SIU Carbondale inks agreement to improve access for Parkland College students

October 30, 2024

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois University Carbondale strengthened its commitment to students in east central Illinois with an agreement to bring the expertise of a doctoral research university to qualified Parkland College students by providing the option to earn their bachelor's degrees remotely and at a lower cost in 12 academic programs.

SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin A. Lane and Parkland College President Pamela Lau signed the agreement for the Saluki Step Ahead program on Wednesday, Oct. 30, during a ceremony in Champaign.

Established in 2021, the program enables students who graduate with an associate degree from partnering community colleges to complete their SIU bachelor's degrees online in accounting, business administration, criminology and criminal justice, early childhood, elementary education, health care management, history, industrial management and applied engineering, information technology, nursing (RN to BSN), psychology and radiologic sciences.

"We are pleased to collaborate with Parkland College to provide another option for place-bound students in this region," Lane said. "If these students cannot come to Carbondale to complete their education, we will bring the expertise and resources of a doctoral research university to them."

Lane added that this Saluki Step Ahead agreement fits well with the university's strategic plan, Imagine 2030, and its pillars of student success and partnerships.

"Parkland College welcomes its new partnership with Southern Illinois University Carbondale through the Saluki Step Ahead agreement," said Parkland President Pamela Lau. "For many years, university partnerships have provided Parkland College students with ever-broadening opportunities for seamless credit transfer and the attainment of baccalaureate and other advanced degrees."

Founded in 1966, Parkland College has just over 6,000 students enrolled in its fall 2024 semester, with 50% of degree-seeking students indicating an interest in transferring to a four-year institution after completing their studies there.

Parkland College serves the third largest community college district in the state of Illinois, serving 55 communities across 2,908 square miles.

The Parkland College agreement brings SIU Carbondale to about 50 Saluki Step Ahead partnerships the university has with community college campuses in Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas. That includes pacts with 45 of the 48 community colleges in Illinois.

Students in the Saluki Step Ahead program pay the community college rate for their first two years. In the third and fourth years, they receive annual $4,000 scholarships.

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