Dear students:

Welcome to our 2018-19 academic year and thank you for choosing the University of Illinois System.

This is such a special place, regarded as a global leader in education and research, with universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield that each rank in the top tier among their peers. Together, they have been a springboard to success for more than 700,000 alumni and an incubator for pioneering innovation that has changed the world.

Our universities are home to best-in-class faculty and academic programs that attract top students like you from every corner of our state and nation, and every continent. They have come in record numbers each of the last five years, and we expect enrollment to reach another new high this fall, topping 84,000 students.

While you do your work here to cement your future, we also will be doing ours. We have an ambitious strategy to build on our excellence, focused on our bedrock commitment to student access and affordability and to world-class faculty and facilities. Our investments will attract new generations of students to follow in your footsteps and ensure that 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