Chancellor: Austin A. Lane

Dr. Austin A. Lane's (download image) (download bio) tenure at SIU Carbondale has overseen the launch and implementation of the university’s strategic plan, Imagine 2030, which rests on five equally critical strategic pillars: student success and engagement; diversity, equity and inclusion; branding and partnerships; research and innovation, and sustainability.

Leadership at SIU Carbondale

• SIU Carbondale achieved Research 1 (R1) designation in 2025, placing it among elite U.S. universities.
• SIU recognized as an Opportunity University by Carnegie Classifications in 2025. This is a significant institutional designation showing that SIU students have higher outcomes and earnings. 
• SIU Carbondale enters FY27 with a balanced budget and elimination of its historic cash deficit. The university’s FY27 budget eliminates the remaining cash deficit that reached approximately $80 million during the 2015–17 state budget impasse, marking a significant milestone in SIU’s financial recovery and positioning the university to begin rebuilding reserves.
• Imagine 2030 Annual Progress Report - This report highlights the progress of the Imagine 2030 strategic plan in relation to its five pillars.
• SIU Carbondale Economic Impact Report - Details the impact SIU Carbondale has on the economy of the state of Illinois. $2.7 billion impact from the university's operations, student expenditures, visitor spending, and alumni income, alongside 18,601 jobs in Illinois supported by the economic activity.
• SIU Carbondale Campus Master Plan - For the first time in nearly two decades, Southern is formulating a campus master plan, which will determine how the physical campus will meet the needs for education, research, and innovation over the next 20 to 30 years.
• Saluki Commitment - This is a pledge that all new and transfer students who meet certain criteria are guaranteed that tuition and mandatory fees will be fully covered at no cost to students or families.
• Say “Yes” Initiative—Under the Say Yes initiative, students who meet the admission criteria will automatically be pre-admitted to SIU Carbondale.

Enrollment Growth

• Fall 2026: historic enrollment and retention growth.
  • Overall enrollment grew 2.4% to 12,066 students, reaching its highest level in eight years.
  • The incoming undergraduate class grew 16% to 1,779 students, while transfer enrollment increased 7% and online enrollment increased 14%.
  • First-to-second-year student retention increased 7.2 percentage points to 73.9%.
  • Enrollment of students from Southern Illinois increased 5%, including a 24% increase among new undergraduate students from the region.
• Spring 2026: third consecutive year of spring enrollment growth.
  • Overall enrollment increased to 10,919 students, marking the third consecutive year of spring enrollment growth.
  • Online degree enrollment increased 25%, while transfer student enrollment grew 10%.
  • Fall-to-spring retention for first-time, full-time undergraduate students reached 86.7%, a 2.6% increase from the previous year.
• Summer 2025: enrollment rises by almost 15% since 2021.

  • Summer 2025 enrollment grew in several key areas, including online (12%), continuing undergraduate (5%), and graduate (3%).

  • It is the sixth consecutive semester that enrollment continues to rise.

• Spring 2025 enrollment rises, following a remarkable fall.
  • The second consecutive year of over 3% enrollment increase
  • Over 7,800 Illinois residents attend the university, representing a 5% increase from last year.
  • Enrollment from the southern Illinois region rose 18%
• Fall 2024 marked the largest enrollment increase in 33 years.
  • The second consecutive year of overall enrollment growth
  • Freshman enrollment increased for the fifth straight year, with more students from the Southern Illinois region choosing to earn their bachelor’s degrees close to home.
• Fall 2023 celebrates an enrollment increase.
  • For the first time since 2014, enrollment at SIU Carbondale has grown (2.3% increase).
  • The highest overall boost in the number of students in 21 years
  • The highest percentage increase in over 30 years

Student Support and Initiatives

Programs initiated to support student enrollment and success include:

• Saluki Commitment - Closes the gap between financial aid and tuition and fees for qualified Illinois students from Illinois.
• Saluki Step Ahead - Over 40 community college partnerships that enable community college graduates in Illinois, Missouri, and Texas to earn a bachelor’s degree remotely from SIU Carbondale.
• Institute partnerships with Hope Chicago, Education is Freedom, various school districts, and youth organizations.
• Revived programs like the Dr. Seymour Bryson Future Scholars Program, which serves newly admitted students in the Exploratory Student Advisement program, and the Chancellor’s Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion.

Philanthropy and Fundraising

• Saluki Takeover Tours - Aim to engage alumni and donors nationwide.

SIU Carbondale designated Saluki Takeover Tours across the U.S. through the SIU Foundation to engage with alumni and friends with the heart of SIU.

• Saluki Ball - A major fundraiser for current SIU students.

The university hosts an annual Saluki Ball, a philanthropic campaign dedicated to raising funds to bridge students' financial gaps, which is core to the university's mission of accessibility. Keeping students enrolled is integral to continuing the momentum at SIU.

• Launched the Imagine SIU 2030 Campaign - Aimed to raise $500 million to support students, faculty, new programs, and research.
  
  • Record-breaking fundraising in FY24:
    • Nearly $47 million was raised (a 51% increase from FY23)
    • Over $5.4 million awarded in scholarships