Raising over $1 million, SIU Day of Giving was held on Sept. 18, 2024.  This number is significantly less than the amount raised in February, which was $3.15 million. 

This year marks the ninth Day of Giving event held by SIU. While usually done in the spring, this is the first year that they have done it in the fall. 

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“I know it’s September this time around, a little bit of a different date,” Chancellor Austin Lane said on the Day of Giving livestream. “Out of the gate, it seems to be going pretty good.”

This means that there have been two SIU Day of Giving events in 2024. The last being Feb. 28, 2024.

“Over the last eight years, we have raised about $16 million,” Matt Kupec, Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Relations, said on the Day of Giving Livestream. “Your gifts have really made a difference.”

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This money is a part of the SIU’s IMAGiNE 2030 plan, which has five pillars of improvement for SIU. Those include student success and engagement; diversity, equity, and inclusion; branding and partnerships; research and innovation; and sustainability. According to the SIU Foundation website, the money that is donated is put into foundation accounts for each individual school or organization. 

There are multiple types of foundation accounts, some strictly for scholarships while others are for expenses of the schools. Donors can also put instructions of where they want the money to go and what they want it spent on. 

“We set out four years ago to put together our IMAGiNE 2030 plan,” Lane said. “A big part of that focus was the strategic enrollment management plan.”

The leader in the amount of donations on the morning of Sept. 19 was the College of Engineering, Computing, Technology and Math with a total of $153,190.  The runner-up was the College of Health and Human Services with $146,795.

“You’ve been generous in the past and we’re grateful for that,” Kupec said, addressing alumni. “We are hopeful you will continue to do that.”

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