System Initiatives
The University of Illinois System leadership team serves as a catalyst and convener, forging collaborations across its three universities and partnerships with the state’s political, business, civic, and higher education leaders. These relationships create new and bigger opportunities for teaching, learning and research for our universities, our faculty, and our students. We seek to inspire a pursuit for answers, creativity, and excellence on every front, and provide incentives to help attract and retain the very best talent. We are also committed to narrowing gaps in opportunity, revitalizing the economy of urban and rural regions and communities, and improving education — at every level.
Learn more about some of our ambitious initiatives:
The Discovery Partners Institute and Illinois Innovation Network are pioneering research initiatives led by the U of I System to foster innovation that will solve the world's greatest challenges and fuel economic growth across Illinois and beyond.
The U of I System remains on track to reach a high-aspiration goal to enroll more than 93,600 students across its three universities by 2021, which is a 15 percent increase over five years.
This University of Illinois System initiative is working to expand the COVID-19 SHIELD target, test, tell strategy across other universities, schools, and other public and private entities across the state of Illinois.
The U of I System has launched an aggressive $60 million initiative that will add to the ranks of world-class faculty across its three universities. The three-year initiative will attract up to 45 globally renowned faculty, building on the system's standing as a leader in education and innovation.
A second round of funding will provide $1.54 million to support 10 projects through the Presidential Initiative: Expanding the Impact of the Arts and the Humanities, launched in 2019.
Working with more than 100 people, the U of I System has developed a set of Guiding Principles that are rooted in current practices and provide touchstones to guide our future on a number of issues that affect our academic enterprise, our students, our faculty and staff, and our campus culture.