University of Illinois System News

blog posts

• Board secretary appointed

  Jan 11, 2016 2:30 pm

  President Killeen announced the appointment of longtime University of Illinois administrator Dedra “Dee Dee” Williams as secretary of the Board of Trustees and of the University, pending approval by the Board at its Jan. 21 meeting in Chicago.

• No based tuition increase proposed

  Jan 20, 2016 2:30 pm

  For the second straight year, the University of Illinois has proposed holding the line on base tuition for in-state freshmen next fall, a move that officials say reflects the University’s commitment to student access and affordability.

• Revised background check policy approved

  Jan 21, 2016 2:15 pm

  The University of Illinois Board of Trustees on Thursday approved a revised policy requiring background checks for all new faculty, academic professional and civil service employees.    

• Tuition rates held steady by board

  Jan 21, 2016 2:15 pm

  The Board of Trustees approved no increase in base tuition for in-state freshmen next fall – holding rates steady for the second straight year despite continuing uncertainty over state funding 

• McMillan re-elected as board chair

  Jan 21, 2016 2:30 pm

  Edward L. McMillan was re-elected chairman of the University’s Board of Trustees during its annual organizational meeting Thursday.      

• State budget update

  Jan 22, 2016 2:15 pm

  "As a new semester begins, we hope there also will be a renewed focus on a state budget to restore funding for the University of Illinois and public higher education across our state. ..."

• New training program

  Feb 5, 2016 2:15 pm

  To help ensure compliance with new state and federal laws, U of I students, faculty, and staff are expected to participate in a new online training program (mandatory for non-student employees) focusing on preventing discrimination and sexual violence

• OGR executive director named

  Feb 11, 2016 2:15 pm

  Feb 11: Lindsay Anderson, a former high-ranking legislative advisor in the state capital, has been appointed executive director for governmental relations for the University of Illinois, President Tim Killeen announced Thursday.

• Whitman approved

  Feb 29, 2016 2:15 pm

  Josh Whitman was approved as the new athletic director of Urbana-Champaign's Division of Intercollegiate Athletics by the Executive Committee of the U of I Board of Trustees.

• Innovation Index

  Mar 8, 2016 2:15 pm

  The Illinois Science and Technology Coalition released information about the growth of entrepreneurial activity at state universities in Illinois.

• Urbana Strategic Plan Town Hall

  Mar 10, 2016 2:15 pm

  President Tim Killeen will host a town hall meeting about the draft strategic plan on March 14 starting at 1 pm. The meeting takes place in the Deloitte Auditorium of the Business Instructional Facility.

• Urbana Chancellor search website

  Mar 11, 2016 2:15 pm

  The U of I at Urbana-Champaign seeks a new chancellor. The search website provides information about the position, the search process, how to nominate or apply, and answers the question "Why Illinois?"

• VP Schook to step down

  Mar 16, 2016 2:15 pm

  Vice President Lawrence Schook is stepping down in August to return to research and faculty work.

• Sheltered markets contracts approved

  Mar 16, 2016 2:15 pm

  The U of I approved "sheltered market" contracts for IT services at their meeting on Mar 16.

• Construction contract awarded for UIS student union

  Mar 16, 2016 2:15 pm

  The U of I board approved a $21.7 million contract for a student union at the U of I in Springfield at their meeting on Mar 16.

• Transfer Information Day

  Mar 17, 2016 2:00 pm

  Southern Illinois students and academic leaders are invited to the inaugural Transfer Information Day on March 22 at the Illinois Marketplace and Maker Literacy Center in Marion.

• Remarks to Appropriations Committee

  Mar 17, 2016 2:15 pm

  U of I President Tim Killeen delivered remarks to the Illinois Senate Appropriations Committee. His remarks focused on the impact of the budget stalemate in Springfield.

• Stop-gap funding statement from President Killeen

  Apr 22, 2016 2:00 pm

  President Killeen issued a statement about the bipartisan effort to provide partial, stop-gap funding for the U of I and other public universities. He also sent a communication on the measure to U of I faculty and staff.

• 2017 DELTA winners announced

  Apr 27, 2016 2:00 pm

  The 2017 winners of the University Administration Distinguished Employee Leadership and Team Awards (DELTA) were announced recently and honored at a reception.

• New university partnership targets innovation, economic growth

  May 11, 2016 2:00 pm

  The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Illinois State University announced a partnership recently to build on the research-based innovation that drives progress and economic growth for the state.

• Alumni unite in Springfield to advocate on behalf of University of Illinois

  May 16, 2016 2:00 pm

  On Wednesday, more than 150 alumni from the University of Illinois’ three campuses will be in Springfield to meet with legislators for U of I Alumni Day at the Capitol.

• President Killeen's message on state budget impasse

  Jun 1, 2016 2:00 pm

  President Tim Killeen sent a message to faculty, staff, and students about the state budget impasse.

• Healthcare information sessions

  Jun 14, 2016 2:00 pm

  Benefits eligible University employees are invited to attend information sessions about proposed healthcare benefit changes. An email from CFO Walter Knorr and Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs Robert Barish gives dates and times for each U of I campus.

• Pierre named provost at Stevens Institute

  Jun 16, 2016 1:00 pm

  U of I Vice President for Academic Affairs Christophe Pierre has been named provost and vice president for academic affairs at the Stevens Institute of Technology in northern New Jersey. He starts at Stevens on Sept. 1.

• Killeen state funding message

  Jul 1, 2016 1:00 pm

  Yesterday, legislators and the governor agreed upon legislation for an initial fiscal 2017 spending plan that will fund higher education, K-12 schools and other essential state services through December.

• Robert J. Jones named chancellor of Urbana campus

  Jul 19, 2016 1:00 pm

  Robert J. Jones, president of the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY), an experienced and accomplished scientist and research university leader, was named chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on Tuesday, pending formal approval by the Board of Trustees at its July 21 meeting.

• Trustees approve Jones as Urbana campus chancellor

  Jul 21, 2016 1:00 pm

  The University of Illinois Board of Trustees on Thursday approved the appointment of Robert J. Jones, an academic leader with more than three decades of experience in public higher education, as chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

• Massmail: Fiscal 2017 Salary Program

  Aug 1, 2016 1:00 pm

  Dear colleagues:

  I write to update you on the status of a 2016-17 salary program for University of Illinois faculty and staff.Finding a way to provide a merit-based salary program to reward employees for their hard work and dedication has been the subject of extensive discussions among leadership at the system and university levels. This is especially important on the heels of a state budget impasse that prevented a salary program for the 2015-16 academic year.Unfortunately, the budget stalemate in Springfield remains unresolved; following two partial “stopgap” appropriations, the state still does not have a full-year budget for the 2017 fiscal year that started July 1. This leaves us with uncertainty over funding that again makes a salary program fiscally imprudent at this time. As responsible stewards of the University’s future, we must be careful about committing to ongoing, increased expenses while our long-term financial picture is unclear.

• U of I joins The Science Coalition in honoring Rep. Bill Foster

  Aug 8, 2016 1:00 pm

  On behalf of The Science Coalition, four leading research universities – the University of Illinois system, Northern Illinois University, Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison – today presented a Champion of Science Award to Congressman Bill Foster of the 11th District in the Chicago area.

  The award is given to members of Congress in recognition of their commitment to funding the basic research that keeps the United States at the forefront of scientific and medical discovery and technological innovation.

• Seidel named interim vice president for research

  Aug 8, 2016 1:45 pm

  H. Edward Seidel, director of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign since 2013, has been named interim vice president for research for the University of Illinois System, pending Board of Trustees approval, President Tim Killeen announced Monday.

  Seidel, a leading researcher in high-performance computing and relativity and astrophysics, will assume his new role Sept. 1. He succeeds Lawrence B. Schook, who announced in March that he will step down after five years as vice president and return to his research and faculty work at the System’s universities in Urbana-Champaign and Chicago.

• President Killeen welcomes students to 2016-17 academic year

  Aug 26, 2016 1:45 pm

  Dear students:

  I am delighted to welcome you to our 2016-17 academic year on behalf of the University of Illinois System.You may not realize it, but you are part of a bigger family that stretches far beyond the universities you call home. The U of I System touches literally every corner of our state, through its three universities in Chicago, Springfield and Urbana-Champaign; regional campuses in Peoria, Rockford and the Quad Cities; a major health education and clinical enterprise; and an Extension network that takes our scholarship into every county.

• U of I Strategic Alliances Day in Peoria held

  Aug 31, 2016 1:45 pm

  On August 30, University of Illinois President Tim Killeen and a delegation of senior administrators and deans from the U of I System's three universities gathered in Peoria for meetings with local alumni, state and federal lawmakers, and business and community leaders to explore new opportunities to build on existing partnerships and drive economic growth in the region. The day included roundtable discussions with top management at Caterpillar and OSF Healthcare and its Jump Trading Simulation and Education Center, as well as a debriefing session with the media.

• King Li named dean of new College of Medicine

  Sep 8, 2016 1:45 pm

  The University of Illinois Board of Trustees on Thursday approved King Li as the inaugural dean and chief academic officer of a new engineering-based College of Medicine scheduled to open at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2018.

  Li, a renowned medical researcher, educator, inventor and clinician in molecular imaging and radiology, is currently senior associate dean for clinical and translational research at Wake Forest School of Medicine and deputy director of the university’s comprehensive cancer center. 

• U of I System reports record on-campus enrollment

  Sep 8, 2016 1:45 pm

  The University of Illinois System enrolled a record 77,073 on-campus students at its three universities this fall, and total enrollment is expected to top a record 81,000 students when all online and off-campus students are counted later this year, according to enrollment statistics released Thursday.

  President Tim Killeen outlined the System’s second straight year of record enrollment during the first of a series of reports to the Board of Trustees on progress toward goals in a new Strategic Framework approved earlier this year that sets the U of I System’s vision for the future.

  Killeen said total on-campus enrollment increased 1.2 percent from last fall’s record 76,166 students System-wide, based on enrollment as of last Friday, the 10th day of classes. The 10-day figures are the traditional benchmark for enrollment data among U.S. colleges and universities.

• Barbara J. Wilson named to System executive vice president post

  Sep 12, 2016 1:45 pm

  Interim University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Chancellor Barbara J. Wilson has been named executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs of the three-university U of I System, President Tim Killeen announced Monday.

  Killeen said Wilson’s appointment, subject to Board of Trustees approval, fills a newly restructured role that establishes a clear second-in-command to the president, and adds responsibilities as senior operating officer to traditional duties as chief academic officer.

• Welcome new leadership

  Sep 23, 2016 1:45 pm

  Dear colleagues:

  I am delighted to welcome Robert Jones as the new permanent chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and to welcome former Interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson to a newly restructured leadership role with the U of I System.

• Recent staff cuts total nearly 500; save up to $1.5 million per month

  Oct 5, 2016 1:45 pm

  In response to a state fiscal crisis over the last 18 months, the University of Illinois System has reduced non-instructional staff by 484, about 3 percent, and reaped additional savings through reduced utilities costs and debt refinancing.U of I President Tim Killeen said the administrative staff reduction could lead to long-term savings of as much as $1.5 million per month.Killeen said the reductions came mostly through attrition and that nearly half of the staff loss—202 employees—came in central University Administration (UA), where very constrained hiring has been in place since July 2015.

• University of Illinois System, U of I Foundation extend fundraising success

  Oct 7, 2016 1:45 pm

  For 81 years, the University of Illinois Foundation and the University of Illinois have worked together to secure and manage private gifts from donors who are committed to the University and advancing its excellence in teaching, research and public engagement.

  Figures for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2016, were announced Friday, October 7, at the Foundation’s Annual Business Meeting, with about 300 alumni and donors, including elected Foundation Board of Directors, Foundation Members, members of the President’s Council and members of the Chancellor’s Circle, in attendance.

• U of I trustees approve fiscal year 2018 funding request

  Nov 10, 2016 1:30 pm

  A fiscal year 2018 state funding request approved by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees Thursday would restore operating revenue to levels that preceded the ongoing two-year budget impasse in the state.The proposal seeks $662.1 million for day-to-day operations at the System’s three universities during the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2017, matching the U of I System’s last full state appropriation for fiscal year 2015.

• New legislation proposes performance-based funding for U of I System

  Nov 10, 2016 1:30 pm

  Legislation introduced Thursday would redefine the state’s long partnership with the University of Illinois System, providing predictable funding for university operations over the next five years in exchange for tangible performance goals that support Illinois students and serve the needs of the state.

  President Tim Killeen outlined the proposed U of I Investment, Performance, and Accountability Commitment (IPAC) during Thursday’s meeting of the Board of Trustees, saying it is “arguably the most comprehensive higher education compact of its kind anywhere in the nation.”

• Massmail re: state healthcare update

  Nov 17, 2016 1:30 pm

  Dear colleagues:

  Yesterday, the Illinois Labor Relations Board (ILRB) declared an impasse in the state’s protracted contract negotiations with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). The board’s unanimous decision has implications for the University of Illinois System because healthcare costs for our faculty and staff are established based on terms negotiated in the state's AFSCME contract.

  The impact of the ILRB’s decision is still unknown because a written ruling has not yet been issued and may not be available until next week.

• Reduced Service Days to be paid gift days

  Nov 22, 2016 1:30 pm

  Dear colleagues:

  As America approaches the long Thanksgiving respite, we wish to express again how deeply we appreciate the hard work and dedication to excellence by each and every one of you during the challenges the University has faced in the last several years.

  In recognition of your service we have decided to provide leave benefit eligible employees with three additional paid gift days this year during our Reduced Service Days (December 28 - 30). For employees in union-represented bargaining units the plan will be discussed through the required collective bargaining process.

• Agreement will bring Mexican doctoral students to U of I

  Nov 23, 2016 1:30 pm

  The University of Illinois System signed an agreement that will bring doctoral students funded by Mexico to U of I System universities, and approved a partnership for diabetes and obesity research during a visit to Mexico last week by President Tim Killeen and a delegation of senior leaders.

  Agreements also were signed that will provide a foundation for new academic and research partnerships with Mexico’s largest university and the country’s leading research institute.

• Presidential Fellows named

  Nov 30, 2016 1:30 pm

  University of Illinois President Tim Killeen today announced the appointment of two University of Illinois Presidential Fellows – Professor Antoinette Burton of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Professor Lisa Lee of the University of Illinois at Chicago.

  He states: "Both are highly respected scholars and will share their talents on a part-time basis over the next year to help build on the U of I System’s long legacy of leadership in the arts and humanities."

• Message of support for undocumented students

  Dec 6, 2016 1:30 pm

  Dear faculty, staff and students:

  In the weeks since November’s election, there has been a call across the country by many individuals and groups to declare college campuses as sanctuaries for undocumented students, including petition drives at each of the University of Illinois System’s three universities. These petitions, which we have reviewed carefully, raise a myriad of definitional and legal questions.

• Best wishes of the season

  Dec 12, 2016 1:30 pm

  Roberta and I send you our fondest greetings and best wishes for health and happiness in 2017. We hope the season brings you the warmth of family and friends, cherished memories, and peace and renewal for the new year. We have created a short video message, and I hope you will join us in celebrating all the U of I stands for this holiday season.

• U of I trustees approve land acquisition

  Dec 20, 2016 1:30 pm

  The University of Illinois System will acquire nearly three acres of land for expansion of the College of Medicine in Peoria (UICOMP) under an agreement approved Tuesday by the Board of Trustees Executive Committee.The 2.97-acre parcel is adjacent to UICOMP’s campus and will be purchased for $500,000 from Wald/Land Corp., a Peoria-based real estate development company.

• Salary program effective February 2017

  Dec 22, 2016 1:30 pm

  In a year of challenges, our faculty and staff have helped the University of Illinois System continue to flourish as a world-class incubator of talent and a key engine of progress. Our student enrollments grew this year, and our faculty and staff have excelled in discovery and teaching. Despite the state’s fiscal challenges, I am pleased to announce that we are implementing a modest mid-year salary program to recognize our employees’ commitment and dedication.

• U of I System seeking to increase opportunity for minority vendors

  Jan 9, 2017 1:30 pm

  The University of Illinois System would raise goals for spending with businesses owned by minorities, women and people with disabilities under a proposal reviewed Monday by the Board of Trustees’ Audit, Budget, Finance and Facilities Committee.

  The proposal, which will be considered by trustees at their Jan. 19 meeting in Chicago, reflects a System-wide commitment to diversity that extends from enrollment and hiring to contracts for construction, supplies and other goods and services, President Tim Killeen said.

• U of I recommends holding in-state freshman tuition flat

  Jan 9, 2017 1:30 pm

  For the third straight year, the University of Illinois System has proposed no increase in base tuition for in-state freshmen next fall – the longest consecutive freeze in tuition rates in 40 years.

  The proposed in-state tuition freeze for the System’s universities in Chicago, Springfield and Urbana-Champaign was reviewed Monday by the Board of Trustees’ Audit, Budget, Finance and Facilities Committee, and will be considered by the full board at its Jan. 19 meeting in Chicago.