By Jeff Wilson
Dr. Cynthia Sims has been on many sides of the college student experience, and one thing has remained a constant – the clear need for scholarship access for all students.
“When I was a college student, I really didn’t qualify for many scholarships,” she said. “I was a committed student. It made me feel a little less than. I didn’t feel that I fit in. I didn’t feel that I was valued as a student.”
Sims was born in raised in Chicago. She left home for the first time to attend the University Louisville. She earned master’s degrees from DePaul University and the University of Chicago. She received her Doctor of Education from Northern Illinois University.
“The first time I received a scholarship was when I went to graduate school at DePaul,” she said. “I jumped up and down. I was so excited. I felt like I belonged to the university immediately. They wanted me there. I felt valued.”
Her Saluki story begins when she was offered an assistant professor position at SIU. She recently retired from the College of DuPage where she served as associate vice president.
“I worked at SIU for 14 years, and I loved it,” she said. “I am still in contact with many of my students. They invite me to their weddings and baby showers.”
Dr. Sims was committed to student recruitment and retention. She started two mentoring programs for high school students in Southern Illinois. One was the SIUC Mentorship Academy, which included a “Take Your Mentee to Class Week,” allowing high school students to shadow SIU students for the day to learn about college life. Another program was the “Enhancing Minority College and Career Preparation Service-Learning Mentoring Program,” which included college tours to Historically Black Colleges and Universities with SIU student mentors.
She established the Dr. Cynthia Howard Sims Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship at Southern and wanted to ensure that it benefits students who may not otherwise feel supported.
“I decided to start a scholarship without a grade-point average attached or extracurricular requirements,” she said. “I feel that’s important because it’s inclusive. When they complete the essay application for my scholarship, students should be focusing on ways to express themselves and use other strengths to complement their academic strengths.”
For years, Sims has seen her mother give back to her community any way she can, and that serves as a major inspiration for her philanthropic outlook.
“My mother is big on giving back. She not only donates her time, but she’s always giving money to organizations and causes,” Sims said. “She probably doesn’t know that I have watched that for years. I like to do that, too, but I wanted to expand it with this scholarship. I wanted to impact more students with this scholarship. My mother modeled that for me, and I appreciate that.”
Encouraging other alumni – particularly Black alumni – to follow in her footsteps, Sims notes the impact that scholarships play on retention and graduation rates.
“I benefited so much from my education, and I want others to benefit as well. Too many stop because of lack of funding,” she said. “As a person of color, I have a responsibility to support other students of color. Call someone at the SIU Foundation. Ask someone at your college or within a specific program what they need. You just need to take the first step.”
To make a gift to the Dr. Cynthia Howard Sims Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship Endowment Fund, visit siuf.org. To speak with someone at the SIU Foundation about endowing a scholarship, call 618-453-4900.