Southern Illinois University awards former GovState President Cheryl Green posthumously for distinguished service

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

University Park, Illinois —  Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU), the alma mater of former Governors State University (GovState) President Cheryl Green, recently honored the late president for more than three decades of transformative leadership in higher education and an unwavering commitment to access, equity, and student success.  

Dr. Green, who passed in April 2025, served as the sixth president of GovState. Her tenure, which began amid the COVID-19 pandemic, was defined by her powerful determination to create opportunities and remove barriers to education, notably by establishing the Social Justice Initiative, the LatinX Resource Center, the Honors College, and the College of Graduate Studies, among many others.  

The SIU award, presented during SIU’s recent Board of Trustees meeting on December 4, emphasized Dr. Green’s remarkable career journey and her lasting impact on the institutions and people she served. After earning both her master’s and doctoral degrees in counseling psychology from SIU, she advanced into pivotal leadership roles across the country, including at the University of Michigan, Chicago State University, Tennessee State University, and the University of Wisconsin System, where she notably served as interim chancellor at UW-Whitewater.  

Throughout her career, Dr. Green was widely recognized as a leader of integrity and compassion. SIU presenters described her career as one defined by service, empowerment, and the transformative power of education, and in June 2022 she secured an agreement between GovState and SIU that allows students to earn both bachelor’s and juris doctor (JD) degrees in six years.   

“Dr. Green’s legacy extends far beyond titles or institutions. It lives on in the lives she touched and the communities she strengthened. We proudly honor her posthumously for a lifetime defined by service, compassion, and the transformative power of education,” a board of trustees member noted in their remarks during the board meeting.  

GovState is grateful to SIU for recognizing Dr. Green’s contributions to change lives through education.