SIU Carbondale's new Chancellor says he's continuing to work on challenges, and building the campus back to its former prominence.
Interim Chancellor Paul Sarvela has been in his new position for about a month now. He says as students return to Carbondale over the next week or so, they should know his number one priority is for SIU to provide a top-notch education:
"If we can't say that we're doing that, what kind of university are we? So that is our number one priority - making sure that we're doing an outstanding job in the classroom."
Sarvela says he's taking his priorities and applying them all over campus - including a focus on boosting enrollment. He says after years of decline, this may be the year that enrollment turns around and begins moving in a positive direction.
The campus has seen a decline in enrollment for the last several years, but Sarvela says this year could be the turnaround year. He says the new freshman class is large:
"We think that we may be as large of a class as we were last year, maybe even a little bigger. Last year we were around 2,500, which represented about a 12% increase. We think we're going to hit that, and maybe if we're lucky, get a few more."
In addition, Sarvela says the returning sophomore class is looking very positive. He says retention struggles remain in the junior and senior cohorts, but he says there are glimmers of hope that the years of decline are coming to an end.
Classes at SIUC begin Monday. Students begin the move-in weekend this Thursday in Carbondale.
Sarvela was a guest on Tuesday's WSIU Morning Conversation program.
