Alumni Networking Groups
Current Alumni Networking Groups
Wherever you go, there’s a Saluki near you. With more than 260,000 living alumni of SIU, the Association has many networking groups around the country. Find out more about the Salukis in your home region and reach out today.
Alumni groups are made up of graduates, former students, and friends of SIU, all of whom share a special mutual interest and gather as an organization to serve the University. This initiative illustrates a collaboration between the University, our alumni around the world, and current SIU students.
Contact Catherine Mieldezis by email or at (618) 453-2408 if you are interested in becoming a representative of one of the current groups.
Check Out Our Alumni Groups
Illinois Alumni Networking Groups
Chicagoland Group
More than 40,000 alumni reside in the Chicagoland area. To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the Chicagoland Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. You can also connect with the group by "liking" or "joining" their Facebook page.
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.
Greater Rockford Group
More than 1,500 alumni reside in Rockford and the surrounding counties. To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the Greater Rockford Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. You can also connect with the group by "liking" or "joining" their Facebook page
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.
Peoria Tri-County Group
More than 2,600 alumni reside in the Peoria Tri-County area (includes Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford Counties). To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the Peoria Tri-County Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408.
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.
Prairie Capital Group
More than 2,600 alumni reside in the Peoria Tri-County area (includes Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford Counties). To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the Peoria Tri-County Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. You can also connect with the group by "liking" or "joining" their Facebook page.Don't forget to join our social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.
U.S. Alumni Chapters/Clubs
Atlanta Group
More than 3,000 alumni reside in the Atlanta area. To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the Atlanta Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. You can also connect with the group by "liking" or "joining" their Facebook page.
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.
Austin/San Antonio Group
More than 1,800 alumni reside in the Austin/San Antonio area. To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the Atlanta Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. You can also connect with the group by "liking" or "joining" their Facebook page.
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.
Central Florida Group
More than 2,000 alumni reside in the Central Florida area. To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the Central Florida Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. You can also connect with the group by "liking" or "joining" their Facebook page.
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.
Dallas/Ft. Worth Alumni Group
More than 2,900 alumni reside in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the Dallas/Fort Worth Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. You can also connect with the group by "liking" or "joining" their Facebook page.
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.
Memphis Area Group
More than 1,000 alumni reside in the Memphis area. To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the Memphis Area Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. You can also connect with the group by "liking" or "joining" their Facebook page.
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.
Greater Michigan Group
More than 2,300 alumni reside in Michigan. To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the Greater Michigan Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. You can also connect with the group by "liking" or "joining" their Facebook page.
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.
Minnesota Group
More than 1,600 alumni reside in the state of Minnesota. To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the Minnesota Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. You can also connect with the group by "liking" or "joining" their Facebook page THE ACTUAL FACEBOOK GROUP NAME.
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.Greater Nashville Alumni Club
More than 1,351 alumni reside in the Greater Nashville Area. To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the Greater Nashville Alumni Club or SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. You can also connect with the group by "liking" or "joining" their Facebook page Greater Nashville - SIU Alumni Association.
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.
Greater Phoenix Group
More than 2,800 alumni reside in the Greater Phoenix Area. To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the Greater Phoenix Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. You can also connect with the group by "liking" or "joining" their Facebook page.
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.San Francisco Bay Area Group
More than 3,000 alumni reside in the greater San Francisco area. To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the San Francisco Bay Area Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. You can also connect with the group by "liking" or "joining" their Facebook page.
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.Seattle-Tacoma Area Group
More than 3,000 alumni reside in the Seattle-Tacoma, Washington area. To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the Seattle-Tacoma Area Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. You can also connect with the group by "liking" or "joining" their Facebook page.
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.St. Louis Area Group
More than 15,900 alumni reside in the St. Louis and Metro-East Area. To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the St. Louis Area Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. You can also connect with the group by "liking" or "joining" their Facebook page.
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.South Florida Alumni Group
More than 1,600 alumni reside in the South Florida area (including Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach). To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the South Florida Alumni Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. You can also connect with the group by "liking" or "joining" their Facebook page.
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.Saluki Veterans Alumni Group
Saluki Veterans Alumni Group
The SIU Alumni Association’s Saluki Veteran’s Alumni Group is dedicated to the military veterans who have and continue to serve their country. The Association’s National Board of Directors formally chartered the in 2014, as this was the culmination of work that began when alumnus Ryan McKennedy ‘13 approached the Association looking for a way to connect veteran alumni and students.
To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the Saluki Veterans Alumni Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. You can also connect with the group by "liking" or "joining" their Facebook page.
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.
Officers
Paul Copeland, salukiveterans@alumni.siu.edu
Alumni Band Group
Alumni Band Group
The SIU Alumni Band has been an official constituency group of the SIU Alumni Association since 1989. The group operates with five main goals:
- Improve communication between alumni and the SIU bands
- Increase interaction among alumni
- Assist in promoting the SIU bands and attract new students to the band program
- Hold an annual reunion for band alumni and guests on homecoming weekend
- Increase the role of band alumni in halftime activities of the SIU homecoming game.
The first Alumni Band Group officers were Janice Gahagan (president), Mardi Huffstetter (vice president), Karen Driver (treasurer), and Bruce Arnold (secretary). The current officers are listed below. To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the Saluki Veterans Alumni Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. Check out the Marching Salukis web page, marchingsalukis.siu.edu.
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.
Officers
President: Brian Munoz
Vice Presidents: Joe Legg (North), Sean Cooney (South)
Secretary:
Treasurer: Ivan Vargas
VP Social Media: Caleb Hallock
Black Alumni Group
Black Alumni Group
The Black Alumni Group (BAG) has been an official constituent group of the SIU Alumni Association since 1988, helping maintain, nurture, and advance initiatives while assisting SIU Carbondale.
BAG seeks to keep alive professional, social, and educational relationships developed while at Southern, by providing, assistance, guidance, and support to alumni. The organization solicits gifts to be used for and on behalf of SIU, its faculty, students, and staff; and assists SIU in the recruitment, retention, financial assistance, and career development of students of Black African descent. Held biennially in odd-numbered years, BAG hosts a reunion on a weekend in the summer. A myriad of social and educational events are scheduled during the reunion weekend, as well as a business meeting, and the election of officers. To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the Black Alumni Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408.
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.
Officers
President: Richard Gardner
Vice President: Cynthia A. Parker-Ferguson
Treasurer: Daniel Hall
Secretary: Crystal Allen
Financial Secretary: Kevin Buford
Group History
In 1972, three black SIU alumni met in Chicago to discuss how they could perpetuate the friendships they had developed in Carbondale and assist black students planning to attend SIU. Dwight Campbell, Eric Grant, and Dan Thomas helped to organize what was to become the not-for-profit corporation, "The Black Association of SIU."
From 1975 to 1978, this organization held two fundraiser's each year – a Thanksgiving dance and a Las Vegas Night – to raise funds for scholarships. Eighteen students were awarded $500 each during this period, and in 1978 this group also helped organize a black alumni reunion on the Carbondale campus when approximately 200 persons attended. The group became inactive in 1980.
In 1985, a group of SIU alumni based in California (including Sharon Banks, Rose Garnett, and Stevie Stephens) helped plan a black alumni reunion for 1986 in Carbondale. They contacted SIU alumna Pat McNeil and asked for assistance in contacting other alumni. These efforts resulted in a July reunion that was attended by more than 350 persons. The keynote speaker was William Butts, then president of the SIU Alumni Association Board of Directors, and it was decided that another reunion would be held in 1988.
A group of black alumni soon petitioned to be recognized as an official SIU Alumni Association affiliate group. As the 1988 reunion was being planned, several meetings were held between this group and members of the Association's Board of Directors, and a charter was soon issued to The Black Alumni Group of the SIU Alumni Association.
BAG's first officers were: John Holmes, President; Richard Hayes, Vice President; Linda Flowers, Secretary; and Doris Weaver, Treasurer. At the 1988 reunion, approximately 400 people were in attendance and the first Support Black Undergraduate Education scholarships were awarded. A vote was taken to hold the reunions biennially during odd-numbered years beginning in 1991.
Carbondale in the '80s and '90s
Carbondale in the ‘80s and ‘90s (B.E.E.R.) Group
Organized originally as a Facebook group for alumni interested in reminiscing about their time in Carbondale, the group quickly mobilized to raise funding for a new scholarship to assist students with attending SIU. The Balancing Education, Experience, and Reality (or B.E.E.R.) Scholarship was established with an endowment in 2019 and more than $50,000 raised by members of the group. The group also hosts a tailgate on Saluki Row during Homecoming Weekend. To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the Carbondale in the ‘80s and ‘90s Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. You can also connect with the group by "liking" or "joining" their Facebook page Carbondale in the ‘80s and ‘90s (B.E.E.R. Group).
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.
Law Alumni Group
Law Alumni Group
Established in 2019, the SIU School of Law engages alumni in programs and activities that support future generations of Salukis interested in pursuing a legal career. To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the Law Alumni Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. You can also connect with the group by "liking" or "joining" their Facebook page.
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.
The Villages Alumni Group
The Villages Alumni Group
Established in 2019, this alumni group is made up of Salukis who now call The Villages retirement community in central Florida home. This group hosts functions and meetings throughout the year inside the community. To meet fellow SIU alumni and participate in future activities, email the The Villages Alumni Group or the SIU Alumni Association or call 618-453-2408. You can also connect with the group by "liking" or "joining" their Facebook page.
Don't forget to join the SIU Alumni Association social media platforms to share your SIU traditions, pride and opportunities while also connecting with Salukis from around the world.