An SIU Alumni Story—Dr. Tyler Chance

An SIU Alumni Story

The current work to transform how Illinois funds its public universities and their ability to effectively support and graduate the students they enroll underscores a clear vision for our state: one where its prosperity is predicated on a healthy postsecondary landscape anchored by well-funded four-year institutions as critical engines of opportunity. In pursuing a college degree, students access a world of more opportunity for themselves and their families and their communities. 

This spring, alumni of the state’s public universities including Carbondale high school assistant principal Dr. Tyler Chance, discuss how their college experience not only clarified their career aspirations but shaped their personal mission, highlighting the indispensable role higher education plays in the lives of generating opportunity that is made possible by adequate funding. 

Community, Opportunity, and Coming Full Circle at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Growing up in Southern Illinois, SIU was everywhere. For grade school field trips, we went to McCloud Auditorium to see productions of “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “The Ransom of Red Chief.” In high school, we went to SIU for Foreign Language day, academic competitions, and even on a trip to tour the Mortuary Science department. Everyone I knew had at least one maroon t-shirt featuring a saluki, the Egyptian hunting dog that acts as SIU’s mascot. We wore them with pride, cheering on the men’s basketball team through several memorable NCAA Tournament runs in the 2000s. The university was, and continues to be, the cultural center for the whole region.  

When it came time to apply to college, there was no question of where I would be going. I didn’t apply anywhere else. I was meant to be a saluki.  

I grew up just a half-hour drive from campus, but SIU felt like a new world to me. Coming from a former sundown town that lacked racial and cultural diversity, it was transformative to build friendships with students from around the world and from all walks of life. While I learned a great deal in the classroom, I learned even more through the relationships I formed.   

Those relationships included not only my peers, but also the faculty and staff who supported me along the way. That included everyone from Jonathan the friendly greeter at the cafeteria who wrote short stories and had eventually had his own online fan-group, to the professors in the political science department who encouraged me to pursue advocacy, activism, and academia. Others opened doors for me as well, the University Honors Program (UHP) provided me chances to explore my interests, learn in more hands-on settings, and the UHP even sent me to Beijing, China on an exchange program with the University of International Business and Economics. My favorite honors courses at SIU explored topics such as the history of Imperial Rome, the impact of comics as an artistic and literary medium, and the intersection of religion in politics in the United States and South Africa.  

I also had the opportunity to work at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, a non-partisan think tank on campus, acting as a receptionist, assisting on research projects, and helping to organize “Pizza and Politics” events, where students could engage with public officials in small informal settings while enjoying Quatro’s Pizza. The people behind these programs invested a lot into me. They truly made a mark on my life, not just by preparing me for my career, but by forming my character.  

While I was able to pursue so much as an undergraduate, college was not without its challenges. I benefited greatly from counselling services at the University Health Center, where I found support and strategies for managing anxiety and depression. I also found community through Living Learning Communities in the dorm where I lived and student organizations such as InterVarsity, Movie Camera Movement (MCM), and Greek Life. These spaces became my support system. Additionally, I was able to take care of my body through the student Recreation Center and the beautiful walking paths around Campus Lake and through Thompson Woods.  

Today, my life as a saluki has come full circle. I am proud to be an assistant principal at Carbondale Community High School, which sends more graduates to SIU than any other high school. Where I once helped pack and send research mailers at the Paul Simon Institute, I have now had my own work published there. I have earned one of my Master’s degrees at SIU and continue to pursue my superintendent endorsement through the university. I also have had the privilege of teaching in the School of Education at SIU. Some of the students I have taught at SIU are now making an impact in their own classrooms throughout Southern Illinois.  

There are few places that have had as significant an impact on my life as Southern Illinois University. SIU continues to impact the lives of its students and of Southern Illinoisans today.