WHERE CURIOSITY DRIVES IMPACT

Change begins with curiosity.

From exploring new ideas to solving the world’s biggest issues, LAS empowers thinkers and doers to transform curiosity into measurable impact.

We believe that education is more than lectures and textbooks. It’s about cultivating minds that question, explore, and act with purpose. And we know that when curiosity meets opportunity, innovation follows—and the impossible becomes possible. 

Explore where curiosity drives impact

LAS News

Students forming a Block I on the football field
College of LAS announces 2026 teaching and advising awards
 The College of LAS has selected 19 professors, graduate students, lecturers, and advisors as the recipients of this year’s teaching and advising awards.“It is a privilege to celebrate these remarkable educators and advisors who fulfill our educational mission within the College of LAS,” said...
Astronomy on Tap gathering in a bar
A decade of astronomical curiosity
 As one might expect on a bitterly cold Thursday evening, the bar fills up early. Conversations overlap, beer is served, glasses clink. Then things get interesting. Someone sets up a projector. As the crowd jockeys for a good view, in walks Charles Gammie, an Illinois...
An aerial view of the Main Quad on a sunny spring day
LAS celebrates leadership, alumni achievement
The College of LAS will recognize seven individuals during the 2026 alumni awards celebration in April. This year's honorees are researchers, philanthropists, and political thinkers who have made incredible impacts in their fields and communities.
David Wilson and book cover
Smart cities, Dracula urbanism
 City development is increasingly associated with creating “smart cities” that use technology for managing city services, home construction and attracting resources. But those strategies come with negative consequences to a city’s poor residents, said...
Susan Koshy, Jason Mazzone, David Sepkoski, and Rosalyn LaPier
Mellon Foundation awards Sawyer Seminar grant to Illinois faculty
 A multi-disciplinary team of faculty researchers from the University of Illinois has been awarded a Sawyer Seminar grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to study the challenges to democracy and academic freedom confronting US universities now. This is the first time in the 30-year...
A crowd gathers in the Ralph Kiam Economics Learning Center
The Raphael Kiam Economics Learning Center hits its stride
 The Raphael Kiam Economics Learning Center was recently renovated to be more inviting and accommodating to students.Located in the lower level of David...
Brenda Straka
Study: Demographic forms can undermine sense of belonging in Latino Americans
 The way Latino Americans’ identity is represented on demographic forms can undermine their fundamental sense of belonging in the U.S., says new research by psychology professor who studies how people navigate exclusion and discrimination.Across...
Christopher Burcham
College of LAS faculty member elected to National Academy of Engineering
 A University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty member has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering.Christopher Burcham, a professor of the practice in the department of chemical...

Read more news

 

99.6%
of Illinois students take a class in LAS
70+
majors offered within LAS
33%
of campus' tenure-track faculty members work in LAS
180,000
network of LAS alumni
Full profile
Learn more about LAS

New students: Start your LAS journey

Fuel your curiosity, explore big ideas, and discover what drives you. Designed for new students, LAS First-Year Experience will help you connect, grow, and step confidently into college life.

Learn more

Make your mark

When you support the College of LAS, you play a crucial role in shaping the success of thousands of students and faculty.

Join us in creating a powerful network of influential thinkers and proven achievers—and help us seek a better tomorrow, today.

Give now