memphis, Nashville, Florida, and Hollywood. More stops are planned in new locations, including Phoenix and others to be announced.
“We get together with alumni, and (university representatives) visit many high schools to grow the pipeline from Dallas to Carbondale,” Matt Kupec, vice chancellor for development and alumni relations and CEO of the SIU Foundation said. “We leave Carbondale with our flag. We come to Dallas, and we put the flag in the ground, and tell everyone in Dallas that this is Saluki territory!”
The corporate partnerships events included visits to ExxonMobile and AT&T.
Schools visited included:
- South Oakcliff High School
- South Grand Prairie High School
- DeSoto High School
- Gilliam Collegiate Academy
- Fossil Ridge High School
- Barack Obama Leadership Academy
- H Grady Spruce High School
- Justin F. Kimball High School
- Grand Priaire High School
- Lassiter Early College High School
- Wilmer T. Hutchins
- Alief Taylor High School
- Belair High School
- Cincho Ranch High School
- Clear Lake High School
- Davis High School
- Dallas College – Mountain View
- Lone Star College
