The University of Illinois System is the flagship higher education system in the state of Illinois. The U of I System is comprised of three universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, and Springfield, as well as regional campuses, the UI Health hospital and clinics, research facilities, and Extension offices throughout the state. The U of I System is also leading the development of the Discovery Partners Institute, an interdisciplinary, private-public education and research enterprise and a hub of Illinois Innovation Network. Of the record 90,000-plus students enrolled in the fall of 2020, underrepresented minorities made up 32 percent of undergraduate students, an all-time high. With a research and development portfolio of greater than $1 billion, the U of I System was ranked 19th for total patents and in the top 25 of Reuter’s most innovative universities in the world. Through it's education, research, public service, and alumni spending, the U of I System pumps $17.5 billion a year into the state’s economy and supports 171,000 jobs. And with more than 23,000 new graduates a year, its universities provide a pipeline of well-educated talent for the state’s employers. The U of I System’s Board of Trustees has fiduciary responsibility for the system’s invested assets, totaling $3.6 billion, and is responsible for establishing the Investment Policy Statement. Under the direction of the CFO, the Office of Investments manages the system’s Operating and Endowment assets, including farmland donated to the system. In 2020, the U of I System announced a financial sustainability initiative with a seed investment of $160 million of the system endowment in a new environmentally and socially focused strategy launched by BlackRock Inc.

Relevant Resources:

U of I System makes lead investment in new BlackRock Strategy 
U of I System Guiding Principles