February 26, 2009

Greetings from Illinois Institute of Technology.

Over the course of the past several weeks, IIT President John Anderson and Provost Alan Cramb have held a series of conversations and university-wide meetings to outline some of the vision and principles that will serve as a roadmap for achieving the long-term vision of the university.

As a future member of this university and the IIT community, I thought that I would provide a brief overview of the conversation to date.  President Anderson has set forth the following vision for the university:

IIT will be internationally recognized in distinctive areas of education and research, using as its platform the global city of Chicago, driven by professional and technology oriented education, and based on a culture of innovation that embraces bold and transformational ideas.

In this light, the president and provost have stated that the university will make the decisions and investments necessary to achieve this vision using core operating principles, including to:

• Focus on Students — Our primary mission is not only to educate students in their chosen disciplines, but to inspire them to become innovators, leaders and positive contributors to society.



• Strengthen Faculty — IIT's faculty members are our primary asset and they drive all we do academically, from basic education to the discovery and development of new concepts.  The first line of investment must be in the faculty.



• Foster Leadership — Leadership and ethical decision-making are essential for growth and innovation.



• Commit to Diversity and Excellence — A commitment to an inclusive and just community that welcomes ideas from all viewpoints is an operating imperative for us to remain relevant and attract the highest caliber of students, faculty, and staff.  A culture of excellence must pervade the university.  We believe that the appreciation of diverse views is synonymous with excellence.



• Engage Alumni — Our greatest legacy is our more than 60,000 alumni living in over 100 countries and their many contributions to society.  We will engage our alumni in the development of our plans for the future of IIT and we will celebrate their achievements as the foundation of the IIT story.

This is truly an exciting and transformative time in the history of IIT and an absolutely ideal time to become a new student at the university.  We look forward to your participation in the vision for the future of IIT.

If we can assist you or your family in any way over the course of the coming months, please let us know.

Sincerely,

Gerald P. Doyle
Vice Provost
Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid

P.S. Remember to register for one of our upcoming
       Admitted Student Receptons:

• Tuesday, March 10, 2009 in Naperville, IL
• Wednesday, March 11 in Northbrook, IL
• Thursday, March 12 in Schaumburg, IL
• Tuesday, March 24 in Tinley Park, IL
• Thursday, March 26, 2009 at IIT Main Campus