Dear Faculty and Staff,

Look out of any window on campus and it is clear that our 149^th academic year here at Illinois is off to a great start. Last Friday’s Convocation ceremony officially welcomed our new undergraduates to the beginning of their Illinois experience. That experience is one that will be shaped by all of you – the members of our community who will teach, advise, mentor and watch out for all those undergraduate and graduate students who choose to call Illinois home. I know from my own experiences working with you that our students are in very, very good hands.

I thought you might be interested to see the welcome message I sent to our students Monday morning. The text is pasted below.

I wish you all a great year.

Best Regards,

Barb Wilson
Interim Chancellor

Monday's Welcome Message to Students

Dear Students,

Welcome to a new academic year at Illinois! Whether this is your first semester, the opening week of your graduation year or the start of your graduate studies, we’re very happy to have you here. When you’re away the campus and our entire community just don’t feel the same. An empty Quad might be a great photo opportunity, but it doesn’t represent the real personality and spirit of the university.

Our character and our vitality come directly from all of you.  We’re at our best when hallways are crowded, sidewalks are filled and you are all out exploring everything Illinois has to offer. Questions, debates and even an argument or two along the way are welcome sounds to us. And I challenge each of you this year to reach out to two or three people you don’t know and make real connections with them. That’s how the best ideas are shaped and new discoveries are made. In truth, we actually get a little nervous when things get too quiet. Open dialogue also leads to new perspectives, unexpected collaborations and a surprising number of new friendships.

It’s great to have you all back and I wish you a productive, safe and fun new year, in and out of the classroom. Thanks for making some very welcome noise here at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.