blog posts $100 million center to drive smart, reconfigurable technologies Oct 1, 2019 1:30 pm The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Grainger College of Engineering and Foxconn Interconnect Technology (FIT) are partnering on a new $100 million Center for Networked Intelligent Components and Environments (C-NICE). 2018-2019 Salary Program Jun 12, 2018 11:45 am Today, President Killeen announced a 2 percent, merit-based salary program for the 2018-19 academic year. 2019-20 Salary Program Jun 19, 2019 11:00 am Today President Killeen announced a 2 percent, merit-based salary program for faculty, academic professional and civil service staff to take effect August 16. 2019 report highlights initiatives from across the U of I System Apr 17, 2019 9:45 am Impact Illinois 2019, the annual report from the University of Illinois System, highlights recent initiatives of the system, our three best-in-class universities, and our leading hospital and health sciences system. 2020 annual report highlights initiatives from across the U of I System May 22, 2020 9:00 am Empowering Extraordinary, the 2020 annual report from the University of Illinois System, highlights recent initiatives, accomplishments, and innovations from across the system, including our ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2021-22 Salary Program May 14, 2021 9:00 am Today President Killeen announced a 2 percent, merit-based salary program for faculty, academic professional and civil service staff to take effect August 16. 2021 annual report highlights initiatives from across the U of I System Jul 6, 2021 9:00 am The University of Illinois System 2021 Annual Report: Empowering Extraordinary highlights our response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent initiatives, accomplishments, and innovations from across the system. 2022 report highlights system initiatives in new, interactive format Oct 6, 2022 1:15 pm U of I System President Tim Killeen: I invite you to read just some of the many stories from all across the U of I System that show how we are laying the foundation upon which we can build a better future for all of Illinois. 2024 tour reinforces higher ed’s role in fueling statewide economic vitality Sep 3, 2024 3:45 pm Each year the University of Illinois System Leadership State Tour has led to new partnerships; provided valuable insight to high school administrators and students regarding student enrollment opportunities at system universities; and facilitated community discussions of solutions to critical issues. 28 receive U of I System honor for leading COVID-19 response Aug 23, 2021 12:00 pm University of Illinois President Tim Killeen on Monday honored 28 key leaders of the system’s COVID-19 response with the Presidential Medallion. The medallion is the highest honor that the system president can bestow. $7.5M gift establishes Richard and Leslie Frank Center for Leadership and Innovation in Media Oct 12, 2020 10:00 am The College of Media at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has announced that its students will benefit from a suite of enhanced professional experiences, thanks to a $7.5 million gift by Rich and Leslie Frank of St. Helena, California. The gift, the largest in the College’s history, will establish the Richard and Leslie Frank Center for Leadership and Innovation in Media. Agreement reached with State Universities Civil Service System May 15, 2018 1:15 pm Over the last year, the University of Illinois System joined other public universities in talks with the State Universities Civil Service System (SUCSS) to develop new procedures for exempting positions from the civil service system.I write to share the news that an agreement has been reached that complies with state law while still allowing us to exempt academic professional positions from the civil service system, as appropriate. Alumni, students advocate for U of I System Feb 28, 2018 1:00 pm Nearly 250 current students and alumni met with Illinois legislators Wednesday to advocate for the University of Illinois System during its annual Day at the Capitol in Springfield. The afternoon-long event also included the U of I System’s first-ever Statehouse rally, featuring speeches in the Capitol Rotunda by legislators, a student and a graduate. Alumni, students, leaders unite for U of I System Day in the Capitol advocacy Apr 17, 2024 10:45 am University of Illinois System Day in the Capitol on Tuesday brought together system and university leaders, students, and alumni to advocate for the system’s priorities for and with the state. Argonne joins new research center led by U of I System Aug 28, 2019 12:00 pm The U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, a global leader in scientific discovery and America’s first national laboratory, signed an agreement Wednesday to partner in a new research center led by the University of Illinois System to accelerate the groundbreaking innovation that drives progress and economic growth. Arts & humanities initiative offers new support for 10 projects Jun 22, 2021 2:30 pm The University of Illinois System continues to demonstrate its commitment to the arts and humanities, funding a second generation of vital projects through the Presidential Initiative: Expanding the Impact of the Arts and the Humanities, President Tim Killeen announced today. Avijit Ghosh named interim executive VP for U of I System May 19, 2021 9:30 am Avijit Ghosh, vice president/chief financial officer and comptroller for the University of Illinois System since 2018, has been named interim executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs, effective July 15, President Tim Killeen announced today. Barack Obama receives award, speaks to students Sep 10, 2018 12:30 pm On Sept. 7, former President Barack Obama was honored by the University of Illinois System with the Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government, presented annually by the system's Institute of Government and Public Affairs. During his visit, Obama also spoke to students at Foellinger Auditorium. Barbara J. Wilson named president of the University of Iowa Apr 30, 2021 6:15 pm Barbara J. Wilson, a longtime University of Illinois faculty member and administrator who has served as second-in-command of the U of I System since 2016, was unanimously approved as president of the University of Iowa today by the Board of Regents. Become an Illinois Connection advocate Oct 14, 2020 1:00 pm VIDEO: Illinois Connection is the legislative advocacy network for the University of Illinois System. By increasing awareness and understanding of the U of I System's positive impact on the state, nation and world, Illinois Connection advocates help to ensure the system’s legacy and longevity. Benjamin Superfine appointed senior director of U of I System’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs Jun 12, 2024 2:00 pm Benjamin Superfine, the assistant vice provost of faculty relations and a professor of educational policy studies at the University of Illinois Chicago, has been appointed senior director of the University of Illinois System’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs. Superfine will assume his new role at the U of I System’s public policy research institute on Aug. 16, pending formal approval by the system’s board of trustees at its July 11 meeting. Bhargavee Gnanasambandam wins Falling Walls Lab Illinois Sep 29, 2023 11:00 am Gnanasambandam earned the top prize with her presentation “Breaking the wall of gynecological cancers,” in which she discussed a new way to detect human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer with a simple test that provides results within 15 minutes. She also won an all-expenses-paid trip to Berlin, to compete at the global Falling Walls Lab finale on Nov. 7. Binational Great Lakes Higher Ed. Consortium Launched Oct 29, 2020 12:45 pm The Council of the Great Lakes Region, the University of Toronto, and the University of Illinois System have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to officially create and launch the binational Great Lakes Higher Education Consortium. Board backs Discovery Partners Institute Jul 25, 2019 12:15 pm The University of Illinois Board of Trustees today gave its unanimous support to the Discovery Partners Institute (DPI), the groundbreaking new research and education enterprise led by the University of Illinois System. DPI will boost the state’s economy by addressing real-world challenges, promoting entrepreneurship, growing next-generation businesses and delivering top talent to Chicago. Board of Trustees Chair commits $100K for UIC's frontline healthcare workers May 20, 2020 10:15 am University of Illinois Board of Trustees Chairman Don Edwards and his wife, Anne Edwards, both alumni of the University of Illinois, have pledged $100,000 to establish the UI Health Employee Relief Fund, which will support health care workers at the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System, or UI Health. Board of Trustees freezes in-state undergraduate tuition rates for 2024-25 Jan 18, 2024 12:00 pm The University of Illinois Board of Trustees today approved tuition rates for the 2024-25 academic year that freeze the undergraduate base rate tuition for resident undergraduate students at the three system universities. This decision reflects the system’s ongoing commitment to affordability. Budget plan to provide reinvestment in U of I System, public higher education Feb 15, 2023 4:30 pm The state budget proposed today by Governor J.B. Pritzker would provide a 7% increase in general operating support for the University of Illinois System, increasing the system’s total general funds appropriation to $697.1 million for the coming fiscal year and representing a vital reinvestment in public higher education that would build on last year’s appropriation increases. Budget proposal would provide needed investment in U of I System, students Feb 2, 2022 3:45 pm Under the fiscal year 2023 budget proposed today by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the state appropriation for the University of Illinois System would increase by $28 million over the current fiscal year. Additional one-time funding proposed by the governor would increase current-year funds by another $28 million. Campaign fundraising for the U of I System crosses $2 billion mark Mar 14, 2019 9:00 am In October 2017 the University of Illinois System officially launched a comprehensive fundraising initiative with an ambitious $3.1 billion goal. Now, less than a year and a half into the public campaigns, the U of I System has surpassed the $2 billion mark—or 64.8%—in funds raised toward this goal. CDC endorses Test to Stay strategy piloted by IDPH, SHIELD Illinois Dec 20, 2021 8:00 am A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report published today confirms that the Test to Stay program, created locally by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and operated by SHIELD Illinois, can help keep kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) students in the classroom. As a result of the report, the CDC endorsed Test to Stay as a useful strategy to be implemented in schools. CDPH to utilize innovative covidSHIELD test in select city schools Jun 1, 2021 10:00 am The University of Illinois System today announced that it will begin providing its innovative saliva-based covidSHIELD test to select K-12 Chicago schools through funding from the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). The $20 million in funding will go to the system’s nonprofit SHIELD Illinois unit, which provides testing throughout the state. Chicago awarded $18.5M in federal funds to create new jobs in the region Aug 17, 2022 2:15 pm The Discovery Partners Institute and P33 will spearhead tech-specific workforce development programs in support of an $18.5 million federal Good Jobs Challenge award announced earlier this month. City Scholars program expands at Discovery Partners Institute Sep 17, 2020 11:30 am The Discovery Partners Institute and The Grainger College of Engineering are expanding the City Scholars program to now include the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech). Coalition brings desperately needed grocery store to Illinois' southernmost city Jun 20, 2023 1:15 pm University of Illinois System leaders visited Cairo last summer to explore ways to support the port town’s revitalization work. Coalition urges Congress to support National Science Foundation funding Jun 3, 2024 9:15 am Research and education funded by the National Science Foundation are crucial for our state's economy, but federal support remains below the level authorized in 2022 legislation. College of Engineering to be named in recognition of Grainger support Apr 16, 2019 1:45 pm The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s College of Engineering will become The Grainger College of Engineering, recognizing a new $100 million gift from The Grainger Foundation and more than $300 million in total support, after consultation with the Chancellor’s Joint Advisory Committee on Investment, Licensing, and Naming Rights and pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. Commencement ceremonies update Mar 17, 2020 3:00 pm Today University of Illinois System leadership sent a massmail regarding commencement ceremonies in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Community colleges in Illinois now have option to provide free covidSHIELD tests to state residents Apr 19, 2021 1:45 pm Community colleges across the state now have the ability to provide the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s innovative, saliva-based COVID-19 test at no cost to any state resident who wants one. COVID-19 booster shot now required Jan 6, 2022 11:15 am University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen sent a massmail to students, faculty and staff today requiring COVID-19 booster shots for all when eligible. COVID-19 booster shot recommendation Dec 6, 2021 11:00 am University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen sent a massmail to students, faculty and staff today recommending COVID-19 booster shots for all when eligible. COVID-19 news and research Mar 13, 2020 1:45 pm (Originally posted March 5). The University of Illinois System has established a COVID-19 Planning and Response Team to help coordinate the system’s response to and communication about the virus, and our three universities are monitoring their campuses and working with their local community agencies. COVID-19 related websites, communications, policies, and other resources can be found on this page. COVID-19 reminder: keep your guard up Mar 31, 2020 3:30 pm University of Illinois System leadership sent a COVID-19 update message today to students, faculty, and staff. COVID-19: Rising to the Challenge Apr 10, 2020 10:00 am The University of Illinois System is demonstrating its land-grant mission in real time, marshalling its world-class resources and ramping up its knowledge-generating power to foster solutions that will help steer our state through the COVID-19 crisis. Visit this page for updates, communications, and other resources. COVID-19 testing strategies allow universities to open Aug 28, 2020 3:00 pm CNBC (Aug. 28) On CNBC's "Sqauwk on the Street," University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen discussed the pioneering saliva-based testing program that allowed the system’s three universities to resume face-to-face instruction this fall. COVID-19 update Mar 13, 2020 6:45 pm University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen sent a COVID-19 update massmail this evening to faculty, staff, and students. DACA ruling Jun 18, 2020 2:30 pm University of Illinois leadership sent a massmail today to students, faculty and staff regarding the the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DARPA, Gov. Pritzker pledge funding for Quantum Proving Ground Jul 17, 2024 12:00 pm The new Quantum Proving Ground promises to combine scientific rigor with industry and academic expertise to design the future of quantum computing. DARPA and other federal agencies will provide federal funding, and Governor Pritzker and the State of Illinois pledged to coinvest up to $140 million in the project. Dates announced for 2025 Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress Mar 25, 2024 9:45 am The 2025 Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress, the world’s largest annual gathering focused on action-forward, knowledge-based and inclusive approaches to sustainability, will take place in Chicago from June 16-20, 2025. David Merriman named interim director of IGPA May 24, 2023 12:00 pm David F. Merriman has been appointed interim director of the University of Illinois System’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs (IGPA), system Executive Vice President and Vice President for Academic Affairs Nicholas P. Jones announced today. Merriman is the James J. Stukel Presidential Professor of Public Policy, Management, and Analytics at the University of Illinois Chicago’s (UIC) College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs. Defense spending an economic driver for Illinois Feb 27, 2018 2:00 pm Though not generally considered a state that is closely tied to military spending, a new study by the University of Illinois System shows that the defense industry has a significant impact on the Illinois economy.In 2016, the study found that total economic impact of defense spending in Illinois was nearly $12 billion, representing approximately 1.5 percent of the state’s gross domestic product and contributing to more than 136,500 jobs.