I am pleased to welcome you to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign! You have chosen an exceptional institution to take you on your educational journey, and I am delighted to join so many others in wishing you all the best as you pursue your goals and dreams.

You are on your way to becoming part of an incredible legacy dating back 150 years. As we celebrate the sesquicentennial of our founding as a land-grant university in 1867, it is thrilling to know you and your classmates will enrich and add to our history.The University of Illinois System, which includes universities here, in Chicago, and in Springfield, is guided by a strategic framework that charts the institution’s path to the future and builds on the U of I System’s rich heritage of service to students and to the public good. This framework sets the bar for us for the next decade, and its guiding principles focus on the U of I System putting students first, worldchanging ideas, protecting the public interest, a stronger state of Illinois, and acting with integrity, accountability, fiscal responsibility, and transparency.

These are the promises we make so you can achieve success—however you may define it—and contribute to creating a better future for all of us.

On behalf of the University of Illinois System, we are excited to have you aboard to contribute to our mission. Make the most of your time here. Soak in the knowledge and experiences. Avail yourself to the multitude of cultural and educational opportunities that surround you. Build friendships that will last a lifetime.

Chart your own course to success, and enjoy each and every day to the fullest.