Wendler entertains local educators

Chancellor Walter Wendler attempted to bolster the regional relationship the University has with its surrounding communities Monday, when he appealed to more than 100 local school educators to send their students to SIUC.

More than 41 local high school educators were among those who gathered for dinner at the Student Center to listen in as Wendler spoke about the University's strong commitment to serving its communities and a desire to continue valuable outreach.

The chancellor was armed with a slide show presentation of the ongoing and future construction plans on campus, as well as a run down of the list of projects that highlighted how the University was preparing for the future. Wendler said ignoring the southern Illinois region while the University's quest for national and global recognition inches forward, could be detrimental.

"There is no way that we can overstep southern Illinois to get to the rest of the world," Wendler said. "We cannot lose the fire and the passion as we work with these new students. This is what Southern Illinois University is about." The dinner marked the finish of what had been several months of recruiting trips that the chancellor made across the region. Mark Miner, president of Benton Consolidated High School's school board, said the University's outreach was well-intended and a good recruiting tool. He also said the dinner and Saluki men's basketball tickets, which were given out to those in attendance, were a good ploy to draw educators to the University.

"This will definitely help," Miner said on the University's recruiting efforts. One group of educators at a dinner table joked that they had just come for a free meal and the basketball tickets. Board of Trustees Chairman Glenn Poshard, a southern Illinois native who received his bachelor, master and doctorate degrees at SIUC, said the group of educators should take University's message of regional outreach and tell their students.

"You are all not only welcome here," Poshard said. "But, all of your students are welcome here as well." Marjorie Ahearn, an SIUC undergraduate admissions counselor, said her recruiting trips often yield direct results. She said she has been to Carbondale High School four times this semester and is planning more trips to solidify relationships with students.

Ahearn said the University does whatever it can to reach out to both elementary and high schools in the region. She said the University has even started an Internet chat room called "University Chat," to bolster recruitment efforts. The University holds more than seven camps over the summer to attract high school and elementary students to the campus. Some 4,000 students attend religious camps on campus and 500 students attend academic camps.

Wendler also highlighted that the University's commitment to local community colleges would be more important in the coming years. He said 40 percent of the students who attend SIUC are community college transfers. "We need to have a transparent seam with community colleges," Wendler said.