Impact

Commence!

Beginning late last week, the campus was a blur of blue gowns.  On Thursday, when graduating students first received their academic regalia, they could be found en masse, snapping pictures together.  The reality that this was their Commencement was just beginning to sink in.  As the weekend progressed, proud family members arrived and each blue gown was surrounded by its own group of well-wishers.

Commencement is an exciting time on campus, not just for the graduating students in their blue gowns and their families, but for the entire campus community.  The potential of Illinois students is matched only by their ambition.  And Chancellor Phyllis Wise wants to make sure these students understand that Illinois has high hopes for them in the future.

“The Class of 2013 ended their Illinois adventure on May 12.  But, the high expectations we have placed on them as students do not end with Commencement.  They grow.  Their geography may be changing, but their responsibility to the world is not.  They are women and men with the power and the determination to shape their communities – locally, nationally and globally.  We may not be able to predict their individual paths, but we can be certain that they will be leaders in facing the issues of their generation.  When it comes to the grand societal challenges of the next 50 years, where solutions are found, we will also find our graduates.  They are optimistic.  They are talented.  They are the promise of a better future for us all.  Please join me in supporting the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Class of 2013!”

Annual gifts impact every aspect of a student’s Illinois adventure.  Many graduating students recognize the importance of private support.  Judson VanAntwerp (Media ’13) wants to make sure alumni and friends know he is grateful and that he plans to pay it forward.  “The support from you has made this place nearly paradise.  Although I am sad to be ending my college career, I am thrilled to provide the support like the alumni before me.”

On behalf of all current and graduating students, thank you!

Feeling nostalgic?  Click here to see photos of this year’s Commencement.