College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (LAS)

Summary

The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (LAS) is at the center of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Nearly all students on campus take an LAS course during their time here, and we teach half of all undergraduate credit hours on campus. We believe in the power of ideas and know that an education in liberal arts and sciences develops well-rounded, highly prepared graduates who can take on the future with confidence. Our students are among the nation’s brightest, and our faculty expertise ranges from measuring the expansion of the universe to writing award winning poetry. We are making breakthrough discoveries and building new knowledge in both the sciences and the humanities. We are unlocking the barriers to income inequality, understanding the history and impact of U.S. prisons, unraveling the complexities of Parkinson’s disease, finding better ways to develop biofuels, working to control the spread of the Zika virus, and discovering how children learn decision-making and leadership. With Illinois, we imagine a future in which the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences inspires and empowers new generations to reach their highest potential. Where students and faculty are equipped and ready to take on the challenges our world faces. Together, we can redefine the way a liberal arts and sciences education can create a stronger Illinois.

Priorities

Lincoln Scholars Initiative

Our undergraduate scholarship program provides $5,000/year for strong students with financial need across the College of LAS. The program has served 70 students since its inception in 2012, and our goal is to provide scholarships to at least 100 students each year.

Faculty Support

Donor funded honorary positions are critical when recruiting and retaining our star faculty members. Supporting faculty in LAS empowers great minds to create new knowledge and share it first-hand with students from across LAS and all of campus.

Facility Support

The largest among our facility support projects is our campaign to renovate Altgeld and Illini Halls, which are home to our Department of Mathematics and Department of Statistics. This project will restore these buildings to their previous glory and create a 21st century learning environment for students from all corners of our campus who take courses in them. We are relying on donor support for a significant portion of this $192M project.

Life + Career Design Lab

The LAS Life + Career Design initiative is a framework to help students maximize and enrich their degree programs as preparation for their post-graduation next steps. The initiative offers both opportunities to plan, enrich, and connect their experiences, as well as a method (design-thinking) for doing so.