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The Southern Illinois University Foundation brought together 200 scholarship donors, student recipients and guests for the 13th Annual SIU Scholarship Dinner on Friday, Nov. 6, celebrating the generosity that helps students overcome financial barriers and achieve their educational goals.<\/p>\n
For the first time, the annual event took place at the Tedrick Welcome Center, where attendees connected during a reception, dinner and program featuring university leaders and scholarship recipients.<\/p>\n
Matt Kupec, vice chancellor for development and alumni relations and SIU Foundation CEO, welcomed attendees and reflected on the university’s growing philanthropic momentum.<\/p>\n
During the previous fiscal year, the SIU Foundation awarded approximately $7 million in scholarships, the largest annual total in its history. About one in five SIU students receives scholarship support through the Foundation.<\/p>\n
“That’s because of your generosity,” Kupec said. “You are changing lives.”<\/p>\n
Kupec also highlighted the success of the Imagine SIU 2030 fundraising campaign, which surpassed its $500 million goal 20 months ahead of schedule.<\/p>\n
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SIU Chancellor Austin A. Lane highlighted the university’s progress in enrollment and student retention. Fall 2026 enrollment reached 12,066 students, marking the first time SIU’s enrollment exceeded 12,000 since 2018.<\/p>\n
“Not only are we recruiting students, we’re retaining those students,” Lane said. “Your support means everything. It is the reason why we have achieved success.”<\/p>\n
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Illinois state Rep. William “Will” Davis, a 1989 SIU graduate and former university admissions counselor, drew on his experience as a first-generation college student to encourage scholarship recipients to consider how they might one day give back.<\/p>\n
“What is your story going to be about your giveback?” Davis asked students. “Hopefully, your giveback will also allow you to be in rooms like this as the donor and not necessarily as the recipient.”<\/p>\n
Students share how scholarships shape their futures<\/strong><\/p>\n During a discussion moderated by Kupec, two scholarship recipients shared their academic experiences, career aspirations and the impact of donor support.<\/p>\n A first-generation college student from South Chicago Heights, Illinois, McClora plans to pursue a career in law. She discussed her involvement in campus activities, including Women in Public Policy, and how scholarship support has helped her transition to college.<\/p>\n McClora also met scholarship donor Peggy Ramsey Botterman, a 1973 SIU graduate who established the scholarship with her husband, Mark. The couple met at SIU and created the scholarship to support students connected to the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.<\/p>\n “It gives me peace of mind,” McClora said. “I’m able to go to class and not have any financial stress. I don’t have to work my freshman year, and it’s been a real blessing for me.”<\/p>\n Botterman said meeting recipients reinforces the purpose behind the couple’s generosity.<\/p>\n “This is our third scholarship student. We’ve met the other two, and we have been so impressed with all three of them,” Botterman said. “For us, it is just knowing that what we’re giving is going where we wanted it to go.”<\/p>\n Sib Tovar, a hospitality, travel and event management major in the Class of 2027, received the Balancing Education, Experience, and Reality (BEER) Scholarship.<\/p>\n A transfer student from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Tovar discussed balancing academic responsibilities, extracurricular activities and career preparation while managing financial challenges.<\/p>\n Tovar also shared experiences helping reestablish SIU’s Future Business Leaders of America organization, highlighting the opportunities for student involvement and professional development.<\/p>\n Both students emphasized how scholarships allow them to focus on their education and future goals.<\/p>\n Donors and recipients build meaningful connections<\/strong><\/p>\n The dinner also allowed donors and students to meet and learn more about one another.<\/p>\n SIU alumna Dr. Janet Tinoco, a 1983 engineering graduate, met with scholarship recipient Natalie Pious, a sophomore studying electrical engineering.<\/p>\n Tinoco established a need-based scholarship to support women and students from underrepresented backgrounds pursuing engineering degrees.<\/p>\n “I was not a straight-A student in engineering. It was really, really hard,” Tinoco said. “When the scholarship was developed, I did not want it to be focused on merit, but more on need.”<\/p>\n Pious, who hopes to pursue a career in renewable energy, said meeting Tinoco made the scholarship even more meaningful.<\/p>\n “Receiving a scholarship is good news, but it’s even more meaningful that I get to meet this amazing woman who’s helping me out through school,” Pious said. “It encourages me to keep going forward in engineering, even though it can be really tough.”<\/p>\n Tinoco said mentorship is another important part of supporting students.<\/p>\n “I think it is incredibly important to meet the scholarship recipient, to connect, to provide mentorship,” Tinoco said. “It adds to my belief system that we need to help each other.”<\/p>\n SIU alumna Ella Reid, a 1962 graduate, also connected with scholarship recipient Owen Kocher. Reid and her late husband, Daryl, a 1961 animal science graduate, met as students at SIU and later became grain farmers in central Illinois. The couple established the Aude-Reid Scholarship to support students in the College of Agricultural, Life, and Physical Sciences.<\/p>\n “Education was one of the most important things in our lives,” Reid said. “We wanted to pass that on.”<\/p>\n Kocher, an agricultural education major with a minor in horticultural sciences, expects to graduate in May 2029. Raised on a small family farm, he discovered a shared agricultural background with Reed.<\/p>\n “As I’ve gotten to know more about her, it just means even more hearing that it’s coming from a farm background, because I also grew up on a small family farm,” Kocher said. “It means so much that there’s good people, just like my family, working to give back to people like me going to SIU.”<\/p>\n Inspired by Reid’s generosity, Kocher hopes to support future students himself.<\/p>\n “I hope to be in the same place as you many, many years from now, giving back to SIU students,” he told Reid.<\/p>\n For Sheldon Halterman, a 1986 SIU business graduate, philanthropy offers a way to honor his family’s legacy. He and his sister established an endowed scholarship in memory of their parents.<\/p>\n “My parents passed away, and my sister and I talked,” Halterman said. “I said, ‘What better way to honor our parents than to create an endowed scholarship at SIU?’ And so that’s what we did.”<\/p>\n Their stories demonstrated how scholarship support creates lasting connections and opportunities for future generations of Salukis.<\/p>\n A lasting impact on the Saluki community<\/strong><\/p>\n The 13th Annual SIU Scholarship Dinner gave donors an opportunity to see the impact of their gifts while celebrating the students whose futures they are helping shape.<\/p>\n “You’re changing lives, and we thank you for that,” Kupec told attendees.<\/p>\n Scholarships also advance SIU’s commitment to discovery, access and student opportunity. SIU is one of just 21 universities nationwide, among approximately 4,000 institutions, to hold the dual Carnegie Classification of Research 1 and Opportunity University, recognizing its excellence in research and commitment to providing access to higher education.<\/p>\n To learn more about supporting SIU students through scholarships, visit siuf.org.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Southern Illinois University Foundation brought together 200 scholarship donors, student recipients and guests for the 13th Annual SIU Scholarship Dinner on Friday, Nov. 6, celebrating the generosity that helps students overcome financial barriers and achieve their educational goals. For the first time, the annual event took place at the Tedrick Welcome Center, where attendees … Continue reading 13th Annual SIU Scholarship Dinner celebrates generosity, connects donors with students<\/span> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/DSC00605-copy.jpg\")
Timara McClora, a political science major in the Class of 2030, received the Peggy Ramsey Botterman and Mark R. Botterman Scholarship and the SIUC Chicagoland Scholarship.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/DSC00433-copy.jpg\")
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