Saluki Athletic Scholarship Fund Kicks Off with 10K Anonymous Gift
 | |
April 15, 2003
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The brand-new Saluki Athletic Scholarship Fund kicked off its inaugural campaign drive in impressive fashion this week with a $10,000 anonymous gift, the Southern Illinois University athletic department announced Tuesday.
The SASF is a fund that provides scholarships for student-athletes and is essential for the continuing success of the university's 18 varsity teams, athletic director Paul Kowalczyk said.
"This generous gift validates the fund and why we're here," he said. "Our emphasis is on giving young men and women the opportunity to obtain an education within an athletic setting."
Tommy Bell, the development officer for athletics, said the drive marks the first time in the history of the Saluki athletic department that it has geared a campaign exclusively to benefit student-athlete scholarships.
He said approximately 40 volunteers throughout Illinois and the St. Louis area have been trained to make calls in the coming weeks on behalf of the SASF.
"Our goal is to strengthen the numbers of our annual campaign," Bell said. "We have more than 350 student-athletes in our athletic programs, so the need is great."
Currently, SIU ranks last among MVC schools in annual scholarship giving for athletics. Kowalczyk believes that will change when people realize the importance of donating to the fund.
"We've never had an organized campaign before, and in many cases, people have never even been asked to support our scholarship fund," he said. "I think now that people are becoming more aware of the SASF and how critical it is to the future of Saluki athletics, they will be excited and proud to join in."