01/08/2024 | Press release | Archived content
August 01, 2024
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The SIU Alumni Association has awarded $59,288 to 46 new and returning Southern Illinois University Carbondale students for the fall 2024 semester.
Thanks to the support of new and legacy donors, students are receiving funds administered by the association from 15 regional and legacy scholarships and 20 textbook awards. These scholarships often help students fill critical gaps in their financial aid packages. This year's scholarship recipients are from Illinois, Delaware, Florida, Missouri and Texas.
"The Saluki family is strong in heart and generosity, and these scholarships are made possible by our alumni, who are always excited to share pride in their university and give back to the students," said Molly Hudgins, executive director of the SIU Alumni Association and a 1997 SIU Carbondale alumna. "Awards like these make all the difference in the world to many of these students, and I'm proud we're not only maintaining but growing giving among alumni."
Funding for many of the scholarships awarded to students each year comes from regional alumni groups of the association. These groups periodically host events to fundraise for the awards, such as the St. Louis Area Alumni Group, which typically raises more than $2,500 during its annual trivia night.
This year, the Chicagoland area has also seen massive gains in its regional scholarship fund. The group collected roughly $10,000 in donations during the SIU Day of Giving in February.
Hudgins attributes success like this to significant changes the association made in 2023, chiefly its decision to sunset its annual membership program for alumni and redirect more financial support to such areas as scholarships and student programming.
"Students are the most important part of SIU," she said. "Our organization and the more than 260,000 alumni we represent have roles to play in mentoring and supporting these Salukis. We're always proud to do our part in creating new Salukis for life!"
For more information about association scholarship funds available to current and prospective students, visit siualumni.com.
Scholarship recipients for the 2024-25 academic year are:
ILLINOIS
DELAWARE
FLORIDA
TEXAS
Receiving $1,000 textbook award recipients by hometown are:
ILLINOIS
MISSOURI
Receiving $1,000 SIU Alumni Association Student Alumni Council Senior Textbook Awards are:
ILLINOIS
MALAYSIA