SIU Today | SIU News

SIU Today - August 06, 2026

SIU offers packed event schedule to welcome students

From Dawg Days to Saluki Startup and Weeks of Welcome, new and returning SIU Carbondale students will find everything they need to settle in during the official back-to-campus opening on Wednesday, Aug. 12.

SIU scientists use algae to double the concentration of rare earth elements

Associate professors Scott Hamilton-Brehm, microbiology, and Daniel Hummer, geology, and graduate students Mercedez Hanlon and Kristina Kohl, may have found a way to extract rare earth elements using algae.

Move-in to affect campus traffic, parking 

The campus will see an increase in traffic as students move in on Wednesday, Aug. 12, and Friday, Aug. 14. On move-in days, parking will be reserved for volunteers and families in lots 23, 39 and 4 near Thompson Point on the west side of campus and lots 55 and 106 near the Towers on the east side. View a campus map (PDF). 

SIU Carbondale, Black alumni, begin Black Archives Project

A project is underway to highlight the success and cultural history of SIU’s Black alumni, faculty, staff and students, heralding SIU’s longstanding commitment to diversity that began in the 1870s, when SIU was a teacher’s college.

SIU Alumni Association awards more than $66K in student scholarships

The SIU Alumni Association is awarding $66,443 to 53 new and continuing students at SIU Carbondale for the 2026-27 academic year — support that is a testament to the generosity and pride of Saluki alumni across the world.

SIU President Dan Mahony: “The Myth of the Summer Break” 

SIU System President Dan Mahony’s latest “Office Hours” podcast is “The Myth of the Summer Break.” The podcast focuses on the “tremendous amount of work” faculty and staff across the SIU System’s campuses do during the summer — including student recruitment and orientation to research, campus improvements, summer camps, strategic planning and preparing for another successful academic year. Mahony talks with SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin Lane, SIU Edwardsville Chancellor James Minor and SIU School of Medicine Dean Jerry Kruse.

Linda R. Baker named interim director of Paul Simon Public Policy Institute

Linda R. Baker, a university professor at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, has been named interim director of the institute.

Reminder: Saluki Registration Rally is Friday 

SIU Carbondale is holding a Saluki Registration Rally from 11 a.m.to 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, at the Tedrick Welcome Center. Undergraduate admissions will be available to help students register for classes, resolve any enrollment questions and make sure that students are prepared for the first day of the fall semester on Monday, Aug. 17.

Leadership training workshops for staff set for September

The final round of free leadership training workshops for 2026 will be offered Sept. 22-24 by the Staff Advisory Committee for the SIU System.

Champaign Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen receives 2026 Simon-Edgar Award

Deborah Frank Feinen, the mayor of Champaign, Illinois, received the 2026 Paul Simon-Jim Edgar Statesmanship Award for her years of hands-on, forward-looking leadership.

Reminder: Showcase SIU during the Du Quoin State Fair 

There is still time for SIU Carbondale academic units, departments, student organizations and individuals to showcase their programs and services throughout the Du Quoin State Fair. The fair runs Aug. 28-Sept. 7 and SIU Day is Saturday, Sept. 5. The deadline for submitting activities to be showcased at Saluki Central is Friday, Aug. 7 and the submission deadline for SIU Day is Aug. 28.

Camp Beta offers fun, camaraderie for youths with Type 1 diabetes 

Registration is open for Camp Beta, SIU Carbondale’s free overnight camp for youths ages 10-16 who have Type 1 diabetes. The camp is Sept. 19-20 at the Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center.

SIU’s Export Controls newsletter is available

The monthly SIU Export Controls newsletter for July 2026 is available. The newsletter provides a resource for current export control issues and events that could affect SIU and its faculty. This edition includes a review of chemicals and biologicals regulations. Previous Export Controls newsletters are also available.

New Arts Jazztet to perform Sunday

Members of the New Arts Jazztet, a Southern Illinois jazz group comprising SIU faculty and guests, will perform at Jazz Vespers, an evening prayer service, at 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9, at Epiphany Lutheran Church, 1501 W. Chautauqua St., Carbondale. NAJ was formed in 1984 by several School of Music faculty and has been in residence since that time. The performance will feature works by Kenny Barron, Paul Brewer, Donald Byrd, Takeshi Ohbayashi/Ulysses Owens, Eric Reed and Billy Strayhorn. The service will also be livestreamed on the Jazz Vespers at Epiphany Facebook page.

SIU Today to resume twice-a-week schedule Aug. 17

When fall 2026 classes start Monday, Aug. 17, SIU Today will resume its usual twice-a-week schedule of Mondays and Thursdays, except for holidays, closures and breaks. Please remember the submission deadline is two business days before desired publication, if all the necessary information is provided. That means a noon Thursday deadline for Monday publication and a noon Tuesday deadline for Thursday publication.