To: All Faculty & All Academic Professionals & All Civil Service Staff &
           All Undergrad Students & All Grad Students <everybody@illinois.edu> 
    From: "Chancellor Phyllis Wise" <chancellor@illinois.edu>

Reply-To: chancellor@illinois.edu
 Subject: MASSMAIL - Greetings from Chancellor Wise

Dear Campus Community:

This weekend during a host of exciting Homecoming activities, I began my 
new responsibilities as Vice President of the University of Illinois and 
Chancellor of the Urbana-Champaign campus. I feel deeply honored to have 
the opportunity to lead one of most highly respected research 
universities in the world. I am eager to begin working with all of you to 
make this university an even more outstanding institution of higher 
education.
 
Thanks to the leadership of Interim Vice President and Chancellor Bob 
Easter who, for two years, has successfully led this campus through a 
very challenging financial period, I take over a campus that is presently 
fiscally healthy and poised to maintain and even surpass its excellent 
record of teaching, research, and public engagement. No doubt we will 
continue - as all American public universities will - to face budgetary 
challenges due to the state's own financial tribulations, but we now have 
a framework in place that allows us to confront these challenges and keep 
us operating at the highest possible level of efficiency.
 
During my first few months, I will undertake a broad "listening and 
learning tour" meeting with faculty, students, and staff in small groups 
in different venues. I want to learn about what is important to you, what 
you are passionate about, what you believe makes the University 
distinctive, what our core values are, and what might need to change. 
This campus is highly respected both nationally and internationally 
because of what you do. Your passion, intellect, and drive have created a 
creative and vibrant culture of collaboration. I have long known that the 
Urbana-Champaign campus is an incubator for innovation that permeates all 
aspects of our activity. Through my listening and learning tour, I know I 
will learn more about this amazing institution.

We will be recruiting two key leadership positions: Provost and Vice 
Chancellor for Research. I am very grateful for the strong leadership 
that Interim Provost Richard Wheeler and Interim Vice Chancellor for 
Research Ravi Iyer have demonstrated during the past two years. We expect 
to be able to identify individuals who will continue and expand on this 
work for the longer term.

In closing, I ask for your support as we work together to build upon the 
distinguished history of achievement at this great university. I consider 
it an honor to lead us forward toward an even brighter future.

Phyllis Wise
Vice President of the University of Illinois and Chancellor of the 
University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignThis mailing approved by:
The Office of the Chancellor

-- 
This message sent via MASSMAIL.  < http://www.cites.illinois.edu/services/massmail/ >