Chancellor’s message to campus

Dear Campus Community,

As we conclude the semester, I offer my warmest congratulations to the Class of 2025! Our students make the entire UIC community proud, and I look forward to following their successes in the years ahead.

You have heard much about the shifting higher-education landscape. These challenges are real, but I remain encouraged by the strong progress and momentum across UIC's academic, research, and health care enterprise:

• This fall we welcomed 35,869 students, a 5.8% increase from last year and an all-time high.
• Washington Monthly ranked UIC No. 1 in the Midwest for "best bang for the buck" and among only 25 "best-in-class" colleges nationwide. U.S. News & World Report and the Wall Street Journal ranked UIC first in Illinois in social mobility, with U.S. News also placing us ninth nationally in social mobility.
• Three UIC scholars were selected for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
• Our interdisciplinary engineering team took first place at the 2025 NASA Lunabotics Challenge, outperforming 36 universities and earning the Innovation Award for the second consecutive year.
• Two faculty members in engineering received the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award.
• Five UIC physicists contributed to the international team awarded the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for discoveries advancing our understanding of the Higgs boson.
• The U.S. Department of Energy is investing $625 million in national quantum research hubs, with UIC contributing to two of them - further strengthening the state's leadership in this rapidly expanding field.
• The UIC College of Medicine and Cook County Health launched a broad partnership to advance health equity, with early focus on pediatrics, oncology, neuroscience, and urology.

As we step into 2026, I express my deep gratitude to our entire Flames community. Our students embody UIC's deep commitment to access and excellence, inspiring us every day. Our world-class faculty and staff do exceptional work to provide the broadest access to the highest levels of educational, research, and clinical excellence. Thank you all for making such a meaningful difference.

As we enter the holiday season, please take time to enjoy yourself with friends and family.

Go Flames!

Marie Lynn Miranda, PhD
Chancellor

For more information, please contact:
Omar Odeh
[email protected]