{"id":5283,"date":"2026-10-01T19:00:59","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T19:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/?p=5283"},"modified":"2026-10-01T21:00:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T21:00:16","slug":"wsiu-wins-silver-dome-award-for-siu-foundations-the-impact-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/?p=5283","title":{"rendered":"WSIU wins Silver Dome Award for SIU Foundation\u2019s \u2018The Impact Report\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/D-hQNqrvPrU?si=p7eyLqbG8Y2dwZu-\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><em>Watch WSIU\u2019s award-winning \u201cTedrick Welcome Center\u201d entry, which earned the 2026 Downstate Silver Dome Award for Best Continuing Coverage. The entry features coverage from Season 1 of the SIU Foundation\u2019s The Impact Report, chronicling the development, construction and opening of the Tedrick Welcome Center.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>By Britni Bateman<\/p>\n<p>WSIU Public Broadcasting earned a 2026 Downstate Silver Dome Award for its coverage of the Tedrick Welcome Center featured during Season 1 of the SIU Foundation\u2019s television series, <em>The Impact Report<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The Illinois Broadcasters Association recognized WSIU in the Best Continuing Coverage category for \u201cTedrick Welcome Center,\u201d honoring the ongoing storytelling surrounding the development, construction and opening of the new facility at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The award was presented Wednesday, Sept. 30, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5285\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-01-at-11.03.00-AM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"714\" height=\"582\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-01-at-11.03.00-AM.png 714w, https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-01-at-11.03.00-AM-300x245.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 714px) 100vw, 714px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The annual Downstate Silver Dome Awards recognize outstanding achievement and excellence in radio and television broadcasting across downstate Illinois. WSIU\u2019s recognition highlights its collaboration with the SIU Foundation to share stories of philanthropy, progress and impact across the university.<\/p>\n<p>The team credited for the winning coverage includes Matt Kupec, Jeff Gleim, Britni Bateman, Anna Twomey and Prescott Doll of the SIU Foundation, along with Larry Hunter, Abby Asher, Darryl Moses, Paula Earls, Reggie Cosey and WSIU\u2019s student production team.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGreat storytelling has the power to connect people to SIU and remind them why this university matters,\u201d said Matt Kupec, CEO of the SIU Foundation. \u201cWe have built something special with <em>The Impact Report<\/em>, giving us a platform to showcase the incredible people, ideas and generosity driving SIU forward. This recognition reflects our creativity and hard work, as well as the strength of our partnership with WSIU.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Silver Dome Awards also recognized members of <em>The Impact Report<\/em> team in two individual categories. Britni Bateman, SIU Foundation assistant vice chancellor for development and alumni communications and chief marketing officer, was a finalist for Best TV Reporter, while cinematographer Prescott Doll was a finalist for Best Videographer.<\/p>\n<p>WSIU also earned finalist recognition for \u201cIllinois Backroads\u201d in the Best Locally Produced TV Program, Series or Documentary category.<\/p>\n<p>The Illinois Broadcasters Association presents the Silver Dome Awards to recognize outstanding achievement in Illinois broadcasting. For more than 70 years, the association has advocated for Illinois broadcasters and supported radio and television stations throughout the state.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWSIU has always been committed to telling meaningful stories about the people and communities we serve,\u201d said Larry Hunter, interim executive director of WSIU Public Broadcasting. \u201cOur partnership with the SIU Foundation allows us to bring even more of those stories to viewers across the region. This recognition reflects the creativity, collaboration and commitment that go into producing programming that connects our audiences with SIU and Southern Illinois.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Telling the stories of SIU<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The SIU Foundation launched <em>The Impact Report<\/em> in collaboration with WSIU to showcase the people, programs and philanthropy moving SIU forward.<\/p>\n<p>Anna Twomey, executive producer and host of <em>The Impact Report<\/em>, leads the 30-minute television series highlighting innovation, growth and opportunity across SIU and the region. Episodes take viewers behind the scenes of groundbreaking research, campus transformation, student success, philanthropy and community impact.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom the beginning, we wanted <em>The Impact Report<\/em> to show people what is happening at SIU in a way that feels authentic, engaging and personal,\u201d Twomey said. \u201cThere are so many remarkable stories here, and we have the opportunity to meet the people behind them and bring their work to life. Winning a Silver Dome Award in our first season is incredibly meaningful, and I\u2019m proud of what our team and our partners at WSIU have built together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Season 1 featured more than 140 stories across 12 episodes, including extensive coverage of the Tedrick Welcome Center as the project progressed from construction to its grand opening in May 2026.<\/p>\n<p>The 44,000-square-foot Tedrick Welcome Center serves as the university\u2019s front door, welcoming prospective students, families, alumni, donors and visitors. The facility features interactive digital experiences that tell the story of SIU and houses the headquarters of the SIU Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>The SIU Foundation funded the facility entirely through a combination of Foundation reserves, fundraising and borrowing, including a $6 million leadership gift from Roger and Sally Tedrick. No taxpayer dollars, tuition revenue, student fees or state funds were used to construct the Tedrick Welcome Center.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Impact Report<\/em> also highlights SIU\u2019s position as a Research 1 institution and an Opportunity University while showing how philanthropy supports students, faculty, research, facilities and communities throughout Southern Illinois.<\/p>\n<p>New episodes of <em>The Impact Report<\/em> air monthly on WSIU Public Television. View previous episodes at siuf.org\/impact-report.<\/p>\n<p>Support WSIU and help public broadcasting continue sharing stories that inform, educate and connect communities throughout the region. Make a gift online at <a href=\"http:\/\/siuf.org\/wsiu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">siuf.org\/wsiu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Watch WSIU\u2019s award-winning \u201cTedrick Welcome Center\u201d entry, which earned the 2026 Downstate Silver Dome Award for Best Continuing Coverage. The entry features coverage from Season 1 of the SIU Foundation\u2019s The Impact Report, chronicling the development, construction and opening of the Tedrick Welcome Center. By Britni Bateman WSIU Public Broadcasting earned a 2026 Downstate Silver &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/?p=5283\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">WSIU wins Silver Dome Award for SIU Foundation\u2019s \u2018The Impact Report\u2019<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/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,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5283","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\/5283","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=5283"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5283\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5286,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5283\/revisions\/5286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}