Dear Colleagues:

I am pleased to inform you that starting this semester, we are offering a seminar series, as part of our Visioning Excellence Initiative. The series, 'The Research University in the World of the Future,' is designed to provide the campus community the opportunity to engage leaders in higher education as we seek to address society's changing needs. As we envision our campus 20 to 50 years into the future, we are exploring how to best position the university for continued relevance and impact.

The first talk in the series is scheduled for May 2 and features Maria Helena Nazare, the newly elected and first female president of the European University Association. Dr. Nazare is a past president of Portugal's University of Aveiro, has had several committees as vice president of the EUA (including the Internationalization Working Group) and serves on the board of directors of Portugal Telecom.

She will deliver her public message from 4-5 p.m. in the ballroom of the Alice Campbell Alumni Center, 601 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana. I hope you can join us, and I invite you to stay for a reception following Dr. Nazare's speech. I also invite you to participate in the visioning process by taking the survey at: www.go.illinois.edu/visioningsurvey. Please mark your calendar for the second speaker in our series. Wei Yang, the president of China's Zhejiang University will offer a talk May 31.

Thank you for the work you do every day to further our mission of learning, discovery and engagement. I am so very proud to be a member of the Illinois family.

Sincerely,
Phyllis M. Wise
Vice President, University of Illinois
Chancellor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign