SIU Board To Vote on John Dunn as Interim SIUC Chancellor

Credit SIU Hall of Chancellors

SIU Trustees are set to consider the appointment of John Dunn as Interim Chancellor for the Carbondale campus.

Southern Illinois University's Board of Trustees will vote on a new interim chancellor for the Carbondale campus this week. WSIU's Jennifer Fuller says the nominee isn't a stranger to the position:

Dunn has served in that post before, when he took over for Chancellor Walter Wendler in 2006.

In a 2007 interview,  Dunn talked about the need for the university to address declining enrollment - a problem then that persists today.

"We need to think, I think, a bit differently about our students as they enter the university, and what we can do to continue to support them and make greater improvements in the support we provide for them."

During his time as campus CEO, Dunn also stressed the importance - and responsibility - of a research university, along with its faculty, staff, and students.

"First and foremost, they must be the deliverers of cutting edge information - the latest greatest stuff - every day. In addition to that, they're the creators and generators of the new knowledge base. That's what makes a research university, and that why we're different from an institution that may be a very good state institution - but is not a research university."

Dunn left SIUC to be President of Western Michigan University, where he served for ten years before retiring last year.

His two-year appointment at SIUC would bring a $375,000 annual salary, along with a housing allowance and moving expenses. Trustees meet Wednesday and Thursday in Carbondale.

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SIU Carbondale’s incoming Interim Chancellor has held the post before.

This week’s SIU Board of Trustees agenda includes appointment of John M. Dunn as interim Chancellor – effective January 1 of 2019 through December 31 of 2020.

Dunn served as SIUC’s Provost from 2002 through 2006, when he was named interim Chancellor after the ouster of Chancellor Walter Wendler.

If approved by the Board, Dunn’s contract calls for a salary of $375,000, and the university will pay for a rental home during his stay in Carbondale. Moving expenses are also included in the contract.

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