Public universities, like Illinois, have been building endowments only for a few decades. In 1980, the endowment for all three campuses that constitute the University of Illinois system stood at only $50 million. Through a successful campaign in the early 1980s, and another in the 1990s, that amount in 2007 is over $1.787 billion. A million dollar endowment yields about $40,000 in income each year.

Endowed Faculty Chair

• Enables the college to attract and retain professors of proven brilliance.
• Income may be used to provide salary support and much of the professor's specific teaching and research expenses.
• Minimum required gift: $2 million

Endowed Professorship

• Helps the college attract and retain promising professors early in their careers. This is one way to ensure the continued quality of the college's faculty.
• The income may be used to augment the professor's salary or support the professor's scholarly and research needs.
• Minimum required gift: $500,000

Endowed Fellow

• Enables the college to invite scholars and others who have distinguished themselves in their fields to visit campus and share their expertise with students and faculty for variable periods of time. Income will be used to provide stipends to visiting fellows.
• Minimum required gift: $250,000

Endowed Research

• Support research activities in the college.
• Income may be used to purchase such things as laboratory equipment, research materials, computer equipment, or pay for staff support.
• Minimum required gift: $200,000

Endowed Lecture Series

• Allow faculty and students to interact with distinguished leaders who are influencing disciplines, society, the nation, or the world.
• Income from the fund is used to provide the resources to cover the expenses of bringing such speakers to campus.
• Minimum required gift: $100,000

Endowed Graduate Fellowship/Assistantship

• Provides a crucial means of attracting some of the best and brightest graduate students in the world to the college.
• Income will be applied toward the support of selected students.
• Minimum required gift: $150,000

Endowed Undergraduate Scholarships

• Helps the college to attract the finest undergraduate students. These scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit.
• Income will be applied toward the selected student's tuition.
• Minimum required gift: $25,000