Austin Lane, chancellor of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and Charlotte Warren, president of Lincoln Land Community College, show off their institutions’ agreement on Saluki Step Ahead, which allows place-bound students the opportunity to earn their bachelor’s degree from SIU Carbondale remotely at an affordable cost.
October 28, 2021
LLCC and SIU Carbondale sign agreement allowing students to complete bachelor’s degrees online
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Officials of Lincoln Land Community College and Southern Illinois University Carbondale today signed an agreement allowing LLCC graduates to complete bachelor’s degrees remotely at an affordable cost.
The Saluki Step Ahead program offers students the opportunity to pursue a bachelor’s degree in accounting, business administration, criminology and criminal justice, health care management, psychology and radiologic sciences by spending the first two years at LLCC completing pre-determined coursework. The third and fourth years are online in an SIU Carbondale degree completion program. Students will receive an $8,000 scholarship ($4,000 per year) as a financial incentive for place-bound students, with the goal of completing a bachelor's degree for less than $25,000.
“This partnership is a wonderful opportunity for LLCC students to earn an associate degree with us and then receive automatic admission to SIU Carbondale to earn their bachelor’s degree, while remaining in their hometown to live and work,” said Charlotte Warren, LLCC president.
LLCC is the first community college in Central Illinois, and fourth community college in the state, to sign on to Saluki Step Ahead, which brings the expertise of a doctoral research university to place-bound community college students in Illinois. The other three community colleges participating in Saluki Step Ahead are in Southern Illinois and the Chicago area.
SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin Lane said today’s agreement fits well with the university’s Imagine 2030 strategic plan, whose pillars include improving student success and forging partnerships.
“For working adults and other students with limited options, this is a game-changer and opens new pathways, with a smooth transition between our two institutions,” Lane said. “Many community college students can’t uproot their lives and come to Carbondale to earn their bachelor’s degrees. We’re taking SIU Carbondale to them in an accessible and affordable way.”
Students interested in participating in the Saluki Step Ahead program should speak with a success coach at LLCC.