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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Southern Illinois University (SIU) Carbondale was
3founded in 1869 as the State's second teachers college and has
4grown into a nationally-ranked comprehensive doctoral research
5university with six colleges, a school of education, a school
6of law, and a school of medicine; the flagship campus of the
7Southern Illinois University System offers more than 200
8majors, minors, and specializations; and
 
9    WHEREAS, SIU Carbondale serves students from all 50 states
10and 100 nations, attracting students to the State with its
11commitment to affordability and access; for several years, the
12university has not raised undergraduate tuition; in 2020, it
13launched the Saluki Commitment and the Saluki Transfer
14Commitment to close financial gaps for Illinois families,
15using AIM HIGH funds, and it has eliminated out-of-state
16tuition; and
 
17    WHEREAS, In the fall of 2023 and for the first time since
182014, there was an overall enrollment increase at SIU
19Carbondale, being the highest percentage increase in more than
2030 years and the first time in at least 50 years that it has
21had four consecutive freshman class increases; and
 
22    WHEREAS, SIU Carbondale launched Saluki Step Ahead through

 

 

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1an agreement with the Illinois Community College Board,
2allowing place-bound community college graduates to complete
3their bachelor's degree in select academic programs online and
4at a lower cost; so far, the school has four dozen agreements
5with community college campuses in Illinois, Missouri, and
6Texas; and
 
7    WHEREAS, SIU Carbondale is classified by the Carnegie
8Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a Research
9University: High Research Activity, the second-highest tier;
10it is among the top four percent of U.S. higher education
11institutions for research; and
 
12    WHEREAS, SIU Carbondale offers several rare and
13distinctive academic programs, including Illinois' only
14baccalaureate programs in automotive technology, dental
15hygiene, and mortuary science and funeral service; it has a
16unique partnership with major airlines to fly prospective
17students to campus for Aviation Career Day events; and
 
18    WHEREAS, SIU Carbondale is one of a few dozen public
19institutions in the United States to host both a law school and
20a medical school and is one of three public institutions in
21Illinois to be a member of the Association of Research
22Libraries along with the Urbana-Champaign and Chicago campuses
23of the University of Illinois; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, For more than 50 years the SIU School of Medicine
2has boasted of a nationally recognized MEDPREP program as a
3post-baccalaureate academic enhancement program serving more
4than 1,000 students since its inception and now has the
5Lincoln Scholars Program to prepare and equip Illinois' next
6generation of rural primary care physicians; and
 
7    WHEREAS, SIU Carbondale was the host to more than 30,000
8people for the 2017 total solar eclipse and will be the only
9campus in the nation to have the privilege of also being a site
10for the 2024 total solar eclipse; and
 
11    WHEREAS, In 2019, SIU Carbondale joined other state
12institutions as a hub in the Illinois Innovation Network, an
13initiative to harness the research expertise of Illinois
14universities to drive the State's economic growth; and
 
15    WHEREAS, SIU Carbondale continues to serve the community,
16including the provision of services through the Office of
17Innovation and Economic Development and the SIU Research Park,
18cultural enrichment through myriad arts and culture programs,
19including through the SIU School of Music and the SIU School of
20Theater and Dance, Division I NCAA sports through Saluki
21Athletics, WSIU Public Broadcasting, which reaches five
22million households and covers two-thirds of Illinois counties

 

 

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1and parts of five other states, the Paul Simon Public Policy
2Institute, and the Head Start Program; in 2015, the university
3earned the prestigious community engagement classification
4from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching;
5and
 
6    WHEREAS, SIU Carbondale's Touch of Nature Outdoor
7Education Center is the site that originated and fostered the
8idea for what became the internationally acclaimed Special
9Olympics; and
 
10    WHEREAS, SIU Carbondale reaffirmed a long-standing
11commitment to sustainability by becoming one of more than 800
12colleges and universities across the nation dedicated to
13addressing climate change through research and action in
14signing the Second Nature Climate Commitment in February 2020;
15and
 
16    WHEREAS, In 2021, a new tradition began, Saluki Takeover
17Tours; in the inaugural year of the events, university
18officials visited Chicago and St. Louis, focusing on alumni
19and donor engagement, recruitment and retention, and brand
20awareness; each city visit included several events over
21multiple days; the tours have continued to expand to
22additional cities in Illinois and throughout the country;
23therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
2HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3we congratulate Southern Illinois University System President
4Dan Mahony, SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin Lane, and
5administration, staff, and faculty on making SIU Carbondale a
6world-class institution; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That we welcome the inaugural 2023 Saluki
8Takeover Tour to Springfield on October 25 - 26, 2023; and be
9it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
11presented to Southern Illinois University System President Dan
12Mahony and SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin Lane as a symbol
13of our respect and esteem.