Reminder: Nominations due April 13 for Shin Humanitarian Award

Dear faculty, staff and students,

I write today to remind you that nominations are open for this year's Dr. Tai R. Shin and Mrs. You H. Shin Humanitarian Award, for which the deadline of April 13 is quickly approaching.

This generous award was established in 2022 with a gift to the University of Illinois System from Tai R. Shin and You H. Shin.

This unique award offers students, faculty, staff and alumni the chance to help advance the work of a community member whose efforts positively impact humanity. The honoree will receive a $50,000 award to present to a department or program of their choosing at one of the U of I System universities.

Nominations are due April 13. To make a nomination, visit go.uillinois.edu/2026ShinExcellence.

Past honorees have demonstrated:

• Evelyn Figueroa, 2025. Directed funding to medical student recruitment and children's nutrition research through the University of Illinois College of Medicine's family and community medicine department.
• Betsy Goulet, 2024. Three-time University of Illinois Springfield alumna channeled funding to the University of Illinois Springfield's Alliance for Experiential Problem-Based Learning, supporting child-protection professionals.
• The late Bir Bahadur (B.B.) Singh, 2023. The inaugural honoree's legacy continues as the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign shares hands-on agriculture with students and community members.

For more information about Tai R. Shin and You H. Shin, the Shin Humanitarian award, eligibility criteria, the nomination process and where to direct questions, please visit the Dr. Tai R. Shin and Mrs. You H. Shin Humanitarian Award webpage.

If you know someone who meets the criteria, please consider nominating them to be considered for this year's award, before the deadline of April 13.

Thank you,
Karen J. Colley
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

For more information, please contact:
Tyler Nielsen
[email protected]