June 19, 2006

2 elected to SIU Alumni Association board

by Greg Scott

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Members of the Southern Illinois University Alumni Association recently elected two new members to the Association board of directors, effective July 1.

Arthur L. Aikman of Carbondale received his doctorate degree from Southern in 1965. A life member of the SIU Alumni Association, Aikman is an annuitant representative of the SURS Board of Trustees. He has more than 40 years of service in education, having served as a professor emeritus in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Prior to joining the faculty at Southern, Aikman was a teacher, principal and superintendent in the Illinois public schools of Loda, Onarga, Cissna Park and East Lynn.

A World War II and Korean War Veteran, Aikman received the Lindell W. Sturgis Award in 1988, an honor presented by the SIU Board of Trustees. In 2002-2003, he served as a member of the committee that developed Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint the University is following as it approaches its 150th anniversary in 2019.

Aikman, and his wife Sammye, are longtime participants in alumni events. Their sons, Robert and William, are also SIUC graduates. He will serve a four-year term on the board.

Barry Smith of Paducah, also a life member of the Alumni Association, is a senior vice president for Regions Bank, heading retail banking for Illinois and western Kentucky. The 1980 SIUC graduate formerly served as retail area sales manager for Regions in Carbondale. He is also a former manager for Kroger West.

A four-year basketball letterman at Southern, Smith's wife Amy, is also a 1980 graduate of the University. She was a member of the Marching Salukis. They are life members of the Alumni Association. Smith will serve four years on the board.

The 39-member board of directors governs the not-for-profit corporate status and the activities, programs, and services of the SIU Alumni Association. It represents 200,000 SIU graduates living in more than 125 countries worldwide and is the largest and oldest organization serving SIUC.