(upbeat music) - Welcome to another edition of In Focus, I'm Jennifer Fuller.

The semester at SIU-Carbondale and at many universities across the state is almost over.

That means students are taking finals and preparing for a well-deserved break.

Many are also preparing for commencement, meaning they'll be out looking for jobs in the near future.

We'll talk about that and more with SIU-C Chancellor, Austin Lane.

Chancellor, thanks for joining us.

- Thank you for having me, Jennifer.

I appreciate you taking time and I can't believe we're already at the end of the semester.

It's gone by extremely fast.

- 16 weeks at the beginning of the semester looks a whole lot different than it does at the end.

Can you talk a little bit about the priorities you had for the students as they started the fall of 2022 versus where we are today?

- We did a lot of planning and preparation for our incoming freshmen.

As you know, we recorded almost a 7% increase in that freshman class, largest freshman class that we've had here in several years.

And so Saluki nation is alive and well, and those students are still here with our current students that just returned from the previous semester.

And we had a nice retention rate of over 70 some odd percent of those students that started a year ago coming back.

A lot of what we do, as you know, in the first year experience and getting those students acclimated to the academic environment, it is just really about making sure that they have the amount of support that they need, whether it be in advising and tutoring and counseling, and then engagement, social engagement, getting them involved is critically important to making sure that those students persist from semester to semester, is what I like to say from orientation to graduation.

- Sure.

One of the issues I know that you've been working on as you try to build enrollment on the Carbondale campus is not just bringing in the new students, but keeping them, as you said, from semester to semester, from year to year.

How are retention efforts changing as you try to deal with a group of students who have had what maybe we would call an unconventional path from high school into college?

- You're really just creating seamless pathways for students as they enter the university for those incoming freshmen, and then making sure for those continuing students that they stay on course.

We use a more high touch approach through advising and through registration and through counseling and through tutoring, really to try and reach out to those students before problems occur.

So the early alert process through our Saluki Cares is very critical.

It's where our faculty will alert our counselors and other administrators about students who maybe haven't been going to class or students that are not making the kinds of grades that they imagine they would make when they got here.

And so it's just important to provide a high touch environment, so students really believe that we care about 'em, and we're at a size within our institution where we can actually reach out and touch 11,000 plus students, we're not 40, 50,000 person campus.

At some point, I wish we would get back to that early number we had back a couple years ago, but we're still large enough, but small enough to provide a high touch environment, and that's what we've been focused on doing.

- I know that the students, when they get close to graduation, whether it's a fall commencement as you'll be seeing here later this week, or whether it's a traditional spring commencement which is quite a bit larger, they start worrying about the job market, they start looking at headlines and they're seeing right now, some things that might be a little concerning to them, high inflation, the potential for a recession in the coming year, and they start worrying about job security, whether they'll even be able to find that first job.

What types of things do you hope that SIU gives to those students as they prepare for the world beyond higher education?

- Yeah, our work actually started with those students when they arrived as freshman.

Lemme give you an example, a large number of our students have been doing internships at major corporations since their freshman year.

I mean, that's the advantage, right?

Of being an SIU-C student is that they've been working for those big accounting firms all summer, right?

They've been working on the farms in different places throughout the region all summer, and so that's the advantage I think, when students think about staying home and going to their hometown university, is that we have Salukis all over this state who are well accomplished Salukis, who own businesses and work in corporations where they just recruit more Salukis.

It's like the Saluki nation network.

So that's a big advantage.

So we always say, if you're a senior and trying to get an internship or a job, you're probably too late.

You probably needed to be there a little earlier.

So I think our students will find, and they already have from the ones I've talked to, it's several career job opportunities are waiting for them out there.

I've talked to a student the other day in our engineering building, he was trying to decide between two offers, and both of those offers were over 80,000 plus dollars.

This is a 22 year old student from the region that he's debating which offers to accept.

I mean, and they're basically going after him.

So, that's a good problem to have.

I think as students get into that career search, if they find that they're unable to find the ideal job, I always tell 'em, stay here and finish your graduate degree, work on a master's degree, right?

If you can't find that job you're looking for, go back to school.

That's a great option to have and do it right here at SIU-Carbondale in our graduate program.

So, I think there is a pretty good outlook for our students that are out there in certain areas, whether it's aviation, automotive technology, nursing, agriculture, business, accounting, we've got several areas that lead to not just a good job, but great jobs, high paying jobs that lead to long-standing careers.

- How do you work that balance between when a student comes in with high goals, high aspirations, and parents saying, maybe you need to temper that a little bit, maybe you need to look at where there's going to be a guaranteed job or a high percentage of placement instead of this thing that you've got your eyes really, really focused toward.

How do you work with that student as a university, kind of show them where the jobs are and allow them to achieve that dream?

- Part of our strategic plan, the title is very fitting.

It's called Imagine SIU-C in 2030.

And as you notice on the highways and billboards, we put imagine next to a lot of our academic programs because we're trying to get the message across that if students work hard and put their mind to it, they can become that doctor, that lawyer, that instructor.

They can do that, right, with the right amount of support and the right amount of direction they can do it.

Now, when they get here on campus, we go through a series of career assessments, in some cases students start to explore degrees, right?

They start to look at the pathway, how long will it take me to become a nurse?

How long will it take me to become a pilot in our aviation program?

And so we really have that discussion in what we call our university 101, where students have that 16 week opportunity as incoming students to start to explore what they'd like to do for their future, and then most importantly, get a real clear example of what it takes to achieve it.

So that way there's not a lot of that disappointment out there because it's a real strategically designed approach to looking at their skillset and then what it will take for them to actually become that particular person in that profession.

So that's the idea, is that we really do a good job on the front end for students, so it's not a disappointment at the end.

We don't want students to be at graduation here on Friday and Saturday obviously is when we're graduating our students, we don't want them to be at commencement upset and disappointed because they have not had a chance to talk to their advisor or their faculty member for four years about what they can do with their career and with their degree once they achieve it.

So that's the continued ideas that we did.

No surprises, we just make sure students are on the right pathway to get there.

- There is a focus both on campus and outside the campus of course, looking at student success, student graduation rates, student placement rates, but what about the responsibility that the university as an institution has to the economy of rural, southern and central Illinois?

What about the jobs there, and can you talk a little bit about how the strategic plan takes a closer look at the economy as a whole in the region that you serve?

- Yeah, part of our model, what we've been talking about is that we are the powerhouse of southern Illinois in this region, right?

We're one of the largest employers.

The research that's being conducted here serves our community and makes it better, right?

And so when you think about the students that come from this region now that are coming to this institution, we have a clear obligation, right?

To make sure that we not only continue to make sure students graduate, but that we look for opportunities for them to stay here at home to sustain some of the efforts that are already underway, right?

There are a lot of efforts with SI Now and a lot of economic development partnerships that are occurring in this region where the university is right at the center of those partnerships and isn't uncommon upon us to make sure, for example, our nurses stay here and work right here at home in our hospitals, right?

That's very important.

And that's gonna be part of what we are, at least part of what we talk about in our strategic plan with our sustainability pillar.

It's just that, right?

It's to make sure we sustain our efforts on the academic side to keep our students here at home, so we can further sustain the region in the economic prosperity that's occurring here.

That is important for us at the university.

It'll be one of our top priorities that we'll focus on when we look at areas, let's use education for example.

We graduate and employ more teachers in this region that have finished from our college of education than any school that's around us, right?

So with those opportunities, with those Salukis that are out there as superintendents and principals and counselors and teachers already recruiting our students who are going to be graduating, that's how you sustain some of those efforts that I'm talking about, and then you just mentioned to make your region stronger.

- You've spent a lot of time over the last year or so working on those partnerships with other organizations, other institutions of higher learning across Illinois and really across the country, how important are those partnerships as well in building and maintaining the strength, both of SIU and of southern Illinois?

- Extremely important.

I set out two years ago to connect immediately with our superintendents, our counselors, our principals right here in the region first, started inside and then went outside the region.

But the strategy was to reconnect because we know with the college going population, it's coming outta the high schools.

So what better place to start our connection?

The second stage of that was to connect with our community colleges.

We have a large number of students in the region that are going directly to community colleges, Rend Lake, Shawnee, Southeastern Illinois, Logan, Kaskaskia, all of those community colleges, we have great relationships with each of those presidents that are at those schools that I just mentioned.

They were the only population across the country that saw 1% increase in enrollment.

So the community colleges are bouncing back and we know we have students that start there, but may wanna finish with us.

And so our Saluki Step Ahead Program that we launched to really help those students be SIU students when they leave those community colleges, providing some incentive for those students, very important to recruit and to connect.

So we'll continue on that vein, that's something I think that we've done very well in the last two years, and we have plans to do even better going forward.

- As we look ahead to 2023, it's very easy for students to kind of take that winter break in between the two semesters and kind of forget what they were working on or working toward, what do you recommend to students and their families to try and stay sharp so that when they return to campus or return to classes, if they're taking classes online, for example, so that when they start in the spring, they're just as ready as they need to be?

- Yeah, I'm a firm believer, especially after students work very hard in that fall semester, I'm a firm believer in sending the message that they need to take a break.

As you know, a lot of the students that are starting with us came from high schools just a few years ago that were totally online, and it was very stressful.

And we have students that having to balance that school and life can be very challenging at times.

So I'd encourage all students who are leaving us to really unplug from the academic environment for the weeks that you have off, because when they come back in the spring, that time will go very fast.

They're gonna be right back in it, and they need to be refreshed, they need to be motivated, they need to be encouraged, well rested, all of those things are important if they're gonna get off to a good start in the spring semester.

So I know sometimes people will say the opposite, oh, they need to stay ready and idle and I disagree.

I think they need to take some time off and take a deep breath, spend time with their families, spend time just on their own, doing some things that they wanna do instead of having to comply with the syllabus that they've been on for 16 weeks.

So, I'd encourage them to get that rest.

I think they're better off when they do that, when they come back and they're directed in terms of where they're going.

We're here to support 'em every step of way.

- I wanted to circle back to something that you touched on earlier in our conversation, and it gets to access for students of all different levels of ability, how important is it and what services does SIU offer to help those students who might not otherwise be able to get a higher education degree, whether they come from an underrepresented community and perhaps don't have the preparation that they need, or those with disabilities or other challenges that might keep them from higher education?

- That's the beauty of our institution, is that we don't have a one size fits all model.

We're constantly trying to provide access to higher education, to quality higher education, which is what we feel like we have here at the university, and it's been that way for years, long before I arrived, we've always been viewed as that.

So for students that may come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds or rural environments that are looking for access, we are your institution, we're your institution.

We were just named as one of the best colleges for students that stay home, and that was something two years ago was unheard of.

Everyone was leaving.

So we've just received that award that we'll be putting out here shortly to remind folks that we are your hometown university and more and more students are selecting to stay at home.

And when you get here, we have what we call opportunities to make sure that you're whatever, if there's a disability or if there's something you need, that you have access, right?

That you're accommodated, right?

You get the appropriate accommodations to make sure that your time here is successful, whether that means note takers, if it means that you need to have more time for your exams.

All of those things are handled through our disability services office and it allows you to operate at no disadvantage, right?

You get the exact same type of an advantage that any student will receive here.

So, our institution has always prided itself on those things.

We've prided ourselves on accessibility, on accommodations and making sure that we are an institution that's going to accept students.

Not only accept students, but make sure they're successful when they get here.

- That support from the university is so important.

And you touched on this also a little bit earlier, but what about that support post-graduation in terms of alumni helping out those students who are just coming out of school, is it important to have that family once you step out into the real world?

- That's one of the most important things and that's why it's so valuable with our alumni association.

We have more alums than most universities have that are located, fortunately right here in our state, but also across the country, across the world.

Salukis are everywhere.

And I always tell our graduates, use that as your network because those Salukis that are out there can tell you about the job opportunities, right?

They can recommend you for jobs, they can hire you.

And so having that connection with the alumni association, it's gonna be worth every, what is it, 30, 40 bucks, it's gonna be worth every dollar to become a part of that alumni association because that's where your internal network is gonna come from to get you to positions where you wanna be.

So, I can't stress out enough for our graduates that'll be leaving here on the 17th.

As Saluki alums, I'm excited and proud for all of what they've done and during their time here and we look forward to continuing the support that we've been able to give them over the years.

- Chancellor Austin Lane of Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, thanks so much for your time.

- Thank you Jennifer.

- And as Southern Illinois University and other colleges and universities are preparing students to head into the workforce, other organizations are working with those who may have developmental disabilities or other challenges that prevent them from entering the workforce.

WSIU's Benjy Jeffords has more on one program at Arrowleaf that helps people find jobs and boost the economy.

- [Benjy] Many adults with developmental and physical disabilities struggle to find jobs.

Social service agencies around the region are working to help bridge the gap.

Arrowleaf's community service program helps adults living with disabilities learn employable skills.

- When you're looking, you wanna check.

- But they've rotted.

- Very good.

You wanna check the ends.

If those look fresh, then we can take a case of these.

- Gabe Clevenger, Dylan Thornton and Mark Valentine are working at a cold storage facility picking produce to deliver to Arrowleaf's food pantry in Cairo.

- Really?

Yes, dear.

Some what?

Well then you go over there and check 'em out, see what they look like.

Let me know what you think.

- [Benjy] Arrowleaf CEO Sherrie Crabb says they're learning job skills that will carry over to their independent life.

- Big part of the program is to get them employable skills so that one day they'll be able to go work unsupervised for a local employer.

And in this case, with the skills they're learning in this particular program is obviously picking out produce, so they may potentially be able to work in a grocery store, understanding when produce is good, when it's bad or when it's expired, what type of produce there is.

- So can you look through these and make sure that there's, look at this one here.

Does that one look pretty good?

Check out their little dimples.

- [Benjy] Mark has been working with a food pantry for a little while and recently was able to move into his own apartment and manages his own care.

- We go to the food bank and get the pallets out and decide which one we want to put on.

And then if we get enough on the pallet or how many pallets they want to get, and then the guy, he brings it outside where the bus is and then we just load it inside the bus and drive it down here.

- [Benjy] Crabb says, these are just three examples of the dozens of individuals who are employed by Arrowleaf and many programs that are tailored to work for each person.

- [Sherrie] The point of all of our programs is to help people kind of get back to the point where they can function, whatever that looks like for them in a way that they're able to contribute to their family or to the community or to a job or themselves, so that's kind of the main premise behind every single thing that we do.

- That's debatable.

So that's not one we want.

Yeah, no.

- [Benjy] She says living with disabilities can be difficult for their clients, which is why they spend a lot of time training them to one day be self-sufficient.

- Making sure that they're following prompts or if they get distracted a little bit, understand that they have to stay on task.

There's a time for taking breaks and there's a time for working and making sure that they're able to follow instruction from a supervisor.

- Do you feel the air?

- Oh, that ain't good.

- No.

Any time there's air in there, that means air can what do what?

- Bacteria.

- So those are all skills that are obviously needed, not just in the workplace, but also just day to day understanding that there's these rules about society that we all have to kind of follow in a sense, and that's gonna help them be successful out on their own.

- [Benjy] All three men have struggled with mental illness their entire life, and are learning social skills to someday support themselves.

- They have a variety of different diagnoses and sometimes with those diagnoses come symptoms that often contribute to maybe our inability to have relationships with people, maybe take care of ourselves or become employable.

- [Benjy] Dylan enjoys his time working at the food pantry.

- Yeah, I like it.

It's fun helping out other people.

- All the canned goods go around the other shelves, okay?

- [Benjy] Crabb says part of the training helps 'em learn to handle their disabilities and take care of themselves.

- Do we need to help y'all put this thing away?

- When they're unable to advocate for themselves or know the difference between sometimes what's right and wrong, they are often a victim of somebody else to unfortunately taking advantage of them.

Or maybe they act in a way that where maybe they would hurt somebody else or hurt themselves and it's maybe because they don't have the skills to manage what they're hearing or seeing or feeling.

- Okay, that's spaghetti.

- Spaghetti sauce.

- Two different things, okay?

- [Benjy] Crabb says some of their clients need a little time to warm up to the idea of having someone there to help them.

- You have your vegetables here, right?

- Yeah.

- And then your pasta was, guess this white one right here?

- Yes.

- [Sherrie] Every day, I know whenever I get to see their face, they're always smiling and happy.

- There ya go.

Come on baby!

Go on now.

- Now was it always that way?

No, it's taken a long time for some of them to get to that point where they can interact in that form.

When we get individuals originally and they come in contact with us, they are maybe a little leery of getting help.

Some may be worried that they're gonna be taken advantage of because maybe that's something that they've experienced before.

So, building trust and rapport with our clients is obviously our number one priority.

- Make make sure we protect the eggs so that the eggs don't bust.

- [Benjy] Gabe has been with Arrowleaf for more than two decades, and just recently volunteered for the food pantry work crew because he heard other clients talking about how much they enjoyed it.

- [Gabe] Hey it's good to know that we're able, at least we're doing something for the community.

So, yeah, 'cause it's like what said, there are people in the community that are not as fortunate as what others are.

- Gonna be your spice shelf.

- [Benjy] Crabb says she's delighted to see Gabe trying new things.

- Make sure that they're all facing the same directions.

- Correct.

- [Sherrie] Now that's the first time that's ever happened before.

And you know, Gabe is someone that, he will always struggle in following direction, but at the same time, he has gotten to a point in his life where if you can provide redirection to him, he will follow that redirection.

- [Benjy] Seeing improvements like that is what makes Crabb thankful she can provide help to others.

- It is the most meaningful job there is out there to know that you're assisting someone, not giving them something, but giving them the tools that they need in order to contribute back.

And we see it every day and you just saw three people today.

There are thousands of people that receive services on a regular basis from us in our region.

And I know for a fact, even though some people may not understand that connection, our region is better because of human service providers like Arrowleaf and so many others that are doing niche kind of areas to help out.

- [Benjy] For In Focus, I'm Benjy Jeffords.

- I'm Jennifer Fuller.

Thanks for joining us on another edition of In Focus.

As always, you can find us online @wsiu.org and click subscribe on our YouTube channel.

In Focus, we'll be back next time.

(upbeat music)