You Are Part of Something Big
August 31, 2026 12:16 PM

To students, faculty and staff across the University of Illinois System:

Let me welcome you all to what I hope will be an incredible year for us all, a year of discovery, optimism and opportunity.

By now you have all settled into your fall schedules, each of you on your own journey, guided and challenged by faculty who are among the world’s best at the full range of disciplines found on our campuses.

But being a student at our universities makes you a part of something larger, something bigger than any of us, in fact.

The University of Illinois System is an engine for a strong economy and a well-educated and healthy society, working for all of Illinois and with the kind of impact that changes lives far beyond — across this country and around the world.

Our graduates are engaged citizens. Our research saves lives and creates jobs. And, in partnership with governments and businesses, we help build the future.

That is real power, and you are a vital part of it. I urge you to make the most of it.

I wish you a year full of the best that this world-class university system has to offer.

Sincerely,

Tim Killeen
President
University of Illinois System