Enrollment numbers to be released today . Hearing total enrollment to be around 11500 which is down again. SIU administers hopefully this will be the bottom and do have a plan going forward.
Our trendline wouldn't bear that out. Being an optimist is great but "it can't possibly get worse" is said right before things get really bad.
“The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody has decided not to see.”
― Ayn Rand
Well, I hate to say it...My daughter was a senior in HS last year. She is an athlete, so we took many unofficial and official campus visits over the past two years. We looked at 14 different D1 campuses (as I recall). SIU was not one of the schools that we visited... even though she lives less than 5 hours from there, is the daughter of an active alumnus, participates at a very high level in a sport that we have and she was a straight A student, we never heard from them at all. Compared to all the D1 schools we looked at, I think the SIU campus, based on my last visit to Carbondale in 2016, would rank last or at least way down on the bottom of the list. I love SIU. The natural backdrop and the architecture of the old campus give us a big head start, but the campus looked tired and unkept compared to much of its competition. As much as I loved my dorms in Thompson Point when I lived there, they are about 50 years past their prime. I think kids today don't give a #### about the historical beauty of the architecture on the campus. They are looking for new and cool. The strip/ city of Carbondale looks like a village from a third world country. Of the 14 D1 schools mentioned above, 10 were public schools. All ten, assuming in state tuition was possible, were less expensive than SIU. A few from neighboring states, were far less. So if we ever want SIU to be super competitive again, we will need to renovate and modernize. New dorms and way more modern choices for dining and entertainment. We will need to figure out a way to make an SIU education more affordable. SIU will need to be heavily involved in on line learning and combination online and campus classes. They (I don't know who "they" is) will need to extensively improve the strip area. As much as we loved it, most of today's kids don't want 1979, they are looking for 2030. It is going to take a LARGE investment. An investment that we can't afford to do and we can't afford not to do... JMO
Not sure we're looking at the same campus. I couldn't disagree more with you about SIU's beautiful campus. With your negative attitude towards SIU, I can understand why she wouldn't be interested. There isn't a large college campus in existence that doesn't have some serious needs for maintenance, renovation, etc. SIU is no exception, but: the rusty old stadium is gone, there's a new football stadium, a (basically) new Arena, a new baseball facility, a new track and soccer facility, a very nice Student Health Center, a beautiful new library, an absolutely gorgeous new student services building, an alum paid for a new campus lake building, money has been approved finally for a serious redo of the Comm. building inside and out, money has been approved for a new greenhouse for Plant Biology and Ag, the mall in front of Faner has been completely redone, very nice apartment style dorm at Wall and Grand, plans to tear down the crappy towers and build new dorms when/if the money becomes available, plans for a new Alumni building at the main entrance to campus, etc. If your daughter is as good a student as you say, if she had applied, she could have gotten a very good scholarship, if not a free ride.
I took an older friend to an event at SIU a couple of years ago. We toured the campus. He has probably been on more college campuses that anyone on Saluki-Insider. His verdict - one of the nicest college campuses he's ever seen. I agree, and I've seen many college campuses. Does Carbondale look like Glen Ellyn or Winnetka or Oak Park? No and it never will - the wealth isn't there. (and the property taxes on a 3-bedroom house aren't $10,000/year either) But C'dale IS in the most scenic part of the state, there's the wine trail, great fishing, hiking, camping... I would still much rather be a student in Cdale than in any other college town in this state.
And yes, SIU could easily boost the enrollment by being the best bargain the state. I've advocated that for a long time. Edwardsville would never allow it.
There is absolutely nothing negative about my attitude toward SIU. Anyone who knows me can tell you that for the most part, I am obsessed with SIU. No comment on the rest.
Formerly known as 81Dog
I am still thinking about the last post. I can't let it go. First, just to clarify one thing, in the world of college recruiting for athletes, unless your a blue chip recruit, playing a major sport, you put your information out there on a recruiting web site or multiple web sites. You can then write letters to all of the schools that you are interested in, with links to the different web sites and then hope for responses. She initially picked thirty schools and wrote thirty letters, with SIU being one of those. Mostly (so called) mid major type schools. I really wanted her to at least consider SIU. SIU would not have been on that list had I not pushed for it. It would have been a dream to do an SIU recruiting visit (although parents don't usually tag along, at least on the first visit) and for her to compete for SIU. She heard back from about 25 of those schools, but not from SIU. I am fine with that. Timing was an issue, I think. And I will clarify that she has never been to SIU. The observations on the other campuses were my own but influenced by her reactions and comments. The observation on our campus was from a visit that I made with a friend and his family in 2016.
I love our campus. I don't want anyone to think that I am ripping on it. That was never my intention. With the woods, lake, buildings like Shryock (sp?) and the arena, I believe it still has the potential of being among the best. But I will stand by what I said originally, it is dated in the eyes of most 18 year olds. Much work to be done to compete. I have seen the competition. There are reasons that our enrollment is plummeting.
Formerly known as 81Dog
Had a somewhat similar situation with my son; excellent HS athlete, good student, etc. He was a swimmer; now a senior majoring in Graphic Arts & Design. We had communicated with Coach Walker one time. I have nothing but respect and admiration for Coach Walker! And I know the (past) reputation of the GA&D program at SIU. But told my son, with a clear conscience, I would not recommend SIU. The son was shying away from D1 schools anyway and SIU wasn't in his top 5, but from my point of view; with the leadership in Springfield and the track record of what's been going on in C'Dale for the last decade... there are just better alternatives.
Like everybody on here, I absolutely LOVED my time at SIU (class of '88) and would absolutely NOT change a thing I did with my education, but times have changed. SIU and the state of Illinois are struggling and there is nobody in sight who's going to fix it. And it will probably get worse before it gets better. Sorry, but as a person no longer living there and is now an "outsider," that's what we see.
I'm sure your son is getting a good education at CMU in Grand Junction. Been there in the last few years.
SIU just hired away their swimming coach to replace retiring Walker.
I'm not putting down the school as an educational institution, but comparing that newish, somewhat characterless campus to SIU's?
No brainer! Sorry!
SIU wins by a HUNDRED MILEs!
Not even close!!!!
Grand Junction is a crappy town too. Progressive Carbondale with it's music scene, Irish Festival, Shawnee, Giant City, Makanda, the lakes..... blows it away.
Very similar experience! My daughter is in diving, but never got any response from SIU. I would not have discouraged her from going there, but knowing what I know now, it was not what she was looking for. One of her first offers was from Colorado Mesa! We never made a trip there because she was determined to dive D1, but did give it a serious look. It was one of those schools that appeared to be very progressive and energetic. Campus looked very modern. People that we talked to seemed very happy with the school and our club coach was very high on it. She ended up taking all 5 official visits. Three of her visits she considered DREAM schools and got offers from two of them, although she did have five total offers by early signing period. She visited Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. Although she had higher D1 offers, she fell in love with the place the first minute that she was on campus. Enrollment there has gone from 10,000 to 24,000 in just the last 5 years. Innovative thinking and planning and an absolutely incredible campus.
Formerly known as 81Dog
I'm sure your son is getting a good education at CMU in Grand Junction. Been there in the last few years.
SIU just hired away their swimming coach to replace retiring Walker.
I'm not putting down the school as an educational institution, but comparing that newish, somewhat characterless campus to SIU's?
No brainer! Sorry!
SIU wins by a HUNDRED MILEs!
Not even close!!!!
Grand Junction is a crappy town too. Progressive Carbondale with it's music scene, Irish Festival, Shawnee, Giant City, Makanda, the lakes..... blows it away.
We'll agree to disagree; CMU is now, essentially the same size as SIU and most things on campus are much newer and nicer (just completed a brand new engineering center co-oped with CU Boulder and will complete an on-campus hotel next year... of which my son assisted with all the logos and branding). And Chicago has ruined the state of Illinois; Denver hasn't spread to the rest of Colorado as of yet and done the same... but it's probably a matter of time. Again, as an "outsider" it's what we see, SIU has been dying for a decade plus and people are leaving the state in droves.
Did you spend ANY time around GJ at all?? Moab is an hour and a half; Aspen/Snowmass is 2 hours, there's a decent ski area (Powderhorn) 30 minutes from campus, the National Monument is practically in view from downtown, they have bike trails connecting all 3 towns in the valley along the Colorado River, Fruita is one of thee best towns in the nation for mountain biking, white water rafting in Glenwood Canyon is just an hour away if the two rivers going through GJ aren't flowing high enough for you. The Black Canyon is just south near Montrose, and Telluride and Durango and Gunnison... Colorado wine trail all around the valley with many breweries and distilleries mixed in. Sorry, again, I loved my time in C'Dale and spent most free time cycling (rode with the Phoenix Club) and hiking the area, but there's no comparison. There just isn't. Oh, and a reduction in humidity by at least +25%! 😉
I'm sure your son is getting a good education at CMU in Grand Junction. Been there in the last few years.
SIU just hired away their swimming coach to replace retiring Walker.
I'm not putting down the school as an educational institution, but comparing that newish, somewhat characterless campus to SIU's?
No brainer! Sorry!
SIU wins by a HUNDRED MILEs!
Not even close!!!!
Grand Junction is a crappy town too. Progressive Carbondale with it's music scene, Irish Festival, Shawnee, Giant City, Makanda, the lakes..... blows it away.
We'll agree to disagree; CMU is now, essentially the same size as SIU and most things on campus are much newer and nicer (just completed a brand new engineering center co-oped with CU Boulder and will complete an on-campus hotel next year... of which my son assisted with all the logos and branding). And Chicago has ruined the state of Illinois; Denver hasn't spread to the rest of Colorado as of yet and done the same... but it's probably a matter of time. Again, as an "outsider" it's what we see, SIU has been dying for a decade plus and people are leaving the state in droves.
Did you spend ANY time around GJ at all?? Moab is an hour and a half; Aspen/Snowmass is 2 hours, there's a decent ski area (Powderhorn) 30 minutes from campus, the National Monument is practically in view from downtown, they have bike trails connecting all 3 towns in the valley along the Colorado River, Fruita is one of thee best towns in the nation for mountain biking, white water rafting in Glenwood Canyon is just an hour away if the two rivers going through GJ aren't flowing high enough for you. The Black Canyon is just south near Montrose, and Telluride and Durango and Gunnison... Colorado wine trail all around the valley with many breweries and distilleries mixed in. Sorry, again, I loved my time in C'Dale and spent most free time cycling (rode with the Phoenix Club) and hiking the area, but there's no comparison. There just isn't. Oh, and a reduction in humidity by at least +25%! 😉
It blows my mind how delusional some SIU grads are about how special Carbondale is. Grand junction is right on top of a beautiful national monument, it is under 2 hours away from two national parks to the west and is less than 2.5 away from proper mountains and you are gonna bring this weak sauce commentary on Makanda being close to Carbondale??? Get out of here, people vacation to see places like Colorado National Monument. People don’t vacation to see freakin’ makanda or giant city.
Also, forgot to add one of the biggest selling points as a parent for sending the kid to Mesa; ALL athletes get in-state tuition (if not on a larger scholarship) upon signing their letter of intent. Housing and fees are still at out of state rates, but even living on campus, it's a bargain. Additionally, if/when the athlete doesn't compete any longer (the son left swimming after two years), as long as they maintain a 2.5 GPA or above, they keep that rate. He'll leave college with $0 debt and I'll have money left in his 529. Didn't SIU used to have a "legacy" program for offspring of an alum to get in-state tuition?? Does SIU offer in-state tuition to neighboring states?
Southern Illinois is nice, SIU’s campus is nice, it people wax poetic about them like they are top tier beauties though when they really aren’t IMO. SIU’s campus is a hodgepodge too full of straight up ugly buildings to truly be stunning. Southern Illinois is beautiful compared to a lot of the Midwest, but comparing it to the Rocky Mountain foothills is bringing a butter knife to a gun fight.
Also, forgot to add one of the biggest selling points as a parent for sending the kid to Mesa; ALL athletes get in-state tuition (if not on a larger scholarship) upon signing their letter of intent. Housing and fees are still at out of state rates, but even living on campus, it's a bargain. Additionally, if/when the athlete doesn't compete any longer (the son left swimming after two years), as long as they maintain a 2.5 GPA or above, they keep that rate. He'll leave college with $0 debt and I'll have money left in his 529. Didn't SIU used to have a "legacy" program for offspring of an alum to get in-state tuition?? Does SIU offer in-state tuition to neighboring states?
I know we are getting a little off track here, but two weeks ago I drove my daughters car to her school in Arizona (yes they can have a car there and a garage space costs $75 per YEAR). My son and I had a few extra days, so we took a recommended scenic route. I70 through Denver, past Grand Junction, to 191. Then south through Moab, down to Arizona. I have to say that from Denver, all the way to Sedona was absolutely the most amazing drive and scenery I have ever witness. And I have traveled a lot. We even squeezed a fishing pole into the trunk of the car and managed to pull in a couple of trophy sized (; brook trout from the Colorado River. I wish we would have stopped in Grand Junction, so I could have witnessed to town and school first hand. After this amazing adventure, maybe my son will consider CU Mesa and I will then make the move to Moab!! Only half serious about the Moab part, but it was awesome!!!
Formerly known as 81Dog
Also, forgot to add one of the biggest selling points as a parent for sending the kid to Mesa; ALL athletes get in-state tuition (if not on a larger scholarship) upon signing their letter of intent. Housing and fees are still at out of state rates, but even living on campus, it's a bargain. Additionally, if/when the athlete doesn't compete any longer (the son left swimming after two years), as long as they maintain a 2.5 GPA or above, they keep that rate. He'll leave college with $0 debt and I'll have money left in his 529. Didn't SIU used to have a "legacy" program for offspring of an alum to get in-state tuition?? Does SIU offer in-state tuition to neighboring states?
SIU does have a legacy program. Instate tuition and a discount on top of that. My son is a JR in HS. SIU has a program that he is somewhat interested in, but it will still be cheaper for him to attend UC,UK, WKU, Murray or U of L... He is a Dawg fan, so I will let him make up his own mind when it is time for his decision.
It is also great to hear about the way CU Mesa deals with athletes. Next time I make the scenic drive, I will stop and check out the school. If her diving career stalls at GCU, she just might consider moving her game up to Colorado. As Jim M once said, "the west is the best".
Formerly known as 81Dog
Southern Illinois is nice, SIU’s campus is nice, it people wax poetic about them like they are top tier beauties though when they really aren’t IMO. SIU’s campus is a hodgepodge too full of straight up ugly buildings to truly be stunning. Southern Illinois is beautiful compared to a lot of the Midwest, but comparing it to the Rocky Mountain foothills is bringing a butter knife to a gun fight.
Someone is certainly delusional. Grand Junction is a crap town! The barren foothills are nice if you want to mine Uranium I guess. That's one of the ugliest parts of Colorado - not nearly as nice as S. Illinois.
I'm not saying Cdale is the pot at the end of the rainbow, but it's a decent college town in the nicest part of this state. My son lives in Colorado - just got back from a camping trip to Red Feather Lakes area in July. Moab is cool - have done some 4 wheeling in the Canyonlands. The Rockies are gorgeous for the most part.
I'm not the only one that thinks SIU has a beautiful campus! (not just alums either) Is every building on campus nice? No. Quigley is hideous. The Ag building needs to be torn down and rebuilt. That kind of renewal has been stalled since 2010. Thanks to a new capital expenditure bill, SIU and other state schools can start catching up on maintenance/renewal. CMU has some newer buildings. So does Edwardsville. Those schools aren't 150 years old either. To me those campuses have little character and don't compare to SIU's beautiful campus.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess.
