Fiscal Year 2025 Update

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The transformative power of your investment

It is the honor of a lifetime to begin my tenure as the 11^th Chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I am starting my journey by listening, learning, and connecting with the people who make Illinois extraordinary.

One question I have been asked repeatedly in these early conversations is what excites me most about joining this great institution. The answer is easy. Illinois is one of just a few public universities in the world with this kind of reach, depth, and impact across all disciplines and at this scale. We are in a truly unique position to advance higher education in the 21^st century and make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

Our ability to lead and evolve is made possible only through the work of students, staff, and faculty, as well as the generosity and vision of supporters. With your partnership, we continue to deliver on our mission of educating a new generation of students who will shape the future in ways we cannot yet imagine.

Thank you, and I look forward to writing our story together.

Charles Isbell is pictured in a studio portrait on June 4, 2025.

Charles L. Isbell Jr.

Chancellor

$559,369,666

Dollars raised*

41,180

Donors

132,995

Gifts

87,546

Gifts between $1 and $100

6,601

First-time donors

$246,868,745

Unrestricted dollars raised

Data reflects Fiscal Year 2025 (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025) and is current as of August 1, 2025 (unaudited).*

Orange & Blue Week

In 2025, Illinois hosted its first-ever campuswide crowdfunding event: Orange and Blue Week. From March 3–9, more than $325,000 was raised from nearly 1,000 donors. The 60+ campaigns represented a wide range of causes, including the Fighting Illini March Forth campaign, Illinois Promise, the Illini Bell Project, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, among others.

Thanks to this outpouring of support, these projects will create meaningful opportunities and lasting impact for Illinois students throughout the year ahead.

Take a look at the campaigns from Orange and Blue Week.

Five Hands commit to access

Through Illinois Commitment and Illinois Promise Illinois helps ease the full burden of college expenses and empower students to focus on learning.

These programs thrive thanks to donor generosity. One standout example: five Uni High and U of I grads John Hauser (UNI ’88, Illinois LAS ’92), Gaeron McClure (UNI ’88, Illinois LAS ’93, Gies ’93), Ken Brownfield (UNI ’88), Micah Yairi (UNI ’88, Illinois GRAINGER ’94, LAS ’94), and Chris Nicholas (UNI ’88) started giving in their twenties, growing their Illinois Promise fund together. The five friends saw the power of starting early — each committing to give consistently, holding each other accountable, and working toward a shared vision of growing their fund to $1 million.

Your support makes stories like this possible — and makes Illinois a place where access, equity, and opportunity thrive.

Read more about Illinois Commitment and Illinois Promise here.

John Hauser, Gaeron McClure, Ken Brownfield, Micah Yairi, and Chris Nicholas of the Five Hands Foundation stand next to each other.

A classroom with orange windows shows off the school colors as students take part in a class at one of the classrooms at the Campus Instructional Facility CIF as the spring semester kicks at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Forward-thinking faculty

Over the past year, Illinois faculty have continued to lead with innovation, impact, and purpose. From being named American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows to launching cutting-edge initiatives like the IBM-Illinois Discovery Accelerator Institute, their work is pushing boundaries in science, technology, and sustainability. Faculty have also made global strides—such as Professor Tara Powell’s recognition by Illinois for international achievement in behavioral health. With new models for medical imaging, advancements in AI, and support for emerging research leaders, Illinois faculty are shaping solutions that will resonate far beyond campus.

Click here to learn more about the Sheth Distinguished Faculty Award for International Achievement Recipients

Click here to learn more about the IBM –Illinois Discovery Accelerator Institute

STORIED magazine

STORIED is a general-interest magazine produced by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement that tells stories of human interest and impact through a range of Illini voices, experiences, and innovation. Please enjoy this excerpt from the 2024 magazine:

Running Home
We wanted to get to know Josh Whitman a little better, so we’ve asked him to answer an abbreviated version of the Proust Questionnaire for STORIED. Once a popular Victorian parlor game made famous by Marcel Proust, the Proust Questionnaire has been used by reporters over the century and across the globe to reveal a side of leaders, artists, actors, and public figures we may not usually see. You might recognize the format from the back page of Vanity Fair, which has had celebrities answer the questions since 1993.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A day that includes a good sleep, a good workout, a good meal, and good times with my family and friends.

Which talent would you most like to have?
I would love to be a musician—either the guitar or the fiddle.

Read the full story here.

Students on the University of Illinois quad.

Exciting changes on campus

After 17 years as the Division of General Studies, DGS will become the Division of Exploratory Studies (EXP). The Fall 2025 cohort will be the first class of Exploratory Studies students and join a community of over 30,000 successful alums who have explored and thrived with the division.

Why the change? As the academic home for exploring students at Illinois, it was time a name that reflected the purpose. While many things will stay the same, EXP will also introduce new resources, programs, and branding updates. Read more about EXP.

Additionally, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has announced the creation of a new administrative unit — the Division of Parks and Natural Spaces (DPNS) — to oversee Allerton Park and Retreat Center and the Illinois Arboretum. Headed by current Allerton Executive Director Derek Peterson, DPNS will ensure long-term sustainability of these public recreational spaces by focusing on conservation and community engagement. Read more about DPNS.

Continue Your Support

Donors ensure that Illinois remains a place where access meets excellence to shape a better future. Thank you for opening doors, changing lives, and building a legacy of impact.

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