Illinois International News
Illinois International News is a collection of globally-focused blogs and stories from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Global Relations
  • Funk ACES Library in fall

    Three Illinois faculty receive Fulbright awards

    Aug 28, 2026 12:15 pm
    • Professor Eric Calderwood (Ph.D.), Director of the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Students and a professor in the School of Literatures, Cultures & Linguistics at Illinois, received a Fulbright Scholar Award to Spain. His host institution will be the Spanish National Research Council.  
    • Professor Tigga Kingston (Ph.D.), an Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior professor in the School of Integrative Biology at Illinois and the inaugural Shelford-Pitelka-Batzli Professor in Mammalian Ecology, received the BRIN-Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award.  
    • Professor Jacob Bowers (Ph.D.), a professor in the Department of Political Science at Illinois, received a Fulbright Scholar Award to Chile. His host institution will be Universidad Diego Portales in Santiago, Chile.  
  • Main Quad on a spring day. Photo taken at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on Sunday, May 24, 2026. (Photo by Craig Pessman / University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)

    BRIDGE Seed Fund Grant recipients announced

    Jul 21, 2026 1:45 pm

    The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Birmingham are pleased to announce the recipients of the Birmingham-Illinois Partnership for Discovery, Engagement, and Education (BRIDGE) Seed Fund Grant for the 2026-2027 Academic Year.

  • Visitors take in the fleeting beauty of blooming sakura trees graces the grounds of the University of Illinois Arboretum and Japan House. This year, heavy rains shortened the flowering season, but flowers are starting to bud on other flowering trees. Photo taken at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on Thursday, April 2, 2026. (Photo by Fred Zwicky / University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)

    Global Relations, Illinois International will host ‘Fulbright Week’ starting April 30

    Apr 20, 2026 4:30 pm

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Global Relations and Illinois International, with support from the Institute for International Education, will build on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's extensive history of Fulbright participation by hosting a Fulbright Week starting April 30.  

    Fulbright Week is designed to help students, faculty, and staff learn about U.S. Student and Scholar programs. It also fosters a culture of global engagement and encourages members of the university community to pursue transformative international experiences. 

  • Behind Alma Mater are figures of a woman representing “learning” and a man depicting “labor” joining hands. Together they symbolize the University’s motto, “Learning and Labor.” Alma Mater, the beloved bronze mother figure that has greeted generations of University of Illinois students, graces the entry way to the campus. Alma Mater, which was created by sculptor Lorado Taft, is a 10,000-pound statue depicting a mother-figure wearing academic robes, bearing a plaque that reads, "To thy happy children of the future, those of the past send greetings.” Photo taken at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (Photo by Fred Zwicky / University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)

    Application cycle opens for Global South Fellowship program

    Apr 16, 2026 10:00 am

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Applications are now being accepted for the 2026-2027 Global South Fellowship Program. 

    This fellowship, which is a Birmingham-Illinois Partnership for Discovery, Engagement, and Education (BRIDGE) initiative, enables visiting fellows to come to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign or the University of Birmingham to conduct research and advance their scholarly work.  

  • Photo shows students walking in front of the College of Education on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus.

    Q&A: Global South Fellow reflects on collaborations, experience gained through Illinois program

    Apr 8, 2026 9:00 am

    Abebaw Yirga Adamu, a professor in higher education and the director of quality assurance at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, said he has connected with and engaged with more people than he initially anticipated during his tenure as a Global South Fellow. 

  • Birmingham-Illinois “BRIDGE” Alliance marks tenth year of collaboration with $600,000 investment in joint research

    Apr 22, 2024 1:30 pm

    The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Birmingham are tripling their investment in their partnership to develop new signature research collaborations.

  • Bridge

    Call for Proposals: AY2024-2025 BRIDGE Seed Fund

    Jan 2, 2024 10:00 am

    The call for proposals for the AY2024-2025 BRIDGE Seed Fund in collaboration with the University of Birmingham is now open.

  • From left to right: Dr. Luis Canales, Associate Provost for Illinois International; Dr. Reitumetse Obakeng Mabokela, Associate Chancellor and Vice Provost for Global Affairs & Strategies; Dr. Zaid Zabanoot, the cultural attache’ for the Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman in Washington D.C.; Dr. Sammer Jones, Director for Global Relations; and Dr. Matt Rosenstein, Director for Global Education and Training, pose for a photo during a visit from Dr. Zabanoot in November 2023. Dr. Zabanoot was visiting with a cohort of students from Oman participating in a new Oman Foundation Year Program at UIUC.

    Global Relations announces 393 active agreements in 2022-2023 annual report

    Dec 26, 2023 10:00 am

    The Global Relations team at Illinois International managed over 390 active institutional agreements in 56 countries this year, amplifying the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) mission to promote global engagement for positive contributions to the community, state, nation, and world.

  • UIUC Chancellor Dr. Robert Jones, moderates a session during Africa Week, the University of Pretoria’s biennial science leadership event.

    Illinois delegation explores collaborative initiatives with universities in South Africa

    Aug 17, 2023 11:45 am

    The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign continued to strengthen its strategic collaboration with partners in South Africa this summer.

    In May, Chancellor Dr. Robert Jones was part of a delegation from Illinois that visited the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and the University of Pretoria (UP). 

  • A decorative image of "Alma" at UIUC.

    Global Relations shares success, new achievements in 2021-2022 engagement report

    Feb 22, 2023 10:00 am

    Global Relations at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign facilitated 86 new or renewed institutional agreements in 35 countries during the 2021-2022 academic year.

    This is just one of the many things Global Relations accomplished that was shared in the Annual Engagement Report released on Feb. 15.

  • Fulbright photo contest winners announced

    Oct 27, 2020 5:00 pm

    During the 2020 Virtual International Week celebration, Global Relations organized a Fulbright Photo Contest featuring University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty, staff, and student who are current or past Fulbright award recipients.

  • Illinois-NTU 2017 Global Issues Forum: Health in Smart Urban Environments

    Jul 17, 2017 10:30 am

    The Global Issues Forum: Health in Smart Cities is an interdisciplinary, cross-cultural collaboration driven by faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and National Taiwan University, held in alternation between Taipei and Champaign-Urbana, and focusing on a range of key challenges and opportunities arising from the dramatic increase in urban populations around the world