blog posts Late 'Laugh-In' brothers Arte, Coslough Johnson share comedy history with U of I Library Nov 29, 2023 11:45 am The brothers each have donated artifacts to the University Library from Emmy Award-winning work on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, which aired 1968-73 on NBC, and for which Arte was an actor and Coslough was a writer. Alumna Joanne Lee Molinaro, ‘The Korean Vegan,’ to give talk, cooking demo Sep 7, 2023 12:30 pm 'The Korean Vegan' – a lawyer, TikTok star and best-selling cookbook author – will speak and give a cooking demonstration on Sept. 21 at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts as part of the PYGMALION festival. WPGU: Playing the sounds of summer since 1953 Aug 3, 2023 10:45 am 'It was the best learning laboratory that I ever could have asked for, and to this day, my college friends forever regard me as ‘cool’ because of what I did at WPGU.' Illini Football legend Dick Butkus passes away at 80 Oct 6, 2023 10:00 am Dick Butkus, regarded as the greatest linebacker in football history, passed away at his home in Malibu, California. As an Illini, Butkus played center on offense, linebacker on defense and led the team to the 1963 Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl victory. Illinois Alumni Association to present awards during Homecoming Week Oct 7, 2019 9:15 am During Homecoming Week, the Illinois Alumni Association will recognize Illinois alumni and friends with awards. Alumni Interview: Temple Grandin Nov 6, 2019 8:00 am The animal-facilities designer and autism-community icon on why we should nurture people who think differently and abandon hope of a Disneyland for pigs. Jennifer Neubauer named president of UI Alumni Association May 18, 2017 9:30 am Champaign native and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign alumna Jennifer Lewis Neubauer has been named president of the University of Illinois Alumni Association. Journalism grad receives Pulitzer Prize Apr 22, 2016 2:30 pm Leonora LaPeter Anton ’86, of the Tampa Bay Times was awarded a 2016 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. The reporting was a joint project between the Times and the Herald-Tribune into Florida’s state-funded mental hospitals. Designing the iconic Chicago Theatre Mar 11, 2019 11:45 am Illinois graduates played center stage in designing this State Street landmark in 1921...and in rescuing it sixty years later. Illinois alumna oversees NASA's Ingenuity helicopter mission Apr 7, 2021 9:30 am NASA's Ingenuity helicopter recently landed on Mars along with the Perseverance Rover. Once the helicopter detaches, it will conduct several test flights on the surface, marking the first powered flights on another planet. Alumna finds solace in writing a book about the women who shaped Lincoln Aug 20, 2025 10:15 am Alumna Stacy Lynn has spent nearly 30 years studying Abraham Lincoln and shares the story of the women who helped shape the 16th president into the person we know from history. A countdown made possible by computing Jan 4, 2023 11:45 am Alumnus Ken Jacobs talks about his role in NASA's Artemis I launch on November 16 – the first in a series of missions to build a long-term human presence on the moon, Mars and beyond. Taylor Rooks: Coming Home Oct 28, 2019 2:30 pm Rooks is only five years out from graduation, but she has already landed her own Bleacher Report web series, 'Take It There with Taylor Rooks.' Alumnus Pablo Serrano: The city is his canvas Jan 27, 2020 2:45 pm With close to 20 murals adorning buildings in Chicago - as well as walls U of I's La Casa Cultural Latina - Serrano embraces his Mexican-American heritage in his art with an eye toward how we share our stories. Showtime! Remembering the old campus-area movie theaters Oct 7, 2020 10:45 am The Co-Ed on Green Street was 'full all the time.' Students flocked to the Thunderbird Theatre on Goodwin, too, as well as the Rialto, with its massive steel-and-glass marquee; the art-deco Princess; and the Orpheum, with its 24 Greek columns. Remembering Pro and Illini Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell Apr 13, 2020 9:45 am 'Bobby...reminisced about everything from his recruitment out of Hot Springs, Arkansas, his Illini football and track careers, his pro playing career... He spoke about how he met his wife, Gwen, on the UI campus.' Another U. of I. alum selected to be NASA astronaut candidate Sep 23, 2025 9:45 am Cameron Jones, a major in the U.S. Air Force, is originally from Savanna, Illinois. He earned his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2012 and a master’s degree in 2018. Educational entrepreneur, postdoc researcher make Forbes '30 under 30' list Jan 10, 2017 9:45 am Illinois' Ryan Hoch, alumnus and co-founder of Overgrad, and current postdoctoral researcher Lydia Kisley, were named to the 2017 Forbes "30 Under 30" ranking for Education and Healthcare, respectively. Great friends, beautiful memories: UIAA's Korea Chapter celebrates 100 years Jan 24, 2023 10:30 am Duck Choo Oh’s Homecoming coronation in 1955 symbolized the blossoming of an international era for the University of Illinois. The seeds of that growth started nearly five decades earlier with President Edmund Janes James (1904–20). Memory Lane: The 2007 Valentine’s Day blizzard Feb 1, 2019 12:15 pm On Feb. 13, 2007, Chancellor Richard Herman cancelled classes at Illinois for the first time in almost 30 years. For some, it was the best snow day ever Alumni create MoonArk, a tiny museum bound for the moon Apr 20, 2023 1:15 pm At only eight inches high and two inches in diameter, the metal MoonArk sculpture has four stacked chambers packed with hundreds of images, poems, music, mechanisms, earthly samples, and nano-objects. College of Business receives $150 million naming gift Oct 26, 2017 8:30 am The College of Business at Illinois will be known as the Gies College of Business after an unprecedented investment from a distinguished alumnus. July 18 at Millennium Park, RSVP now Jun 18, 2019 2:00 pm Celebrate your Illini pride in downtown Chicago at Illini Fest! Drinks, live music, notable Illini, and more! First 1,000 registrants receive a free Illinois flag at the event. Alumna Ann Thayer Weldy helped readers find comfort—and themselves—in her books Jul 26, 2023 12:15 pm To the world, she became Ann Bannon, the name under which she published six lesbian pulp fiction novels. Over sixty years later, these books remain fundamental to the LGBTQ canon. Alumnus Eli Murray wins Pulitzer Prize with ‘Tampa Bay Times’ team May 10, 2022 4:15 pm Murray, and his colleagues won for their series 'Poisoned,' an exposé of highly toxic hazards inside Florida’s only battery recycling plant that forced the implementation of safety measures to protect workers and nearby residents. Find your local Illini club May 17, 2016 11:00 am Illini clubs, affinity groups and college groups are a great way to stay connected to the University and your fellow alumni. They offer a variety of social, cultural, educational, community service and networking events. Alum Ed Jackson, Jr.: Chief architect, MLK National Memorial Jan 19, 2019 4:45 pm Ed Jackson, Jr. shares insights into how he and his team brought the memorial from the original vision to its permanent place on the National Mall Q&A: Chris Silcox, former Illini gymnast and Spider-Man stunt double Aug 11, 2017 8:30 am If you saw Spider-Man: Homecoming, you saw Chris Silcox. You just didn’t realize it. Alumnus Russell Wigginton: 'My whole career has been a dream job' Jul 5, 2024 10:15 am Russell Wigginton believes that his history, experience and passion all led him to becoming president of the National Civil Rights Museum. 'It’s a fascinating, beautiful culmination of my life and experiences to end up in this job.' 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...' Meet the alumna doing forensics research for the Las Vegas police department Oct 14, 2016 12:15 pm "The best part of the job...is that we in the Chemistry Detail are also members of the Clandestine Laboratory Team, which means that we are the only section in the laboratory that responds to crime scenes." Max Levchin: The Making of a Tech Mogul Mar 18, 2018 11:00 am Max Levchin is the poster child for transformation. From Soviet refugee, through the University of Illinois, to becoming one of the world's most influential tech pioneers Alum Elias Waddington: Using skills to help police SWAT team Apr 9, 2019 1:00 pm Elias Waddington designs, tests, and flies the world’s longest-flying production electric quadrotor. Alumnus Jack Welch, former General Electric CEO, dies at 84 Mar 2, 2020 1:45 pm Welch became a chemical engineer at GE immediately after completing his doctorate at Illinois. He was named chairman and CEO in 1981 at the age of 45. He remained at the helm for the next 20 years. Chicago Illini of the Year Awards to Rich Sieracki, Jill Wine-Banks Jun 3, 2019 10:15 am Chicago Illini of the Year Awards recognize outstanding alumni who live and work in the Chicago metropolitan area. Commencement speaker, architect Jeanne Gang, designs buildings that connect people, nature and communities May 8, 2024 3:00 pm Internationally renowned architect Jeanne Gang believes architecture can connect people to each other, their environment and their communities. She is the U. of I. Commencement speaker and an Illinois alumna. Poulter named to U.S. Women’s Volleyball roster for 2022 VNL May 12, 2022 9:00 am Former U of I All-American, Olympic Gold Medalist Jordyn Poulter will join the U.S. Women's National Team's roster this year. The U.S. Women are three-time league champions, 2020 Olympic gold medalists, and the No. 1-ranked team in the world. Looking back on dorm life at the University of Illinois Nov 22, 2016 10:15 am Residence halls act as a home away from home for college students as they navigate their campus lives. Here’s a look at Illinois’ dormitories over the years, from bedrooms to lounge areas to on-site eateries. The many Illinois memories of alumnus Fred Stahl Jun 17, 2019 10:15 am Fred met his wife in the Illini Union. One day they walked up to the door at the President's House and asked President David Henry’s wife if they could marry in the garden. They were one of the first couples to do so. Tatyana McFadden wins ESPY for Best Female Athlete with a Disability Jul 14, 2016 9:15 am The Baltimore Sun (July 14) McFadden has won three straight wheelchair marathon grand slams and is halfway to her fourth, with wins in Boston and London this year. In WWII, alumna found herself behind enemy lines Feb 8, 2017 9:00 am Jill Pitts Knappenberger drove a modified Red Cross bus that delivered coffee, doughnuts and goodwill to Allied troops - until she found herself surrounded by German soldiers in the Battle of the Bulge Meet the 2016 Chicago Illini of the Year honorees Mar 8, 2016 2:15 pm Co-sponsored by the University of Illinois Alumni Association and the Chicago Illini Club, this award recognizes the accomplishments of Chicago-area graduates of the University. Watch 'An Evening with Steve Chen,' alumnus and YouTube co-founder Aug 28, 2024 4:30 pm Steve Chen shares insights from his journey from U. of I. student to tech innovator, offering a firsthand account of the entrepreneurial path that led to YouTube's creation. He was on campus on August 26. Illinois alumni help keep ABC7 Eyewitness News No. 1 in Chicago Apr 24, 2018 8:30 am Stop by the plate glass window on State Street in Chicago to watch the ABC7 Eyewitness News and you’re likely watching an Illinois graduate Illinois alum Charles David Keeling: The man who tied human actions to climate change Apr 30, 2018 8:45 am Keeling was the first scientist to develop an accurate technique for measuring the air concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) — a greenhouse gas that traps atmospheric heat The Googlers: Mathematics alumni find success at Google Dec 12, 2017 11:00 am What can you do with a degree in mathematics? Count a career at one of the world's most successful tech companies among the possibilities Illinois grads who care for Brookfield Zoo's menagerie Jun 5, 2019 10:15 am The work of Drs. Michael Adkesson and Jennifer Langan helps keep the more than 3,000 animals at Brookfield Zoo healthy and helps ensure the survival of their cousins in the wild. Meet the Illini Media Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Feb 16, 2022 11:15 am Journalists who documented history from World War II to the 2020 election, exposed the 'abortion underground' and covered the LGBTQ experience. A Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, TV legends, an artist best known for drawing 'Naughty Granny.' Education alumna creating a buzz in Chicago Public School Feb 28, 2018 9:30 am First year CPS teacher and Illinois alumna Amanda Fagenson is drawing an audience and admiration for her teaching skills Advertising alum creates two highest-rated Super Bowl ads Mar 5, 2021 9:45 am The winning ads this year were two commercials for Rocket Mortgage starring Tracy Morgan, demonstrating the difference between being 'pretty sure' and 'certain' about buying a home. Patrick Burke was the writer of both ads.