SIUE Remains Stable, Despite Budget Crisis
SIUE Interim Chancellor Stephen Hansen is confident about SIUE’s future despite the budget crisis facing the state of Illinois. “Our senior management team has done tremendous work to keep SIUE on a solid financial foundation throughout this fiscal year and next,” he said. “SIUE will continue to provide the excellent, affordable education for which it is known.”
Hansen’s optimism is reflected in the progress SIUE continues to make in its commitment to excellence and innovation:
Record Spring Enrollment
SIUE’s 2016 spring enrollment of 13,346 students is the largest spring enrollment in the University’s history. Traditional undergraduate enrollment is up 281 students or 2.6 percent over last spring. The University has never enrolled more full-time students (10,214) for a spring semester.
All of the undergraduate Schools and the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) have realized enrollment growth:
- School of Nursing: 17%
- CAS: 8%
- School of Education, Health and Human Behavior: 7%
- School of Business: 6%
- School of Engineering: 3%
Additional areas of growth include:
- Nearly 12% of SIUE spring credit hours are being delivered online compared to 8 percent for spring 2015.
- International enrollment stands at 425 students, which represents a 5 percent increase over last spring and the highest since spring of 2004. The enrollment increase has had a positive impact on institutional diversity as Hispanic, American Indian, Asian and African-American enrollments have all increased from last spring.
New Academic Programs
Over the past fiscal year, SIUE has developed several new undergraduate and graduate degree options in response to student needs and the ever-changing job market.
Master’s Programs
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- Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Integrative Studies
- Healthcare Informatics (offered online to students outside of the original corporate partnership) Are you interested in this master's program?
Bachelor’s Programs
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- Environmental Sciences
- Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering
- International Studies
Continued Campus Improvements
At the start of the spring 2016 semester, Dunham Hall Theater was transformed into a “smart classroom,” making it the largest classroom space on campus, with seating for up to 372 students.
Renovations to the theater include the installation of a tablet desk arm to each seat, a mobile podium and a 20 by 30-foot screen. The projection and sound systems were also upgraded.
Additionally, classes began in the University’s first Adaptive Learning Environment (ALe) classroom. The donor-funded, technologically advanced teaching space in Peck Hall allows small student groups to work closely together with faculty by utilizing a flexible learning space, continuous whiteboard throughout the classroom and video projection areas.
The Student Fitness Center has been further enhanced with the expansion of its free weight room. The facility has doubled in size, now spanning approximately 7,000 square feet. It features state-of-the-art equipment and fitness amenities. With the support of SIUE Student Government, and approval from the SIU Board of Trustees, the $2.5 million student fee-funded project officially opened in January.
