Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

The Chancellor’s Commission on Native Imagery: Healing and Reconciliation has completed the work it began this past winter and has delivered its final report to me. 

The report is posted at http://go.illinois.edu/2019CommissionReport. I invite you to take a few minutes to read their suggestions and observations.

The Commission was comprised of two co-chairs and 12 members representing the broad experiences of students, faculty members, staff, alumni and athletics, including Indigenous university stakeholders and former portrayers of Chief Illiniwek.

I want to thank the members of the Commission for their thoughtful work this year. They have fulfilled the charge I gave them in a balanced and consultative manner. Their frank and open discussions and their careful consideration of the opinions and viewpoints expressed by University students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends led to observations and advice that will be extremely helpful as I determine our next steps.  

The Commission met monthly between November and April. In addition to discussions in those sessions, the members drew from the perspectives raised in communitywide critical conversations in spring 2018 and also considered the more than 2,000 informal online survey responses on the intent and impact of the portrayal of Chief Illiniwek.

I want to thank all the members of the Commission for their efforts and for their expediency. Their work has led us to what I truly believe is a new path forward.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Jones
Chancellor