SR0553 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0553 LRB103 35021 MST 64948 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Southern Illinois University (SIU) Carbondale was founded in 1869 as the State's second teachers college and has grown into a nationally-ranked comprehensive doctoral research university with six colleges, a school of education, a school of law, and a school of medicine; the flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University System offers more than 200 majors, minors, and specializations; and

WHEREAS, SIU Carbondale serves students from all 50 states and 100 nations, attracting students to the State with its commitment to affordability and access; for several years, the university has not raised undergraduate tuition; in 2020, it launched the Saluki Commitment and the Saluki Transfer Commitment to close financial gaps for Illinois families, using AIM HIGH funds, and it has eliminated out-of-state tuition; and

WHEREAS, In the fall of 2023 and for the first time since 2014, there was an overall enrollment increase at SIU Carbondale, being the highest percentage increase in more than 30 years and the first time in at least 50 years that it has had four consecutive freshman class increases; and

WHEREAS, SIU Carbondale launched Saluki Step Ahead through an agreement with the Illinois Community College Board, allowing place-bound community college graduates to complete their bachelor's degree in select academic programs online and at a lower cost; so far, the school has four dozen agreements with community college campuses in Illinois, Missouri, and Texas; and

WHEREAS, SIU Carbondale is classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a Research University: High Research Activity, the second-highest tier; it is among the top four percent of U.S. higher education institutions for research; and

WHEREAS, SIU Carbondale offers several rare and distinctive academic programs, including Illinois' only baccalaureate programs in automotive technology, dental hygiene, and mortuary science and funeral service; it has a unique partnership with major airlines to fly prospective students to campus for Aviation Career Day events; and

WHEREAS, SIU Carbondale is one of a few dozen public institutions in the United States to host both a law school and a medical school and is one of three public institutions in Illinois to be a member of the Association of Research Libraries along with the Urbana-Champaign and Chicago campuses of the University of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, For more than 50 years the SIU School of Medicine has boasted of a nationally recognized MEDPREP program as a post-baccalaureate academic enhancement program serving more than 1,000 students since its inception and now has the Lincoln Scholars Program to prepare and equip Illinois' next generation of rural primary care physicians; and

WHEREAS, SIU Carbondale was the host to more than 30,000 people for the 2017 total solar eclipse and will be the only campus in the nation to have the privilege of also being a site for the 2024 total solar eclipse; and

WHEREAS, In 2019, SIU Carbondale joined other state institutions as a hub in the Illinois Innovation Network, an initiative to harness the research expertise of Illinois universities to drive the State's economic growth; and

WHEREAS, SIU Carbondale continues to serve the community, including the provision of services through the Office of Innovation and Economic Development and the SIU Research Park, cultural enrichment through myriad arts and culture programs, including through the SIU School of Music and the SIU School of Theater and Dance, Division I NCAA sports through Saluki Athletics, WSIU Public Broadcasting, which reaches five million households and covers two-thirds of Illinois counties and parts of five other states, the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, and the Head Start Program; in 2015, the university earned the prestigious community engagement classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; and

WHEREAS, SIU Carbondale's Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center is the site that originated and fostered the idea for what became the internationally acclaimed Special Olympics; and

WHEREAS, SIU Carbondale reaffirmed a long-standing commitment to sustainability by becoming one of more than 800 colleges and universities across the nation dedicated to addressing climate change through research and action in signing the Second Nature Climate Commitment in February 2020; and

WHEREAS, In 2021, a new tradition began, Saluki Takeover Tours; in the inaugural year of the events, university officials visited Chicago and St. Louis, focusing on alumni and donor engagement, recruitment and retention, and brand awareness; each city visit included several events over multiple days; the tours have continued to expand to additional cities in Illinois and throughout the country; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Southern Illinois University System President Dan Mahony, SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin Lane, and administration, staff, and faculty on making SIU Carbondale a world-class institution; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we welcome the inaugural 2023 Saluki Takeover Tour to Springfield on October 25 - 26, 2023; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to Southern Illinois University System President Dan Mahony and SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin Lane as a symbol of our respect and esteem.