Illinois Featured Content

When students are facing unplanned emergencies, health challenges, and more, academic success can feel unattainable. We want our students to do more than survive—we want them to thrive. 

As of March 1, 2021, the With Illinois campaign has recorded $2.268 billion in gifts and commitments. Reaching this milestone is cause for celebration, but officials say the campaign is far from finished.

At a press conference at 10 a.m. on Monday morning, the family of Yingying Zhang announced the creation of Yingying’s Fund, an endowment to honor the Illinois scholar.

The gift will fund a new home for Illinois Extension. The Doris Kelley Christopher Illinois Extension Center will unite six state Extension offices currently on campus into one vibrant space.

By no longer buying Christmas and birthday gifts for each other, three Illinois alumnae and former Illini women’s basketball players were able to leave a more permanent campus reminder of their 40-year-old friendship.  

The brainchild of ACES’ student advancement committee, the month-long “I Pay It Forward: Students Supporting Students” campaign helps provide scholarships funded by student donations.

Business leader Shahid Khan, his wife Ann Margaret Khan, and their children Tony and Shanna Khan – all graduates of the U of I – have made a gift of $15 million that will transform the integrated oncology program at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Gies College of Business has received a $5 million gift from alumnus Nate Reichard, CEO of Reichard Capital. In recognition, the Real Estate Finance Academy will be renamed the 'Reichard Real Estate Academy.'

The renaming of the College of Engineering recognizes $300 million in support from The Grainger Foundation and honors distinguished alumnus William W. Grainger.

The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics has announced a gift of $1 million from 1986 Grainger Engineering graduate Bryan Ingram and his wife, Patti, for the Ubben Basketball Complex renovation and expansion project.

COVID eliminated the Orange Krush's traditional fundraising methods, but they raised money through Orange Krush boxes filled with various apparel. Also, proceeds from Brad Underwood-autographed fan cutouts were donated to the community grants.

The College of Business at Illinois will be known as the Gies College of Business after an unprecedented investment from a distinguished alumnus. 

Choi has immersed himself in the world of cryptocurrency and blockchain, and believes it's imperative that students develop a fluency in those areas. His gift is believed to be one of the largest cryptocurrency gifts to a business school.

This was a significant turning point in Sharp’s young career - a turning point he is forever grateful to the University of Illinois for - and he went on to receive the 1993 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of RNA splicing. 

As a small child Jamie Goldberg struggled to read, but a first grade teacher believed in her, and offered tutoring instead of labeling her learning disabled. It’s no surprise that Jamie now wants to be an elementary teacher.

For George Cmarik's 90th birthday, his family wanted to do something unique in his name and settled upon providing a student with an internship experience at the Dixon Springs Agricultural Center.

The gift will provide scholarship support to underrepresented students in advertising who have significant financial need. Jack Klues is a 1977 advertising graduate. 

The gift from the late Edward (Rick) Heiken emphasized the development and deployment of state-of-the-art assessment of cognitive and brain health, with special interest in being able to conduct assessments remotely. 

Gifts allow the program to offer more culture courses, develop a new academic minor and online courses, and improve cross-cultural understanding between the U.S. and Greece.

A $100,000 donation from the Marajen Stevick Foundation in honor of former News-Gazette Publisher John Foreman will fund internships for young journalists at the University of Illinois.

For a group of Gary Wieneke's former student-athletes, some of whom competed nearly 50 years ago for him, their loyalty, admiration for their head coach is reflected in a gift that exceeds $1 million.

Students earned degrees with scholarships tied to Lincoln Hall renovation

The Department of Religion is receiving $1 million from a group of donors to establish Jainism as a course of study. It’s the largest gift that the department has ever received.

In recognition of this investment in Gies College of Business, the academy will be renamed the Origin Ventures Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership.

This fund, established by Deryk and Camille Gilmore, aims to foster equitable opportunities for students interested in experiential learning and commemorates the legacy of Dr. Paul Magelli who impacted the lives of thousands of students.

The George Reveliotis Family Hellenic Studies Endowment will support a lecturer position in Classics, as well as scholarships, fellowships, and study abroad opportunities.

Whether you’re passionate about powering the Marching Illini, fueling a scholarship, or joining the fight against food insecurity, your support can create a lasting impact! Check out projects that need your support.

Illinois’ largest, most ambitious philanthropic campaign was introduced to donors, alumni, faculty and staff, students and local community members Friday evening

Funded mainly through donors, the scholarship program selected its first nine Lincoln Scholars in fall 2012. It’s been growing ever since, providing assistance to students with unmet financial need and good academic standing so they can attend the U of I.

"Investments such as this allow us to attract the best students in the world – students who will graduate and become the next generation of leading soil and crop scientists.” - Interim Chancellor Barb Wilson

The Illinois CARES: COVID-19 fund will help defray tuition, housing, other costs for students experiencing unexpected shortfalls due to COVID-19 – both for current needs, upcoming academic year.

The Women, Power, and Money Program familiarizes students with financial planning fundamentals and negotiation skills, and empowers them to make confident decisions and overcome sexism and other obstacles in the workplace.

Gifts totaling more than $5 million from a collection of donors - inspired by a lead gift from Roger and Chaz Ebert - funding will support annual programming, including the Ebert Symposium, Ebert Lecture, and a screening series. 

'Now more than ever there is a critical need for good, solid, objective journalism in this country.  We are encouraged our contribution will help create the highest level of learning for the next generation of journalists...' said Rich and Leslie Frank. 

'My family and I wanted to put care into action and start removing the systemic barriers that have been preventing access to the veterinary profession for decades,' said Stephen Hadley, a 1987 Veterinary Medicine graduate.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumnus Larry Gies has made a $100 million gift to Illinois Athletics. The commitment is the largest gift in DIA history and represents one of the largest single gifts ever received by a college athletics program.

The 2016 Campus Charitable Fund Drive kicks off September 19, 2016. Pledge your support today and make a donation.

A climate-smart circular bioeconomy puts recycling, regeneration at the center of food growth and processing. The aim is to reduce the use of fossil fuels and synthetic chemicals, and instead use technological and biological resources.

In  just a few months, we built a comprehensive testing, tracing and monitoring infrastructure that is unmatched anywhere in the country. Help us continue our innovative, imperative work to provide solutions for our campus and the world.

'As a growing world population must address its increasing food, clean water, energy, shelter, and basic health needs — without doing damage to the environment — we need leaders to emerge.' Stu Levenick

The Carle Illinois College of Medicine, the first engineering-based medical school, has received preliminary accreditation and is recruiting students for its first class

'Jane and Bill Donaldson's generosity will create groundbreaking opportunities for immersive engagement, focused on exemplary leadership competencies and real-world experience,' says Illinois Leadership director Gayle Spencer

President Emeritus Stan Ikenberry was the driving force behind the creation of the Beckman Institute at Illinois in 1989. He and his wife are still contributing to its excellence.

The family of Yingying Zhang announced the creation of Yingying’s Fund, an endowment to assist international students in crisis and their families.

They met during their first weekend on campus, and have been together since. Now the Kaplans are sharing their love of literature (and Illinois) by sponsoring the Creative Writing Program’s Kaplan Family Writer-in-Residence Series.

The Morrow Plots Revitalization project honors the sesquicentennial of the nation’s oldest agricultural research field. A new landscape design will replace the overgrown shrubs that had surrounded and obscured views of the plots. 

'The round barns stand as monuments to the state’s agricultural foundation and the university’s many contributions to that industry. (Leah Wightman's estate) gift will allow us to preserve these structures and restore them...'