BRILLIANT FUTURES: THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

“Brilliant” is a word that defines the University of Illinois. It describes the faculty and researchers who have made us what we are today, and the opportunity that our students have to shine and reach their potential.

Through our research and teaching, we're developing new technologies that will fuel American competitiveness and revolutionize our world in ways we can't yet imagine. We're developing alternative sources of energy, connecting people around the world in powerful new ways that increase human understanding, unlocking mysteries of the mind and the body, creating transformative knowledge across all academic fields and addressing the most challenging problems of society. At Illinois, we're preparing our students for lives of leadership and impact in an ever-shrinking world.

Brilliant Futures are what happen when you give someone a chance. When you make a gift to the University of Illinois, you create an endless ripple effect—one life brightening another, then another, and on for generations to come. Your gift can become something that’s larger and more powerful than all of us.

On our watch, we will dream of unsurpassed excellence, and make it happen. This is our turn to enable the next chapter in the legacy of innovation and creativity at Illinois.

ONE UNIVERSITY, MANY BRILLIANT FUTURES

The University of Illinois was founded upon a revolutionary idea advanced by President Abraham Lincoln. He believed that higher education should not be reserved for the children of the rich and powerful—that given a chance, ordinary men and women could make extraordinary contributions to society. For 140 years, that is exactly what our university has done. This is the Illinois story.

Now, in the 21st century, it is our turn to write the next chapter in the Illinois story. And you, our generous alumni and friends, are the remarkable people who will elevate Illinois to a new level of unsurpassed excellence among the nation’s public research universities.

As a member of the Illini family, you know that Illinois is a beacon, and you beam with pride at what your university has accomplished: research that led to some of the most important technological innovations of the 20th century; a dynamic educational environment for bright students at less than half the cost of a private school; and a campus spirit that extends far beyond the arms of Alma Mater.  

Yet, public universities such as Illinois are living through a period of unprecedented upheaval that threatens the very nature of public higher education in America. To attract and retain the best faculty and students, Illinois must find new ways to achieve its mission—to educate the students of today so they may become the researchers, scholars, teachers, and leaders of tomorrow.

This is why we have launched the Brilliant Futures Campaign. Because of the commitment of our alumni and friends we are confident we will meet our ambitious goal of raising $1.5 billion for the Urbana campus and a total of $2.25 billion for the University of Illinois’s three campuses.

Through this Campaign, we will take our University to a new sphere of unparalleled excellence among public research universities. By building upon our strengths, we will preserve and enhance the Illinois legacy of academic excellence and prepare our students for leadership in the 21st century.

As leaders in your communities and professions, you know that our nation cannot afford to squander the intellectual and creative gifts of America’s youth. In our global economy, we must ensure that talented students have access to an Illinois education, no matter their financial resources. With your help, we will provide future generations with the opportunities and the skills they need to give back to their families and to society, just as you have done.

Today’s graduates will enter a world in which social, political, and economic changes occur at a breakneck pace. We must foster transformative learning environments that nurture students’ creativity, challenge their minds, and strengthen their moral fiber. We must expose them to high caliber courses in history, philosophy, art, and music, as well as math, science, engineering, and technology, so they can think critically—not only about the world in which we live, but also the kind of world they want to create for their children.

Our students are inspired to dream by some of the brightest professors in the world—men and women whose work is so transformative, they have been awarded Nobel Prizes, Pulitzer Prizes, MacArthur Genius Awards, the Crafoord Prize and the National Book Award, to name only a few. Our professors and students work together, to pursue knowledge across boundaries and create breakthrough innovations that promise to revolutionize our world.

Illinois faculty conducted seminal research leading to the MRI machine that diagnoses illnesses, the laser that reads music and video discs, and the Web browser that empowers surfing the Internet. And with your help, we will continue to transform our world.

At Illinois, we are strengthening the fabric of society through our research, teaching, and commitment to offering an excellent education to people from all walks of life in the belief that their work will improve the lives of us all. We ask you to join us in our quest to create a brilliant future for our university, and for all of humanity.