UI Alumni Association President Loren Taylor: State of Mind

UI Alumni Association President and CEO Loren Taylor (Photo by Larry Kanfer)

Those of you who live or work in the Chicago area have an opportunity to attend a special event on Nov. 10 that I believe will enhance your Illini pride and make you feel more connected to the campus.

It’s called the Illinois Luncheon. It will be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Palmer House, which I hope will be bursting at the seams with alumni that day. During the event, Chancellor Phyllis M. Wise will deliver a major speech highlighting the past year’s accomplishments and sharing the campus’ strategic vision for the future. Consider it a “State of the Campus” address.

The University of Illinois Alumni Association is proud to be the presenting sponsor of this event. It was an easy decision to make because you, as alumni, are not just a cherished part of the past; you’re an important partner with whom we collaborate and engage to help advance our University.

The UI Alumni Association is proud of its 140-plus-year history of serving alumni. But a big part of the reason why it was founded was to assist the University and help it grow in stature and institutional excellence.

For the last two years, the campus community (including faculty, staff, students and alumni) has been “visioning future excellence” to create a Strategic Plan that will focus resources and identify areas for which the University can best position itself to tackle some of society’s major challenges. You can read more about the plan and how it was developed in the article Crowd-sourced, which appears on pp. 36-41 of this issue.

If you believe in the transformative power of higher education, and you value your Alma Mater’s global reputation as a top-tier university, you will find the Illinois Luncheon
to be extremely worthwhile, gratifying and inspiring.

Loren R. Taylor
President and CEO