By Jeff Wilson
What began with an interest in a design education has come full circle for SIU alumna Jill Daley. With a $25,000 gift, she established the Jill Daley Design Scholarship in the School of Architecture.
A Crystal Lake native, Daley started her education at Harper College in Palatine and started researching design schools.
“SIU came up as one of the top 10 design schools in the country, and it had in-state tuition,” she said. “Truthfully, I’m not sure if I didn’t have the SIU option what I would have done, because I pretty much put myself through school.”
Daley graduated from SIU in 1979 with a degree in interior design. She credits her education for much of her initial success.
“I moved to Florida and had to take a licensure exam, which I passed on my first attempt, which is very unusual. I have known people who have had to take it 10 times,” she said. “We had a lot of bonding in our department. We had a lot of excellent teachers. I will always be thankful to SIU for providing me with the foundation of a great design education.”
During her career she has started two interior design firms, Office Dimensions and All Interiors, and written a book, “Design Secrets,” and she is working on a follow-up.
“There’s a lot that goes into this. People think interior design is just making places pretty … but it is a lot more complicated,” she said. “I wanted to educate people a little bit on all the different factors interior designers take into consideration. We want to live a healthy, long life. There are a lot of things we can do, even with our interiors, that can help that.”
While working in Florida, she helped start a scholarship for members of the local Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.
“I saw how impactful it was on the lives of these kids,” Daley said. “Perhaps if it wasn’t for scholarship funds, they wouldn’t have been able to get a higher education.”
Once she reconnected with Southern, she decided making a similar impact at her alma mater made sense.
“I decided this was something I’d like to do because I’d like to enrich and enhance the experience of someone interested in interior design,” Daley said. “It’s good to leave a legacy, and I believe in the design field and SIU, so I wanted to get involved and see what I could do to help.
“(These students) are going to get some additional help to pursue their passion and their love, which is the most important ingredient to having a successful career. Every bit of support, I’m sure, would be appreciated by them and put to good use.”
To learn more about making a gift, visit siuf.org.