We tell stories that
Inspire
Meet Illini who travel the world in service to humankind, and help communities prosper and thrive. Who dive deep into the oceans and set their sights on the moon. These individual stories compose our collective one.
Inform
Our storytelling shows a fresh side of Illinois, one where different viewpoints and perspectives teach us something new every day. Unafraid to push boundaries, Illini embrace change and innovation.
Illuminate
At the core of the Illinois experience is compassion and strength. Our stories acknowledge and show gratitude for Illini voices and experiences—whether on campus or around the world.
Recent Reads
Updated November 9, 2023
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The World on a Plate
When you are thousands of miles away from home, nothing can bring you back faster than the smell of familiar dishes coming from the kitchen.
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Taken for a Ride
In their new book, psychology professor Daniel Simons and co-author Christopher Chabris investigate why we fall for scams … and how we can protect ourselves.
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Child of War, Man of Peace
Shozo Sato, the founder of Japan House and director emeritus, always paints with a purpose.
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Making Illinois: Neil Pearse, Shop Manager
Neil Pearse leads the team at The Shop, making making more accessible to the campus community.
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Making Illinois: Tobias Ellis, Farrier
Tobias Ellis, a farrier with the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital, practices an age-old tradition on a very modern campus.
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Making Illinois: Bridgette Dona, Properties Manager
The STORIED team begins a journey to meet makers across campus to learn about their shops and the way that they work.
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Illinois Storytellers: Heather Dowdy
Heather Dowdy (GRAINGER ’06), Netflix’s first director of product accessibility, sees a future where accessibility is a fundamental step in achieving equity.
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Revolution at the Five and Dime
Known as the Queen of Lesbian Pulp Fiction, Ann Thayer Weldy (LAS '54), helped readers find comfort—and themselves—in her books.
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Curiosities: Series 8
From illustrating fictional lands to helping you find your way home, these colorful way finders tell us as much about where we are as who we are.
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Rooted in the Game
For Coleman Hawkins, Fighting Illini power forward, family is at the heart of everything.
Editor's Choice
History will record the grief the coronavirus pandemic has caused. One day we will look back at the enormous loss and our complicated response, as well as the joyful and hopeful moments when we came together with compassion. Over centuries, other pandemics have swept across the globe and changed our lives forever. These stories take us back.
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1918: The year without a Homecoming
On the hundredth anniversary of the 1918 influenza pandemic, we look back at a campus that prepared soldiers for war, tended to the sick, and came together in a spirit of selflessness and compassion.
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Pandemics and fear
Historians and anthropologists see parallels between past outbreaks and today's crisis.
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Chasing the flu
One hundred years after the deadly 1918 influenza pandemic, scientists are still trying to understand the virus.
