blog posts Celebrate Black History Month at Illinois Feb 1, 2023 10:15 am Black History Month gives everyone the opportunity to share, celebrate and understand the impact of Black heritage and culture. Uase this site to find events and stories of impact from Black students, alumni, faculty and staff at U of I. Did 'woke' investments cause Silicon Valley Bank's collapse? Mar 14, 2023 11:15 am PolitiFact (March 13) U of I business law expert Robert Lawless says 'wokeness' didn’t cause the bank’s collapse. 'It had nothing to do with it. It’s like saying, "Why isn’t ‘blue’ the answer to ‘one plus one’?" It’s Banking 101. That’s what was going on.' Illini Basketball doubleheader watch party set for State Farm Center Mar 27, 2024 8:30 am Fighting Illini Athletics will host a doubleheader watch party at State Farm Center on Thursday, with both women's and men's basketball playing postseason games being shown on the videoboard. Gates will open at 6 p.m. and admission is free. A huge number of homeowners have mortgage rates too good to give up Apr 15, 2024 3:30 pm New York Times (April 15) The average American household has a fixed rate mortgage that’s a whopping three points lower than new mortgage rates. 'You could think of your locked-in rate as an asset that you own,' says U of I professor Julia Fonseca. Four U of I students awarded Boren funding for overseas language study Apr 26, 2023 3:30 pm Graduate student Maxine Katz and undergraduates Neel Khattri, Kellie Sucha and Tina Wayne have received prestigious Boren Awards for study abroad during the 2023-24 academic year. The government is rescuing rural colleges that would otherwise close Apr 27, 2023 11:15 am The Washington Post (April 27) Having a university nearby not only raises household income, U of I research has found; it increases high school graduation rates and boosts employment and other things that contribute to local economies. Scientists found a way to predict your death by how you walk Oct 24, 2022 11:00 am Yahoo News (Oct. 21) The test is 'a very good external measure of what’s going on internally,' and could easily be replicated using the accelerometer in a wrist sensor or a smartphone, says Professor Bruce Schatz, a leader of the U of I study. Illinois Public Media launching new radio station: Illinois Soul debuts February 1 Dec 15, 2023 1:00 pm Illinois Soul will be broadcast on WILL-FM 101.1 and available to stream live at illinoissoul.org. 'We are so excited to launch Illinois Soul, bringing the best in jazz, R&B, and gospel to our listeners, with a unique focus on the Black community.' U of I hosting 2022 NCAA Tennis Championships May 19, 2022 10:45 am The NCAA Championships will take place at Illinois from May 19-28, with the team championship taking place on May 19-22 and individual bracket play taking place May 23-28. Illini Motorsports: National Champions! Jun 28, 2022 9:30 am For the first time in its Formula SAE 40-year history, U of I's team won both competitions that comprised the 2022 Formula SAE National Collegiate series, finishing as the national champions with a nearly clean sweep of first-place trophies. FamILLy Day at Memorial Stadium Set for Aug. 14 Jul 14, 2022 10:30 am You'll get a first look at the Fighting Illini football, soccer, and volleyball teams by interacting with student-athletes on the field. That's followed by a movie night (free admission) where the first 500 fans will receive a free Illini popcorn bucket. Details on move-in week at Illinois residence halls Aug 8, 2022 11:30 am Book your move-in slot, see information specific to your residence hall, and check out information on traffic and parking. Plan ahead for a smooth move! Ludacris returns home to perform at State Farm Center Sep 13, 2022 1:00 pm Ludacris, a Champaign native and rapper, will perform Saturday, October 15 at 8:00pm as part of the University of Illinois Homecoming festivities. U of I Library acquires first edition of Plato’s works in Greek Feb 6, 2024 4:30 pm The Rare Book and Manuscript Library has acquired a rare first edition of Plato’s works printed in the Greek language. it was printed in Venice in 1513 by Aldine Press, one of the most successful printing houses of the time. Wrestler Lucas Byrd selected to NWCA All-Star Classic Sep 28, 2022 10:45 am Illinois wrestler Lucas Byrd has been selected to wrestle in the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic on November 22 in Austin, Texas. 'This group is the elite of the elite in college wrestling,' said Illini head coach Mike Poeta. Bats protect young trees from insect damage, with three times fewer bugs Nov 1, 2022 1:45 pm Bats help keep forests growing. Without bats to hold their populations in check, insects that munch on tree do three to nine times more damage than when bats are on the scene, according to a groundbreaking new study from the U of I. Illinois Men’s Basketball signs top 20 class for 2024 Nov 9, 2023 9:00 am Head coach Brad Underwood announced Wednesday the signing of top-35 national recruit Morez Johnson Jr. and three-star prospects Jason Jakstys and Jase Butler to national letters of intent on the first day of the early signing period. America's greatest AI visionary is... an English professor at Illinois Dec 6, 2023 3:45 pm Business Insider (Dec. 6) In a world filled with artificial intelligence skeptics and chatbot alarmists, Illinois English professor Ted Underwood is making one of the strongest, most compelling cases for the value of artificial intelligence. Skirkey, Anaya earn national titles at NCAA Championships Apr 17, 2023 8:00 am Ian Skirkey (pommel horse) and Ashton Anaya (still rings) both were named national champions at the NCAA Championships Saturday night in State College, Pa. This is the first time Illinois has two national champions since 2012. State of Illinois crafting new, equity-based higher education funding formula May 12, 2022 2:00 pm Crain’s Chicago Business (May 12) Dollars could shift from the flagship U of I system to other state schools which enroll fewer people, but have higher percentages of minority and low-income students. How bad is the teacher shortage? What two new studies say Sep 7, 2022 10:30 am Education Week (Sept. 6) Three researchers, including U of I's Paul Bruno, spent years crunching data. Thier estimate: more than 36,500 teacher vacancies nationally, and more than 163,500 positions filled by teachers who aren’t fully certified. U of I is getting into the business of angel investing Mar 2, 2023 11:15 am Crain’s Chicago Business (Feb. 28) The Urbana campus is launching Illini Angels, a program that will allow U. of I. alums to invest in startups coming out of the university as well as companies started by students after they leave. Senior Night for Illini Men's Basketball Thursday vs. Michigan Mar 2, 2023 9:00 am Illinois will recognize five members of its program at State Farm Center on Thursday night – three managers and two players (Matthew Mayer and Terrence Shannon Jr.) – in a pre-game ceremony that begins at 5:39 p.m. Illini Women's Basketball will host Missouri State on Thursday in WBIT Mar 18, 2024 8:30 am The Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament is a postseason single-elimination tournament sponsored by the NCAA. This is the first year of WBIT play.. WBIT first-round game time announced for Illinois at State Farm Center Mar 20, 2024 8:00 am Illinois women's basketball will play its first-round matchup of the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament against Missouri State at 6 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 21. Illinois is one of 16 host schools for the first round. Ice-capped volcanoes slower to erupt, study finds May 9, 2022 8:45 am Undergraduate researcher Lilian Lucas and geology professor Patricia Gregg found that additional pressure from thick overlying glacial ice can make volcanic systems more stable and slower to erupt than volcanoes without ice. Alum Sheila Johnson, co-founder of BET, to keynote Title IX summit May 17, 2022 9:45 am 'Sheila has been a pioneer in every sense of the word, breaking new ground throughout the course of her life in education, media, business, and sports,' said DIA Director Josh Whitman. 'Sheila has always been a proud Illini...' PBS NewsHour live from U of I: 'Tipping Point: Agriculture on the Brink' May 17, 2023 11:30 am PBS (May 16) – U. of I. professor of crop sciences Andrew Margenot joins a PBS NewsHour panel discussion called 'Tipping Point: Agriculture on the Brink' on Wednesday, May 24. Yu-Chieh Chiu: Clear for take off Jul 6, 2022 9:45 am How the joy of paper planes led graduate student, Yu-Chieh Chiu, to compete on the world stage at the Red Bull Paper Wings World Championships in Austria, and find community at Grainger Engineering Heck earns second B1G Athlete of the Week honor Apr 20, 2022 8:45 am Hunter Heck extended his singles win streak to eight and moved to 14-4 on the season including 5-0 in Big Ten Play on Saturday. Cleaning water naturally the ancient Maya way Jan 29, 2024 9:15 am Scientific American (Jan. 26) U of I anthropology professor Lisa Lucero discusses the way ancient Mayans cleaned their water naturally, and the lessons we can learn from them. Illini Baseball kicks off Big Ten Tournament against Michigan Thursday May 25, 2022 10:45 am The Illinois travel to Omaha, Nebraska, for the 2022 Big Ten Baseball Tournament at Charles Schwab Field. Illinois is making its 24th Big Ten Tournament appearance and looks for its fifth tournament title (1989, 1990, 2000, 2011). U of I gets grant to start First Amendment clinic Aug 2, 2022 10:45 am Crain’s Chicago Business (Aug. 1) U of I's College of Law is establishing a First Amendment clinic to take on freedom-of-expression cases and train lawyers in the subject. Dean Vik Amar says the college already has about a half dozen clinics on other themes. Illinois welcomes second-largest freshman class Sep 7, 2022 11:00 am U of I's incoming class of 7,957 first-year students brings greater representation by gender, nationality and students who are the first in their family to go to college, while a change in the application process resulted in greater academic competition. Newton named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Nov 29, 2023 9:15 am Illinois defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton was named the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year and the Defensive Lineman of the Year. He's just the fourth Illini in history to earn the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award. Visionary Violet: A U of I feminist pioneer Jan 5, 2023 12:30 pm This short documentary from U of I's BTN producers tells the story of the first dean of women at Illinois, Violet DeLille Jayne, who championed women’s inclusion on campus, including the first women’s intermural basketball team. Illini face Northwestern tonight at State Farm Center Feb 23, 2023 9:00 am Fighting Illini Men's Basketball plays its penultimate game at State Farm Center on Thursday night, facing No. 21 Northwestern. Illinois is 13-2 at home this season and carries a four-game winning streak at State Farm Center. No. 12 Illini Host Senior Night vs. No. 3 Purdue Tuesday Mar 5, 2024 8:15 am The Illini close out the home schedule with Senior Night at State Farm Center, honoring seven players and three managers in a pregame ceremony. Robot farmers? Machines are crawling through America's fields. Some have lasers. Jun 5, 2023 10:00 am USA Today (June 4) Robots developed at Illinois can scoot under the canopy of crops to plant cover crop seed before the main crop is harvested. 'This will expand the ability to do cover cropping and take less time.' says professor Shadi Atallah. Homecoming Week at Illinois Oct 3, 2022 2:15 pm Events throughout the week include a student dinner on the Quad, the Global Talent Show, Saturday Night Live: Homecoming Edition in downtown Champaign, two concerts at State Farm Center and - of course - football on Saturday. Chase Brown: Chasing History Oct 20, 2022 9:15 am The nation's leading rusher is Illini Chase Brown. He's the first Illini to rush for 100+ yards in the first seven games of a season, leads the nation in all-purpose yards, yards gained after contact, and rushes of 10+ yards. This website is all about him. Freedom Corridor aims to create narrative of region's Black history Feb 7, 2024 1:15 pm Journal Courier (Feb. 5) "So our story — small 'o' — is now Our story — capital 'O'," says U of I professor Gerald McWorter, the great-great-grandson of he first African Americans to found a town in the U.S. Ojibwe Tribe joins scientists to save Midwest's sacred wild rice plant Feb 15, 2023 12:30 pm The Nation (Feb. 15) 'If we can scaffold (Western science and ‘traditional ecological knowledge’), we'll strengthen our knowledge about these places and what’s happening to them,' says U of I historian Rosalyn LaPier, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe. Illini Hall demolition uncovers a time capsule Feb 16, 2023 10:45 am WCIA-TV (Feb. 15) U of I officials didn't know there was a time capsule in a cornerstone of Illini Hall, but they'll be excited to see what it contains when it's opened this fall as part of the campus YMCA's 150th anniversary celebration. A fern’s ‘zombie’ fronds sprout unusual roots Feb 26, 2024 5:15 pm New York Times (Feb. 25) 'This is completely unknown in any other plant in the world'” says Jim Dalling, a professor and forest ecologist at the U. of I., who discovered the fern while searching for a completely unrelated plant. Executive Director of Facilities & Services announced Jun 29, 2022 11:15 am Ehab Kamarah has been selected to serve as the new Associate Vice Chancellor and Executive Director of Facilities and Services, pending approval by the Board of Trustees. U of I, Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation creating East St. Louis ag & nutrition center Aug 2, 2022 9:45 am The space will include indoor, outdoor ag demonstration sites along with space for engagement with hands-on training and certification programs related to growing food, ag innovation, as well as space for athletics and physical training. Illini take down No. 2 Texas in overtime Dec 7, 2022 8:45 am Illinois fought back from a double-digit second-half deficit to force overtime and take down No. 2 Texas, 85-78. Freshman guard Jayden Epps scored the Illini's final five points of the second half to send the game to overtime. Illini face No. 24 Rutgers in Saturday showdown at State Farm Center Feb 10, 2023 2:30 pm Following an unexpected idle week with Tuesday's home game against Minnesota postponed due to COVID concerns, U of I returns to action Saturday at home against Rutgers (1 p.m. CT, FS1). Illinois has won seven of its last nine games. 150,000-year-old human tooth rare evidence of Denisovans May 20, 2022 11:45 am If confirmed, this discovery would be the first fossil evidence that Denisovans — an extinct hominin species that co-existed with Neanderthals and modern humans — lived in southeast Asia.