(bright music) - Coming up on "The Impact Report," (crowd cheers) major upgrades to SIU's Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center.

We'll have an inside look at the first new construction there in decades, and a legendary Saluki hangout spot is back in action on the Carbondale Strip.

Two Saluki alumni are making bold changes to bring in big crowds.

(printer whirring) A peek inside the prototype lab, how entrepreneurs are turning ideas into products at the SIU Research Park.

But first, a major win for Saluki Athletics, more on the multimillion dollar gift that will support generations of student athletes.

"The Impact Report" starts right now.

(vibrant music) (vibrant music continues) Hello, and welcome to "The Impact Report," brought to you from WSIU Studios at Southern Illinois University.

I'm your host, Anna Twomey.

We're excited to share stories of impact and innovation happening right here on campus with you.

We have a packed show for you today, starting with a major gift to Saluki Athletics.

An anonymous donor has made a historic $4.5 million donation that will benefit generations of Salukis.

$4 million will go to support scholarships to female student athletes, and the remaining $500,000 will support improvements to the Saluki softball stadium.

Senior Associate Athletics Director Jeff Wilson is at the stadium now with more on how this gift impacts the future of women's sports at SIU.

- I'm here at Charlotte West Stadium with Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development, Kat Martin, and our head softball coach, Jen Sewell.

Kat, tell me a little bit about this historic donation and what it means for females in athletics today.

- You know, we are so excited.

It is such an incredible opportunity just for recruiting our female student athletes, for retention here at the university, to be able to offer these opportunities for young women to continue their education at a recently recognized R1 institution.

It's just phenomenal.

It puts us, you know, at the top of the valley and mid-majors, just showing off and showcasing our academics, our facilities, and incredible opportunities for women's athletics.

- And, Coach, $500,000 of that gift for this stadium right here.

What are some of the big dreams and your hopes and what that means to your program?

- Yeah, I don't think that folks remember that Charlotte West was built in 2003, so we're due for probably some major upgrades at this point.

You know, you can see the championships behind us on the wall.

So I think these female student athletes are deserving of things like locker room improvements, scoreboard improvements.

You're gonna see some safety issues come into play with like padded walls and things like that.

So we're gonna wanna see, you know, all that comes with the arms race in college softball right now, one of the fastest growing sports in America.

So with our time and energy, we're hoping to get some renderings going here pretty quickly and see those upgrades come to pass here pretty quick.

- Awesome, exciting times over here at Charlotte West Stadium.

Really can't wait to see what's next.

And Go Dawgs!

- What a huge win for our female athletes here at SIU.

Learn more about this amazing gift by heading over to siuf.org.

Two Salukis have teamed up to reopen and revitalize Hangar 9 on the Carbondale Strip.

This Saluki favorite is back in business with SIU alumni Scott Moller and Andrew Perlmutter as co-owners.

They purchased Hangar 9 earlier this year and have already made significant renovations, including the addition of a beer garden and expanding the dance floor.

We spoke with Scott Moller, who tells us there's something for everyone at the new Hangar 9.

- The community support, the SIU support has been phenomenal.

It's unbelievable.

I mean, look at this.

I mean, it's noisy, it's vibrant.

People want to be here.

It's really, life is about experiences and relationships, right?

And we want to create a lot of those experiences.

- Scott says Hangar 9 will host themed nights, karaoke, local bands, and so much more.

Make sure you stop by and check it out the next time you're in Carbondale.

Dozens of SIU students and alumni gathered outside the SIU Alumni Association to share a meal and Saluki memories.

The Alumni Association recently hosted its annual Legacy Luncheon during Student Move-in Week.

SIU Alumni Association Executive Director Molly Hudgins has more from students and alumni who attended the event.

- Hey, Salukis, I'm Molly Hudgins, and I'm here at the Alumni Courtyard for the fifth annual Legacy Luncheon hosted by the Alumni Association.

This is move-in day, and the Alumni Association meet-and-greet is where legacy students and their parents can get a Saluki welcome to start their semester.

It's a great way to honor our Saluki legacy and show our new students the Saluki tradition.

- My name is Steve Sims.

I'm a graduate of SIU in '93, in architecture, and we're here with Cole.

- When I realized I was going here, I realized I'd just be carrying on the tradition and going where my parents went and my grandparents went.

- The association is proud to support and promote the Saluki legacy.

Remember, children of SIU alumni receive the legacy tuition rate.

For more information, go to siu.edu/legacy.

Back to you, Anna.

- The SIU Foundation is back on the road for another Takeover Tour.

Most recently, we rallied Salukis in Indianapolis.

- Salukis, are you out there?

(crowd cheers) Indianapolis Salukis.

Man, what a great crowd.

- [Anna] SIU Chancellor Austin Lane spoke with alumni and supporters at a local brewery, providing updates about new developments on campus and the university's recent designation as both a Research 1 institution and an Opportunity University, a distinction given to fewer than 1% of universities nationwide.

Salukis who attended had the chance to network and catch up with old friends.

- I came out.

Even though I live here in Indianapolis now, I've been here for 13 years, I'm still a Saluki fan.

Once a Saluki, always a Saluki.

- I always say there's a few things in my life that were really meaningful and put me on a path, and choosing SIU was one of them.

It's awesome to see the university here in Indianapolis.

It's nice to be able to connect with people that have a shared history and a love for the university.

- As part of this stop in Indianapolis, sports administration students at SIU had the opportunity to go behind the scenes of operations for both the Indiana Pacers and the Colts.

They toured the stadium and learned what it takes to manage major sporting events.

This visit to Indianapolis kicks off another busy Saluki Takeover Tour.

We're headed to three more locations this fall, and we'd love you to stop by an event in your area.

We've got the list for you right here on the screen.

Later this month, we're headed to Washington, DC, then to Chicago in October and Texas in November.

For more information, head to siuf.org.

A former dorm facility at SIU will soon transform into a central hub for behavioral and mental health services.

The College of Health and Human Sciences is opening the Community Care and Education Center inside University Hall.

The resources there will be available to the entire Southern Illinois community.

SIU Foundation Chief Marketing Officer Britni Bateman is at University Hall with more on the critical support this new center will provide.

- This is a wonderful new effort, putting SIU at the forefront of making behavioral and mental health services more accessible to the community.

The Community Care and Education Center will bring several important programs together under one roof.

The new center will include the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, the Evaluation and Developmental Center, the Clinical Center, and Project 12-Ways.

These programs provide access to training for SIU students and staff and enhance the university's ability to conduct research in mental and behavioral health.

- But most importantly, the third aspect of this is it allows us to serve Southern Illinois residents through the behavioral health services programs that we already provide, that we're going to enhance, and new programming that we are going to develop to reach unmet needs.

- [Britni] A few examples of services available at the center include screening for autism spectrum disorders, work skill development, job placement, therapy, and so much more.

- It means so much to us at the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders.

We are very excited to be given this opportunity to create new space, to join other fields, and come together and collaborate.

- The programs that are part of this new center have already started moving in.

They hope to be in their new home within the next year and a half.

Reporting from University Hall, I'm Britni Bateman.

- Leaders at the College of Health and Human Sciences are hoping to raise $5 million to support new infrastructure, staffing, and other needs at the Community Care and Education Center.

To learn more about this, visit siuf.org.

Dozens of Saluki women are planning to attend the fourth annual Saluki Women's Weekend at SIU.

This exciting event, organized by the Women's Leadership Council, is focused on women's empowerment and will be held October 3rd and 4th.

The event is free and features opportunities to network and panel discussions with Saluki women who are trailblazers in their field.

Panelists include leaders from Fortune 500 companies and founders of nonprofit organizations.

We spoke with Women's Leadership Council Co-chair, Gloria Tison, who says the Southern Illinois community has stepped up to support this event.

- Well, it's very powerful.

I mean, it's powerful to be with other women and to see what they're doing, and it's very powerful to see that our community supports us.

You can't underestimate the value of that.

- Saluki Women's Weekend is a chance to celebrate inspiring women and build relationships between students, alumni, and the community.

Outside of this event, the Women's Leadership Council maintains a Mentor Program that pairs an SIU student with an alumna mentor in their field of interest.

We spoke with Saluki alumna Dr.

Dawn Korte, who helped launch the Women's Leadership Council and the Mentor Program.

She says it's playing a critical role in career development.

- What women know is we rely on each other.

We're very successful at asking for help.

And so what we wanted to do when we created this program was make it into a couple of things.

One was a mentorship program where women can be mentored by seasoned Salukis.

So we're developing the future leaders that way.

That was one arm.

The other thing we wanted to do was start to raise money for women initiatives on the campus for faculty, staff, even community.

So we have done that.

And then the third thing we set out to do was make a place where women could come together.

When you can give back and you can help create tomorrow, today, that's a great thing.

- [Anna] The Women's Leadership Council provides scholarships for students and micro grants to SIU female students, faculty, and staff for projects that promote leadership and mentorship.

Attending Saluki Women's Weekend is a great opportunity to get involved with these amazing efforts.

There's still plenty of time to sign up, and we'd love to see you there.

Registration is free, and you can complete that online at siuf.org/salukiwomen.

- There we go.

- Whoo!

(attendees laugh and chatter) - [Anna] A Saluki alumnus is sharing his passion for the outdoors with the entire Southern Illinois community.

1967 graduate Chuck Trover donated $3 million to help establish the Wildlife Habitat Education Center at SIU's Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center.

The new facility will serve as a hub for conservation programming, a visitor check-in point, and an indoor activity space for year-round events.

People gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate Trover's generosity.

- I hope this provides a renaissance for Touch of Nature.

I hope more people see what's going on out here and are willing to donate their time and their funds to bring this back up to the level that it could be and should be.

- Here, here.

(attendees applauding) - For Chuck Trover, this center is more than a building.

It's a tribute to the mentors who first opened his eyes to the natural world.

We had a chance to speak with Chuck about what inspired him to give back.

- My connection here is the concern of wildlife and the habitat center that we're building here.

The connection goes back a long ways from that, when I went to school here, but it goes really farther back to when I was a kid and I was out in nature.

I'm here to help out, get kids interested and hope pique their interest back in the habitats of all animals, not just the big game animals.

They all live off the habitat.

So that's the main reason I'm here, and Touch of Nature has provided a great forum for that.

And I hope that the building and the facility and the people that come here look around here and see what they've got.

I have been so fortunate to have the businesses go right, to have my health.

I have a good family.

And so it's just, it's a good thing to give back.

- Chuck Trover is an amazing Saluki.

We look forward to seeing the impact this new center will have on fostering the next generation of wildlife enthusiasts here in Southern Illinois and beyond.

The Wildlife Center isn't the only new addition to Touch of Nature.

The community can now enjoy a beautiful new trailhead pavilion.

This was made possible by a $500,000 donation from the SIU Credit Union.

The new trailhead is among the first major construction projects completed at Touch of Nature in decades.

- Projects like this give people a lot of optimism, right?

They give them a lot of spunk that, hey, you know what, we actually did this.

We pulled it off together.

- I think this thing is hopefully gonna bring a whole lot more people into this area.

We were out here trying to figure out where to put our sign.

There were people, cars here for Pennsylvania and Nebraska.

It's like, they're showing up already.

- [Anna] The pavilion features a shaded seating area, restrooms, and an area to wash your equipment.

Improvements like this to Touch of Nature also help support new programming for SIU students.

Coming up, our team heads into the lab at the SIU Research Park to check out the machine turning ideas into inventions.

Stay with us.

- [Announcer] Salukis, this is more than a milestone, it's a movement.

Celebrating its 10th year, the SIU Day of Giving calls upon Salukis everywhere to give back.

On September 17th, be a part of something powerful.

We are a Research 1 university at the peak of innovation and discovery.

We are also an Opportunity University, opening doors and helping all students succeed.

Less than 1% of universities hold both honors.

We are one of 21, and you are one of the difference makers.

- Welcome back, and thanks for watching "The Impact Report."

Layer by layer, staff at the SIU Research Park are helping local entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life.

It starts with a basic concept, and the Research Park fills in the details, literally, using a 3D printer.

SIU Foundation Chief Operating Officer Jeff Gleim heads into the lab to find out how it works.

- I'm here at the SIU Research Park, and with me is Lynn Anderson Lindberg, the executive director of the SIU Research Park and the Office of Innovation and Economic Development.

So, Lynn, tell us a little bit about what goes on out here.

- [Lynn] It's a little bit of everything.

If you think of economic development, it's not just business assistance, though.

It's everything you can imagine, from questions about how do we improve a downtown, to what else are we doing in the community that needs some assistance.

That's the Research Park.

- [Jeff] We're gonna focus on one thing today, and I think it's gonna take place in this building behind us.

- [Lynn] It is.

So we have a small prototyping lab here, 3D printers, and I'm really excited to share that with everybody today.

- A few years ago, we were approached about putting together some SIU-themed items for the tailgates.

And so we actually put together sort of a wide assortment and brought them to SIU, and they were able to make selections.

- So let's get into the actual startup of the design.

Can we look at that?

- Absolutely.

So, originally, we were brought the idea of doing the SIU-themed bottle opener.

So we designed many different iterations of it, but the end version that won was this one.

It can be printed, it's entirely metal-free.

We print quite a few of these, and this is actually the 3D model we used to print the objects you're gonna see today.

But you can see here, these are actually running right now.

Does this go in as a liquid?

- It takes the raw filament, [Michael] runs it up through the back, and then forces it into a heated nozzle, and that will actually take it and then forces it down through that really tiny orifice.

- Through this little tiny?

Oh my goodness.

- And then deposits it layer, by layer, by layer, by layer.

That's what's going on.

- That's what we're watching right now?

- That's what you're watching right now, is it's- - Oh, okay.

- And then, once it's done, I mean, this printer is done, if you would like to grab one out of there.

They come out exactly like that.

They are fully ready to go.

Anybody that has ideas, anything that has commercial viability, certainly we can help with the prototyping process.

The prototyping process can be a very extensive and expensive process.

- It can cost upwards of $40,000 to have somebody do a prototype for you.

And then you go in, and you say, "Well, this doesn't work."

And they say, "Okay, well, gimme another 40,000, and we'll help you fix it."

- Right.

- Come and work with Ken and I.

It might take us a little bit longer to work on that, but we don't charge them for that.

We want their product to actually get out there.

- Working with small businesses is really at the heart of everything that we do, but being able to work with them and see a dream come to life is just, it's incredible.

- Again, this was a great experience for all of us out here.

I hope you enjoyed this.

And now back to you, Anna, in the studio.

- We're told there are so many other innovative projects in progress at the 3D printing lab, but staff must protect the intellectual property of their clients.

So we'll just have to wait and see what they do next.

If you'd like to learn more about the lab, look for this story at siuf.org.

Coming up, the Saluki students turning classroom theory into a multi-million-dollar reality.

SIU Foundation CEO Matt Kupec sits down with Dr. Tim Marlo to talk about the savvy strategies students use to manage more than $4 million.

Stay tuned.

Join us October 3rd and 4th for the fourth annual Saluki Women's Weekend, a two-day celebration of connection, empowerment, and Saluki pride.

From leadership panels and mentorship, to tailgates and networking socials, this weekend is for everyone who believes in the power of women supporting women.

Saluki Women's Weekend is an inclusive event open to all individuals.

Register today at siuf.org/salukiwomen and be part of something unforgettable.

(bright upbeat music) - Welcome back, and thanks for joining us here in "The Impact Report."

I'm Matt Kupec, the CEO of the SIU Foundation, and we're thrilled to have in this studio with us today, Dr. Tim Marlo from the College of Business and Analytics.

And, Tim, you're here to talk to us about the Saluki Student Investment Fund.

- Yeah, I am.

Yeah, so the Saluki Student Investment Fund, this is big year for us.

It's our 25th anniversary.

And what the Saluki Student Investment Fund is, it's a real-world experience for students to basically manage.

Right now we're managing about $4.5 million for the university's foundation.

So it's real money.

We pick stocks.

The way we do it is we go, I mean, we look at the nuts and bolts of stocks.

We look at everything from how the managers are to their financials.

- I love it.

You know, the fact is this is not Monopoly money.

This is real money.

You're one of the biggest managers of the SIU Foundation's 230 million endowment.

How do you pick the students?

- So we actually go through an application and interview process.

It's actually quite competitive and selective.

So like, right now, we're currently interviewing students, and we're probably only, unfortunately, gonna be able to select about half of them because, I mean, we only have so many seats in that room.

So, but no, we basically look for students that just really want that initiative and that are just basically wanting to learn.

We love freshmen, we also love seniors, and we even have a PhD student.

So we look, we just basically want students that just want to help out and basically are excited about learning how to invest and learning how companies operate.

- We had a chance to talk to some of those students, so let's go talk with some of our SIU students.

- What drew me into the Saluki Student Investment Fund was the amount of money that we were able to manage, which was, I think at that time, maybe two to $3 million.

And now we've grown to $4.2 million.

And I think what's most important about that is it's not fake money, this is real money.

- The biggest qualities that I've enjoyed about this SSIF is not only, yes, you get to learn all the investment strategies, you get to work with Bloomberg Terminals, you're dealing with real money, you meet some of the clients, you know, like we visited NISA, RGA, some of our investments, is the community that you have at SSIF.

- It's just completely unique that we are entrusted and allowed by the foundation to deal with so much money.

It feels like a great responsibility, but it's also such an amazing opportunity.

- What an incredible story to hear our students investing over $4 million in the foundation's endowment, which provides scholarships for our students in the years and years to come.

Tim, incredible story.

25 years, and now we celebrate this fall, the 25th anniversary.

- Yeah, on homecoming, we're gonna have our 25th anniversary.

We'll welcome back all the alumni.

So I actually was part of the original year of the Saluki Student Investment Fund.

Back then we were managing, well, we started off with 25,000, but we were around 200,000 by the time I was managing it.

And now we have over $4 million.

So it's pretty incredible.

But we're asking basically alumni, whether they were managing the, you know, 200,000 with me or whether they're managing a million dollars, or now about four and a half million dollars, we're wanting them to come back, share their story, network with the current students.

I'm really looking forward to it, and I know our alumni are really looking forward to it.

All the past advisors are coming back, so they're gonna have a chance to meet their former students.

It's really gonna be a fun experience.

- Truly one of the best programs of any college in America, what you're doing with our students in this investment fund.

Congratulations.

- Thank you very much.

- Keep up the good work.

The foundation's counting on you.

- (chuckles) I'll try.

- And we'll go on.

We're gonna break now, and we'll be back after this short break.

(lively energetic music) - [Announcer] The Saluki Takeover Tour is back, bigger, boulder, and coast to coast.

Join us to connect, celebrate, and show the world what it means to be a Saluki for life.

(lively energetic music) (lively energetic music continues) See you there, and Go Dawgs!

- Welcome back to "The Impact Report."

Up next, a fun fact from the SIU history books, courtesy of our friends over at Morris Library Special Collections.

During this month in SIU history, we go back to a September day in the mid 1950s.

These photos show SIU students lining up outside Parkinson Laboratory for chest x-rays.

This was part of a statewide campaign to combat tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis killed thousands of Illinoisans every year before a successful antibiotic was developed in 1944.

Mobile x-ray units were commonplace on college campuses.

Thankfully, by 1960, tuberculosis had largely disappeared.

And now our beloved Saluki mascot.

Here's "A Moment with Grey Dawg."

- He's back.

- When we say R1 for everyone, I'm not sure this is what we mean.

- Yeah, just go with it.

- Yeah.

(cap clicks) - Grey Dawg just doesn't wanna be left out, right?

We'll end the show with this beautiful shot of the new Campus Lake Fountain, all lit-up for the evening.

What a gorgeous addition to the campus.

And I bet those students living over at Thompson Point dorms enjoy seeing that view outside their window.

Thank you for watching "The Impact Report."

You can find all of these stories and more at siuf.org.

We'll air a new report once a month, and if you miss an episode, you can find it on the SIU Foundation's YouTube channel.

Take care, and we'll see you next time.

Go Dawgs!

(jubilant music) (jubilant music continues) (jubilant music continues)