SIU’s Illinois Higher Education Equity Symposium to explore education, innovation and opportunity
Two-day Springfield event (Oct. 8 & 9) will bring together leaders in higher education, technology and public policy
September 29, 2026
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The fifth annual Illinois Higher Education Equity Symposium will bring educators, researchers, policymakers and community leaders to Springfield Oct. 8-9, 2026, to explore how higher education can expand opportunity as technology and workforce needs change.
The symposium will take place at the Edgar J. Curtis Memorial Learning Center, 228 W. Miller St., Springfield, on Thursday, Oct. 8, from 1 to 5 p.m., followed by a networking reception from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday’s program on Oct. 9 runs from 8 a.m. to noon, with a closing luncheon.
“Enrollment numbers tell one story, but access alone does not tell us whether students have the support and opportunities they need to complete a degree and enter growing fields,” said Dr. Sheila Caldwell, SIU System vice president for antiracism, diversity, equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer. “This symposium gives us a chance to bring people together around practical ways to widen those pathways, particularly for students and communities that have faced persistent barriers.”
According to the Illinois Board of Higher Education, there continues to be persistent underrepresentation of Blacks, Latinos, women and students from rural Illinois counties in many high-cost and STEM programs at Illinois universities. For example, women represent only about 22 percent of undergraduate engineering students, and the total number of Black students is declining.
That is why an equity symposium is critical. The event will examine enrollment trends at Illinois public universities and continuing gaps in degree completion and access to high-demand fields. The symposium will address student success, artificial intelligence and ethics, workforce innovation, STEM and health care, the arts, rural opportunity, digital literacy and civic engagement.
Featured speakers include Derek Hoiem of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Kamau Bobb of Georgia Tech and Sarah Lewis of Harvard University. The symposium will also feature discussions with education and policy leaders.
“Universities have a responsibility to prepare students for the opportunities ahead and to help ensure those opportunities reach communities throughout Illinois,” said SIU System President Dan Mahony. “By bringing leaders from different fields to the same conversations, we can turn research and good ideas into stronger educational and career pathways for students.”
Registration is $200 for the full symposium. Attendance at Friday presentation by Lewis, who is the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Humanities and Associate Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University, from 9 to 10:15 a.m. Oct. 9, is also available separately for $75. Free parking is available. For details and registration, visit the symposium website or call SIU Events and Outreach at 618-536-7751.
