Dear Colleagues,

I shared the brief welcome message and short video below with our new and returning students this afternoon and I thought some of you might enjoy seeing it as well.

It really is exciting to have all of our students, faculty and staff back together for this new year. There is a tremendous energy and a sense of optimism about all of the possibilities ahead of us. Together, we create a wonderfully diverse university family with viewpoints, ideas and backgrounds that lead to previously unimagined discoveries and insights.

I, with my leadership team, am committed to making this campus a welcoming and productive place for you to live, teach, discover, work and learn. I look forward to the new opportunities you help create for all of the students who chose to join us here at Illinois.

I wish you all a successful and productive new academic year.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Jones
Chancellor 

My 8-26-2018 Message to Students:

Dear Students,

I’ve just come in from a walk around Quad Day activities. And as I hope you’ll see in this short video, it just isn’t Illinois without all of you here.

I know the beginning of classes on Monday officially opens the new academic year here, but to me, nothing captures the spirit of the occasion like the energy, excitement and fun chaos of Quad Day.

All of us on the faculty and staff are very, very happy to see you this week.

Whether you are a returning student or joining us for the very first time, welcome to a new year at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Best Wishes,

Robert J. Jones
Chancellor