UI Foundation/UI Advancement Weekly Update 05.06.22

Dear Team:

As the months of the second semester roll by, each seems busier than the one before. Many activities take place every month, but, at least for me, May might be the busiest month of all. Every week there is at least one special day.

May Day and Cinco de Mayo have come and gone, with Mother’s Day, commencements, my wedding anniversary, several birthdays, including Becky, and Memorial Day still on tap. This year, I added another activity to the mix—the groundbreaking for the future University of Illinois Foundation philanthropy center and new Foundation Headquarters on Monday, May 9.

Yes, the UIF will soon be returning historic Harker Hall to the Urbana-Champaign campus and moving into a newly constructed Philanthropy Center. The new facility, scheduled to open in summer 2023, will greatly impact those employed by the Foundation, who currently work at Harker Hall and 507 Green Street. However, advancement professionals throughout the University of Illinois System will be able to use the space for many activities, including stewarding donors, peer-to-peer collaboration, training, and development. A website dedicated to the construction of the center will go live on Monday and be accessible from the Foundation home page. The site includes renderings of the building, other details, and, once construction begins, a live webcam from which you can check out construction progress. If you won’t be at the groundbreaking ceremony and are interested in watching it, a link to a live stream of the event, which begins at 10:30 a.m., is accessible here.

Even if there are no birthdays or anniversaries on your calendar this month, I hope you have some enjoyable activities scheduled in May. If nothing else, it looks like warm weather is finally coming to stay in Illinois next week. To those of you who are mothers, Happy Mother’s Day, and cheers to a special day with your families.

Best,

Jim