A contentious symbol has been laid to rest. An innovative new Global Campus has slowly begun to take shape. Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day remains a hot-button issue, campus safety and security have been brought shockingly back to the forefront of everyone’s minds, and students and faculty alike have grown at least one year older.

In short, these have been two tumultuous semesters for the University.

“I think it’s been a great year at the Urbana campus,” said University President B. Joseph White. He cited the dedication of the new Institute for Genomic Biology and a newly-forged research partnership with BP as major academic achievements. White also highlighted the importance of the University’s distinguished faculty.

“We’re really proud of Richard Powers for winning the National Book Award for his novel, ‘The Echo Maker,'” White said. “It’s an extremely prestigious award, and it’s brought a lot of honor not only to Professor Powers but also to the entire University.”

While reminiscing on the events of this academic year, White mentioned the controversial decision to retire Chief Illiniwek only as an afterthought.

“It was really difficult,” he said. “(But) it was very meaningful for some people. It’s certainly a watershed decision in the history of this University.”

Students also recognize 2006-07 as a pivotal year.

“I’d say that this has been a landmark year,” said Ryan Ruzic, senior in LAS and former student body president. “It’s been extremely eventful, and we’ve seen a number of different changes. The retirement of Chief Illiniwek has been heavily discussed since long before any of us arrived on campus. Student government has expanded its role … (and) campus-wide, students are becoming more active.”

Ruzic also cited the Global Campus Partnership as a significant change, signaling the fact that the University is on the forefront of academic innovation. Students, Ruzic said, will likely measure this year in terms of the major events that have taken place.

Although not affiliated with the University in any way, the recent sale of YouTube by alumni for more than $1 billion is a reminder of the role that U of I graduates can play once they leave campus, White said.

For many, events such as the infamous “Tacos and Tequila” Greek exchange also defined portions of this academic year and created awareness of problems often swept under the rug, according to a speech delivered by Chancellor Richard Herman earlier this year.

“These incidents were repugnant to me and to our University community,” Herman said. “But these episodes also create an opportunity to begin a necessary conversation about the balance we must find between free expression and incivility. Never before has our open-mindedness been more important.”

By next fall, an entire class of students will have graduated and about as many will be new to college life. Due to this, Ruzic said significant changes will continue to take place.

“A lot of big things will continue to change,” he said. “We’ll see what happens with Unofficial. This year’s was very safe, but will they continue to crack down in the future? Also, (the Illinois Student Senate) is talking about trying to have students as members of city council, which would be great.”

With budgetary concerns continuing to plague administrators, renovations and construction on campus and the struggle to retain quality faculty, it is certain that the University faces many challenges in the immediate future.

“We are committed to securing the resources we need to achieve the academic goals of (this institution),” White said. “But in order to remain on track and to build our reputation, we need all of our graduates to not only excel in what they do, but also take pride in their University, in terms of academics and athletics. We will be very appreciative of that.”