A Message from Dean Mouza

My first full year serving as dean has been filled with productivity and growth. Throughout this report, you will see why I’m honored to lead and support this iconic College and the important work of our faculty, students, alumni, and staff.
The establishment of INVITE, a new $20M NSF funded AI center is one of many robustly funded research projects our faculty secured in the past year.

We welcomed nine new faculty members to the College who bring a range of expertise to our top-ranked programs and we saw our fourth consecutive year of undergraduate enrollment growth.

Our College continues to lead on critical issues in education by tackling the ethical and pedagogical issues around harnessing augmented reality and artificial intelligence, expanding access and supports for students with disabilities, and creating curricula to address climate justice and disparities in healthcare management.

Our university is currently on the lands of the Peoria, Kaskaskia, Piankashaw, Wea, Miami, Mascoutin, Odawa, Sauk, Mesquaki, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Ojibwe, and Chickasaw Nations.

It is necessary for us to acknowledge these Native Nations and for us to work with them as we move forward as an institution.

This summer, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed several laws into effect to help students and residents of the state of Illinois to properly recognize and honor the ancestry of Native Americans.

Education at Illinois faculty are involved in a multidisciplinary effort to develop curricula to support this important mandate and I look forward to sharing this, and many more stories of our College’s impact with you in the coming year.

Yours in Orange & Blue,

Chrystalla Mouza

Dean, College of Education