Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public research university located in Carbondale, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1869, SIUC is the flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system. (The other members are Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.) The university is known in official parlance as SIUC but colloquially as SIU. SIUC's total undergraduate enrollment is around 20,000.

The University is categorized as an RU/H Research University (high research activity) in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. SIU is recognized in the U.S. News & World Report rankings as a "National University," that is, a university which grants a variety of doctoral degrees and strongly emphasizes research; SIUC's ranking in the 2011 US News ratings is #170. Additionally, the National Science Foundation ranks SIUC #101 among public universities in the U.S. for total research and development expenditures, and #142 among all U.S. universities. The University offers offers more than 200 undergraduate majors, minors, and specializations, 30 doctoral and more than 60 master's degree programs; law and medical degrees.

History
An Act of the Twenty-sixth General Assembly of Illinois, approved March 9, 1869, created Southern Illinois Normal College, the second state-supported normal school in Illinois. Carbondale held the ceremony of cornerstone laying, May 17, 1870.

In 1869, SIU was founded as a teacher's college named Southern Illinois Normal College. It began with twelve academic departments and an initial class of 143.

After World War II, there was more of a push towards higher education. Southern Illinois University Carbondale grew rapidly in size from 3,500 to over 23,000 students between 1950 and 1980.

The university continued as a teacher's college until Delyte W. Morris took office as president of the university in 1948. Morris was SIU's longest serving president (1948–1970). During his presidency, Morris transformed SIU, adding Colleges of Law, Medicine, and Dentistry.

In 1957, a second campus of SIU was established at Edwardsville. This school, now known as Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, is now an independent university within the SIU system.

In 2005, then-SIU chancellor Walter Wendler unveiled a comprehensive plan called Saluki Way, which will reshape the Carbondale campus over a 15-year period. Since the unveiling, much progress has been made in completing the Saluki Way project. This includes a new Football Stadium, a renovated SIU Arena, and many cosmetic changes for the campus. Also part of Saluki Way, The groundbreaking for a New Student Services building is set for early 2012.

Leadership
On November 18, 2005, the SIU Board of Trustees unanimously selected former congressman and three-degree SIU alumnus Glenn Poshard to serve as the new President of Southern Illinois University. Poshard took office in January 2006.

Poshard announced Rita Hartung Cheng as the new chancellor of the Carbondale campus during a press conference on November 17, 2009. Cheng, formerly provost and vice chancellor at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee took over from interim chancellor Samuel Goldman on June 1, 2010, inheriting a budget crisis, resulting in the elimination of many non-tenured teaching positions and mandatory furloughs for employees.

On May 12, 2011, Dr. John Nicklow was named as Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Nicklow, who has worked as assistant provost and director of enrollment management for the Carbondale campus, was announced by SIUC Chancellor Rita Cheng as the choice to replace Gary Minish, who resigned from the post in January. Nicklow has served as interim assistant provost for Enrollment Management since June 2010. In that position, he is responsible for the offices of Undergraduate Admissions, Financial Aid, Transfer Student Services, Records and Registration, Bursar, and International Programs and Services.

Academic programs and rankings
Typical of public research universities, SIUC offers more than 200 academic degree programs across all levels; associates, bachelors, masters, and doctoral. It also offers professional programs in architecture, business, law and medicine. Since 1989, SIUC has offered an MD/JD dual degree program, leading to the concurrent award of both degrees after six years.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching recognizes Southern Illinois University, Carbondale as an elite institution of higher education, based on breadth of research and academic programs. Carnegie categorizes Southern as: "RU/H: Research Universities (high research activity)."

While ranking #170 in the 2011 edition of US News' annual college rankings of "National Universities" overall, SIUC placed #101 in the listing of public National Universities. Ranking performance was partially based on ratios of students to faculty. At SIUC, 50 percent of the classes offered cap out at 20 or fewer students; only 5 percent of classes include 50 or more students. The ratio of students to faculty is 15.7 to 1 and the percentage of full-time faculty is 96 percent.

The Princeton Review named SIUC in its 2012 list of "Best of the Midwest" colleges. The Princeton Review's Guide to 311 Green Colleges: 2011 Edition includes SIUC. The book, the second annual edition from The Princeton Review and the U.S. Green Building Council, recognizes colleges that demonstrate "a notable commitment to sustainability."

Departmental and program rankings

 * The College of Business and Administration ranks among the best in the United States, with the finance department among the top 5 percent.
 * The Automotive Industry Planning Council ranks the Automotive Technology Program as No. 1 in the country.
 * SIUC ranks second in the nation in American Philosophy.
 * U.S. News and World Reports ranks the Rehabilitation Institute counseling program sixth in the nation. In addition, the program won the 2006 Commissioner's Award for Excellence in Education and Training from the Federal Rehabilitation Services Administration.
 * The Department of Workforce Education is among the Top 10 in the country, joining Ohio State, Wisconsin and Penn State in that category.
 * The School of Law's Legal Research and Writing Program tied Rutgers University for 22nd in the nation among 184 law schools.
 * The Aviation programs continually rank among the top in the country in pilot training.

College of Agricultural Sciences
The College of Agricultural Sciences consists of four academic departments: Agribusiness Economics, Animal Science, Food & Nutrition, Forestry, and Plant, Soils & Agricultural Systems. There are seven majors and twenty-six specializations. The Colleges Ph.D. Program was added in December 2007. The Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences is a research degree that prepares graduates for developing and funding their own research program, and for teaching graduate and undergraduate students. In August 2011, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation announced that it is providing $7 million to a multidisciplinary team of SIUC researchers. During at least the next six years, the team will examine the best ways to maximize agriculture in central Illinois.

College of Applied Sciences and Arts
Since its inception as the Vocational Technical Institute, CASA has undergone continuous change to address the workforce needs in the southern Illinois region, the state and the nation. The College presently includes four schools which house three master’s degree programs, fourteen baccalaureate, and two associate degree programs. The masters of science in Medical Dosimetry and one baccalaureate program, Fire Service Management, are offered off-campus only. CASA provides off-campus opportunities to receive baccalaureate degrees in the areas of Aviation Management, Electronic Systems Technologies, Fire Service Management, Health Care Management, and Medical Dosimetry. The baccalaureate degree in Information Systems Technologies is offered online. Forty-nine hours of upper-level and selected elective courses are available to students at various locations throughout the country.

Morris Library
Morris Library is the main library for SIUC. The Library holds more than 2.6 million volumes, 3.6 million microform units, and over 36,000 current periodicals and serials. Library users have access to I-Share (the statewide automated library system) and to a comprehensive array of databases and other electronic data files. As the campus center for access to academic information and collaborative academic technology projects, Morris Library provides a wide range of services, including reference assistance, instructional and technical support, distance learning, geographic information systems (GIS), and multimedia courseware development. Morris Library is a member of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI), Association of Research Libraries (ARL), and the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA).

In 2009, Morris Library completed a massive renovation and expansion at a cost of $41 million. The building's original façade and the HVAC and elevator systems were completely replaced. Every floor except the basement, sixth and seventh floors of the seven-story building were completely overhauled to drastically improve accessibility and remove confusion. The remaining floors were gutted, but the renovation to those parts of the building were not completed, due to budget shortfalls and cost overruns on the construction. An additional 50000 sqft of space was added to the north side of the library. Delyte's, a new coffee shop named after former SIU President Delyte W. Morris, now operates in a portion of the new space.

Student Center
With over 8 acre of floor space, the SIU Student Center is one of the largest student unions in the nation. The programs and services offered provide SIU students, faculty, and staff a place to relax, gather a group to study or grab a bite to eat. The Student Center hosts multiple dining locations, the University Bookstore, ATM and Western Union stations, check cashing services, the ID Card office, and Debit Dawg activations and deposits all under one roof. The Student Center offers several ballrooms and smaller, expandable conference rooms for small or large gatherings. Student-run radio station WIDB 104.3 FM broadcasts from the Student Center, and the Black Affairs Office, International Student Council, Student Programming Council or "SPC," student governments and the Greek Council are among the organizations with their offices in the building.

The Student Center operates a Bowling & Billiards facility that completed a major renovation in 2009, including electronic scoring, new lanes, glow-in-the-dark flooring, flat-screen TVs, drop-down screens, and new seating areas. Each lane is equipped with bumpers, and three IKAN Bowling Ramps will be available to attach to any model of wheelchair, allowing the occupant to control the speed, direction, and timing of the bowling ball's release. Twelve new Olhausen pool tables along with new lighting and an updated sound system are featured on the billiards side of the facility.

Recreation Center
The Student Recreation Center, or "Rec," is the university's primary hub for intramural and fitness activities. The 213747 sqft building is one of the largest of its kind in the United States on a college campus. Access to the Recreational Center is free to all SIU students and for a membership fee to Alumni, Faculty and the general community.

Indoor facilities include a 880,000 gallon natatorium (home to the SIU Salukis swimming and diving team), two weight rooms, an aerobics room, martial arts room, a rock climbing wall, tennis court, racquetball courts, squash courts, volleyball courts, basketball courts, and two running tracks. Outdoor facilities include several lighted hard-surface tennis courts, Jean Stehr Field (used for intramural baseball, flag football and soccer), a Frisbee golf course, the campus boat dock and campus beach.

Health Center
On February 3, 2006, SIU opened a new, 57000 sqft health center adjacent to the Recreational Center. The $9.6 million dollar facility provides medical services to the university community and houses the medical clinic, pharmacy, wellness resources, mental health clinic, and sports medicine and physical therapy facilities. Community partners Southern Illinois Dermatology and the Marion Eye Center also provide services in the new health center.

The Saluki Way
In 2005, former SIU chancellor Walter Wendler unveiled a massive plan to reshape the core of the Carbondale campus. The plan, called "Saluki Way," is a part of the larger "Southern at 150" project. Saluki Way was approved in September 2006 by the SIU Board of Trustees and integrated into the university land use plan.

The $500 million plan is divided intro three phases and is expected to take 15 years to complete.


 * Phase 1: included construction of a new football stadium to replace McAndrew Stadium and renovations to SIU Arena, the home of the men's and women's basketball teams. On March 3, 2009 the official groundbreaking for the first phase of Saluki Way took place. Shortly afterward, construction commenced on the new Saluki Stadium, athletic support building and renovations to the SIU Arena. Saluki Stadium was completed in August 2010, and opened on September 2, 2010 for the inaugural game. Construction of the athletic support facilities and renovations of the SIU Arena are scheduled for completion in late September/early October 2010. The Salukis will play their first game in the "new" arena on November 1, 2010.
 * Phase 2: The second phase calls for the construction of new classroom buildings where the current football stadium is, re-routing roads and renovating existing structures. Woody Hall, the university's hub for Student Services, will be moved to the new construction along with the Alumni reception center. No timetable has been announced for this phase of the project.
 * Phase 3: The third phase of Saluki Way will include the building of new dormitories. No timetable has been announced for this phase of the project.

Athletics
The Southern Illinois Salukis are the athletic teams representing Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The university first sponsored athletic teams during the 1913–14 school year, when they were known as the "Maroons." Students and faculty began lobbying for a new mascot during the late 1940s. On March 19, 1951, the student body voted to change the official nickname to the Salukis. The saluki, the royal dog of ancient Egypt, was chosen as the mascot due to its reputation as a fast and tenacious hunter and because the southern Illinois region is known as "Little Egypt."

The Salukis sponsor 16 varsity teams. Most compete in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), specifically in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, softball, women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, and volleyball. The football program competes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). Men's swimming is part of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

Athletic highlights

 * The men's basketball team advanced to the NCAA Tournament for six straight seasons between 2002–07, including two trips to the Sweet Sixteen.
 * The women's team was Missouri Valley Conference champion in 2007.
 * Football had been ranked in the Top 10 in the Football Championship Subdivision for the past four years, and were in the playoffs for seven straight years, from 2002–2009.
 * Softball has been ranked in the Top 25 in the nation for the past two years and has advanced to the NCAA Tournament five straight seasons.
 * SIU's student-athletes lead the MVC in overall grade point average.

Student life
Southern Illinois University has a vibrant student culture and is home to over 400 Registered Student Organizations (RSO). Organizations include honor societies, sports clubs and student activity groups, and 11 fraternities, 8 multicultural fraternities and 9 sororities. The largest RSO on campus is the Student Programming Council (SPC).

Student government
SIU has two primary bodies of student government responsible for distributing part of the Student Activity Fee to the RSO's: Additionally, one student is elected to be the "Student Trustee"; a voting member of the SIU Board of Trustees.
 * The Undergraduate Student Government (USG)
 * Graduate Professional Student Council (GPSC)

The Daily Egyptian
The Daily Egyptian or "DE" for short, is an award-winning student-run newspaper. The DE is published every weekday with a distribution of 20,000 copies. The Daily Egyptian has received more than 25 awards from the Illinois College Press Association. In 2002, the paper was the recipient of the National Newspaper Pacemaker Award for General Excellence, the nation's most prestigious college journalism award.

Saluki Patrol
Founded in 1959, the Saluki Patrol is one of the oldest student security teams in the country. The student members assist the University Police in their duties.

Residences
There are four main undergraduate residence hall areas, each with their own common buildings and dining halls: Brush Towers, Thompson Point, University Hall, and University Park, for a total of 18 residential buildings. Residence hall rooms are fully furnished, and many have been modified to meet the needs of specific types of disability.

Graduate, single parent, domestic partner, and married student housing is available in Evergreen Terrace, Southern Hills, and Elizabeth Apartments.

Wall & Grand, SIU's first apartment-style residence halls, opened in 2007. The apartments are all fully furnished, including washers and dryers, and are fully accessible to students with disabilities.

According to SIU Housing policies, single freshman students under the age of 21 who do not reside with their parents or legal guardians are required to live in University-owned and operated residence halls. Students are considered to hold freshman status if they have earned fewer than 26 credit hours after high school. These restrictions do not apply to students over the age of 21, veterans, married students, single parents, or students with 26 or more credit hours.

Cardboard Boat Regatta
The Cardboard Boat Regatta is an event held every spring semester at Campus Lake. Participants include university students and community members both young and old. The goal is to complete three trips around a 200-yard course on the lake using makeshift cardboard boats. There are three different categories for entries: canoes or kayaks, experimental boats and instant boats (boats created on-site the day of the event).

The idea for a Cardboard Regatta first originated in 1974 at Southern Illinois University. Richard Archer, a professor of Art and Design, dreamed up a final examination for students in his freshman design class. Buckminster Fuller, then a Distinguished Professor at SIU, had espoused the principle of "doing the most with the least," and faculty members found it intriguing to apply these principles in their classes. Archer felt it would be a real test of students' creativity and three-dimensional design skills to build human-sized boats made only of cardboard, and more than 20 years later, it is still happening. Many communities, organizations and other universities around the country have joined in on the fun and now organize their own Cardboard Boat Regattas.

Competitive programs

 * National Debate Champions. Under the direction of debate coach Todd Graham, Kevin Calderwood and Kyle Dennis won the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence in 2008.
 * The SIU Flying Salukis Flight Team became the first team in National Intercollegiate Flying Association Region 8 modern history to win first place in regional competition three years in a row (2007–2009). At NIFA SAFCON 2011, the Flying Salukis won the nation championship out of the 29 teams who qualified for the competition. Three Flying Salukis captured individual titles as well
 * The aviation program has been one of the best nationally for many years, with SIU's young pilots winning the International Aerobatic Club Collegiate National Team Award five of the last six years.
 * SIU's Radio/TV Department has won National awards (Student EMMYS) on a yearly basis for nearly a decade.
 * SIU's Forestry Club have been the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Midwest Collegiate Challenge champions for over 18 straight years in a row.

Notable alumni
There are currently over 220,000 graduates of Southern Illinois University Carbondale worldwide. Notable SIU alumni include:
 * James Belushi, actor/comedian
 * Jim Bittermann, CNN European correspondent based in Paris
 * Chris Carr, Former NBA player
 * Randy Daniels, former Secretary of State of New York
 * Don S. Davis, actor and theatre professor, best known for his role of General Hammond on the TV series Stargate SG-1
 * Lee Feinswog, Author and TV host.
 * Steve Finley, Major League Baseball center fielder, 5-time Gold Glove winner, 2-time All-Star
 * John Fleming, Basketball Shooting Coach, Known as "The Free Throw Guru"
 * Dennis Franz, actor best known for his work on NYPD Blue
 * Walt Frazier, Basketball Hall of Famer and named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History
 * Jim Hart, former NFL quarterback, 4 Time Pro Bowl Selection
 * D.J. Heckes, author of Full Brain Marketing for the Small Business and owner of EXHIB-IT! Trade Show Marketing Experts in Albuquerque, N.M.
 * Joan Higginbotham, American astronaut.
 * Mary Lee Hu, American artist and goldsmith
 * Muhammad Ijaz-ul-Haq, Pakistani politician and son of former President General Zia-ul-Haq
 * Brandon Jacobs, NFL running back
 * Curt Jones, founder of Dippin' Dots
 * Darryl Jones, bassist of The Rolling Stones
 * Deji Karim, NFL running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars
 * Rodney P. Kelly, retired Major General, U.S. Air Force
 * Al Levine, former MLB baseball player
 * Donald McHenry, United States ambassador to the United Nations (from 1979 to 1981)
 * Albert E. Mead, former Governor of Washington
 * Gary Noffke, American artist and silversmith
 * Sir Curtis Price, KBE, President of the Royal Academy of Music and former president of the Royal Musical Association
 * Randall Mario Poffo, better known as professional wrestler Macho Man Randy Savage. Graduated 1971.
 * Richard Roundtree, actor (Shaft)
 * Bart Scott, NFL Pro-Bowl Selectee
 * Sam Silas, NFL Pro-Bowl Selectee
 * Chad Simpson, Micro Award winning short and flash fiction author
 * Jackie Spinner, author, journalist
 * Dave Stieb, Retired Major League Baseball pitcher, 7 Time All-Star, Pitched No-Hitter on 9/2/1990.
 * Lena Taylor, Wisconsin Democratic State Senator and member of the Wisconsin 14.
 * Mallica Vajrathon, United Nations Senior Staff Member
 * Robert K. Weiss, producer of The Blues Brothers and other films
 * Stephen Franklin, LB for the Jacksonville Jaguars

Notable faculty

 * Dr. Buckminster Fuller (July 12, 1895 – July 1, 1983). Fuller taught at Southern Illinois University Carbondale from 1959 to 1970. Beginning as an assistant professor in the School of Art and Design, he gained full professorship in 1968. Buckminster Fuller is widely renowned for his geodesic dome design.
 * Paul Martin Simon (November 29, 1928 – December 9, 2003). Former U.S. Congressman, U.S. Senator & U.S. Presidential candidate. He was the director of the SIU Public Policy Institute (now the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute). Simon taught classes in politics, history and journalism.
 * Dr. William M. Lewis, Senior (November 26, 1921 – May 15, 2010), Director of the Cooperative Fisheries Research Unit during 1950–1983 (now called the Fisheries and Illinois Aquaculture Center). He was Chair of the Department of Zoology, President of the American Fisheries Society, and received the American Fisheries Society Award of Excellence in 1995.
 * Dr. David F. Duncan, Professor of Health Education and 1984 Teacher of the Year. Duncan taught at Southern Illinois University Carbondale from 1978 to 1989. Established the Ph.D. program in community health and the masters in health care administration. Later served as a policy advisor in the Clinton White House.
 * Harry T. Moore, founder of the first branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Brevard County, Florida.
 * Dr. Robert Corruccini, Distinguished Professor and 1994 Outstanding Scholar, Corruccini taught at Southern Illinois University from 1978 to 2011 in the College of Liberal Arts, Department of Anthropology. Throughout his tenure at the university, he has been renowned for his expertise in both dental anthropology and epidemiology, formulating a Theory of Malocclusion.
 * Dr. Robert S. Gold, Professor of Health Education. Pioneer of computer programs for health education and public health. Later Executive Vice President of Macro International and current Dean of the University of Maryland School of Public Health.
 * Dr. David Gilbert, Professor of Automotive Technology, was alleged to have rigged a claim of unintended acceleration of the Toyota Prius in a 2010 ABC News report, and was being paid by parties in lawsuits against Toyota.

Popular culture
In the cult hit-comedy movie Animal House the famous "College" shirt worn by actor John Belushi was created for him while attending house parties with his brother, actor James Belushi, who was a student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.