IVCC partners with SIU Carbondale to offer distance learning bachelor's degrees

Illinois Valley Community College students will have the opportunity to earn a low-cost, distance-learning bachelor’s degree in 12 academic programs through a partnership between IVCC and Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.

SIU-Carbondale Chancellor Austin A. Lane and IVCC President Tracy Morris signed an agreement for the Saluki Step Ahead program on May 8 during a virtual ceremony.

Established in 2021, the program allows students with an associate degree from partner community colleges to complete their SIU bachelor’s degree online in accounting, business administration, criminology and criminal justice, early childhood, elementary education, child care management health, history, industrial management. and applied engineering, information technology, nursing (RN to BSN), psychology, and radiological sciences.

“We are pleased to collaborate with Illinois Valley Community College to provide another option for students confined to this area,” Lane said in an IVCC press release. “If these students cannot come to Carbondale to complete their degrees, we will bring them the experience and resources of a doctoral research university.” »

Southern Illinois University Chancellor Austin Lane (middle) signs the Saluki Step Ahead agreement with Illinois Valley Community College during a virtual ceremony Wednesday, May 8, 2024, with (left to right) Wendell Williams, associate vice chancellor for enrollment management; Sheryl Tucker, dean and vice chancellor for academic affairs; Sarah Jiter, director of undergraduate admissions; and Josi Rawls, associate director for transfer relations. (Photo provided by Peggy Schneider)

IVCC, established in 1924 and is the second oldest community college in the state, offers 21 associate degree programs, 59 certificate programs and four degree transfer options.

The IVCC district spans more than 2,000 square miles, covering all of Putnam County; a majority of La Salle and Bureau counties; and parts of DeKalb, Grundy, Lee, Livingston and Marshall counties. Around 145,000 residents live in the university district.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to complete their bachelor’s degree entirely online. And for our community, it will create even more access to baccalaureate degrees,” Morris said in the release.

Jim Moskalewicz, IVCC advisor, said Saluki Step Ahead “provides discounted options for students who are limited in where they live and are looking for a high-quality online bachelor’s degree.”

Students in the Saluki Step Ahead program pay the community college rate for their first two years. During the third and fourth years, they receive annual scholarships of $4,000.

SIU Carbondale has approximately 50 Saluki Step Ahead partnerships with community colleges in Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas, including compacts with 43 of Illinois’ 48 community colleges.