From the President...

Welcome to the Rockford Area Illini Club

On behalf of the Board of Directors and your fellow alumni, I would like to personally welcome you to the Rockford Area Illini Club, a regional chapter of the University of Illinois Alumni Association (UIAA).  Our club serves residents of the northern Illinois counties of Boone, Ogle, Stephenson, and Winnebago.  We welcome alumni and friends from all campuses of the University of Illinois.As outlined in our mission statement, we are dedicated to

  • Providing activities that help promote the University and its Alumni Association,
  • Providing information and assistance to University students and their parents,
  • Providing assistance and leadership in the advancement of higher education, and
  • Identifying qualified high school students from our area who qualify for the award of financial aid scholarships.

What benefits does your membership in the RAIC give you?  We have an attractive lineup of events throughout the year.  These activities include our popular roundtable for new students and their parents, football and basketball game watches, dinners and speaker programs, entertainment events, and our summer family picnic.  We also have several volunteer opportunities to fundraise for our scholarship program and club operations. 

We are working to keep you, our members, better informed and more connected to our club.  To that effect, this year we will be instituting some new gathering and networking opportunities for our membership.  The RAIC is also excited to expand our web site and enhance our electronic communications with you.  We hope you will enjoy these changes and that you will provide us with your feedback on our efforts.

Your participation is the key to the Club’s success. Membership dues provide financial support to host Club events and provide membership services each year. One of the highlights of our club’s year is the awarding of several scholarships to incoming freshmen from the greater Rockford area.  The RAIC is proud of this part of our mission and has been awarding these scholarships since 1986.  To date, we have awarded over $90,000 to qualifying area students.  Your membership contribution to the Club does make a real difference not only to our current members but to our future Illini as well.

We are always looking for volunteers to help organize events and/or take leadership roles with the Club, and we would appreciate your time, suggestions, and comments. Our Board continues to strive to provide exciting opportunities for our members to interact with Illinois alumni from all around the greater Rockford area.  We hope you take advantage of these opportunities by becoming a member or by renewing your current membership. 

Welcome again and I hope to see you at one of our events soon!

Go Illini!!

Brandon O'Connor, President