SIU SEEKS TO IMPROVE UPON IMAGE; CHANCELLOR TALKS UP CARBONDALE SCHOOL'S MERITS

Don Beggs, chancellor of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, wants to change the image of the campus from a party school to one that offers quality educational opportunities.

"It's no secret we have an image problem," said Beggs, who was in Cape Girardeau Monday promoting SIU.

Sunday marked the first anniversary of Beggs' tenure as chancellor. Cape Girardeau is the 13th in SIU's primary service area he has visited since taking over.

The university's image has been tarnished by out-of-hand student Halloween celebrations. Hundreds of people, including many SIU students, hit the streets of Carbondale in a party last year that turned into a riot. Beggs took a strong stand against the rioters from campus: He expelled 15 students who were involved in causing property damages.

"I expelled more students in one week than had been expelled in the last decade," Beggs said.

While the university can't stop the Halloween party, Beggs said SIU is taking steps to encourage responsible actions by students.

On Saturday Beggs will preside over the university's first convocation for new students. It marks the first time in Beggs' career that university faculty and officials will wear their academic caps and robes outside of commencement.

"We want to send the message that you've come to an academic institution and we put academics first," he said.

The institution also will introduce its new Saluki creed Saturday. (The Saluki, an Egyptian breed of dog, is the school's mascot.) The creed outlines goals and university expectations of students.

Some have criticized Beggs for wanting to return to old-fashioned university standards.

"I just want students to understand there are restraints in terms of what their behavior should be," said Beggs.

Beggs is looking for ways to spread the word about SIU and what it offers throughout the region. "We are trying to reach out to communities within an hour of our campus," he said.

SIU-Carbondale and Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau may compete in athletics, but Beggs said they complement each other academically.

SIU offers courses and degree programs not available at Southeast Missouri State. For example, SIU has an undergraduate program in agriculture, engineering and architecture. It also has a large offering of graduate degrees.

"We are not trying to steal students," he said. "We are providing options."

Enrollment figures at Carbondale, like universities across the country, have been dropping.

Enrollment is expected to be down about 1 percent, to about 19,400 students for the coming school year. The 1 percent drop is an improvement over the 3 percent decline the university had been experiencing. In the late 1980s, SIU had an all-time high enrollment of 24,000.

One factor in the enrollment decline may be the fact that out-of-state tuition waivers are no longer given students living in nearby states. The mandate came from the Illinois Legislature, said Beggs.

Tuition is $2,700 per semester for in-state students, but three times that amount, $8,100, for out-of state students.

Southeast Missouri State can't offer out-of-state waivers, but Murray State University in Murray, Ky., can to students in contiguous counties to its service area.

The number of international students has also declined at SIU. Beggs expects about 8 or 9 percent of SIU's enrollment to be international students this fall. At one time the percentage topped 12 percent.

SIU still operates a campus in Japan -- one of only two public and three private institutions to do so.

Foreign students are no longer granted tuition waivers. In addition, a campus fire that killed five international students in 1992 may also have hurt enrollment, he said.