InFocus News

SIU-Carbondale Chancellor Austin Lane is focused on student recruitment and retention efforts to help rebuild the campus’ enrollment numbers.

A new initiative under consideration is having freshmen and sophomore students live on campus.

WSIU's Brad Palmer spoke with Chancellor Lane about this and more.

Ornithologist and ecologist Mike Baltz is back with his monthly reflections on the natural history of southern Illinois with the July edition of Nature Notebook.

On this edition of Office Hours with SIU System President Dan Mahony, we explore the Future of AI in Higher Ed & Beyond.

In this episode, SIU System President Dan Mahony, dives into a topic that’s reshaping higher education and the world at lightning speed: artificial intelligence (AI).

Saluki basketball Hall of Famer Mike Glenn was back on the SIU-Carbondale campus last week for a presentation as part of the community’s Freedom to Freedom celebration.

WSIU's Brad Palmer sat down with Glenn to talk about his collection of African-American rare books and memorabilia to provide lessons into his research of Black history in America.

Mike Glenn is the 4th leading scorer in Saluki basketball history who helped lead the 1977 squad to the Missouri Valley Conference Basketball championship and the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Glenn was a 2-time Academic All-American, who earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics. He went on to play 10 years in the NBA and then became a sports broadcaster and author.

A U.S. district judge has approved a $2.8 billion settlement in the U.S. House vs. NCAA case in a deal that will reshape the landscape of college athletics.

The 2.8 billion is back pay for athletes who missed out on NIL opportunities when they competed between 2016 and 2024.

I talked about several aspects of the deal with SIU director of athletics Tim Leonard…starting with how much of the $2.8 billion his department will be required to pay.

Ornithologist and ecologist Mike Baltz is back with his monthly reflections on the natural history of southern Illinois for the June edition of Nature Notebook.

Office Hours with SIU System President Dan Mahony is a monthly podcast that explores what's happening in and around American higher education.

In this episode, we explore how students prepare for life after graduation through reflections from both spring 2025 graduates and accomplished SIU alumni. The episode opens with interviews from this year’s graduates, sharing their thoughts, hopes, and questions just before crossing the stage.

President Mahony is then joined by three distinguished SIU alumni: Bill Luan (SIUE, class of 1984 & 1985), a senior program manager at Google; Terita M. Walker (SIU Carbondale class of 2001), principal of Denver East High School and 2025 Colorado High
School Principal of the Year; and Dr. Kevin M. Simon (SIU School of Medicine, Class of 2015), chief behavioral health officer for the City of Boston and assistant professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Each guest shares how their student experiences at SIU shaped their careers, offering meaningful advice to this year’s graduating class.

Even though the summer semester at SIU-Carbondale is about to get underway, leaders at SIU-Carbondale may have one eye focused on the beginning of the fall semester and hoping for a third straight enrollment increase. They are also navigating some of the new unknowns with international students in terms of potential visa issues and federal policy changes.

WSIU's Brad Palmer talked about that and more with Chancellor Austin Lane.

An initiative is getting underway to increase access to fresh produce in southern Illinois.

Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, Incorporated is partnering with farmers markets in communities with high food insecurity across southern Illinois throughout 2025.

Through this initiative, Meridian will offer vouchers individuals can use to purchase healthy food at farmers markets along with health education materials. Meridian members who present their member ID card will receive $15 in vouchers for use during market visits throughout the 2025 season. Non-Meridian members visiting the Meridian booth will receive $10 in vouchers to encourage healthy eating, while voucher supplies last.

In addition, the participating farmers markets will double the value of SNAP/Link purchases under the Link Match program.

The initiative starts this Saturday at the Farmers Market in Carbondale. It will continue through September at Farmers Markets in Marion, Murphysboro and Anna as well.

Here is the complete schedule in southern Illinois:

The farmers markets participating in this program include:

• May 17, 2025 – Farmers Market of Carbondale 
• June 24, 2025 – Food Works Mobile Market – Murphysboro
• June 25, 2025 – Food Works Mobile Market – Marion
• June 26, 2025 – Food Works Mobile Market – Anna-Jonesboro
• July 31, 2025 – East St. Louis F.R.E.S.H. Farmers Market
• August 16, 2025 – Farmers Market of Carbondale 
• August 28, 2025 – East St. Louis F.R.E.S.H. Farmers Market
• September 3, 2025 – Food Works Mobile Market – Marion
• September 18, 2025 – Food Works Mobile Market – Anna-Jonesboro
• September 23, 2025 – Food Works Mobile Market – Murphysboro

If your property needs some tree trimming and/or tree removal this spring, it’s probably best to hire a professional.

WSIU's Brad Palmer spoke about tips for hiring an arborist or tree service company with Better Business Bureau Regional Director Sydney Waters.