“Illinois is not merely a state or national university, but an international institution whose influence is felt on every continent and in nearly every country of the world. While the nations are puzzling their way along towards international harmony, we see the ideal already realized on our own campus.” – Seymour, M.F. (1917) The Foreign Student in the United States. Editorial Review, 54, 128-139

A Century of Global Engagement

Building on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s legacy of global engagement and the talents of the more than 500,000 alumni around the world, the university has fostered successful and meaningful strategic partnerships with several preeminent institutions. Over the next seven years, the Vision 2030 Global Strategy will serve as a roadmap for us to develop richer connections with our current partners while pursuing new cooperative relationships in the Global South.

Our current and emerging strategic partnerships include:

Brazil: Insper Institute of Education and Research, CAPES Scholarship, Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies
China: Zhejiang University, ZJU-UIUC Institute
Japan: Kyushu University, International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER)
India: Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology*
Sierra Leone: Njala University*
Singapore: Singapore University of Technology and Design
Sweden: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm University, Karolinska Institutet
Taiwan: National Taiwan University
United Kingdom: University of Birmingham
Vietnam: VinUniversity

* These institutions were founded in partnership with leadership from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Why Global Education Matters

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has the responsibility to provide the best possible education. Building human capacity, not only domestically but internationally, prepares students to compete in the global marketplace, develop global competencies, and fosters responsible citizenship. To do so requires incorporating global perspectives and engaging critical questions:

How will our university educate students for responsible global citizenship?
How will our research and discovery positively impact the world?
How will our university leverage technology to contribute to the development of the state of Illinois, the nation, and the world?
How will our university cultivate collaborative and mutually beneficial relationships that build capacity, particularly in the Global South?
How will our university contribute to the social and economic development of the state of Illinois within a globalized world?
How will our university sustain the globalization efforts we envision?

Informed by the campus strategic plan, the Vision 2030 Global Strategy outlines the strategic priorities that will drive the university towards realizing its vision to be the pre-eminent public research university with a global impact. This strategy capitalizes on our core strengths in teaching, research, and public engagement to address challenges that transcend local, national, and international borders.

Guiding Principles

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has a responsibility to acknowledge the historical context in which it exists and honor principles that reflect our commitments to justice and sustainability. To do so, our global engagements must:

Be characterized by mutual trust, respect, genuineness, and commitment.
Include measurable outcomes and processes for accountability that are established together with those with whom we work.
Embrace values of justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability.
Balance power and enable resource sharing.
Build upon identified strengths and assets of all involved, while also addressing emerging needs and enhancing capacity.
Maintain open communication and actively listen to understand each other’s unique strengths, needs, and interests.
Create meaningful and sustainable impact in the communities in which our initiatives are anchored.
Share the benefits of mutual accomplishments.