Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Southern Illinois University is located in Carbondale in the U.S. state of Illinois. The Carbondale campus is the main campus of the Southern Illinois University system, which includes its smaller sister institution Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. SIUC is recognized in the prestigious US News rankings as a "National University", that is, a university which grants a variety of doctoral degrees and strongly emphasizes research. US News ranks SIUC in the "third tier", meaning that it is currently in the third quartile of schools within the National University category. [1]. Among Illinois universities, only the University of Illinois ranks higher.

History

SIU was founded as Southern Illinois Normal (i.e. teacher's) University in 1869 in Carbondale, IL. It began with twelve academic departments, and an initial class of 143. The university remained a teacher's college until the arrival of Delyte W. Morris in 1948. Morris was SIU's longest serving (1948-1970) president.^[2] During his presidency, SIU was transformed from a teacher's college, to the second-ranking public comprehensive research university in Illinois.^{[citation needed]} Among his many accomplishments, Morris created SIU's law, medical and dental schools.

SIU's total undergraduate enrollment is around 20,000. Typical of public research universities, SIUC has over 170 academic degree programs--across all levels; associates, bachelors, masters, and doctoral. It also offers professional programs in business, law and medicine. Since 1989, SIU has offered an M.D./J.D. dual degree program, leading to the concurrent award of both degrees after six years.^[3]

SIU's campus spreads out across some 1,100 wooded acres (4.6 km²), with a 40 acre (0.17 km²) lake at its center. There are an additional 2,250 acres (9.1 km²) of nearby agricultural fields and about 3,000 acres (12 km²) within an outdoor environmental learning center.

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)."^[4]

SIU was the first major university in the United States to be handicap accessible in the early 1960s. It also has the #1 CESL (Center for English as a Second Language) and the best ranked Automotive Technology programs in the nation. It also carries the distinction of having nationally ranked programs in Aviation, Mass Communications, Fine Arts and Rehabilitation among others.^{[citation needed]}

Presidential note

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.^[5]

Athletics

Coach Bill Meade's Men's Gymnastics teams went seven years, from 1961 to 1968, without suffering a loss in dual meet competition, winning 68 straight meets. The streak is the longest of any SIU program and still stands today. Meade's program also turned out 55 NCAA All-Americans and 15 NCAA Individual National Champions. Meade's teams won three NCAA Division I championships and had five second-place finishes. In 2006 the Saluki football team became the first Gateway Conference school to defeat a Big Ten opponent (Indiana).^[6] Six Consecutive NCAA Basketball tournament appearances (2002-2007).^[7] Only 16 College basketball teams in the nation hold this distinction. The Saluki men's basketball team garnered national attention for the school by advancing to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen in 2002. The next two years, the team was eliminated in the NCAA Tournament first round, each time by one point. In the aftermath of each loss, the incumbent basketball coach left for a Big Ten school. Bruce Weber left to take the head coaching job at Illinois in 2003; Matt Painter left to become the top assistant and designated successor to Gene Keady at Purdue the following year. Part of the SIU Saluki men's basketball team's 2003 season was chronicled in MTV's True Life: I Am A College Baller. Chris Lowery is the current coach of the Salukis and led the team to the NCAA tournament every year since 2004. Lowery has also been the youngest head coach in the tournament in each appearance. In 2006-2007 year, the Salukis reached their highest position in the AP Coaches Poll and the ESPN/USA Today Poll with a position of #11, before being dropped to #14 prior to entering the NCAA tournament.

Trivia

• The area SIU sits in—variously referred to as "Southern Illinois", "Little Egypt", the "Shawnee National Forest", "Land Between the Rivers"—is notable for its hills, lakes, bluffs, gorges, national forests, wildlife, and wine country.
• John Belushi created his "COLLEGE" sweatshirt while he attended SIU, although there is controversy about whether he actually attended SIU.
• Architect/systems guru Buckminster Fuller taught at SIU for many years. Several of his original geodesic domes can still be seen around the campus and city--including his former residence, the so-called Bucky Dome, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• The first Boss (video games) enemy for a video game was created at SIU in 1974 by two students, Gary Whisenhunt and Ray Wood, for dnd.
• Basketball Hall of Famer Walt Frazier led the Salukis to the 1967 National Invitation Tournament title. His number is one of two retired by the men's basketball team.
• The actor Richard Roundtree attended SIU on a football scholarship.
• The NFL's Brandon Jacobs was drafted by the New York Giants after his graduation from SIU in 2004.

Notable alumni

Main Article: List of Southern Illinois University alumni

References

1. ^ Spotlight Southern. Fall enrollment stands at 21,003.
2. ^ Daily Egyptian. Delyte Morris special issue.
3. ^ LeBlang to become president in March of the American College of Legal Medicine. Md/Jd Dual Degree Program Overview. Legal medicine education: the M.D./J.D. Dual Degree Program at Southern Illinois University.
4. ^ Carnegie Classifications.
5. ^ SIU Press Release. SIU Board Chooses Poshard For President.
6. ^ Salukis' Win at Indiana Highlights Gateway Action on Saturday.
7. ^ MBB Guide.

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