As I walked the beautiful Campus of Southern Illinois University, today, I thought…now SIU has a chance to stabilize and obtain it’s former greatness.
Last week our Illinois Legislature had the courage to override our Governor’s veto and pass a budget…something that had not happened in over two years.
Many Republicans joined the Democratic majority…before Our University and many others…went over the cliff.
With SIU being the Economic Engine that drives the economy of Southern Illinois, needless to say, we felt relief, and joy, and now it is time to go to work!
SIU has suffered from an identity crisis for a number of years. This can, no better, be illustrated than in the numerous changes in leadership…with over nine different Campus Leaders since 1999.
It has been postulated that Southern will no longer have the great enrollment numbers that it enjoyed in the early 1990’s due to regional competition and less high school students graduating across the country.
These issues can be greatly ameliorated if SIU returns to the Vision that made it great. A Vision that reached outward…first to Southern Illinois…then to the Country…and finally to the world.
Leadership that has the communication ability and heartfelt belief that all members of the Southern Illinois University Community have intrinsic value and are vital to the success of the School!
The mission of bringing everyone together to reach out to all prospective students and demonstrate by our actions that nothing is more important to us than their attending SIU and their ultimate success!
The re-forming of the Construct… to put students first… and leadership with a Servant’s Heart.
