Governor Quinn Announces Investment to Improve Campus Safety at SIU Carbondale

CARBONDALE - Governor Pat Quinn today announced an investment to improve campus safety at Southern Illinois University Carbondale by upgrading lighting along campus walkways with environmentally friendly LED lighting. The investment comes from Governor Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program, and is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to improve public safety across Illinois.

"All people of Illinois deserve to feel safe, especially while they are at their college or home away from home," Governor Quinn said. "New lighting at SIU Carbondale will provide some peace of mind to staff and students while navigating the campus after dark. In addition, the campus will now be even more environmentally friendly by taking advantage of LED lighting to improve efficiency and protect our environment."

Governor Quinn made the investment after learning about concerns from students, faculty and visitors regarding poorly lit areas on the SIU campus. Improving the exterior lighting will deter crime on campus and help ensure that students have safe, high-quality educational opportunities.

Southern Illinois University will receive $1.5 million to install approximately 400 new LED light fixtures along campus walkways. The project will also include the replacement of old and failing electrical infrastructure and wiring to reduce the risk of electrical shock. The new LED lighting will improve campus safety while reducing electric consumption and light pollution. This project is the second phase of a project to update walkway and roadway lighting with more efficient LED lighting at SIU Carbondale.

"These critical dollars will provide a two-for-one return for the SIUC campus. First, by allowing the university to broaden its lighting and security infrastructure and second, in an area long championed by Governor Quinn, by increasing efficiency and lowering our overall energy usage," SIU System President Randy J. Dunn said. "By installing and upgrading to LED lighting, we will, at the same time, increase our campus security while we are decreasing our costs. That's a win-win in everybody's book."

"Ensuring that we provide a safe and secure campus is a top priority for SIU Carbondale," SIUC Interim Chancellor Paul D. Sarvela said. "This funding, combined with an additional $500,000 investment from the university, will allow us to add 400 new lights over our highest-traffic pedestrian walkways. This is a significant contribution to campus safety, and we're deeply grateful for the state's investment."

This project is part of Governor Quinn's $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! program, which will support more than 439,000 jobs over six years. Illinois Jobs Now! is the largest construction program in Illinois history, and is one of the largest construction programs in the nation.