Happy Holidays from the College of Education!
With Reading Day and Final Exams soon upon us, the Fall 2018 semester at Illinois is quickly coming to a close. The Education Building is a beehive of activity as faculty and students commit long hours to projects, proposals, and preparation—readying themselves and others to, ultimately, take education to new frontiers.
At this time, we reflect on the accomplishments, innovations, and progress achieved throughout the College. I invite you to take a look through our 2018 Impact Report and see the important things Education students, faculty, and alumni have been working on. Many of these achievements would not have been possible without the enduring support of our alumni, donors, and friends, and we are incredibly grateful. Thank you to those who responded to our #GivingTuesday message on November 27 to make a world class education at Illinois possible for all students.
The With Illinois campaign is in full swing, and we are thrilled to report that the College is nearly two-thirds of the way to its goal of $25M! As you read this edition of Alumni Update, please consider supporting your Alma Mater to assist this crucial and ambitious effort. If you are considering a gift this calendar year, there is still time. We know you have many choices during the holiday season and hope an investment in education is among them. Visit education.illinois.edu/with-illinois to learn more about our goals, priorities, and opportunities to give.
Soon, we will announce the College's 2019 Distinguished Alumni & Young Alumni Achievement Award recipients, to be celebrated at the annual awards event on March 8, 2019. Thank you to everyone who nominated outstanding alumni for one of these honors. We look forward to sharing how awardees' Illinois experience uniquely shaped their career and service in education.
And we're looking ahead with great anticipation to more. Construction is underway on the cutting-edge O’Leary Learning Center that will open in the lower level of the College in 2019. We are grateful to the members of the O’Leary family for their vision and commitment to STEM education. (Be on the lookout for a “save the date” for an event celebrating the opening of this space.) Additionally, just across Sixth Street from the Education Building, the technology-driven Seibel Center for Design is being constructed as "one component of a larger cross-campus, multidisciplinary effort to harness the potential of design thinking and design learning in our teaching, research and engagement." Our College's collaborative impact is poised to grow even stronger with these resources on the horizon.
Chances are good, the next time you visit campus there will be several new and exciting things to chat about and show you. You are always welcome to visit us the Advancement Office, Suite 32 of the Education Building—we'd love to see you.
Yours in Orange and Blue,
Lisa Denson-Rives
Assistant Dean for Advancement
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