Position Paper 3 | Higher Education: University of Urbana Champaign

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University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

 The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is the #12 public university in the nation, recognized for a 90% rate of graduates that secure a first destination within 6 months of graduation. On July 2, 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed 37 public land-grant institutions that were established after the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act, in which the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was one of them. Illinois was eligible for a grant of 480,000 acres of public scrip land, whereas the state established a university for the mission of providing access to higher education for the working people.   

UIUC is favored for its large campus family of over 33,000 undergraduate students at a time, welcoming atmosphere, and incredible spirit from most of the 50,000+ undergraduate and graduate students at the university. Illinois is well-established and respected as a national public university.  

"Students graduate from Illinois not just with credentials but with a degree of lasting merit."

Urbana Champaign offers a total of 191 undergraduate majors and 134 graduate programs for students to choose and study from. The campus is loved for its diversity in academic studies that also include ROTC programs, a variety of minors, and preprofessional programs (such as law, occupational therapy, veterinary medicine, etc.) UIUC has multiple studies in the various colleges, schools, and academic units: 

  • Carle Illinois College of Medicine 
  • College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences 
  • College of Applied Health Sciences
  • College of Education 
  • College of Fine & Applied Arts
  • College of Law
  • College of Liberal Arts & Sciences 
  • College of Media 
  • College of Veterinary Medicine 
  • Division of General Studies 
  • Gies College of Business 
  • Grainger College of Engineering
  • School of Social Work 
  • School of Labor and Employment Relations 
Social Media Outreach

UIUC is prominent in their outreach to both local students and staff as well as the public. This involves social media outreach on platforms including Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. UIUC's YouTube was created to extend the beauty of both Illinois and the university for students and incoming students. The most recently posted video, "Making the Most of It at Illinois," features current students and their positive perspective of studying at UIUC. Similar to other social media platforms, the media team posts social media trends on YouTube Shorts, which typically get from 500-4k views.  

"Definitely make the most of it, because this will probably be the most unique environment you'll ever be in, in your entire life."

UIUC's Instagram account with over 197k followers is a direct, popular informational source for students. The account has highlighted stories that provide events, wellness, statements, resources, student engagement, and commencement information. This account is no different from your friend's insta--it's just a school instead of a person.

The most recently published story for resources is for students that immigration enforcement is impacting. This university prioritizes not only the legalities of their students but the mental and emotional health of them as well. The story provides contact information for students interested in legal assistances, mental health support, basic needs, etc. 

The official Instagram page is adamant on including student engagement. It features multiple videos, photos, and few presentations of students around campus that are given the opportunity to talk and just be involved. You can find students talking about what they're thankful for, Illini fans marching on UIUC homecoming, and a video on students and their experience with breast cancer. Talk about reality awareness.
Seen first on their Instagram page, the Illinois marching band recently learned that they were selected as one of 10 marching bands for the centennial anniversary holiday parade.
Next fall, the MI will be performing in the 100th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York on November 26, 2026. 

The University of Illinois website showcases a variety of photos that really display the beauty of the campus, selling it continuously as you scroll through the site. Similar to other universities, photography and video visuals are an essential part of the brand's public relations. To some, you may think that a photo is just a space filler and every company needs to have them. To a student, a quick glance at a photo can tell a story. 

Purely Public Relations explains that a powerful photo can convey innovation, emotion, aspiration or education before a single word is even read. These people are the heart of the photos. They're what make the reputation of UIUC feeling like home actually seem true. 

Ultimately, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a no different than one of your top favored brands--they have a reputation to display and uphold to the people. Through social media usage, community engagement, and their website set-up, UIUC is on top of today's most successful strategies of branding a company. 




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