Southern Illinois University at Carbondale has extended its Saluki Step Ahead Program to include students at Kaskaskia and Rend Lake Colleges.
The program allows students with an associate’s degree in six academic programs to pursue a bachelor’s degree from SIU-C through online learning.
SIU Chancellor Austin Lane says students in accounting, business administration, criminology and criminal justice, health care management, psychology, and radiologic sciences are included.
“It gives students an opportunity, especially those who are place-bound, to make sure that they don’t always have to come to Carbondale. They can stay right here in their community. They don’t have to uproot their family or leave their jobs and finish year three and four with us. We want them to start here (Kaskaskia College) and finish as a Saluki. In addition to the access that it provides there is a financial incentive as well, in year three there is a $4,000 discount, and in year four a $4,000 discount. We think they will be able to get a degree for under $20,000 to $25,000 which would be amazing.”
Lane says by comparison it costs $25,000 to $29,000 to attend SIU-C in person with room and board for just one year. The program is being spread to every community college in the state. Lane reports the SIU Foundation has set a half-billion-dollar fundraising goal to provide the $4,000 yearly scholarships for the third and fourth year of learning.
Kaskaskia College President George Evans sees a big benefit to students.
“It is really the future of higher ed anyway in trying to get students transitioned from point A to point B in the most efficient way and I think Carbondale has definitely understood that and grasped that and have recognized that community colleges are the best path to move that forward.”
Evans says SIU-C has set the bar high for the rest of the college’s university transfer partners to meet.
