At the College of Business, we strive to develop students who will move the world forward with an innovative mindset, entrepreneurial approach, and creative solutions to our most complex problems. Perhaps most important is the development of thought leaders who analyze problems and embrace different cultures, while leveraging technology for organizational success.

Nurturing these fundamental traits drives the teaching and learning within the College of Business, where students are our most treasured asset. Faculty prepare young adults for their professions through a curriculum that blends teamwork, technology, and experiential learning. Growth is obvious as students advance from learning basic concepts to applying technology and critical thinking through off-campus internships and real-world projects for external organizations.

They broaden their horizons while studying internationally and partnering with professors on research that accelerates learning.

Each initiative furthers the College's mission to enhance lives, advance organizations, and strengthen society. The work to date has been exemplary, as proven by the College's stellar alumni, firm standing in national rankings, and exceptional accreditations. But in today's fast-paced and ever-changing world of business, we must do more to ensure our students' future success. This requires overcoming limited financial resources, increased competition for the best students and faculty, and the growing cost of a college education.

Through private support, we will further empower our community of scholars and business professionals, while simultaneously blazing a path of even greater distinction and discovery.

College of Business Excellence Fund Accounting Business Education International Business Management Majors Finance, Insurance, and Law Marketing Pay it Forward Business Scholarship
Leaderboard
Participation by area
Which participating group will receive the most gifts during Birds Give Back? Support your passion and help your area climb the leaderboard!
Rank Area of Support Gifts
1 Communication 328
2 Athletics 192
3 Multicultural Center 158
4 Geography, Geology and the Environment 151
5 LGBTQ+ Student Support 121
6 School of Theatre and Dance 90
7 Support MCN Priorities 89
8 Center for Civic Engagement 88
9 University Housing Services 84
10 Family and Consumer Sciences 80
11 Accounting 77
12 Red and White Student Scholarship 74
13 Andrew Purnell Jr. Memorial Scholarship 71
14 Horticulture Center 69
15 WGLT 61
16 Finance, Insurance, and Law 54
17 College of Business Excellence Fund 50
18 ISUPD Community Engagement Unit 50
19 Student Engagement 49
20 Redbird Esports 45
21 Gamma Phi Circus 40
22 Special Education 36
23 School of Teaching and Learning 35
24 Health Sciences 34
25 Chemistry 33
26 Textbook Affordability 33
27 School of Music 33
28 Illinois Shakespeare Festival 32
29 Ewing Cultural Center 31
30 Red and White Scholarship Fund 29
31 History 28
32 CAST Student Persistence Fund 27
33 Office of Sustainability 27
34 Student Affairs Scholarships 23
35 U-High 23
36 More Ways to Support Milner 22
37 Biological Sciences 21
38 Agriculture 21
39 Politics and Government 21
40 Career Services 21
41 College of Arts and Sciences Funds 20
42 Wonsook Kim CFA General Fund 20
43 College of Education Persistence Awards 20
44 Economics 19
45 Alumni Association Scholarship 19
46 Office of Student Research 18
47 Technology 18
48 Wonsook Kim School of Art 18
49 Educational Administration & Foundations 17
50 Kinesiology and Recreation 17
51 Social Work 16
52 Information Technology 16
53 CAST Connections 16
54 Black Colleagues Association Scholarship 16
55 International House 15
56 Marketing 14
57 Latinx Alumni Network Scholarship 14
58 Mathematics 14
59 Metcalf 14
60 English 14
61 Psychology 14
62 Honors Program 13
63 The Graduate School 13
64 Criminal Justice Sciences 11
65 Communication Sciences and Disorders 11
66 Creative Technologies Program 11
67 Pay it Forward Business Scholarship 10
68 Languages, Literatures, and Cultures 10
69 Management Majors 10
70 Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 9
71 Military Science - ROTC 7
72 Physics 7
73 Sociology and Anthropology 7
74 Business Education 7
75 International Business 7
76 University Galleries 6
77 Friends of the Arts 5
78 Latin American and Latino/a Studies 4
79 Philosophy 3
80 Marian H. Dean Legacy Scholarship 2
Ended
$100,000
Mission Launch Challenge
Thank you to the first 1,000 donors who unlocked $100,000 to kick off Birds Give Back 2022! Don’t forget to check with your employer to see if they match your gift!
1,000 / 1,000 Gifts
Completed
$100,000
Momentum Challenge
Thank you to the 1,000 donors who unlocked $100,000 to keep momentum strong during Birds Give Back!
2,000 / 2,000 Gifts
Completed
$250
Finance Insurance and Law Challenge
Kedric Meredith ‘09 wants kick off Birds Give Back for Finance Insurance and Law. He will add $250 to our giving day totals when we receive our first 25 gifts today!
25 / 25 Gifts
Completed
$1,000
College of Business Launch Challenge
Friend of the University, Jim Hayes, will add $1,000 to our Birds Give Back totals when we receive our first 25 gifts for the College of Business today!
25 / 25 Gifts
Completed
$500
Business Education Challenge
Dr. Tamra Connor, Associate Dean for Accreditation and Operations & Associate Professor of Business Education, wishes to help offset the expenses that student teachers have to pay. In order to do so, she has issued a challenge! She will contribute $500 once 20 donors have contributed to the Business Education Excellence Fund.
20 / 20 Gifts
Completed
$1,000
Accounting Momentum Challenge
Alex Roark ’13, ’14 wants to keep the momentum going for Accounting. He will add $1,000 to our giving day totals when we reach 50 gifts to the Accounting department today!
50 / 50 Gifts
Completed
$30,000
Hesterberg CAST Mission Complete Challenge
We are issuing our final challenge of the night. Keith ’93 and Beth Hesterberg challenge us to complete our Birds Give Back mission. They will add $30,000 to support the CAST student persistence when we receive another 250 gifts before midnight. Make your gift and spread the word to all your Redbird friends!
2,750 / 2,750 Gifts
Completed
$25,000
Employee/Retiree Challenge
Thanks to 500 faculty, staff, retiree donors for unlocking $25,000 during Birds Give Back!
500 / 500 Gifts
Completed
$25,000
Reaching for 2,500 gifts!
Thank you to the 2,500 donors who unlocked $25,000 to keep momentum strong during Birds Give Back!
2,500 / 2,500 Gifts
Completed
$1,000
Finance Insurance and Law momentum challenge
Redbird Larry Gustafson ‘83 wants to keep the momentum going. He will add $1,000 to our giving day total when receive 40 gifts to Finance Insurance and Law today during Birds Give Back!
40 / 40 Gifts
Completed
$6,000
College of Business Momentum Challenge
Scott ’94 and Shawn ’94 Lehman want COB to keep the momentum going. They will add $6,000 to our giving day totals once we receive an additional 175 gifts (total of 200) During Birds give back!
175 / 175 Gifts
Completed
$250
Accounting Launch Challenge
Kedric Meredith ‘09 wants to kick of Birds Give Back for the Accounting Department. He will add $250 to our giving day totals when we receive our first 25 gifts during Birds Give Back.
25 / 25 Gifts
Completed
Success!
Social Sharing Challenge
Pawfficer Sage and her friend want you to spread the word about #BirdsGiveBack! Susan Cameron ’79, a retired staff member, will contribute $10 to support Pawfficer Sage’s Community Engagement Team for every share, up to $1,000!
Completed
Participating Groups
College of Applied Science and Technology College of Arts and Sciences College of Business College of Education Mennonite College of Nursing Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts Alumni Association Athletics Center for Civic Engagement Ewing Cultural Center Honors Program International House Lab Schools Milner Library Multicultural Center Office of Student Research Office of Sustainability Red and White Student Scholarship Student Affairs The Graduate School WGLT
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