SIU gets largest donation in its Carbondale campus history – Southern Illinoisan

During a press conference in the SIU Student Center on Thursday, the SIU Foundation and the Tedricks’ announced the largest donation in the history of the SIU Carbondale campus. 

In honor of the Tedricks’ gift, a new building planned for campus will be named the Tedrick Welcome Center.

SIU System President Dan Mahony said Roger and Sally Tedrick have a long history with SIU, and Roger is a great example of service.

Roger Tedrick was raised in Carbondale and attended University High School which was on the SIU Campus. He graduated from the SIU College of Liberal Arts in 1970. He is a member of the SIU Board of Trustees and the SIU Foundation Board of Directors. He is the owner and CEO of Tedrick Group Risk Management Solutions, based in Mount Vernon.

Sally Tedrick graduated in 1973 from the SIU College of Education.

“I grew up two blocks from here. My parents made a living from SIU,” Roger Tedrick said.

“This university is where we grew up,” Sally Tedrick said.

She did all kinds of activities on campus as a child, including different art programs. She and her four sisters all graduated from SIU.

When the foundation heard the idea of naming the new welcome center in return for a $6 million donation, someone suggested to Roger Tedrick that he consider making the donation. He originally said no.

It came up again, and he began to talk to his wife and family about the idea. Diane Compardo, president of the SIU Foundation board, is their financial consultant. They discussed the donation with her. Eventually, they decided to make the donation.

“We are thankful to the Tedricks for generously sharing their talents and treasures,” Mahony said.

Matt Kupec, vice chancellor for development and alumni relations and the CEO of the SIU Foundation, told those at the press conference that 40 years ago the Saluki football team won a national title. The title was won with work mostly done in McAndrew Stadium, east of the SIU Student Center.

In 2010, the team moved to a new stadium and the old McAndrew Stadium became a parking lot.

That parking lot will become the Tedrick Welcome Center. 

“This is an exciting time for SIU,” Kupec said.

The Tedrick Welcome Center will be 44,000 square feet. The proposed building was presented to the SIU Board of Trustees’ architecture and design committee in April. Approval of its construction will be on the board’s Feb. 8 agenda.

The building will feature some interactive components to help new and prospective students find information they need.

SIU Admissions will host open houses, orientations and groups of students at the welcome center, which will be located just off U.S. Highway 51, near the previous location of McAndrew Stadium.

The state-of-the-art building will also house the philanthropy center, which will include SIU Foundation offices.

“The building is a capstone to strategic planning and our efforts to recruit students,” SIU Chancellor Austin Lane said. ”It’s a place where students will experience what it means to be a Saluki.”

Lane added that the center will also welcome alumni and the public to the university. The building will have a bigger reach than just to students.

Kupec ended the press conference by asking everyone to give a cheer for SIU like they do in the movie “We Are Marshall.”