News Bureau

The threshold to be eligible for Illinois Commitment — a financial aid program that provides free tuition and fees for in-state students — has been increased from $67,100 to $75,000, putting Illinois near the top of the Big Ten in terms of the income limit.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Illinois’ historic Memorial Stadium, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has produced a new documentary. “A House of Brick: 100 Years of Memorial Stadium.” The program premieres at 9:30 p.m. CT Monday, Oct. 14, on the Big Ten Network.

The Big Ten Academic Alliance recently announced the 2024-25 fellows for its Academic Leadership Program and Department Executive Officers Seminar. Eleven University of Illinois faculty members have been selected to participate.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Gabrielle Capone, Leland Pan and Frankie Ward are recipients of the Voyager Scholarship, the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has welcomed a record-breaking class for the fall 2024 semester. With a freshman enrollment of 9,008, the new class brings record total student enrollment at 59,238, including on-campus and online students.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign announces graduates, Dean’s List and Bronze Tablet honorees for the 2024 spring semester.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students and recent graduates were offered Fulbright grants to pursue international education, research and teaching experiences around the globe this coming year.

Homecoming Week at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign takes place Sept. 8-14. WCIA-TV news anchor and Illinois alumna Jennifer Roscoe is the parade grand marshal.

Zeynep Madak-Erdogan, Robert Morrissey, Joaquín Rodríguez-López, Jacob Sherkow and Hanghang Tong have been named University Scholars in recognition of their excellence in teaching, scholarship and service.

W. Brooke Elliott has been selected as dean of Gies College of Business and the Josef and Margot Lakonishok Professor in Business, pending approval by the U. of I. Board of Trustees. Until officially approved, her title will be dean of Gies College of Business and Josef and Margot Lakonishok Professor in Business designate. The appointment will begin Aug. 16.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was recently ranked second in the nation as a partner-friendly institution on the Partner Hire Scorecard — an online, research-based ranking of universities that provide support for academic couples in the job search process.

Justin Wytmar, who recently completed his junior year at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is among 20 students nationally who were awarded the Beinecke Scholarship, which is valued at $35,000. The Beinecke award supports graduate study in the arts, humanities or social sciences. 

Following a national search, Jacob Pinholster has been selected as dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts, effective Sept. 16, pending University of Illinois Board of Trustees approval. Pinholster’s title will be dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts designate until board approval.

The recipients of the 2024 Campus Awards for Excellence in Public Engagement include faculty members Sheldon Jacobson and Emily Knox; graduate students Dusty Bacon and Imani Canton; the Champaign-Urbana Community Fab Lab community engagement team; and the University of Illinois Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Clinic.

Debra Flessner was selected as the 2024 Office Professional of the Year by the Illinois Administrative Professionals at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The office administrator for System Offices Shared Services, Flessner is the 32nd recipient of the annual award. 

Di Lan Johnson, a junior in global studies, was awarded the Boren scholarship and plans to study in Taiwan for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Three University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professors have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of a scientist's highest professional honors. Physics professor Chen-Yu Liu, biochemistry professor emeritus Steve Sligar and chemistry professor emeritus Ken Suslick are among 120 newly elected U.S. members and 24 international members in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Five University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty members have been elected members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the oldest honorary societies in the United States. Nancy M. Amato, Rashid Bashir, Alison Bell, Charles Gammie and Paul Selvin are among the 250 inductees for 2024.

Seven University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professors have been elected 2023 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They are among the 502 scientists, engineers and innovators recognized for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements by the world’s largest general scientific society. 

The new U. of I. fellows are computer science professor Sarita Adve; evolution, ecology and behavior professor Rebecca Fuller; civil and environmental engineering professor Praveen Kumar; chemistry professor Christy Landes; communication professor Marshall Scott Poole; natural resources and environmental sciences professor Cory Suski; and crop sciences and NRES professor Martin Williams, an ecologist in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service.  

Sixteen academic professionals and civil service staff members have received the 2024 Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Award. Employees with at least three years of service are eligible for nomination in one of eight functional categories.

Four University of Illinois students received U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarships to study foreign languages this summer.

Recent graduates from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign landed postgraduation opportunities at high rates and with increased starting salaries, according to data compiled from the annual Illini Success report.

University of Illinois students Syliva E, Amelia Korveziroska, Daniel Feng, Alice Gao and Riley Trendler were awarded Barry M. Goldwater scholarships for their potential to contribute to the advancement of research in the natural sciences, mathematics or engineering.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign announced Dean’s List honorees and graduates for the fall semester 2023, and the graduates for August 2023.
 

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is one of the top university and college producers of Fulbright student grant recipients in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which announced the 2023-24 awards.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign dance professor Cynthia Oliver is leading the chancellor’s arts integration initiative for campus.

Two University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty members from The Grainger College of Engineering have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering. The new members are Kiruba Haran, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and the Grainger Endowed Director’s Chair in Electric Machinery and Electromechanics, and Taher Saif, the Edward William and Jane Marr Gutgsell Professor in mechanical science and engineering.

Faculty members selected for endowed chairs and professorships in recognition of their excellence and prominence in research, teaching and service, are Christopher Freeburg, a professor of English; D. Fairchild Ruggles, a professor of landscape architecture; Charles Gammie, a professor of astronomy and physics; James Imlay, a professor of microbiology; Klara Nahrstedt, a professor of computer science; Chrystalla Mouza, a professor and dean of the College of Education; Andrew Leakey, a professor of plant biology; Cynthia Oliver, a professor of dance and Brent Roberts, a professor of psychology.

Eight researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have been named to the 2023 Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers list. The list recognizes research scientists and social scientists who have demonstrated exceptional influence – reflected through their publication of multiple papers frequently cited by their peers during the last decade. 

At its November 16 meeting, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees will consider a three-year extension for U. of I. athletics director Josh Whitman through June 30, 2031.

Xinzhu Yu, a professor of molecular and integrative physiology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is a recipient of the National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award from the NIH Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program. 

According to the NIH, the New Innovator Award “supports investigators at each career stage who propose innovative research that, due to their inherent risk, may struggle in the traditional NIH peer-review process despite their transformative potential.” The award provides $2.4 million in funding over the next five years.

The Big Ten Academic Alliance recently announced the 2023-24 fellows for its Academic Leadership Program and Department Executive Officers Seminar. Eleven U. of I. faculty members have been selected to participate.

Two University of Illinois students, Christiana Lewis, a junior in psychology, and Andres Vazquez, a junior in urban and regional planning, have received the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's incoming class of 8,325 includes the largest number of in-state residents in nearly two decades.

Emily Knox, a professor of library and information sciences, will testify before the Senate judiciary committee about the right to intellectual freedom and why people attempt to ban books.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has announced 8,209 Dean’s List students, 253 Bronze Tablet honorees and more than 10,500 graduates for the 2023 spring semester. 

Jamelle Sharpe has been named the 14th dean of the College of Law, pending approval by the U. of I. Board of Trustees.

Five University of Illinois professors at the Urbana-Champaign campus have been named University Scholars in recognition of their excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. 

Tracy Dace, the founder and chief executive officer of the Driven to Reach Excellence and Academic Achievement for Males Opportunity Center; Kevin Tan, a professor of social work; Sara Benson, a professor and copyright librarian at the University Library; and the Cline Center for Advanced Social Research are the recipients of the 2023 Campus Awards for Excellence in Public Engagement.

Three University of Illinois students received U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarships to study foreign languages this summer.

“The New Normal,” a 30-minute documentary premiering May 23 at 1:30 p.m. CST/ 2:30 p.m. EST on the Big Ten Network, documents the journey of University of Illinois Urbana Champaign researchers to create a fast and inexpensive coronavirus test to ensure that U. of I. students, faculty and staff could remain safe and healthy during the pandemic

Thirteen University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students and recent graduates were offered Fulbright grants to pursue international education, research and teaching experiences around the globe this coming year. Another six Illinois students were named Fulbright alternates.

Benjamin J. Lough will be the next dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. 

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign chemistry professor Nancy Makri has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest professional honors a scientist can receive. She is among 120 members and 23 international members elected this year to recognize their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Four University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty members were honored by the Office of the Provost with the 2023 Campus Awards for Excellence in Faculty Leadership.

Cari West-Henkelman received the 2023 Office Professional of the Year award from the Illinois Administrative Professionals organization at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Media passes and parking are available for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign commencement.

John Coleman will be the next vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. 

Germán Bollero will be the next dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. Bollero has served as the interim dean of ACES since September 2021.  

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has been chosen to lead the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago – a new biomedical hub – along with the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. The three-university team was selected to lead the new biomedical hub as part of a competitive application process for a research initiative explicitly focused on measuring human biology.