{"id":2208,"date":"2021-06-15T15:49:27","date_gmt":"2021-06-15T15:49:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/?p=2208"},"modified":"2021-06-15T15:49:27","modified_gmt":"2021-06-15T15:49:27","slug":"craddock-facilitates-recruiting-trip-to-hometown-high-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/?p=2208","title":{"rendered":"Craddock Facilitates Recruiting Trip to Hometown High School"},"content":{"rendered":"

Foundation Board Member Joins Chancellor Lane at St. Augustine<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Chancellor Austin Lane (from left), Oyd Craddock, Tyrone Payne, Darren Dixon, and
Todd Bryson are pictured during the chancellor\u2019s visit to St. Augustine High School in
New Orleans. Payne and Dixon are both SIU alumni and teachers at the school.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Jeff Wilson<\/p>\n

Talk to anyone around campus at SIU, and one topic is on everyone\u2019s mind \u2013 enrollment.<\/p>\n

Chancellor Austin Lane has spearheaded a fervent recruitment plan, which aims to raise enrollment as early as this fall. So, when the chancellor approached Oyd Craddock about a visit to his high school, Craddock was excited to help.<\/p>\n

\u201cSt. Augustine is an African-American, all boys Catholic high school in New Orleans,\u201d said Craddock, an SIU alumnus, Saluki Hall of Famer, and SIU Foundation board member. \u201cBoth St. Augustine and SIU played a major role in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

On March 19, Chancellor Lane, Craddock, and Todd Bryson, SIU\u2019s interim associate chancellor for diversity, made the trip to New Orleans and spoke to St. Augustine High School students.<\/p>\n

\u201cChancellor Lane affirmed my emphasis on the value of an out-of-state experience and how it helps you grow as a person,\u201d Craddock said. \u201cIt was clear he really connected with them. There was a buzz among the students, and there have already been at least six applicants.\u201d<\/p>\n

From philanthropy to campus involvement to recruitment and retention, every alumni and university supporter can make a major difference. \u201cI wanted to have a hand in growing enrollment and raising awareness of SIU,\u201d Craddock said. \u201cIt was a very special trip for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Craddock attended St. Augustine in the 1970s and, along with four other members of his senior class, was recruited to play football at SIU.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had just won a state championship and were able to visit SIU,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s such a beautiful campus, and there was a great social environment. We had a lot of fun and had some great football teams. I only wish we had been able to win a conference title.\u201d<\/p>\n

Craddock led a stout Salukis defense in the late-70s. He was inducted into the Saluki Hall of Fame in 2004. He earned his bachelor\u2019s degree in management from the College of Business.<\/p>\n

\u201cI worked for IBM for 31 years, and I was able to get started there with the assistance of the SIU Placement Office. They helped me with my r\u00e9sum\u00e9 and interviews, and the director sent a letter of recommendation to IBM and other companies,\u201d he said. \u201cFrom start to finish, I had a wonderful experience at SIU.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two of the longest-tenured faculty members at St. Augustine are also Salukis. Tyrone Payne, \u201981, and Darren Dixon, \u201985, spoke to the students during the visit.<\/p>\n

\u201cSIU previously had a special connection with St. Augustine. Many student-athletes from my era attended SIU,\u201d Craddock said. \u201cThis trip was an opportunity to reignite a relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n

St. Augustine commemorated its 70th anniversary this spring, and it\u2019s been quite the celebration.<\/p>\n

In February, two of the school\u2019s alumni faced off in the Super Bowl. In March, its basketball team won the state championship, and its marching band was featured on \u201c60 Minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Four St. Augustine graduates were nominated for Grammys, including PJ Morton, who won for Best Gospel Album. Jon Batiste, a St. Augustine alumnus, won an Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Original Score.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlus, the Saluki football team beat Southeastern Louisiana University,\u201d Craddock said. \u201cSIU left a strong impression on the students at St. Augustine.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Foundation Board Member Joins Chancellor Lane at St. Augustine By Jeff Wilson Talk to anyone around campus at SIU, and one topic is on everyone\u2019s mind \u2013 enrollment. Chancellor Austin Lane has spearheaded a fervent recruitment plan, which aims to raise enrollment as early as this fall. So, when the chancellor approached Oyd Craddock about … Continue reading Craddock Facilitates Recruiting Trip to Hometown High School<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-higher-education","category-illinois-higher-education","category-siu"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2208"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2208\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2210,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2208\/revisions\/2210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}