{"id":635,"date":"2017-05-09T01:24:19","date_gmt":"2017-05-09T01:24:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/?p=635"},"modified":"2017-09-27T20:56:48","modified_gmt":"2017-09-27T20:56:48","slug":"siu-foundation-launches-75-million-campaign-for-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/?p=635","title":{"rendered":"SIU Foundation Launches $75 Million Campaign for Students"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Forever<\/p>\n

CARBONDALE, Ill. \u2014 A three-year, $75 million fundraising campaign will provide scholarships and other support for the students of Southern Illinois University Carbondale.<\/p>\n

\u201cForever SIU: The Campaign for Students\u201d was launched Jan. 1 by the SIU Foundation, which raises private funds to support the university. It will end in December 2019, the year of the university\u2019s 150th\u00a0anniversary.<\/p>\n

The foundation has already raised $33 million toward the goal, according to campaign co-chair Dan\u00a0Korte, a 1985 SIU alumnus.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese funds will have an immediate impact changing the lives of our students,\u201d\u00a0he said during a May 6 event marking the public launch of the campaign.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWe see the goal as being very achievable given the generosity of SIU\u2019s current and future donors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Co-chair\u00a0Camelle\u00a0Logan, a 1989 graduate, said a committee of volunteers who share a commitment to SIU and its students is leading the campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will encourage alumni, friends, faculty, staff and anyone who is committed to higher education to come forward and make a gift or pledge to this important cause,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The highest priority of the campaign is to raise more than $48 million for scholarships to help students stay in college and graduate, Logan added.<\/p>\n

Other priorities include expanding opportunities through internships, career development and other initiatives; enhancing facilities and resources such as teaching laboratories and library materials; and deepening student and faculty engagement with the region through community-focused research, cultural events and outreach to high school students.<\/p>\n

Donors may give to any priority as well as to the priorities of individual colleges and units,\u00a0Korte\u00a0said.<\/p>\n

Interim SIU Carbondale Chancellor Brad Colwell said scholarships and other resources allow students to focus more of their time on their education.<\/p>\n

\u201cSIU students are well known for their determination and hard work,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are our greatest asset, and sometimes a helping hand is all they need to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

More information about the campaign and opportunities to give can be found at foreversiu.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(More information: Contact Jim Salmo, SIU Foundation, 618-453-7174.)<\/em><\/p>\n

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