SIU Day gives 900 area students a closer look at campus

CARBONDALE, Ill. (Heartland News) - About 900 high school students from across southern Illinois got out of their classrooms Wednesday and spent the day exploring what could be next for them.

Students from 25 high schools visited Southern Illinois University Carbondale for SIU Day, an event designed to introduce mostly underclassmen to academic programs, potential careers and opportunities available on campus.

Students selected two academic sessions based on their interests, giving them a chance to get inside classrooms and take part in hands-on activities rather than simply touring the campus.

For university leaders, the day was also an opportunity to show students from the region that attending college close to home does not necessarily mean limiting their options.

Josi Rawls, associate director of undergraduate admissions, said students who have grown up around SIU may sometimes think of it as simply the university in their backyard. Events such as SIU Day allow them to see more of what is happening on campus.

SIU is classified as an R1 research institution, placing it among the nation’s top research universities. Rawls said that creates opportunities for students to become involved in research early in their college careers, including as freshmen.

The larger goal is to make those opportunities familiar to students well before they begin making their final college decisions.

Rawls said she hopes students leave SIU Day feeling comfortable on campus and able to picture themselves as part of the Saluki community, and ultimately return after high school graduation as SIU students.

That effort to bring students to SIU also coincided with the university’s first Week of Philanthropy and its 11th annual SIU Day of Giving.

Kathryn Sime, assistant vice chancellor for the SIU Foundation, said the work of recruiting students and the support provided by donors are closely connected. Donations help fund scholarships and programs that can make attending SIU possible and help students remain at the university.

The SIU Foundation awarded about $6.9 million in scholarships last year, with roughly one in five SIU students receiving a foundation scholarship.

This year’s Day of Giving also included an effort to “Paint the Map Maroon,” encouraging Salukis and supporters from across the country to participate. Gifts of any size could be directed toward scholarships, academic programs, athletics and other areas across the university.

While one effort brought hundreds of prospective students onto campus and the other rallied support from current Salukis and alumni, both centered on a similar goal: creating more opportunities for students to find their place at SIU.