Welcome to the University of Illinois!

As a new Illini, you join a long line of students from Illinois and around the world who have benefited from a great education.

The Urbana-Champaign campus, which opened in 1868, has nearly 400,000 living alumni – about three times the combined seating at our own Memorial Stadium and at Soldier Field in Chicago.

But my message to you today is not about football. It’s about opportunity. This University is a gateway of opportunity to a better future for you personally, for your family – and your future families.

A college education is a transforming experience. We have on this campus a great library, for example.

Third in size only after the libraries at Harvard and Yale, the University library puts the knowledge of the world at your fingertips, literally; you may access it from your residence hall or portable phone.

You also will be transformed by connecting to a great faculty, helpful professional staff and, of course, your peers. Join an organization – there are nearly 1,000 on the campus – to expand your collegiate experience.

The transforming power of a University of Illinois education extends well beyond your student years. Your degree will have real cachet and meaning in the workplace; alumni will mentor you; you will fulfill your promise.

I tell everyone I meet that the University of Illinois is the state of Illinois’ single most valuable asset in creating a prosperous future for the people of Illinois, the nation and the world.

The reason is that well-educated people who live in free societies and have drive and ambition have never had better prospects. By contrast, in our global economy, people without a proper education have never faced worse prospects.

As important as your education is, you must remember that universities like this one are also in the knowledge business; members of our faculty are first-rate in discovering and creating the newest knowledge that is the raw material for new industries, companies, jobs and careers.

So educating people on a large scale and with excellence and conducting important research in engineering, computer science, biomedicine and agriculture to name a few, that’s what we do at the University of Illinois.

You have come to an exciting, intellectual and energetic place.

This New Student Guide will help you navigate the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign until you can find your own way on the path to a great future.

I hope you consider yourself fortunate to be part of this community of scholars with access to an extraordinary faculty, a fabulous library, cultural amenities – such as the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and the Spurlock Museum – fun sports and recreation and a welcoming pair of cities in Champaign and Urbana.

Again, welcome and good luck.

B. Joseph White is the 16th President of the University of Illinois.