SIU Board re-elects Phil Gilbert as chair, approves campus real estate purchases and housing planning; athletics, DEI highlighted

Phil Gilbert was re-elected chair of the Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees in a roll‑call vote at the board’s full meeting. The board also elected Ed Hightower as vice chair and Subhash Sharma as secretary, appointed John Simmons and Roger Tedrick to the executive committee, and approved a series of budget, real estate, personnel and policy actions across the SIU system.

Why it matters: The votes authorize near‑term campus capital moves in Springfield and Carbondale, start planning to replace aging student housing at SIU Edwardsville’s Cougar Village, and formalize leadership for board committees while the system continues work on enrollment, fundraising and academic priorities. The meeting also featured detailed briefings on student‑athlete academic performance and a sustained discussion defending the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion work.

Board organization and appointments Phil Gilbert told the board, “I declare by majority of voting members present, I’ve been elected as chair of the board again,” after the roll call election. The board then elected Ed Hightower as vice chair and Subhash Sharma as secretary; John Simmons and Roger Tedrick were elected to the executive committee and Simmons was elected to represent the board on the State University Civil Service Merit Board.

Athletics reports: academic success and fiscal uncertainty Andrew Gavin, director of athletics at SIU Edwardsville, told trustees the SIUE athletics program reported a combined student‑athlete GPA of 3.32 for the fall and that “this past fall of 2024 marked the seventh consecutive semester where our student athletes combined to post a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.” He highlighted that each of the 14 programs posted a team GPA above 3.0 and that SIUE’s 2020–2024 cohort registered a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) near the top nationally.

Tim Leonard, director of athletics at SIU Carbondale, described departmental metrics for GPA, APR and federal graduation rates and said the goal is to raise the department APR (academic progress rate) because “the APR is the one that can really get you in trouble” —…