EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Ever since a construction worker claimed he saw a cougar on the new campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville during the early-1960s, the big cat was destined to become the University mascot.
Just in time for its 50th Anniversary, SIUE today unveiled a new University Cougar logo during a special ceremony led by SIUE Chancellor Vaughn Vandegrift in the University’s Goshen Lounge. A banner was unfurled to reveal a new sleek look for the Cougar.
University officials were quick to point out the new Cougar logo will not take the place of the SIUE wordmark or the marketing logo—SIUe—but will be used primarily to support the athletics teams.
The new logo represents a sharper, edgier cougar image reflective of highly competitive sports teams, says Barbara O’Malley, executive director of Marketing and Communications for the University. “SIUE is at a point in its history when we are excelling at all levels,” O’Malley said. “We’re moving up in U.S. News & World Report rankings, our Senior Assignment program is recognized nationally and we were just ranked No. 1 in 9 out of 10 categories when compared with our competition.
“Now, with the transition to NCAA Division I Athletics, it seemed like a fitting time to update the Cougar.”
However, there was a time when the mascot could have become a Titan, a piece of Greek mythology. The SIUE Titans—doesn’t seem right, does it. During fall registration 1967, students were asked to vote; the cougar won by nearly 4-to-1, according to The Alestle, and the SIU Board of Trustees approved the mascot in late September.
Fast forward 40 years and the new cougar is quite fashionable. “There are close to 30 university cougar mascots in the country,” said Jim Harper, a 1993 graduate of SIUE and director of Marketing at 4 Alarm Studio in St. Louis, creators of the new look. “We wanted this cougar to be
distinctive and capture the competitive spirit of SIUE.”
The St. Louis-based studio, made up mostly of SIUE alumni, worked with the campus community on the logo project last spring. Focus groups were conducted with faculty, staff, and students to determine the new Cougar approach.
“It was also nice that SIUE let us explore both traditional and very modern concepts,” Harper said. “It was during the modern exploration that one of our designers developed the chosen concept.”
The logo will be used primarily by SIUE Intercollegiate Athletics. Everyone will be able to wear SIUE Cougar apparel, which is available in the SIUE Bookstore. Student groups and academic groups may use the Cougar logo to represent their SIUE Cougar spirit and to support SIUE Athletics.