Areas of Support

All funds are used to help advance and support the mission of SIU Automotive. Gifts of any size will have a lasting effect on the quality of the program for years to come. The following are areas where you can designate your monetary donation.

Automotive Technology – Program Excellence

The ability to respond nimbly to support emerging dreams and opportunities provides SIU Automotive with a critical strategic advantage. The Automotive Technology Fund allows the School of Automotive to respond to urgent and challenging needs. Funds are directed to provide the greatest opportunity to advance our educational mission and program excellence. An example of this support would include the 2023 Ford Mach-e electric vehicle purchased from the Automotive Enhancement Fund. Automotive manufacturers have been slow to donate electric vehicles, so the program tapped into the fund to ensure the automotive courses were equipped with a late-model popular electric vehicle to prepare students with modern technology.

Student Scholarships

Scholarships provide SIU Automotive with a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining the most promising, inspired, and talented automotive student body in the industry. Scholarships challenge our students to excel and achieve. They boost our ability to put students first so they can focus more on learning. The Automotive Student Scholarship Fund helps us attract, support, and recognize well-deserving students at all levels. Watch the slideshow of the 2024 Scholarship Recipients to see how this fund has made college possible for dozens of students.

Student Organizations

Our student organizations work to provide opportunities to build teamwork, soft skills, technical knowledge, and leadership skills while also providing community service. Supporting their activities provides a more enriching college and learning experience. The Automotive Student Organizations Fund aids the student organizations so that they may continue their amazing work! To see some of the amazing projects, review the “student experiences” page. Donations made to the Automotive Student Organization fund allow projects like these to continue.

Student Support

Supporting students in areas such as tools, textbooks, work uniforms, and temporary emergency assistance can make a difference in their success. Areas such as these directly impact the ability to attract and retain some of our outstanding students. The Automotive Student Support Fund is intended to provide the margins of excellence for student success. An example of this fund in action is the school-initiated free automotive textbook loan program for students. Because of this initiative, learning can start on day one as every student is provided their automotive textbooks on the first day of class.

Building and Equipment

Providing the learning environment and resources to ensure SIU Automotive continues to be a leader in technology on modern late-model vehicles is the purpose of the Automotive Building and Equipment Fund. New and redesigned spaces and equipment allow us to recruit and retain top students and faculty. They help ensure SIU Automotive continues to accelerate forward as the industry continually shifts! For larger gifts, the possibility to name in perpetuity a facility space also exists.

Faculty

Outstanding faculty are at the core of SIU Automotive. We seek to develop endowed professorships that can help us attract, support, and retain premier faculty. Being able to recognize faculty with support at various stages in their career at SIU can help drive outstanding achievements in the classrooms, laboratories, and industry. Contact us to discuss your desires for development or consider supporting the E.J. and Mary Simon Automotive Faculty Fund that recognizes and provides support to the school’s top faculty each year.

Large Gifts

Please contact us if you desire to help accelerate SIU Automotive forward by developing a new endowment, naming a facility space, or by sponsoring key program events, items, or student groups. Customizable opportunities exist to achieve each donor’s specific objectives.

An endowment supports your interest every year. With an endowment, contributions are invested with the SIU Foundation. Interest generated goes toward the endowment’s purpose with a small portion going back into the endowment to preserve and ensure growth in perpetuity. Gifts and commitments of a minimum of $25,000 allow for the establishment of an endowment. The nice thing about endowments is that once established, they will continue to support your cause for generations!