|
 The
Saluki Step Ahead program provides qualified community college
students the option to earn their bachelor’s degrees remotely and at
a lower cost in six academic programs: accounting, business
administration, health care management, radiologic sciences,
criminology and criminal justice, and psychology.
“This is a game-changer and provides a valuable option to working
adults and other students with limited pathways,” said SIU
Carbondale Chancellor Austin Lane. “Many community college students
can’t uproot their lives and come to Carbondale to earn their
bachelor’s degrees. We’re taking SIU Carbondale to them in an
accessible and affordable way. Students want our brand of degree.
They prefer to take classes from SIU Carbondale.”
Following graduation with an associate degree from an Illinois
community college, qualifying students can immediately advance to
complete their bachelor’s degree online from SIU Carbondale without
leaving home.
Through Saluki Step Ahead, students pay the community college rate
for their first two years of study with SIU Carbondale. In the third
and fourth years, they receive an annual $4,000 scholarship,
significantly reducing the financial barriers to earning a
bachelor’s degree.
“Illinois community colleges are always looking for ways to increase
access and affordability for its students and the Saluki Step Ahead
partnership does both. This program allows students to immediately
accelerate their education with guaranteed and seamless transfer of
courses to an established four-year institution at a fraction of the
cost. It also gives them tremendous flexibility by allowing them to
complete their bachelor's degree at home while maintaining other
life responsibilities,” said ICCB executive director Brian Durham.
Illinois
has the third-largest Community College System in the nation with 48
colleges throughout the state. Community colleges serve more than
600,000 Illinois residents each year in credit and noncredit courses
and many more through their public service programs.
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The statewide agreement between SIU Carbondale and ICCB allows
individual community colleges to seamlessly join the Saluki Step Ahead program,
including Shawnee Community College, which entered into an agreement earlier
this month.
The university is in discussions with several other community
colleges throughout the state regarding similar partnerships.
About SIU Carbondale
Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a doctoral research university, with
several colleges, a School of Law and a School of Medicine. With 200-plus
majors, minors and specializations, the university offers unique opportunities,
including undergraduate research often reserved for graduate students elsewhere,
and it is committed to access and student success. The beautiful campus includes
a lake, a forest, university-owned farms and world-class facilities.
About the Illinois Community College Board
The Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) is the state coordinating
organization for the Illinois Community College System - the third largest in
the country and the leading public workforce development trainer in the state.
The ICCB has statutory responsibility for administering state and federal grants
to community college districts and adult education providers and managing high
school equivalency testing for Illinois. Illinois community colleges serve over
600,000 residents each year in credit, noncredit, and continuing education
courses. Illinois is home to 48 colleges in 39 community college districts which
provide high quality, accessible, cost-effective educational opportunities to
the entire state.
[Matt Berry
Chief of Staff
Illinois Community College Board] |
