Southern Illinois University Carbondale strengthened its commitment to students in northwest Illinois on April 26 with an agreement to bring the expertise of a doctoral research university to qualified community college students by providing the option to earn their bachelor’s degrees remotely and at a lower cost in 12 academic programs.
SIU Chancellor Austin A. Lane and Sauk Valley Community College President David Hellmich signed an agreement for the Saluki Step Ahead program.
Established in 2021, the program enables students who graduate with an associate degree from partnering community colleges to complete their SIU bachelor’s degrees online in accounting, business administration, criminology and criminal justice, early childhood, elementary education, health care management, history, industrial management and applied engineering, information technology, nursing (RN to BSN), psychology and radiologic sciences.
“Southern Illinois is a superb university, and this partnership is another wonderful example of our institutions working together,” Hellmich said. “Saluki Step Ahead is all about affordability and accessibility.”
