Southern Illinois University Carbondale Thursday officially entered the ranks of the top research universities in the nation.
It has been designated Research 1, or R1, in the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education.
University leaders say less than 5% of the nearly 4,000 classified institutions are designated Research 1: Very High Spending and Doctorate Production.
R1 Institutions are defined as those that have $50 million in research expenditures and grant 70 research doctorates. SIU-Carbondale was meeting that back in 2023 when it had 102 research doctorates and over $58 million in research expenditures.
SIU-Carbondale Chancellor Austin Lane said exploring the R1 designation was an objective in the Imagine 2030 strategic plan, which includes a research and innovation pillar.
