[MUSIC] >> Coming up on the impact report.

>> We have more than 150 attendees representing 85 companies.

>> A local tradition brought back to life after ten years.

We take you inside the relaunch of the Southern Illinois Leaders Breakfast, hosted inside the Tedrick Welcome Center.

Plus, Saluki alumnus and CNN senior international correspondent Jim Bittermann makes a visit back to campus.

The SIU Foundation has an exclusive interview about how his time at S-I-U launched his career in network television, and this month in the lab.

>> I'm Jeff Gleim and I'm up in a John Deere tractor and I'm about to plant soybeans.

I think I can do it.

Stay tuned to find out.

>> But first, Southern Illinois.

>> Are you ready?

>> Thousands of students officially become Salukis alumni.

They celebrated their Saluki journey with family and friends during SIU's 150th commencement ceremony.

Our team is on scene at Banterra Center.

The impact report starts right now.

[MUSIC] Hello and welcome to this very special episode of The Impact Report.

We're coming to you from WSIU Studios with a live audience on set.

What a fantastic group we have here.

[APPLAUSE] Gosh, it is fantastic to have this group here.

They're really bringing up the energy in the studio today.

This June, we're celebrating our first full year on air.

I'm your host, Anna Twomey, and we're excited to share some amazing Saluki stories with you.

We've got lots to get to on the show today, starting with a successful graduation weekend at SIU.

More than 2000 students walked the stage this year to receive their diplomas, surrounded by their family, friends and Salukis supporters.

The excitement of these graduates was off the charts.

>> Congratulations to all the SIU graduates!

Congratulations!

>> So many smiles and lots of graduates relieved to have that diploma in hand.

SIU Chancellor Austin Lane congratulated Salukis as they crossed the stage.

This year's ceremony was a major milestone for the university, marking 150 years of commencement ceremonies.

SIU Foundation chief marketing officer Brittany Bateman was at graduation and has more on the Saluki team that makes this exciting but highly complex event happen every year.

>> What an incredible day today.

graduation.

As you can see around me, there's people everywhere.

Energy is high.

So much excitement for congratulating the new Salukis who walked across the stage.

>> All of my hard work is like finally being able to be shown to my parents.

>> It feels amazing.

And it even feels even better that I get to share this experience with my sister.

>> It's kind of bittersweet with everything coming to an end.

Finally.

>> For every Saluki, the journey from freshman year to Diploma in Hand is very different.

>> It's been seven years, so it's been a long, a long, long journey for me.

>> English graduation day is bigger than a personal achievement.

>> I'm from the Fort Belknap Reservation in Montana and part of the Lakota tribe, and my auntie reminded me that when I accomplished something, my people accomplished something.

>> During one ceremony, Salukis are making memories that last a lifetime.

Behind the scenes, there's a special team making that possible.

>> Commencement is an opportunity to be a part of creating those core memories.

And so we want to do it right.

>> Doing it right depends on logistics to start a year before the ceremony.

Sarah van Vuuren, a Salukis alumna and executive director of community relations and university events at SIU, is at the heart of it all.

Sarah and her team must complete a checklist of hundreds of items months before graduation day to ensure the celebration runs smoothly.

>> We're counting diploma covers.

We're making sure that we have the appropriate amount of regalia.

We're making sure we have regalia for our Honorary degree and Distinguished Service Award recipients.

>> Nearly 100 volunteers come together on the day of graduation to carry out this intricate operation.

This year, graduation day was unique.

Salukis celebrated 150 years of commencement ceremonies at SIU.

>> The commencement program is actually a throwback to the first commencement program we could find in archives.

>> Sarah's secret to success develop a good plan and stick to it.

Keeping it simple is the key to helping graduates like Taniya Johnson make memories with her friends and family.

>> I just want to encourage everyone to dream big, and I wanted to encourage everyone to follow their heart and go out for what they want to go out for.

>> Congratulations to the class of 2026.

The SIU Foundation wants to wish you the most success in the future.

We look forward to you coming back and visiting us at the Tedrick Welcome Center.

Reporting from Banterra Center.

I'm Brittany Bateman.

>> Thanks, Brittany.

I love seeing those interviews with Saluki graduates.

For many of them, a scholarship from the SIU Foundation helped them make it to the finish line.

We love to see it.

During this year's graduation ceremony for Incredible Saluki alumni received honorary degrees.

Judge Phil Gilbert, chairman of the SIU Board of Trustees, received his honorary Doctor of law from SIU.

Mike Glenn Saluki, basketball and NBA star received his honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

James Miller, a former deputy director of NASA's Space Communications and Navigation Program, received his honorary Doctor of Science degree, and Russell Bartmes, a distinguished leader in finance and philanthropy, received his honorary doctorate of Humane Letters.

The SIU Foundation had the opportunity to speak with Mr.

Bartmes about his time at SIU during the late 1960s.

Over the years, he has been involved in transformational initiatives at the university.

The first was a lead gift that served as the catalyst for the launch of SIU's nursing program.

The second provided the resources for the university to launch the Salukis Step Ahead program, which allows transfer students to complete their bachelor's degree online.

Here's more from our interview with Mr.

Bartmes.

>> I want to see people who have the ability and the inclination to have the opportunity.

It's easier to close the doors than it is to open them up.

And somebody opened them up for me.

And I'm very grateful for that because it made all the difference in my life.

Nobody who graduates from Southern Illinois University expects to be handed anything.

They know that they have to go out and earn it.

>> Mr.

Bartmes is an amazing Saluki.

His support for SIU has helped hundreds of students already.

We're so grateful for his belief in the future.

And speaking of amazing Saluki stories, we can't wait to tell you how two Saluki pilots saved graduation day for the Simmons Law students just days before commencement.

A last minute supplier issue threatened the arrival of ceremonial regalia.

Options were limited until SIU executive air transport pilot Jeff Hayes and flight instructor Vassili Georges stepped in just days before graduation.

They flew out and retrieved the regalia themselves and brought it back to campus.

Disaster avoided.

Salukis always find a way to make it happen.

>> It is our great honor to welcome you here to Southern Illinois.

Best welcome center right here, right now.

For everybody that comes into our great region of Southern Illinois, this is another destination.

>> The Southern Illinois Leaders breakfast makes a comeback.

More than 150 leaders representing organizations all over the Southern Illinois region gathered inside the Tedrick Welcome Center for a conversation over breakfast.

Retired Air Force Colonel Scot Heathman was the keynote speaker and shared his personal journey to overcome a brain tumor.

Southern Illinois, now a local nonprofit that advocates for economic development and investment in the region, presented the event.

Executive Director Deb Barnett encouraged businesses in the region to work together.

>> This event has always been about more than breakfast.

It's about connection.

It's about collaboration.

And it's about recognizing that when Southern Illinois works together, we move further and faster together.

>> It was amazing to see such an enthusiastic crowd inside the Tedrick Welcome Center.

We look forward to hosting more events in the future.

>> Golda.

>> Two faculty and one student organization are this year's recipients of the Women's Leadership Council Microgrant Awards.

The Women's Leadership Council is an organization founded by the SIU Foundation that is dedicated to empowering women through philanthropy, advocacy, and leadership.

Part of this effort involves making grant awards that support a university focused initiative committed to empowering women.

The Microgrants this year will support several projects, including access to advanced artificial intelligence at the College of Liberal Arts student travel to the Illinois Speech Language Hearing Association convention and student academic success within the Multicultural Empowered Women Student Association.

>> This micro grant is going to help our future speech language pathology students, both undergrad and graduate, really enter the world of professional networking.

Professional engagement.

>> What it is going to do for us is give us access to high end artificial intelligence models for students for two months.

>> We want to thank the Women Leadership Council, the foundation, for upping these opportunities for us.

This was also an experience that when we saw the the micro gram, we started thinking together and building together how to do a better experience for others and for ourselves.

And that is peace building.

>> To, to see their excitement in getting it.

And it'll be exciting to see them move forward.

and what becomes of how they use the money and how it does the impact.

>> The recipients received their checks during a celebration at the Tedrick Welcome Center.

You can learn more about the Women's Leadership Council and their big Women's Weekend event this fall by heading over to SIUF.org.

CNN's senior international correspondent and Salukis alumnus, Jim Bittermann made a visit from Paris back to campus.

Bittermann graduated from SIU's radio and television program in 1969, and went on to have a successful career working for news networks around the world.

Bittermann has covered countless major stories, including the death of Princess Diana, papal transitions at the Vatican, NATO airstrikes in Kosovo, famine in the Sudan, and much more.

Bittermann was the 2001 recipient of SIU's Distinguished Alumni Award.

He's given back to students generously funding an endowed scholarship and travel fund for students to study abroad.

We had the chance to speak with him during his visit back to the Tedrick Welcome Center.

>> I graduated in 1969/70 because there was a couple of credits short.

One thing I should point out was hanging over all of our heads was the draft at that point, and Vietnam War was still on.

And so you wanted to make sure the academics were in line because you didn't want to fall out of school and into the hands of the draft board at SIU.

I worked at, uh, WCILI worked at Wjbf and of course at WSIU as well.

My feeling about the way I approach a story today would be the same as when I was here.

I think the disciplines and the the rigors that were demanded of me as a student, uh, in fact, are exactly the same as I meet in the professional world.

I felt like I had taken a great deal from SIU, and I ought to give some back.

>> What an incredible Salukis.

Mr.

Bitterman is working with the SIU Press to publish a book about his time as an international correspondent.

We'll be sure to keep you updated on when that's released.

Scientists in SIU's anthropology department are using tiny pieces of the human body, like teeth, or a fragment of a bone, to detect entire human lifestyles.

It's called bioarchaeology, or the use of atoms called isotopes, to understand human diet and movement in the past.

These same methods can also apply to the study of animals.

Doctor Chris Stantis, a member of SIU's anthropology department, was part of a team that excavated Mayan sites in Mexico.

They found fragments of dog DNA at these sites that belonged to dogs located in a distant region.

These findings support the historical existence of broad live animal exchanges between Mayan cities.

>> Their stable isotope values, specifically, their strontium, suggested that those dogs did not grow up within the Chiapas highlands, but had come from somewhere else and sort of north central Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, perhaps.

They wanted, it seems, those dogs from far away and like.

How many people do that nowadays, right?

>> Well, we all love our pets, that's for sure.

This feature is part of a series called Our One Minute, produced by the University Communications Department.

The series focuses on highlighting SIU's distinguished status as a research one university.

Coming up.

>> All right.

The whole new perspective up here.

>> SIU chief Operating Officer Jeff Gleim is in the lab trying some of the most advanced equipment available in the agriculture industry.

Will he get that soybean field planted?

Stay tuned.

>> Every line drive, each fastball and all those home run.

Cheers.

This isn't just a baseball game.

It's a memory for our alumni.

Supporting S-I-U doesn't just happen on campus.

It happens here, in the stands, in the conversations, and in those moments of Saluki pride.

This year, from Saint Louis to Chicago and all the way out to San Francisco, the association is hosting baseball events for our alumni.

Enjoy the game with fellow Salukis as well as socials before each one.

Learn more at SIUalumni.com.

>> Welcome back and we hope you're enjoying the show!

The University Farms at S-I-U offers students, faculty, and staff some of the best opportunities on campus to gain real world agricultural experience.

This 2000 acre working farm has served as a research and education laboratory for generations of students in areas such as urban forestry, plant and animal production, agricultural economics, and so much more.

One of the biggest operations out at the farms involves corn and soybean planting.

SIU Foundation Chief Operating Officer Jeff Gleim heads into the lab to learn more about the exclusive access SIU students are getting to some of the most advanced equipment in the industry.

>> We're out here at SIU Farms, and with me is Kris Boone, dean of the College of Agricultural Life and Physical Sciences.

But Kris, thanks for taking some time and being with us today.

Thank you.

Let's just tell our audience a little bit about SIU Farms 30,000 foot view.

>> So we are blessed with a 2000 acre farm here.

It's only a mile and a half from campus.

SIU had a commitment to make that hands on learning very accessible to our students, and maintained that it's even on a bus stop today.

>> We're actually focusing on agriculture.

And I guess to get a little more specific, why don't you tee up what people are going to see today?

>> Oh, you're going to get in a planter, dude.

You know, we need labor.

And so we're bringing you out into this.

And so you're going to help us out today.

>> Okay, well, I'm game, so let's go try it out.

>> All right, all right.

>> We're going to go take a look at this piece of equipment.

But tell me a little bit about the relationship and how this all comes about.

>> So about five years ago we had probably very outdated equipment.

So we entered a partnership with John Deere.

And what this allowed us to do was have as good or better technology and equipment than the kids that were coming here.

>> These students get to hop in machinery like this, and you're talking hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars worth of equipment here.

What's that like?

>> It's pretty incredible for someone that had only ever ran small equipment coming here and then getting to run this big stuff.

It was it was truly amazing.

All the technology that's in it that we get to learn off of is also incredible.

I mean, there's a lot of people that come here that come from smaller farms.

They will never see this technology back home.

>> Not only do we use the equipment for teaching and production purposes on the farm.

It's also utilized for research.

One of the biggest things that came with it with the technology was data management.

So now a lot of the things that we were doing with small plot and specialized research equipment, we can actually do on a large scale now with this equipment.

>> So when it grows, it's harvested.

What happens to what you harvest?

>> So the majority of what we harvest goes and we sell for revenue vegetables and flowers and things like that.

We sell in our farmer's market, in the student center.

>> Why don't we go ahead and take a look and give us an explanation of what exactly are people seeing?

>> This thing is the Cadillac of all tractors.

When we're in the field, data management is one of the biggest things for us.

We've got two big monitors in there, and all that's doing is telling me everything that's going on with that planter and what's going on here in the field.

>> This whole field is going to be soybeans, right?

Correct.

And if all this is going to be planted with soybeans, how long would it take a person to to do this entire field?

>> So that's the crazy thing about this setup here is it's a high speed unit, so you can go 10 to 12 miles an hour in speed in the field.

Typically guys can only go 5 to 6.

So I can get this field done in less than an hour.

>> Is it one seed?

Is it like a bunch of seeds in one little hole or row?

Or how does that work?

>> We're doing 167,000 seeds per acre.

So in one hole, in a matter of 17 foot, there could be up to 200, 300 seeds.

>> And what comes out is programmed inside the correct tractor.

All right.

The whole new perspective up here.

I'm looking out at a field of green.

We're still planting, right?

>> We are still planting.

So this was planted with rye cover crop in the fall.

So that's what you're looking at here.

And we do that for conservation purposes.

A lot of fields here in southern Illinois are highly erodible, and we need to keep that soil in place over the winter.

>> So at the end of the day, would you get you'll get a computer, you would get a printout of what's what you've done.

Right.

>> Yeah.

So we have something called John Deere Ops Center, and you can look at all the data that you made in the day, essentially.

Really one of the biggest purposes of these tools we have is to be as efficient as we possibly can.

>> Well, now you've seen why I use agricultural program is so great.

It's people like this that are leading this.

So thank you both.

Really appreciate it.

Back to you in the studio, Anna.

>> What a cool experience.

It was interesting to learn that a lot of the data they collect during the planting process can be monitored and analyzed through an app on your phone.

Students in the College of Agricultural Life and Physical Sciences are so well prepared for careers after they graduate.

We love to see it.

Coming up, SIU Foundation CEO Matt Kupec joins us for an on set interview with SIU Athletics Director Tim Leonard to talk about some of the new developments ahead during the fall season.

Stay tuned.

[MUSIC] >> The SIU Alumni Association is proud to announce that the Saluki market is officially open.

This e-comm platform, powered by Shopify, showcases the products and stories of entrepreneurs who are alumni, students, and friends of SIU.

Browse and purchase hundreds of items offered by your fellow Salukis.

Best of all, a portion of each sale goes to support scholarships and programs for current students.

Shop SIU first by visiting www.salukis.com.

[MUSIC] >> Well, great things going on.

>> Athletics, exciting things.

Bring us up to date.

Yeah, I mean, we're in the process now of wrapping up the fiscal year.

And from a fundraising standpoint, obviously, thanks to you and your staff, it's the best year we've ever had in the history of SIU Athletics and extremely excited about that.

And the momentum I think is going to carry over.

Um, as you know, we're we're working on some things with football and, and, uh, really excited about that and the momentum, the excitement and about to announce some more big gifts coming up here shortly.

And, and, um, it's just, it's a lot of fun right now.

I feel like we're getting close.

Momentum is building and and why not?

Why not?

>> We were able to bring back, I believe, the best player at our level.

>> Yes.

>> Quarterback D.J.

Williams.

Yep.

Uh, that's exciting news.

And I think ESPN just did a big announcement the other day.

>> Yeah, yeah.

They selected us to be on, uh, one of their live broadcasts, uh, on linear TV, um, for homecoming and our game against Illinois State.

And to be quite honest with you, they chose us because of us.

Right?

It wasn't because of the opponent or anything like that.

They chose us because of DJ Williams, because of Nick Hill, and because of the Saluki brand.

And we're excited.

This is the first time that we've had a, um, linear TV broadcast of a football game, uh, on our campus during the regular season.

And I don't know how many years it'll be the first time in Saluki Stadium history.

So yeah, a lot of fun and exciting things going on.

[APPLAUSE] >> That that that that's the same weekend that Ohio State's playing Indiana.

Yeah.

Alabama's playing Tennessee Michigan playing Penn State and a host of other big games.

And they've got the Salukis right up there with them.

That's right.

>> It's pretty.

>> Cool.

Yeah it really so a lot a lot of excitement then coming into the year.

>> We're really excited excited for this fall.

Um, you know, I'm hoping I get a few weekends off this summer to enjoy it before we get back into it.

But I am really excited about the fall.

Um, and we hope to kick off things with a bang with that first home game on September 12th against Semo.

Uh, we're planning that thing better be sold out.

It better be rocking, and it better have the best atmosphere we've ever had, because this is going to be an exciting season, an exciting team.

And why not?

SIU.

Let's go win a national championship.

>> There we go.

Now, of course, there's great, great depth across all sports.

Great head coaches.

Tell us about that.

>> Yeah.

Excited going in for our softball volleyball with some of our newer coaches that we have.

And and they're building some great programs.

Um, and we've seen a lot of progress.

So excited to see where those programs are going to go.

Um, you head into the winter, um, and you've got obviously swim and dive and Coach Hansen has done such a great job with that.

Um, but then we've got, uh, the basketball season and that's always such a fun time.

You get into that Banterra center and it's just a magical atmosphere in there.

And, uh, the players all reported this week and it's, it'll be interesting to see where we end up in this new world.

You never know.

Uh, with roster changing over, but excited about where we're headed.

>> One thing I admire about you in this changing world of athletics portal nil, you're a visionary.

And so how do you do it?

And where are we going with all this?

>> Well, I think we're going to have to adapt and change because the whole world is changing around us.

And if we think we're going to keep doing the same things, the same progress and those types of things, we'll we won't succeed.

And we're going to have to adapt.

We're going to have to be different.

We're going to have to change because that's where we're headed.

Um, and you know, I'm excited about it because we've got some great partners on this, this campus, um, the foundation in particular, right.

Um, as an accelerator to try to help us figure some of these things out.

Great leadership and Chancellor Lane and I just think, uh, we're going to have to do some different things.

So really excited about the direction we're headed.

>> Tim.

We're winding down.

How does it feel to be in front of our first live broadcast?

You're the first person interviewed.

How does it feel?

>> Yeah, well, a little intimidating, I guess, but, uh, yeah, we'll go with it.

And it's been fun.

>> Well, you're doing a great job.

We appreciate your leadership.

And all we can say is go dawgs.

Right?

That's right.

Alright, ladies and gentlemen, Tim Leonard.

[APPLAUSE] >> Southern Illinois University has a rich history and much more renowned for cutting edge research.

Ranking among the top 4% in the country.

Salukis achieved pride and glory, competing at the highest level.

World famous alumni across the globe united in our mission with unstoppable momentum igniting a bright future.

This is a university ascending.

We are southern.

>> Welcome back as we wrap up the show.

Let's check out a moment from this month in SIU history, courtesy of our friends over at Morris Library Special Collections.

In June 1966, 60 years ago this month, a panty raid and water fight at S-I-U led to four nights of clashes between students and police that made national news.

They were called the Moo and Cackle Riots, named for a popular burger joint just off campus.

They began on the first night of finals week amid rising student frustration over a policy of in local parentis, where campus administrators assumed parental control over students in such matters such as freedom of speech, housing options, the right to keep a car or motorcycle dorm, curfews and rules on dating.

President Delyte Morris condemned the unrest and expelled 23 students over the Mu and Capitol riots.

These demonstrations are historically significant as the first major clash between SIU students and local law enforcement.

We'll wrap up this episode of The Impact Report with some good Salukis news out of the School of Aviation.

SIU's Flying Salukis are national champions.

They celebrated with a community event at the David A Neumeyer lobby at the Glenn Poshard Transportation Education Center.

The Flying Salukis won their 10th National championship at the 2026 National Intercollegiate Flying Association competition in Moline, Illinois.

The team competed against top collegiate aviation programs from across the country in a series of demanding flight and ground events.

SIU pilots and students earned high marks in precision landings, navigation, and aircraft recognition.

Team leaders credit months of training and teamwork for this latest victory.

Thank you for watching this special edition of The Impact Report, where we've been joined by a fantastic live audience right here in WSIU Studios.

[APPLAUSE] >> It's a pleasure to be surrounded by these amazing Salukis who are passionate about seeing S-I-U succeed.

You can find all the stories we covered on the show at SIUF.org.

Take care and we'll see you next month for our season finale episode.

Go to all.

[MUSIC]