UI Foundation/UI Advancement Weekly Update 06.04.21

Dear Team:

We generally refer to those who give to the University of Illinois as “donors,” but we can also call them “investors.” Through time, talent, or treasure, everyone who donates to the university is an investor in its mission.

Some of our most loyal investors are the UIF Board of Directors.  I want to offer them a special thanks today. Although it was virtual, the Board met this week for its annual spring meeting, wrapping up business for FY21 and making decisions for the new fiscal year beginning July 1. In their volunteer positions, each governing director devotes countless hours of service to the UIF in addition to providing financial support to advance their UI philanthropic priorities.  Our life directors no longer have the same Board commitments, but they do stay engaged and attend UIF meetings and events.  Collectively, our life directors are among our most generous donor communities.

We are incredibly grateful for everyone who serves on the UIF Board, and this past week we were awed and inspired by UIF Life Director Doris Kelley Christopher. Doris added to her legacy Monday by announcing her latest gift of $45 million to the UIUC College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences to build the Doris Kelley Christopher Illinois Extension Center at the arboretum. Already one of our most generous donors, Doris remains passionate about her beloved alma mater and her giving is just one of a variety of ways she “invests” in Illinois.

Celebrating our donors is among the greatest rewards of our work. Last night some of us enjoyed the virtual production of UIC’s “An Evening with Legacies & Leaders” celebration where Chancellor Amiridis, philanthropist Christine Schwartz, and a number of UIC students described the impact of philanthropy on the university and their own personal growth and development.  Earlier in the year, the Annual UIS Celebration of Philanthropy event recognized Mark and Julie Staley, as the 2020 recipients of the William E. Winter Award for Outstanding Advocate Leadership. This fall UIUC will likewise thank and honor several philanthropists who invest generously in the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.  In a few weeks, we will all celebrate the overall philanthropic impact of FY21, which promises to be another notable year. 

Until then, keep up the hard work over the next 26 days. What we do matters to our three universities, nearly 100,000 UI students, our network of more than 700,000 alumni, and without exaggeration, millions of people around the world.

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who helped produce our Board meetings this past week. It is hard to beat being together in person, but our Board relations team and all of you who assist do a great job creating meaningful virtual gatherings, and I am appreciative and grateful for your effort.

Have a terrific weekend. 

Best,

Jim