On March 14, Rock Valley College President Howard Spearman signed an agreement with Southern Illinois University (SIU) Carbondale Chancellor Austin A. Lane to participate in the Saluki Step Ahead program.

Following graduation with an associate degree from Rock Valley College, students can go on to complete their SIU bachelor’s degrees online and at a lower cost in six academic programs: accounting, business administration, criminology and criminal justice, health care management, psychology, and radiologic sciences.

Rock Valley College is one of 12 community colleges participating with SIU in the Saluki Step Ahead program, and the list of participants is expected to grow.

“Here at Rock Valley College, we are excited for this baccalaureate opportunity for our students,” President Spearman said. “Thank you to our partners at SIU for paving the way for Golden Eagles to continue their education in our community.”

Students in the program pay the community college rate for their first two years. In the third and fourth years, they receive an annual $4,000 scholarship. The goal is to allow students to earn their degrees for $25,000 or less.

For more information about Saluki Step Ahead, please read the full press release from SIU Carbondale here.

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