Keith and Carol Sanders Alumni Scholarship

Keith and Carol Sanders are both SIUC graduates who have devoted their professional careers to education. A Benton native, Keith Sanders has served as a faculty member at George Washington and SIUC, and was appointed as Dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts at Southern in 1983. He joined the University of Wisconsin system in 1989, initially serving as Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, and, later, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the entire university system.

Sanders returned to Illinois in 1998 and became Executive Director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education. He retired from the IBHE in 2002 and continues to serve on the SIU Board of Trustees. Sanders is also a past President of the Jackson County Chapter of the SIU Alumni Association. Subsequently, he served as President of the national association.

Carol Sanders, who received an elementary education degree from Southern in 1961, was a public school teacher for 21 years before retiring in 1989. She commenced her teaching career at Giant City Grade School in Carbondale. She also taught at school systems in Murphysboro; Alexandria, Virginia; and suburban Pittsburgh. She is a native of Decatur, Illinois.

The Keith and Carol Sanders Alumni Scholarship is designed to encourage high-achieving, low-income students from Benton Consolidated High School in Benton, Illinois to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale, especially if they are from an alumni family.

• Scholarship for an incoming freshman from Benton Consolidated High School with a minimum GPA of 3.25 and demonstrated financial need, as determined by the SIU Financial Aid Office.
• Applicants must submit one (1) letter of recommendation from a person of authority at their high school.