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For many students, the leap from high school to college brings more than new coursework. A higher education campus brings unfamiliar systems, financial responsibility and a desire to belong. At Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, the Student Opportunities for Academic Results (SOAR) program has spent more than two decades easing thousands of students’ transition from uncertainty to thriving in their new campus home.

Launched in 2003 to serve roughly 200 first-year students from historically underrepresented populations, SOAR has grown into one of SIUE's most vital student success initiatives, now supporting nearly 1,000 students each year through academic advising, success coaching, mentoring and early intervention.

At the center of that growth is Earleen Patterson, PhD, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Opportunities, Equity and Diversity and Inclusion.

"How you start is very important to how you finish," Patterson said. "Our responsibility is to help students understand how to navigate the University, connect them with resources, and ensure they know they belong here."

That philosophy shows up most clearly in SOAR's first-year seminar, which teaches students to use campus resources, build study habits, and advocate for themselves. The course began with two sections, one for young men, and one for young women, each enrolling 25 students. Today it has grown to 16 sections, reflecting both the program's expansion and its enduring demand.

The results speak for themselves: SIUE data consistently show stronger retention and graduation rates among SOAR participants than their peers. But for Patterson, a first-generation college graduate herself, the impact is personal.

"Education doesn't just change individuals," she said. "It changes families."

She often points to a former student from Chicago who overcame significant personal and academic obstacles, earned his bachelor's and later his master's degree, and now serves as superintendent of an alternative public school system in Ohio. "Those are the kinds of stories that make the work worthwhile," she said.

That belief in relationships and belonging, "students learn from people they trust," Patterson noted, has now earned recognition well beyond campus. The St. Louis American Foundation Salute to Excellence in Education has selected Patterson for one of its 2026 honors, to be presented this October 17, celebrating her decades of work guiding young people toward graduation.

Patterson said she was humbled by the news, which came through an unexpected call from SIUE Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff Jessica Harris, PhD, who nominated her personally. Patterson admitted she'd nearly dismissed the Foundation's email as a subscription ad before realizing what it truly was. "Oh my God," she remembered saying.

The timing feels fitting: SIUE has just welcomed its largest incoming freshman class, and Patterson hopes it becomes the University's largest graduating class in four years.

"When we look toward the results, and not just the challenges, it helps us find the solutions," she said.

As SOAR looks ahead, adding a new success coach and expanding internship opportunities, Patterson's outlook remains steady.

"This generation is creative, innovative and willing to think differently," she said. "We believe in them, and we're committed to helping them succeed. Whatever lane we are assigned, there is work to do, and there are people to help. Never get weary in well-doing."

PHOTO: Earleen Patterson, PhD, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Opportunities, Equity and Diversity and Inclusion