Every Gift Leaves an Impact...
"Receiving the Gieseking Scholarship allowed me to commit to undergraduate research during the summer (of 2010). This generous fund enabled me to take the first step in pursuing a career as a research scientist. This learning experience was vital for choosing whether to enroll into a graduate program or work in the research and development sector of a corporation. Learning these skills as a undergraduate and getting as much experience as possible is advantageous and will undoubtedly help as I progress through my career."
- Joel Johnson, Gieseking Undergraduate Scholarship Recipient 2010
"Although there were a number of schools that I considered for graduate school, the University of Illinois was ultimately the most 
compelling. Not only was the research first class, but the Springborn Fellowship was unparalleled by any other offers I received for funding. By securing stable funding for five years through the Springborn fellowship and a NSF Graduate Fellowship, I had complete freedom to choose a lab that was scientifically engaging and supportive for personal and professional growth. Additionally, the Springborn fellowship freed me from any teaching duties, which enabled me to jump directly into lab work during my first semester. The fellowship,which began in 2007, has created a dynamic community of roughly 20 top-class graduate students from diverse subfields in chemistry, and our yearly meetings have exposed me to a wide range of topics. I am deeply thankful to Robert and Carolyn Springborn for the creation of this graduate fellowship."
- Karen Morrison (Hergenrother Group), Springborn Graduate Fellowship Recipient
"I feel very fortunate to have received a great education at the University of Illinois driven by my degree in Chemistry. The Department is one of the best in the United State and perhaps, the world. If I can contribute to maintaining the high standards of the department so that future undergraduate and graduate students can benefit from this high quality education it would be very satisfying. I have been fortunate to have had success in my career and this is a way to pay back the University for setting me down this path.
The Vision 2020 endowment fund is one of the critical tools I believe is needed for the Department of Chemistry to maintain its excellence in perpetuity. Due to the great financial pressures the University is feeling because of declining support from the state of Illinois that will likely persist in the future, it is imperative for private donors to provide their support to the University to help make up the shortfalls...Vision 2020 will provide the leadership of the Department some flexibility and funding to address evolving critical needs."
- Mr. Mark Pytosh (BS '86), Vision 2020 Lead Donor