{"id":5132,"date":"2026-04-29T03:36:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T03:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/?p=5132"},"modified":"2026-04-29T03:36:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T03:36:12","slug":"saluki-takeover-tour-southern-illinois-connects-communities-recruits-students-across-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/?p=5132","title":{"rendered":"Saluki Takeover Tour Southern Illinois connects communities, recruits students across region"},"content":{"rendered":"

Southern Illinois University Carbondale leaders spent April on the road visiting high schools, meeting with community members and hosting alumni events across all 17 counties during the annual Saluki Takeover Tour Southern Illinois.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The monthlong initiative combined student recruitment, alumni\u00a0engagement\u00a0and community outreach, reinforcing SIU\u2019s commitment to the region.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a labor of love for us,\u201d Chancellor Austin A. Lane said. \u201cWe are committed to Southern Illinois, and we\u2019re going to continue showing up for these communities and for our students.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The tour included visits to approximately 55 high schools, where Lane and members of the SIU admissions team met with students,\u00a0counselors\u00a0and educators. The team also surprised admitted students with \u201cPut a Lid on It\u201d moments, recognizing their decision to attend SIU.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to school visits, the SIU Foundation hosted five Chancellor\u2019s Receptions across Southern Illinois, bringing together alumni,\u00a0students\u00a0and community members for evenings of connection and university updates.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The tour kicked off March 31 at Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center in Makanda, where\u00a0nearly 300\u00a0attendees gathered at Freeberg Hall to launch the initiative.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The second stop took place April 7 at Pyramid Acres Marina at Lake of Egypt, where\u00a0nearly 150\u00a0attendees gathered for a waterfront reception.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The tour continued April 16 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Mount Vernon, hosted by SIU alumni Mike and Hope Carbonaro, where more than 50 guests attended the Chancellor\u2019s Reception.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On April 21, the tour stopped in Carterville at 62 Social House, owned by SIU\u00a0alumnus\u00a0Doug Deaton, welcoming\u00a0nearly 250\u00a0attendees for the venue\u2019s first official event.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The final Southern Illinois stop was April 23 at 1860 Public House in Red Bud, where\u00a0nearly 70\u00a0alumni, students and community members gathered to close out the regional tour.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At each reception, Lane highlighted SIU\u2019s national momentum, including its designation as a Research 1 university and Opportunity University. Southern is one of only 21 institutions nationwide to hold both designations from the Carnegie Classification.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SIU Foundation CEO Matt Kupec emphasized the impact of donor support.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne in five students receives a scholarship because of the generosity of our donors,\u201d Kupec said. \u201cThat support changes lives every day.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout the tour, SIU leaders also met with community partners, local\u00a0officials\u00a0and education leaders to strengthen relationships and expand opportunities for collaboration.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lane said the tour reflects a long-term strategy to keep students in Southern Illinois and build stronger connections between the university and the region.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe heard concerns years ago about students leaving this area for college,\u201d Lane said. \u201cWe made a commitment to change that, and this tour is part of that work.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

University officials said the Saluki Takeover Tour continues to grow each year, with increasing attendance, stronger\u00a0partnerships\u00a0and expanded recruitment efforts.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about building something lasting,\u201d Lane said. \u201cWe\u2019re investing in our students, our communities and the future of Southern Illinois.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Southern Illinois tour is part of a broader Saluki Takeover Tour initiative that includes stops across the country, connecting alumni and recruiting students while supporting the Imagine SIU 2030 fundraising campaign. To date, the campaign has raised more than $467\u00a0million toward its $500 million goal. The tour began in 2021 and has expanded its reach each year, with past stops in Chicago, Springfield, Texas, Florida, St. Louis, Southern Illinois, Hollywood,\u00a0Indianapolis\u00a0and Washington, D.C.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the most recent fiscal year, the SIU Foundation awarded more than $5.6 million in scholarships to more than 2,100 students.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Southern Illinois University Carbondale leaders spent April on the road visiting high schools, meeting with community members and hosting alumni events across all 17 counties during the annual Saluki Takeover Tour Southern Illinois.\u00a0 The monthlong initiative combined student recruitment, alumni\u00a0engagement\u00a0and community outreach, reinforcing SIU\u2019s commitment to the region.\u00a0 \u201cThis is a labor of love for … Continue reading Saluki Takeover Tour Southern Illinois connects communities, recruits students across region<\/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":[16,3,4,15,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-events-engagement","category-higher-education","category-illinois-higher-education","category-saluki-takeover-tours","category-siu"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5132","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=5132"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5133,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5132\/revisions\/5133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}