blog navigation

University of Illinois System News
Read the latest University of Illinois System news from the Office of External Relations and Communications.

blog posts

  • U of I System recommends extending in-state tuition freeze

    The University of Illinois System has proposed extending a tuition freeze for in-state freshmen to a fourth straight year next fall, matching its longest consecutive rate freeze in more than four decades, President Tim Killeen announced today.

  • U of I System freezes in-state tuition for fourth straight year

    The University of Illinois Board of Trustees voted Thursday to freeze tuition for in-state freshmen next fall for the fourth straight year, extending an affordability initiative that seeks to help keep more talented students in Illinois for college.The freeze for the U of I System’s universities in Chicago, Springfield and Urbana-Champaign matches the longest consecutive freeze in more than four decades, since a four-year run of flat rates from 1974-1977.

  • Koritz re-elected U of I board chairman

    Dr. Timothy N. Koritz was re-elected to a second one-year term as chairman of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees during the board’s annual organizational meeting Thursday at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

  • U of I System administrative realignment enters final stage

    University of Illinois President Tim Killeen announced today that the three-university system is in the final stage of an administrative realignment to further downsize the central system offices and move certain functions to the campuses for greater efficiency and effectiveness.

  • State funding proposed for new, U of I-led research center

    A proposal by Gov. Bruce Rauner would provide $500 million in state funding to match private donations for a new statewide research enterprise led by the University of Illinois System that is being developed to accelerate innovation, job creation and economic growth.

  • Defense spending an economic driver for Illinois

    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.

  • Alumni, students advocate for U of I System

    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. 

  • NIU signs onto accountability-based funding bill introduced by U of I System

    Northern Illinois University has signed onto legislation proposed by the University of Illinois System that would guarantee predictable state funding for the universities in exchange for measurable performance standards such as holding down student costs and enrolling Illinois undergraduates.

  • U of I board approves interim deans

    The University of Illinois Board of Trustees appointed interim deans at its universities in Chicago and Springfield on Wednesday, and approved student health insurance premiums for the 2018-19 academic year.

  • U of I System launches 'Altogether Extraordinary' marketing campaign

    The University of Illinois System is launching an unprecedented statewide marketing campaign to increase public awareness and support of the three-university system’s far-reaching impact and collective value.

  • Paid gift day program renewed for third year

    We are pleased to announce that a program providing additional paid days off during our December/January holidays has been extended to a third straight year.Employees who are eligible for leave benefits will again receive three paid gift days for this year’s Reduced Service Days – on December 27, 28 and 31. Before the program began in 2016, employees had been required to draw from their annual pool of paid time off to be paid for the reduced service days.

  • U of I to host supplier diversity fair

    The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will host a first-ever outreach event next month to expand business opportunities on the state’s largest campus for firms owned by minorities, women, veterans and people with disabilities.

  • Impact Illinois: 2018 annual report

    The University of Illinois System's 2018 annual report, Impact Illinois, is now available online. 

  • Agreement reached with State Universities Civil Service System

    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.

  • U of I to develop faculty hiring plan

    University of Illinois President Tim Killeen announced Thursday that plans will be developed setting an ambitious goal for increased faculty hiring across the three-university system over the next five years.

  • Graphic that says University of Illinois Pocket Facts 2024

    New data snapshots show breadth of U of I System's statewide reach

    Pocket Facts 2024 features highlights from the University of Illinois System's universities and healthcare enterprise, as well as Illinois Innovation Network and Discovery Partners Institute — all working together for an even more prosperous, sustainable future for Illinois. 

  • A woman stands at a podium in front of a crowd, while two men on a projection screen sign a document

    DPI, DESY announce R&D, corporate development partnership

    The Discovery Partners Institute, part of the University of Illinois System, and DESY, a national accelerator lab in Germany, today announced a partnership to advance the commercialization of their research and support the launch of businesses in each city. 

  • U of I System annual report cover with Discovery Partners Institute's future headquarters and title Extraordinary Everywhere

    New collection of stories spotlights people, programs making a difference

    This new digital publication features stories about successful students and important research, but that's not all. The U of I System also prioritizes supporting economic development in Illinois and worldwide. Innovation, partnerships, equity, and wellbeing play key roles, too. Explore "Extraordinary. Everywhere."

  • President Timothy L. Killeen

    President Killeen: Higher education 'engine ready to drive us forward'

    In this op-ed for Fortune, alongside the The Harris Poll, U of I System President Tim Killeen shows that higher education provides the economic and societal infrastructure we require in fast-changing times.

  • Woman and man looking at a computer screen together

    Discovery Partners Institute expands reach of summer tech training programs

    The Discovery Partners Institute, part of the University of Illinois System, has significantly expanded the reach of its programs in the Pritzker Tech Talent Labs, which focus on driving more equity into the region’s tech workforce. 

    DPI will more than double its summer reach to more than 425 participants across six different programs: Digital Scholars, for high school students and teachers; Discover Computing Ignite, for high school students and teachers; CS Educator Intensives, for high school teachers; Digital Bridge, for community college students; Summer Tech Interns, for college undergraduates; and the Tech Apprenticeship program, for adults with nontraditional tech backgrounds. 

  • two students looking at a computer screen

    Discovery Partners Institute launches new program for middle school students

    The Digital Explorers Program will expand DPI’s efforts to develop promising and diverse tech talent in Chicago. The program will be offered to students in grades six to eight on Saturdays at DPI’s downtown offices across two sessions. Students will develop computer science skills through coding and building a mobile app, while also taking part in team-building activities and solving problems with human-centered design thinking.

  • The front door of Harker Hall on the UIUC campus

    UI Foundation's 88th annual meeting celebrates donors, student impact

    This year’s meeting, a key event in Foundation Weekend activities, had a special focus on students and the transformative impact private giving has on their experience and success. Through gift and UIF endowment distributions, the UI Foundation transferred more than $270 million to the University of Illinois System.

  • aerial image of wastewater treatment plant

    Discovery Partners Institute receives $2.36M disease-control contract from CDPH

    The Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) is expanding its wastewater surveillance in Chicago beyond the virus that causes COVID-19 under a Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) agreement that extends their disease-control efforts into mid-2024. The DPI-led scientific team is now also analyzing wastewater for evidence of influenza A and B. The new agreement permits this search to grow to include other pathogens, such as the polio or monkeypox viruses, should they emerge as public health concerns.

  • U of I System President Tim Killeen wearing a hard hat looks where an Alton growth advocate is pointing during a tour

    Experience the journey: 2023 U of I System Leadership State Tour

    Chicago. Quad Cities. Peoria. Havana. Alton. Makanda. Just a sampling of the places the 2023 statewide tour activated new partnerships while building on those already in motion. It's all about opportunities for the University of Illinois System to develop even more ways act on its mission to serve the public good.

  • Discovery Partners Institute logo

    IWERC report illustrates widening gaps in dual credit access, participation

    The Illinois Workforce & Education Research Collaborative (IWERC), part of the University of Illinois System’s Discovery Partners Institute, released a report on dual credit participation that emphasizes the importance of addressing inequities among high school students in Illinois who take such coursework.

  • In-state tuition freeze.

    Tuition rates frozen for new in-state undergraduates across the U of I System

    We know paying for college can be a challenge. That is why, for the fifth year in a row, we have frozen tuition rates for new in-state undergraduates across the University of Illinois System. These rates are guaranteed for four years at our universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, and Springfield. 

  • U of I seal

    Paid gift days announced for 2019

    University of Illinois System leaders have announced that a program providing additional paid days off during December/January holidays has been extended to a fourth straight year.

  • Killeen

    President Tim Killeen calls on lawmakers to invest in higher education

    U of I System President Tim Killeen calls on lawmakers to provide capital funding for repairs, renovation and construction at all public universities throughout Illinois.

  • people joining hands at a business table

    UIS to establish Institute for Race, Gender, Sexuality and Social Justice

    As part of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, the new institute will offer academic programs, develop community partnerships and outreach, and conduct research to help address social justice issues in central Illinois and beyond.

  • President Killeen welcomes students to 2018-19 academic year

    Welcome to our 2018-19 academic year and thank you for choosing the University of Illinois System.

  • quantum lab equip

    New center to accelerate quantum information science and engineering

    The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is making a $15 million investment in the emerging area of quantum information science and engineering, a field poised to revolutionize computing, communication, security, measurement and sensing by utilizing the unique and powerful capabilities of quantum mechanics.

  • President Tim Killeen and his family, including two young grandsons, gather for a holiday photo

    Warm holiday wishes from President Killeen (and surprise guests)

    Gratitude and growth take center stage as U of I System President Tim Killeen wishes students, faculty, staff, and alumni a happy and safe holiday season and a peaceful new year.

  • the shoreline of a large, calm lake

    Discovery Partners Institute joins regional Great Lakes water resources initiative

    A new multistate partnership including the Discovery Partners Institute will create a hub of research and economic development around water resources in the Great Lakes region. Great Lakes ReNEW, funded by up to $160 million over ten years through the National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines program, is a collaboration of more than 50 partners led by Current, a Chicago-based water innovation hub, and includes research institutions, industry, investors, government, and nonprofit organizations. 

  • woman giving COVID-vaccination to resident

    UIC vaccinating thousands at mass site, students pitch in

    University of Illinois’ Chicago campus is serving a new purpose during the pandemic: the Credit Union 1 Arena now operates as a mass COVID-19 vaccination site, offering about 1,000 coveted doses to eligible residents every day. (Chicago Tribune)

  • posed group photo at the Research Park

    NSF visits Urbana to announce two awards totaling more than $40 million

    The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign highlights a recent visit from the director of the National Science Foundation, and shares how federally funded research at our nation’s universities creates new companies, industries, opportunities, and jobs—and the tech-savvy, educated workforce needed to fill them. 

  • Illinois Broadband Lab logo

    Illinois Broadband Lab launches survey to shape broadband investment plan

    Anyone in Illinois is encouraged to click here to access the survey and share their perspectives and input about the planning initiative, forthcoming federal investment, and the work of the Illinois Office of Broadband and Illinois Broadband Lab.

  • the seal of the U of I System

    U of I System, Hebrew University launch third round of joint R&D teams

    The University of Illinois System and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) recently awarded funding to four new interdisciplinary research teams that will drive innovations and advance collaboration between the universities. This joint research and innovation seed grant program began in 2019.

  • Ed Seidel speaks to Peoria crowd

    Leaders celebrate Peoria Innovation Hub development

    Governor J.B. Pritzker today joined leaders from around Greater Peoria to celebrate the Peoria Innovation Hub, a world-class innovation facility coming to downtown Peoria. The Peoria Innovation Hub, funded through a $10 million grant that is part of the larger Illinois Innovation Network (IIN), will be located at the Thomas Building, a 50,000 square foot facility that was recently vacated by Illinois Central College.

  • DPI rendering

    It's full speed ahead as DPI continues to take shape

    Discovery Partners Institute continues to move forward: holding classes, funding faculty research projects and ramping up staff. A detailed 2-, 5- and 10-year business plan and economic impact analysis is nearly complete.

  • UIC campus

    New budget? 'It's definitely good news for colleges and universities.'

    Tim Killeen, president of the U of I System, spoke with the Chicago Tribune about what the increase in state funding means for public higher education. 

  • A teacher inside a classroom at Discovery Partners Institute points at a projection screen

    Discovery Partners Institute summer programs to serve record number of students

    Both the Digital Scholars and Digital Bridge programs seek to create stronger, more inclusive pathways of students into Illinois four-year institutions to pursue and complete computer science, data science, and engineering degrees.

  • Tim Killeen

    Editorial: "What Illinois higher education could be"

    University of Illinois System President Timothy Killeen dropped by the Tribune Editorial Board on Tuesday. He delivered a refreshingly upbeat message about the state’s flagship public university system, with campuses in Chicago, Springfield and Urbana-Champaign.

  • 56.4% of goal

    Record fundraising success in FY2018

    The University of Illinois System and the University of Illinois Foundation today announced recordfundraising for fiscal year 2018 with $498.5 million in new business, comprised of new gifts, grants, pledges and deferred commitments. The total for the fiscal year that ended June 30 is a $212.2 million, or 75 percent, increase from FY2017, and eclipses the all-time high of $434.9 million set in FY2013.

  • Students inspect tomatoes while collecting data in a greenhouse

    Governor releases $37M+ for food research, business growth at innovation hubs

    Pritzker administration releases $37.3 million to launch facilities for five hubs of the Illinois Innovation Network, created to accelerate job creation and economic growth through groundbreaking education, research and discovery.

  • UIC buildings

    UIC doctors develop app to detect perinatal depression in mothers of color

    An innovative app combines cutting edge technology, enhanced mental health outreach efforts and new opportunities to identify blood biomarkers for depression in an effort to help mothers of color from low-income communities identify, manage and treat perinatal depression at no cost.

  • radio facilities at U of I circa 1925

    WILL celebrates 100 years in broadcasting

    One hundred years ago, on the evening of Thursday, April 6, 1922, the University of Illinois’ radio station went on the air for its first broadcast. WRM, the service that would become WILL Radio, was cutting-edge technology in 1922. 

  • Mother and child reading

    IGPA releases report on strain pandemic is putting on families

    The University of Illinois System’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs (IGPA) today released a report on the strain the COVID-19 Pandemic is putting on communities and families in Illinois, and how policymakers can help make them more resilient in the face of the crisis.

  • close up of scientist working with sample in lab

    DPI and IDPH launch interactive online COVID-19 tracker

    The Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced today a new website that tracks the levels of COVID-19 in wastewater samples in Chicago and other cities across Illinois.

  • Female speaking at podium in front of law class

    UIS partners with UIC Law to help students earn degree faster

    University of Illinois Springfield undergraduate students now have the opportunity to earn both their bachelor’s degree and a law degree in six years (compared to the typical seven years) thanks to a new agreement with the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law.

  • female student wearing Illini mask at desk in classroom

    K-12 Shield Playbook offers guidance for reopening schools

    A new resource is available to help guide teachers and school administrators as they reopen schools amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, assembled by researchers and experts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.