Illinois Leads, our campus strategic plan, launched on September 17. Strategic planning aligns our mission and aspirations with the strengths that have long defined our university. At a moment marked by rapid change and increasing skepticism about the value of higher education, Illinois Leads charts a path forward rooted in our university mission of teaching and learning, research and innovation, public engagement, and economic development. The global dimensions shaping Illinois from the very beginning are a core strength of our campus and are critical for achieving the goals of Illinois Leads.
One goal of Illinois Leads is preparing future leaders. Our strategic plan recognizes that achieving that goal requires both a sustainable student pipeline and an educational environment that cultivates critical thinking, creativity, and the ability to address complex societal challenges.
Imminent demographic cliffs are local, not global. Maintaining our ability to attract talented students from around the world, as we have for more than 150 years, is essential. The first international students arrived on campus in 1871 from Armenia and Canada, just four years after our founding as Illinois Industrial University in 1867. Across generations of change, conflict, and global health crises, international students continued to choose Illinois for their education. Today, we proudly welcome the second-largest population of international students among all public universities in the United States. Their presence enriches our campus, both in and beyond the classroom.
The hundreds of internationally themed courses and education abroad programs developed by Illinois faculty reflect the conviction that leadership and innovation depend on a willingness to cross disciplinary boundaries and geographic borders. Our international faculty and scholars deepen the academic experience by bringing expertise informed by diverse approaches to teaching and research. Together, our international and domestic students, faculty, and scholars create a dynamic learning environment that prepares all to succeed in an interconnected world.
The impact of this global educational experience is reflected in the achievements of our alumni. Illinois graduates lead institutions around the world. In higher education, Mwenda Ntarangwi (LAS) is vice chancellor of United States International University-Africa in Nairobi, Kenya and Walter Vicente Mera Ortiz (Grainger) serves as president of the Catholic University of Santiago de Guayaquil in Ecuador. The International Monetary Fund relies on Yan Liu (Law), who serves as General Counsel and Director of the Legal Department. Achal Bhatt (Gies), founder of 706 Pictures & Poveste AI Studio, is one of the many entrepreneurs emerging from Illinois.
Illinois alumni shape industries that drive the global economy. Jack Yuan-Chen Sun (Grainger), featured in the documentary “Chip Odyssey,” is a former vice president of research and development at TSMC Taiwan, while TSMC Arizona is currently led by Illinois alum Rose Castanares (Grainger). The company’s continued engagement with Illinois, including its participation in this fall’s career fairs, reflects the enduring connection between an Illinois education, student opportunity, and global industry.
Illinois Leads calls upon our campus to shape the future with research by solving global societal challenges (people-first technological transformation, health, sustainable futures, and public trust and democracy). Partnership is an infrastructure for progress. Illinois has built global partnerships that have advanced research for generations. Since the 1890s, the College of ACES has helped establish universities in Brazil, Sierra Leone, Kenya, and India. Our campus is a member of the U21 Network, which opens the door to international collaborations and seed funding opportunities from universities like the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, KU Leuven (Belgium), and the University of Birmingham (UK). Such collaborations, in turn, provide access to international funding programs such as Horizon Europe.
As the flagship public university of our state, Illinois serves the public and develops economies by translating global engagement into meaningful local impact. Faculty and staff involved in our Illinois Scholars at Risk Program do this directly, through our nationally recognized partnership with the Institute for International Education’s Scholar Rescue Fund. The careers of domestic and international students come together in service of our communities, united by the shared foundation of an Illinois education. Global engagement is visible every day on our campus and in our local community. Champaign-Urbana’s internationally diverse community enriches our cultural landscape, contributes to local economic vitality, and helps make our region a place where people from around the world feel welcome, pursue opportunity, and become leaders.
Our history and our future are unmistakably global. Illinois is at its strongest when it brings the world to our campus and partners with communities around the globe to exchange knowledge, advance innovation, and create positive, lasting impact together.
Colleen Murphy
Vice Provost for Global Engagement