Southeastern Illinois College
Celebrates 50 Years!

The movie Ben-Hur, Harper Lee's classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird and dancing "The Twist" to Chubby Checker's music were all popular in 1960, and so was the idea of creating a community college in the southeastern region of Illinois.

The founders of SIC were charged with gauging support for locating a community college in Harrisburg, and that support was overwhelming. In the spring of 1960, over 80% of more than a thousand juniors and seniors from the proposed district expressed interest in attending a community college. When a public referendum was held in July 1960, 93% of more than 2,500 votes cast were in favor of creating the college, and SIC was born!

Since our inception, Southeastern has seen phenomenal growth and great moments. We started out humbly, with borrowed space in Harrisburg High School, then moved to an interim building on our current site. Now, classes are available to anyone with Internet access, and that temporary building has been transformed into our state-of-the-art Robert I. Gregg Technology Center. In the many years between, we added top-flight instructional and athletic facilities, a child study center, an administrative building, a regionally recognized visual and performing arts center, and a fire science training facility.

These facilities have been filled by high achievers. As an institution, we've made our mark at the NJCAA National Basketball Tournaments, with both our men's and women's programs. We've dominated the Phi Rho Phi national forensics tournament, with an astounding 22 straight years in the national top five. Our clay target team has shot to the top of the country, finishing second in the national tournament this year after only three years of existence. Our Model Illinois Government team has set records and maintains a stellar reputation from their annual legislative session in Springfield.

Our alumni have gone on to an astounding array of careers and fields. They have staffed our hospitals and our coal mines, they are teachers and lawyers, politicians and business executives, pediatricians and private business owners, interior designers and chemists. In short, they prove that success can start here, and go anywhere - no matter what your dreams and desires may be.

The Golden Anniversary Committee has done a tremendous job of planning multiple events and activities during the course of the year. The one special day we've set aside for you to visit the campus is September 12th, a day set aside for the formal observance of fifty years in excellence in education and service at Southeastern.