Student Success & Engagement
We will have a diverse and culturally responsible student body that is fully engaged in the SIU Carbondale experience, thriving in the face of robust academic challenges, and that has gained practical skills to allow them to enter the workforce as effective ambassadors for our University.
OBJECTIVES: DEFINES WHAT SIU WILL ACHIEVE
- Objective 1: Increase student population
- Objective 2: Increase retention/persistence rates
- Objective 3: Increase graduation rates
- Objective 4: Create a strategy for fostering post-graduation success in our students
- Objective 5: Cultivate a positive university environment
- Objective 6: Enhance engagement in the learning experience in and out of the classroom by investing in resources and learning spaces (faculty, technology, new courses, facilities, improvements, experiential learning opportunities, etc.)
- Objective 7: Investment in the needs of our students with efforts that begin before their arrival and continue after graduation
- Objective 8: Strategic enrollment, retention, completion, career development and placement with specific focus on our campuses commitment to meeting student needs and goals
KEY INITIATIVES: HOW SIU WILL ACHIEVE ITS OBJECTIVES
- Expand outreach areas to different regions including Missouri, Kansas, and Texas
- Utilize current students and alumni during the recruitment cycles
- The offices of Admissions, Student Affairs, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will collaborate on at least one major outreach event each semester
- Implement a “Recruit Back the Pack” campaign for the fall semesters
- Implement a “Plan Ahead the Pack” campaign for the spring semesters
- Develop an intensive partnership with District 95 and other Southern Illinois districts to implement 7th and 8th grade planning campaigns
- Enrollment management task force will complete a comprehensive, viable, strategic enrollment management plan that is adopted by all key stakeholders
- Intentional career services: host workshops, mentor programs, placement into jobs/internships
- Develop student ambassador programs in all colleges and leadership training opportunities
- Build programming that assists with life skills and assisting students with building soft skills not learned in the classroom
- Host an all-campus event that includes the community (increase the number of social events in general)
- Identify opportunities for more alumni engagement and involvement with students
- Create more paid and unpaid research opportunities
- Strengthen and expand Living Learning Communities and Freshman Interest Groups
- Create summer programs that offer additional support
- Promote networking with national organizing, alums in industry, and professional organizations
- Work with the community to create more dynamic student life experiences in and around Carbondale
- Further enhance student advisement, early warning systems, tutoring opportunities, mentoring opportunities (student-to-student and student-to-faculty)
- Career objectives (recruiters/advisors/faculty): utilize career center partnership, tools/assessment for recruiters/advisors, and increase collaborations
- Increase gainful employment and internship programs for all graduates, enhance collaboration of Career Development Center with academic programs in collaboration with the Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Branding & Partnerships
SIU Carbondale will be a “first-choice” institution, compared favorably to the flagship institution. The University will take a much stronger role in actively improving connections within the community, state, nation, and world through key partnerships.
OBJECTIVES: DEFINES WHAT SIU WILL ACHIEVE
- Objective 1: Stronger relationships with alumni and donors as ambassadors for SIU, resulting in more private gifts to support University’s mission
- Objective 2: Better collaboration with Carbondale (and greater region) business leaders to invigorate social vibrancy within the community
- Objective 3: Increased enrollment
- Objective 4: Position SIU as a leader and an important and reliable resource on key subjects
- Objective 5: Elevate the prestige of SIU Carbondale and increase visibility of research and other hands-on opportunities for students
- Objective 6: Clearly define what it means to be SIU Carbondale
- Objective 7: Improved communication and collaboration across the University
KEY INITIATIVES: HOW SIU WILL ACHIEVE ITS OBJECTIVES
- Define roles for alumni and advise alumni on how they can make a difference
- Examine how to improve University–alumni communication, including how we use technology to reinforce two-way communication
- Evaluate expanding “Forever SIU” campaign
- Seek targeted and unique opportunities to engage alumni and donors
- Pursue partnerships between campus entities and community entities
- Include pride in the region as a theme in overall marketing endeavors
- Leverage the beauty of our region as part of our enduring identity
- Capitalize on student successes to market the university
- Foster collaboration among campus departments to achieve streamlined and efficient conveying of our message
- Define external partners and objectives of partnerships for mutual benefits
- Identify a position responsible for maintaining and establishing strategic partnerships
- Evaluate effectiveness of agreements and adjust as needed
- Pitch more news stories of interest to national media
- Leverage social media, marketing and advertising, including billboards, commercials, print publications, targeted digital advertising, etc.
- Develop an “elevator pitch” to describe SIU Carbondale
- Evaluate current branding and develop clear and consistent brand standards
- Promote consistent standards to campus community
- Establish a shared vision of where we want the university to be
- Identify key people to implement the vision and establish clear roles to improve efficiency
Sustainability
To become known as a forward-thinking, environmentally responsible University that embraces sustainability, reduces its carbon footprint, pursues conscientious energy efficiencies, and creates new innovative practices to become a leader in sustainability within the state and higher education community at large.
OBJECTIVES: DEFINES WHAT SIU WILL ACHIEVE
- Objective 1: Embrace digital transformation investments and activities across campus
- Objective 2: Pursue campus-wide energy efficiencies
- Objective 3: Seek to achieve a renewed campus strategy on sustainability and reducing the campus’ environmental impact
KEY INITIATIVES: HOW SIU WILL ACHIEVE ITS OBJECTIVES
- Identify and implement an e-signature and workflow product and campus policy
- Reduce paper consumption across campus by creating business processes embracing paperless transactions
- Evaluate space utilization across campus and develop a plan to right-size the physical space of the university to reduce energy usage and eliminate costs
- Create a strategic plan to address the use of coal while pursuing alternative energy opportunities
- Support the work of the university task force on sustainability and establish a sustainability education program, including recycling
- Invest in the technology infrastructure across campus, from classrooms and research labs to offices and student housing
- Embrace office technology such as Voice over the Internet Protocol (VOIP) and robust cyber security tools to keep campus safe
- Replace antiquated software systems, from accounting services to grants management
- Pursue a farm produce lifecycle
- Use the campus’ focus on the environment and sustainability as a marketing niche to prospective students
- Partner with the City of Carbondale and other entities to pursue more green initiatives on and off campus
- Support the implementation of broadband access in the surrounding regions, especially in rural and underserved areas
- Pursue an opportunistic cloud-first philosophy to reduce footprint and power consumption
