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Strategic Plan Guiding Principles

Together, the member institutions of the System commit to these guiding principles, which have driven the development of the framework:

• We will be relentlessly student-centered. We will offer an accessible, affordable education—one that proves transformative for young people at a critical juncture of their lives and provides our graduates with enduring personal and professional value. We want our students, wherever they come from, to see Illinois as the place where they can pursue their academic dreams and learn to lead anywhere and everywhere.
• We will be where the world looks first for new ideas, creativity, and innovation—from the humanities, social sciences, and the arts to engineering, business, healthcare, and agriculture. We will be known as an incubator, champion, and magnet for research talent and entrepreneurial endeavors and we will produce knowledge that has both intrinsic and practical value—the very definition of world changing.
• We will be on the front lines of protecting the public interest, a vigilant and trusted source of knowledge, expertise, and advocacy on issues of broad social concern.
• We will secure Illinois’ reputation as a hub of innovation—a formidable competitor and soughtafter collaborator in the global marketplace. We believe a stronger Illinois can lead the way for the revitalization of the entire Midwest, recapturing the spirit of the region as a place of egalitarian ideals, new beginnings, hard work, and limitless possibilities.
• We will act with integrity, accountability, fiscal responsibility, and transparency because these are the imperatives of sound stewardship of the resources entrusted to us. We launched our work on this strategic framework in June 2015 with a process defined by openness, inclusiveness, and transparency. The ideas advanced here are the product of insights, debates, and unprecedented consensus building. We held town hall meetings throughout the state and spoke with individuals and groups at each System institution. We also solicited feedback from our university communities and the general public—and will continue to do so—via www.uillinois.edu/strategic_ plan.

What you are reading now fully reflects what it means to be The Public’s University, with all the responsibilities this entails and the possibilities it offers. Every line has been informed by the concerns and hopes of many stakeholders; foremost among them are the people of Illinois, whose financial support and high expectations inspire the very best in us.

This is a framework for all of us.