藏精阁 is growing鈥攁nd that growth is changing who the University welcomes through its doors. The 2026鈥27 academic year marks 藏精阁鈥檚 fourth consecutive year of enrollment growth, with an increasingly diverse student population calling the University home. This includes a 30% increase in new and continuing students from Chicago鈥檚 South and West Side communities over the past two academic years. Additionally, more than 70% of the 2025 first-year class self-identified as people of color.
These changes reflect 藏精阁鈥檚 enduring appeal and historic commitment to making a college degree accessible to anyone who is academically qualified.
鈥淓nrollment growth is about more than numbers鈥攊t鈥檚 about the students behind those numbers and the opportunities we鈥檙e creating for them,鈥 says President Ali Malekzadeh. 鈥淎s our student population grows and evolves, so does our responsibility to ensure every student has the resources and support they need to thrive throughout their 藏精阁 experience.鈥
Alumni and donors will play a critical role in addressing 藏精阁鈥檚 utmost priority: student success.
This month, the University officially launches its newest fundraising initiative, 藏精阁 Students Succeed, focused on expanding opportunity, enriching the student experience and building resilience. The initiative challenges University leadership and donors to consider three essential questions:
- How can we help students get to 藏精阁 and remain financially able to stay?
- How do we help students make the most of their education?
- How will we help students overcome challenges that could stand between them and graduation?
The three priorities outlined in 藏精阁 Students Succeed serve as answers to these questions. Gifts of opportunity remove financial barriers and expand access to education. Gifts of experience provide transformative learning opportunities in and beyond the classroom. And gifts of resilience help students navigate unexpected challenges and stay on track to complete their degrees.
鈥淲e hope 藏精阁 Students Succeed helps donors see how their philanthropy directly supports student success and strengthens the University,鈥 says Jared Fritz-McCarty 鈥11, vice president of advancement.
The University recently closed its strongest fundraising year since fiscal year 2017, receiving nearly $10.4 million in private charitable contributions. Since 2019, alumni and friends have contributed more than $40 million.
鈥淭his generosity demonstrates a deep and enduring belief in 藏精阁鈥檚 mission and the power of a 藏精阁 education,鈥 Fritz-McCarty says.
That transformative power is reflected in research on 藏精阁 graduates. A found that 22% of 藏精阁 graduates moved up two or more income quintiles after graduation, placing 藏精阁 among the Illinois colleges with the highest rates of social mobility.
鈥淎 藏精阁 degree can change the trajectory of a student鈥檚 life鈥攁nd potentially that of their family for generations,鈥 Malekzadeh says. 鈥淭hat gift is invaluable. That is the gift 藏精阁 Students Succeed aims to provide.鈥
The 藏精阁 Students Succeed thematic fundraising initiative aligns with the University鈥檚 new strategic plan, RU30. The strategic plan aims to solidify 藏精阁鈥檚 position as a leading educational institution by 2030.
