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University of Illinois System News
Read the latest University of Illinois System news from the Office of External Relations and Communications.
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  • woman giving COVID-vaccination to resident

    UIC vaccinating thousands at mass site, students pitch in

    Feb 19, 2021 8:45 am

    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)

  • Mexican flag & I-MMAS logo

    U of I System launches initiative to increase Mexican enrollment, partnerships

    Feb 17, 2021 12:00 pm

    University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen launched an initiative Wednesday to expand connections with Mexico, seeking to increase enrollment of Mexican students as well as academic and research partnerships with universities, government agencies and private industry in Mexico.

  • UIUC and UIC campuses in snow

    UIUC & UIC named No. 2 & No. 6 public schools in Midwest

    Feb 15, 2021 1:00 pm

    Both University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (#2) and University of Illinois Chicago (#6) are among the top public colleges in the Midwest according to the latest Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings.

  • Ramon Cepeda, Sarah Phalen and Tami Craig Shilling

    Gov. Pritzker appoints 3 trustees to U of I System board

    Feb 9, 2021 9:30 am

    The governor on Friday named finance executive Ramon Cepeda, banking executive Sarah Phalen and agricultural communicator Tami Craig Schilling to six-year terms on the board, pending approval of the Illinois Senate. This will be Cepeda’s second term as a trustee.

  • U of I worker collecting COVID-19 saliva sample

    "This is the safest place in Illinois" - Crain's Chicago Business Op-Ed

    Feb 4, 2021 8:15 am

    In this Crain's Chicago Business Op-Ed, Don Edwards, Chairman of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees explains how the U of I developed its own COVID-19 test and deployed it more than a million times (and counting).

  • U.S. Capitol

    Illinois public universities seek additional COVID-19 relief

    Jan 29, 2021 3:30 pm

    Presidents of the state's public universities sent a letter to Illinois federal legislators today seeking additional relief from increasing costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • President Tim Killeen headshot

    President Killeen welcomes all to spring semester

    Jan 29, 2021 10:00 am

    In a massmail to students, faculty, and staff, University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen welcomed everyone back for the spring 2021 semester.

  • campuses of UIUC, UIC, and UIS

    U of I System excels in online program rankings

    Jan 26, 2021 2:00 pm

    Online programs at all three universities in the University of Illinois System have been recognized in the 2021 U.S. News & World Report Best Online Programs rankings.

  • Illinois Innovation Network announces seed funding recipients

    Jan 22, 2021 10:00 am

    The Illinois Innovation Network (IIN) on Friday awarded $229,000 in seed grants to eight research teams in its second round of funding, selecting projects that include ag tech, vaccine distribution, strengthening the state’s teacher pipeline and protecting Illinois’ biodiversity. 

  • artists rendering of the Auburn Gresham Healthy Lifestyle Hub building

    U of I Board of Trustees approves Mile Square lease

    Jan 22, 2021 9:15 am

    The University of Illinois Board of Trustees approved a lease for a new Mile Square health clinic in Auburn Gresham that will bring vital healthcare access to the underserved community on Chicago’s far south side.

     

  • Don Edwards at board meeting

    Edwards-re-elected chairman of U of I Board of Trustees

    Jan 21, 2021 12:00 pm

    Donald J. Edwards was unanimously re-elected Thursday to a third one-year term as chairman of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees during its annual organizational meeting.

  • Alma Mater, Chicago Skyline, Lincoln bust - university logos

    U of I trustees freeze undergraduate tuition rates for 2021

    Jan 21, 2021 11:45 am

    The University of Illinois Board of Trustees on Thursday voted to freeze tuition for incoming in-state freshmen and non-resident undergraduates for the 2021-22 academic year.

  • Trustees to consider freezing undergraduate tuition rates for 2021

    Jan 20, 2021 3:30 pm

    The University of Illinois Board of Trustees on Wednesday received a recommendation from U of I System leadership that would freeze tuition for incoming in-state freshmen and non-resident undergraduates for the 2021-22 academic year.

  • U of I seal bronze

    Statement on riot at U.S. Capitol

    Jan 7, 2021 11:15 am

    University of Illinois System leaders issued a statement following Wednesday's riot at the U.S. Capitol.

  • Rendering of future DPI

    Pritzker Foundation donates $10 million to DPI

    Dec 15, 2020 8:15 am

    The Pritzker Foundation announced today it is giving $10 million over the next five years to The Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) to support and develop promising and more diverse tech talent in Illinois. 

  • Kara Waldrop, GLIDE art, NASA mission

    Waldrop selected for mission to investigate earth's atmosphere

    Dec 14, 2020 6:00 pm

    Lara Waldrop, Illinois ECE Assistant Professor and Y. T. Lo Fellow in Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been selected by NASA to develop a Solar Terrestrial Probes (STP) Science Mission of Opportunity, budgeted for $75 million.  Her mission, titled “Global Lyman-alpha Imager of the Dynamic Exosphere,”or “GLIDE” for short, was chosen for implementation after a competitive selection process and is expected to be launched in 2025. 

  • Roberta & Tim Killeen on a bench in garden

    The Joy of Hope

    Dec 14, 2020 9:30 am

    In this 2020 holiday message, University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen and Dr. Roberta Johnson Killeen reflect on the challenging year and celebrate the joy of hope for better times ahead.

  • RIsing to the Challenge, a podcast, with university iconic images

    Podcast Episode #6: Goodbye 2020!

    Dec 11, 2020 10:15 am

    Host Gwen Macsai visits with a computer science professor who impersonated Yoda, Elton John and Princess Leia (among others) when she spiced up her Zoom classes by dressing in costume. This last episode of the Rising to the Challenge series also features the story of two University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students who 3D printed over 750 masks to distribute to people with disabilities. We’ll check in to see how the pandemic has affected the finances of the state of Illinois and last but hardly least, we have a rousing visit with the director of the UIUC marching band that can neither march nor band. So what do the Marching Illini do? Stay tuned to find out.

  • President Tim Killeen headshot

    Watch President Killeen's presentation to the City Club of Chicago

    Dec 9, 2020 3:15 pm

    University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen was the guest speaker at the December 9 virtual meeting of the City Club of Chicago, where he delivered a presentation about the latest achievements and initiatives across the U of I System.

  • Karen Whitney at UIS

    Karen Whitney’s term as interim chancellor to be extended at UIS

    Dec 7, 2020 3:30 pm

    University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen announced today that he is recommending that University of Illinois Springfield Interim Chancellor Karen M. Whitney’s appointment be extended by one year.

  • Male student submitting saliva sample; 1 million COVID-19 tests

    University of Illinois System completes 1 million COVID-19 tests

    Dec 4, 2020 10:15 am

    The University of Illinois System surpassed a COVID-19 testing milestone Wednesday, performing 1 million rapid, saliva-based tests across its three university campuses since August.

  • U of I System and Hebrew University logos

    U of I System, Hebrew University launch collaborative R&D teams

    Dec 3, 2020 2:30 pm

    The University of Illinois System and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem are launching four interdisciplinary research teams that will drive innovations and advance collaboration between the universities. The joint research and innovation seed grants program seeks to accelerate economic development through research and development of innovative technologies, and is among the first collaborations between the two universities since a 2019 partnership agreement.

  • RIsing to the Challenge, a podcast, with university iconic images

    Podcast Episode #5: COVID trickle-down effects

    Nov 20, 2020 8:15 am

    Host Gwen Macsai explores some of the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Episode 5 of Rising to The Challenge. She visits with UIC family doctor Evelyn Figueroa who started a food pantry in her clinic and has seen a 50% rise in need since the coronavirus hit. UIUC Engineering Professor Bill King talks about the lightning-fast development of the Rapid Vent and potential new courses that may result like "engineering in an emergency," UIS Prof Anne-Marie Hanson explains the impact of COVID waste on the environment, and Macsai takes a trip to the UIUC horse farm to find out what they did when 24 horses were about to give birth and the pandemic left them severely short-handed.

  • future home of DPI

    Gov. Pritzker releases $142M in capital funding for DPI, IIN

    Nov 19, 2020 7:45 am

    Governor JB Pritzker announced today the release of more than $142 million to launch new facilities for the Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) and Illinois Innovation Network (IIN), created to accelerate job creation and economic growth through groundbreaking education, research and discovery. The funding is made possible by the bipartisan Rebuild Illinois Capital program, with state DPI investments matched dollar for dollar through university, private and philanthropic funding sources.

  • Headshot compilation of 10 new faculty

    U of I System Adds 10 New World-Class Faculty

    Nov 12, 2020 2:15 pm

    The University of Illinois System is adding 10 world-class faculty to its universities, President Tim Killeen announced Thursday, the latest hires made through an initiative launched in 2018 to aggressively recruit more distinguished scholars and further enhance the system’s global standing as a leader in education and innovation.

  • U of I seal

    Trustees approve $6.74 billion budget for fiscal year 2021

    Nov 12, 2020 12:15 pm

    The University of Illinois Board of Trustees on Thursday approved a $6.74 billion budget for fiscal year 2021, continuing to focus on key priorities such as academic excellence, financial aid for students and economic development while addressing new challenges brought on by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Associate Dean Harley Johnson, Professor Abigail Wooldridge and Chancellor Jones outside the mobileSHIELD unit

    New mobile COVID-19 lab prototype completed

    Nov 6, 2020 12:15 pm

    The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has completed the prototype for a mobile laboratory, called mobileSHIELD, designed to demonstrate a way to rapidly deploy I-COVID, the saliva-based test for COVID-19 developed at Illinois. The U of I System's Shield T3 is currently identifying practical applications for the project.

  • close-up of testing saliva samples in lab

    UW—Madison partners with U of I System's Shield T3 to expand testing

    Nov 5, 2020 12:45 pm

    To accomodate more regular and frequent COVID-19 testing on its campus in the spring, the University of Wisconsin—Madison announced it will partner with the University of Illinois System subsidiary Shield T3.

  • RIsing to the Challenge, a podcast, with university iconic images

    Podcast Episode #4: Tech It or Leave It

    Nov 2, 2020 3:15 pm

    The fourth episode of the "Rising to the Challenge" podcast series discusses the technology behind COVID-19 mitigation, featuring the UIUC Vet Med lab, modeler Nigel Goldenfeld, Grainger College of Engineering Dean Rashid Bashir, and UIS's Brian Rives who has been transporting samples to and from Springfield.

  • Lake Michigan Chicago shoreline

    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.

  • Rendering of future DPI home at the 78 in Chicago

    Walder Foundation awards DPI $1.25M

    Oct 27, 2020 10:30 am

    The Walder Foundation has awarded a Discovery Partners Institute science team led by the University of Illinois at Chicago $1.25 million to develop a prototype capability for detecting COVID-19 outbreaks and trends in Chicago’s wastewater.

  • Harker Hall, Urbana, home office of the U of I Foundation

    U of I Foundation releases financial report for FY20

    Oct 22, 2020 1:45 pm

    The University of Illinois System and the University of Illinois Foundation announced today an impressive fundraising report for Fiscal Year 2020 (July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020) that includes both cash and new business figures surpassing $400 million.

  • Illinois State Capitol building

    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.

  • Rich and Leslie Frank at their vineyard

    $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.

  • RIsing to the Challenge, a podcast, with university iconic images

    Podcast Episode #3: Stressed to the Nines

    Oct 6, 2020 3:00 pm

    The third episode of the "Rising to the Challenge" podcast series discusses COVID-19 stress, featuring an emergency room physician at UIC and a social work professor from Urbana-Champaign.

  • Red, white and blue "vote" button and front cover of census booklet

    Information on registering to vote, completing the 2020 census

    Sep 23, 2020 8:15 am

    University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen and Executive Vice President Barb Wilson remind students, faculty and staff of the importance of registering to vote and participating in the census.

  • RIsing to the Challenge, a podcast, with university iconic images

    Podcast Episode 2: Testing, Testing 1, 2, 3, Testing

    Sep 21, 2020 3:15 pm

    The second episode of our "Rising to the Challenge" podcast series discusses COVID-19 testing, featuring the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign SHIELD strategy, plus a team from University of Illinois Chicago that is helping protect Chicago's homeless population. 

  • administrators in masks cut red ribbon in surgical center

    UIC opens $8.8 million Surgical Innovation & Training Laboratory

    Sep 21, 2020 9:45 am

    Operating robotic scissors, University of Illinois Chicago Chancellor Michael Amiridis snipped a ribbon to officially open the University of Illinois College of Medicine Surgical Innovation & Training Laboratory, on Sept. 15. 

  • Headshots of Burke, Prabhakar, and Siemionow

    Three U of I System scientists named "Researchers to Know 2020" by the ISTC

    Sep 17, 2020 1:00 pm

    Three scientists in the U of I System were identified as "Researchers to Know 2020" by the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition: Marty Burke at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Bellur Prabhakar and Maria Siemionow at University of Illinois Chicago.

  • artist rendering of proposed DPI

    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).

  • RIsing to the Challenge, a podcast, with university iconic images

    New podcast: Rising to the Challenge

    Sep 15, 2020 10:30 am

    The U of I System is introducing “Rising to the Challenge,” a new podcast dedicated to telling stories from across the system and our universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield.

  • campuses of UIUC, UIC, and UIS

    U of I System universities rank high in U.S. News & World Report

    Sep 14, 2020 2:00 pm

    All three universities in the U of I System were ranked highly among public institutions again this year in the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, with Top 10 ratings in a number of categories.

  • bronze U of I seal

    U of I trustees approve lease to expand DPI space

    Sep 10, 2020 12:00 pm

    The University of Illinois Board of Trustees on Thursday approved a lease that will roughly double the amount of space now occupied by the Discovery Partners Institute’s headquarters to accommodate the growing demand for programming space.

  • 90,000 students strong, books in background, U of I System logo

    U of I System enrollment tops 90,000 for first time

    Sep 9, 2020 10:00 am

    Enrollment grew across the University of Illinois System this fall, topping 90,000 students for the first time and setting a record for the eighth straight year despite the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic downturn it has spawned, President Tim Killeen announced today.

  • Screenshot from CNN

    University of Illinois tests students, faculty and staff at least weekly

    Sep 1, 2020 3:30 pm

    University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen spoke with CNN on the groundbreaking saliva-based testing program underway at the system's three university campuses.

  • Screenshot from CNBC

    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.

  • Rendering of future DPI at the 78 in Chicago

    DPI awards more than $1 million in R&D grants

    Aug 27, 2020 1:45 pm

    The Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) is launching eight, world-class research teams from the University of Illinois system and partner universities with more than $1 million in seed funding.

  • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign engineering campus

    U of I to lead two of seven new national AI institutes

    Aug 26, 2020 12:00 pm

    The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will lead two of seven new national artificial intelligence institutes, thanks to $40M in new funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture. One will focus on AI in agriculture and the other will use AI in molecule-making.

  • President Killeen on bench in garden

    Fall 2020 welcome

    Aug 25, 2020 10:00 am

    University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen welcomes students, faculty and staff to a fall semester unlike any other.

  • saliva testing on Urbana campus - glove with test tube

    New Shield T3 board installs inaugural officers

    Aug 19, 2020 4:00 pm

    The Board of Managers of a new organization created to expand the reach of saliva-based COVID-19 testing pioneered by University of Illinois researchers installed its inaugural slate of officers during an organizational meeting Wednesday.