{"id":4306,"date":"2025-03-06T19:30:27","date_gmt":"2025-03-06T19:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/?p=4306"},"modified":"2025-03-17T14:35:56","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T14:35:56","slug":"saluki-takeover-tour-to-enhance-connections-in-southern-illinois","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/?p=4306","title":{"rendered":"Saluki Takeover Tour to enhance connections in Southern Illinois"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Save the Date: Saluki Takeover Tour Southern Illinois 2025\" width=\"474\" height=\"267\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yO1x1SXn-bE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>By Jeff Wilson<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Saluki Takeover Tour Southern Illinois returns for a second trip through the state\u2019s southernmost 17 counties.<\/p>\n<p>After an incredible inaugural year in 2024, excitement is building for this year\u2019s events. Chancellor Austin Lane and other campus leaders will meet with students and educational partners throughout the region, and there will be six Chancellor\u2019s Receptions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Thursday, April 3 \u2013 Apple Creek Country Club, 503 Stone Creek Drive, Makanda \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/siuf.org\/southern-illinois\/carbondale.php\">REGISTER HERE<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Tuesday, April 8 \u2013 TJ&#8217;s Diamond Club, Mtn Dew Park, 1000 Miners Drive, Marion \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/siuf.org\/southern-illinois\/marion.php\">REGISTER HERE<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Thursday, April 10 \u2013 Caf\u00e9 Bloom, 1104 Public Square, Benton \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/siuf.org\/southern-illinois\/benton.php\">REGISTER HERE<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Tuesday, April 15 \u2013 St. Nicholas Landmark Brewery, 111 Ferry Street, Chester \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/siuf.org\/southern-illinois\/chester.php\">REGISTER HERE<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Thursday, April 17 \u2013 Pizza Villa, 169 E. Vienna Street, Anna \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/siuf.org\/southern-illinois\/anna.php\">REGISTER HERE<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Tuesday, April 22 \u2013 Faye, 1616 Walnut Street, Murphysboro \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/siuf.org\/southern-illinois\/murphysboro.php\">REGISTER HERE<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There is no cost to attend any of these events. Each reception runs from 6 to 8 p.m. and includes complimentary hors d\u2019oeuvres and two drink tickets per registered attendee. These events are hosted by the SIU Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSouthern Illinois is a very large area, and we have been all over,\u201d Lane said during last year\u2019s takeover tour. \u201cIt has been amazing to see all the students and administrators from Chester to Mount Vernon, from Pope County to Cairo.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3755\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3755\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3755\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/SI-Celebration-2-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Chancellor Austin Lane speaks Saturday, May 4, at Walker's Bluff Casino Resort.\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/SI-Celebration-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/SI-Celebration-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/SI-Celebration-2.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3755\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chancellor Austin Lane speaks Saturday, May 4, 2024, at Walker&#8217;s Bluff Casino Resort.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While visiting more than 20 high schools and community colleges during the Saluki Takeover Tour Southern Illinois last year, Lane and admissions staff promoted programs such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/fao.siu.edu\/types\/saluki-commitment.php\">Saluki Commitment<\/a>, which guarantees that tuition and mandatory fees are fully covered for four (transfer students) or eight (freshman students) consecutive\u00a0 semesters at no cost to students or families.<\/p>\n<p>Recipients must meet all of the following criteria:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Be a first-time incoming freshman enrolling full-time on-campus in the fall 2021 semester or later.<\/li>\n<li>Have a cumulative high school GPA of 2.75 or higher.<\/li>\n<li>Have an annual family income less than $103,040 with assets less than $50,000 based on your FAFSA.<\/li>\n<li>Be an Illinois resident who attended an Illinois high school.<\/li>\n<li>Be a dependent student under age 24.<\/li>\n<li>Be eligible for federal financial aid.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>SIU recently joined the ranks of the Ivy League, being named a Research 1 (R1) university by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Southern is one of only three public universities in Illinois with that designation, and it is the only one within 100 miles of Carbondale.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no reason in the world for a student from any county in Southern Illinois to attend any other university than the one in their backyard,\u201d Lane said. \u201cYou\u2019re not going to find another school that\u2019s close to you that\u2019s an R1 higher research institution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Saluki Takeover Tour has also visited Chicago, St. Louis, Springfield, Hollywood, Tampa, Miami, Naples, West Palm Beach, St. Petersburg, The Villages, Houston, Dallas, Memphis, and Nashville. Last year\u2019s events in Southern Illinois took place in Mount Vernon, Harrisburg, Carterville, Metropolis, Alto Pass, and Du Quoin. The objective is clear: Take the SIU campus on the road and engage with prospective students, fellow educators, alumni, and donors. Each stop on the takeover tour is packed with visits to schools, campus, and events that connect SIU\u2019s leaders with corporate leaders and friends of the university.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe bring the campus, and we plant the flag in the ground, and we say, \u2018This is Saluki Country!\u2019\u201d said Matt Kupec, vice chancellor for development and alumni relations and CEO of the SIU Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>For the SIU Foundation, the takeover tours are an opportunity to connect with donors as it progresses through the record-breaking Imagine SIU 2030 fundraising campaign. With a goal of raising $500 million by June 2028, it is the fifth largest such campaign in the history of Illinois higher education. More than $390 million has already been raised, and the Saluki Takeover Tour helps spread the excitement.<\/p>\n<p>Suggested attire for these events is business casual, but Saluki gear is always appropriate, too. For more information, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/siuf.org\/southern-illinois\/\">siuf.org\/southern-illinois<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Jeff Wilson The Saluki Takeover Tour Southern Illinois returns for a second trip through the state\u2019s southernmost 17 counties. After an incredible inaugural year in 2024, excitement is building for this year\u2019s events. Chancellor Austin Lane and other campus leaders will meet with students and educational partners throughout the region, and there will be &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/?p=4306\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Saluki Takeover Tour to enhance connections in Southern Illinois<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"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":[16,15,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-events-engagement","category-saluki-takeover-tours","category-siu"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4306","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\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4306"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4306\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4332,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4306\/revisions\/4332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}