May 15, 2025
SIU Alumni Association’s Chicagoland Scholarship reaches $25,000 endowment goal
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The SIU Alumni Association’s Chicagoland Scholarship has reached its $25,000 endowment goal, officially securing the fund’s future as a permanent source of financial support for area students to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Launched to expand access for prospective students living in one of the university’s most alumni-rich regions of Illinois and the country, the scholarship’s endowment represents a significant commitment by alumni and friends to invest in the next generation of Salukis.
“This achievement is a testament to our alumni community and its unwavering dedication to student success,” said Molly Hudgins, executive director of the SIU Alumni Association. “Reaching this milestone means that students from the Chicagoland area now have a lasting resource to help them pursue their dreams at SIU.”
With over 40,000 alumni in the region, Chicagoland has long been vital to the Saluki family. The endowment will generate annual scholarships, easing the financial burden for deserving students and encouraging continued enrollment from the region. The association will continue fundraising to grow the fund further, increasing the size and/or number of annual scholarships going to students.
“With the help of our Chicago area alums, I hope to see this scholarship grow to well over $25,000 in the next few years,” said Scott Moller, a 1985 graduate and president of the SIU Alumni Association National Board of Directors. “Our legacy events and watch parties in Chicagoland make it easy for local alums to contribute onsite to this scholarship fund.”
According to the university's Department of Institutional Effectiveness, Planning, and Research, SIU typically receives more than 4,000 applications from the area each year and has enrolled an average of 1,500 students each fall over the last three years.
“Salukis help Salukis,” SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin A. Lane said. “And the Chicagoland Scholarship’s endowment is proof of that. We thank our alumni and friends for their generosity, which helps our students transform their imagination into reality.”
Jan Pasek, a 1972 graduate who retired to Chicago in 2022, made several small donations to the Chicagoland Scholarship Fund, starting with last year’s SIU Day of Giving, encouraging other alumni that even a little money here and there can help build a stable source of financial support for local students seeking to pursue an education in Carbondale.
Pasek said he’s elated the scholarship reached its endowment goal in such a short amount of time, attributing the success to the strength of Saluki pride among alumni.
“Saluki Nation stepped up and met a serious challenge, the cost of attending college, which has risen substantially over the years,” Pasek said. “We want others to have the same opportunity, education and self-realization that we gained at SIU, leading to fulfilling and successful lives.”
The association joins Pasek in extending heartfelt gratitude to all the alumni, donors and advocates who made this achievement possible.
“Time after time, Salukis show up for the students of SIU,” Hudgins said. “Thank you to everyone who contributed and helped us reach this goal. We know you’ll continue to be there, doing great things for our alumni family.”
For more information about the Chicagoland Scholarship or to contribute to future student support initiatives, please visit siualumni.com.