The liberal arts at SIU encompass a diverse, fascinating range of disciplines and opportunities -- from undergraduate education to doctoral programs, from teaching and mentoring to research and creative activity, and from archaeology to economics, linguistics to experimental music. We offer many undergraduate majors and minors within the college. And we shape the experience of students beyond these programs, no matter what their college or major, through the liberal arts component of the core curriculum.
Several strengths unite these many sides of the liberal arts at SIU. First, no matter the degree program or major, faculty and student interaction is a priority. We recruit accomplished faculty with a passion for teaching and welcome students from all backgrounds who have a strong work ethic and the willingness to take chances.
Second, we emphasize a set of skills that have value across disciplines: critical thinking, analysis of subjective and complex material, creativity, problem solving and an appreciation of the things that make us uniquely human. These are abilities and qualities essential to a well-lived life — and also key to success in a rapidly changing world economy.
Third, we open paths of opportunity to students and encourage them to explore. Many students find a home in our college who never planned to. In fact, some of our top students discover their callings after just one liberal arts class. One example is Brandon Kellum, who changed his major from engineering to psychology and later, during an internship, learned to help emotionally traumatized children.
Finally, we encourage our students put their ideas into action, learning through experience. We involve students in mentored research and creative activity as early as freshman year, working closely with faculty. In doing so, we exemplify a strength of this college and university that truly sets us apart: the ability to offer opportunities that only a major research university can, and to make these opportunities available to all students — not only doctoral candidates or exceptional undergraduates, but to everyone with the curiosity and initiative to take part.
In fact, we don’t wait for students to demonstrate initiative; we reach out to invite and encourage them. We know our programs change lives, and often this is exactly how it happens.
Often our students’ immersion in experiential learning translates into community involvement as well. College of Liberal Arts students have sold their artworks to benefit the homeless, helped repair community and police relations, and solved the mystery of a notorious Civil War-era landmark. We are eager to see what they will accomplish next!
At the College of Liberal Arts, we look to the future determined to build on our many successes and to provide our students with an even richer experience. We will do so with new philanthropic investments focusing funding in several key areas of priority.
Increased Scholarships
We welcome many first-generation students to our college — students like multiple scholarship winner Naomi Tolbert, Minority Fellow with the American Political Science Association and former student trustee. We attract students like Classics scholar Sarah Orkin, who came here for the undergraduate research opportunities and because scholarships made SIU more affordable for her than online education. And we nurture scholars like graduate student Mark Healy, whose original research in the form of a watershed study has helped demonstrate the economic value of conservation.
For our students, a life-changing opportunity for discovery starts with the opportunity to attend SIU — and the key to that opportunity for so many is scholarship support. Our goal in this campaign is to secure donor investment in both undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships that will allow us to increase the support we offer, making it possible for more of promising students who want to experience the liberal arts at SIU to do so — and for them to graduate with a less burdensome level of debt.
Deeper Community Engagement
At SIU, the spirit of creative exploration extends far beyond the bounds of campus. We play a crucial role as cultural leader in the landscape of Southern Illinois, through literary readings, art shows and music recitals — and particularly summer performing arts events.
The McLeod Summer Playhouse offers professional productions and, in collaboration with Carbondale Community Arts, the All Southern High School Theatre Project. The Southern Illinois Music Festival brings professional-level classical and jazz performances to venues from Cairo to Marion, including performances for young listeners. Music Outside the Box welcomes composers in the classical tradition, many of international standing. These festivals are part of our college’s service to the community and also offer outstanding opportunities to our students on-stage and behind the scenes. Our goal is to secure increased stable funding that will help ensure their continued success.