The following massmail was delivered to faculty and staff across the U of I System:

Dear colleagues:

We are delighted to announce a unique new educational program that is being launched this fall for our nearly 20,000 academic professional and civil service employees. For employees in positions represented by a union, this program will be adopted through the collective bargaining process.

Our faculty and staff are the foundation of the University of Illinois System’s standing as a global leader in education and discovery. Their daily hard work and dedication are the building blocks of our efforts to serve communities, the state of Illinois and the nation. Yet it is challenging for many staff to fully appreciate just what their talents have helped build – three universities whose academic excellence has attracted a record 86,000 students; a collective research powerhouse that ranks among the world’s most innovative university systems; a system that pumps $17.5 billion into the state’s economy every year, supporting one in every 46 jobs.

So we have developed a unique new program to give staff an opportunity for a first-hand look at the big picture. Know Your U is perhaps the first program of its kind in the country, offering eligible university employees time away during their normal workday to experience the remarkable programs and facilities that their hard work supports. It is a chance to learn more about academic units that have helped set enrollment records for six straight years; about research that promises to build on the system’s long, rich legacy of groundbreaking innovation; and about the iconic facilities that define our three, best-in-class universities.

More information is available on the Know Your U website and also will be emailed to employees by university and system human resource offices. Our human resource staff was instrumental in developing the program, and we are grateful for their commitment, creativity and good work.

Know Your U is an investment in our most valuable resource, giving staff employees a broader perspective into the scope and impact of our universities, and how their roles contribute to the greater good. We also hope they have some fun along the way, and walk away with an even greater sense of pride in a university system that is truly altogether extraordinary.

Sincerely,

Tim Killeen
President, University of Illinois System

Barbara J. Wilson
Executive Vice President/Vice President for Academic Affairs

Michael Amiridis
Chancellor, University of Illinois at Chicago

Robert J. Jones
Chancellor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Susan J. Koch
Chancellor, University of Illinois at Springfield