Dear students:

It is truly a pleasure to welcome you to our 2017-18 academic year across the University of Illinois family.

Whether your studies brought you to our university in Chicago, Springfield or Urbana-Champaign, you have reached the springboard to your dreams. Now, you are ready to dive in and take advantage of top-ranked programs inside the classroom and out that have paved the way to success for more than 720,000 System-wide alumni before you.

Every year, the U of I System’s global reputation for excellence attracts top students like you from every corner of our state and nation, and every continent around the world. With System-wide enrollment that tops 80,000, our place as a go-to destination is rooted in a student-first commitment that has been the core of our mission since Urbana-Champaign’s founding 150 years ago as one of the nation’s original land-grant universities. We are celebrating that milestone anniversary this year, and a rich legacy of service to students and the public good that has grown and flourished as our universities in Chicago and Springfield joined the U of I family.

We are committed to outperform the high expectations that brought you here, through a Strategic Framework that set ambitious goals to ensure your U of I degree is forever synonymous with pride, respect and opportunity.

Thank you for the trust you have placed in us, and I hope you absorb everything the U of I System has to offer. From your studies to leadership opportunities to new friendships, what you take away from here will serve you for a lifetime.

I wish you all the best, and don’t forget to have some fun along the way.

Sincerely,

Tim