Education is the foundation of a just and democratic society. The future of education will be defined by our innovations.
BOLDLY EDUCATION, our 2028 Strategic Vision frames the vital work that the College of Education will undertake in the next three years. This vision is aligned with the goals articulated in the University of Illinois' strategic framework, Boldly Illinois 2030.
Our vision calls for bold collaboration—with educators, policymakers, communities and global partners—united by a shared belief in the power of education to shape a more just and humane world. Fueled by the College’s pioneering research, inclusive pedagogy and deep commitment to public engagement, we are designing learning ecosystems that uplift every learner, reimagine what education can be and ignite systemic change that echoes far beyond the classroom.
We will lead the future of education by producing transformative research to shape policy and practice, preparing graduates to steward meaningful change and forging new partnerships to advance equity worldwide.
We support innovative and cutting-edge research that addresses the most pressing issues in education, embraces a range of viewpoints and advances the public good.
We will:
Champion a diverse community of researchers.
Foster research that enhances the lives of all learners in Illinois, across the nation and around the world.
Support visionary research on the role of technology that prioritizes ethics and sustainability.
We prepare our graduates to lead as educators, researchers, designers and clinicians at the forefront of educational transformation.
We will:
Support and create innovative programs and curricula.
Enhance student support and belonging.
Prepare students to lead in an ever-changing world.
Recognizing our land-grant mission, we will deepen our engagement with Illinois schools and communities and strengthen reciprocal local, national and global partnerships.
We will:
Expand our partnerships with local, national and global communities to advance the public good.
Promote community-engaged research, teaching and service.
Sustain robust infrastructure for public engagement.
We will steward our resources with care to build an environment of excellence, equity and engagement in service of our shared mission.
We will:
Cultivate an inclusive culture for faculty and staff
Foster an environment responsive to student needs
Develop processes for innovative resource allocation
Engage with alumni to strengthen College community
Work to develop a three-year strategic vision for the College of Education at Illinois began in November 2024, when members of a collegewide committee were charged with gathering and synthesizing ideas from College stakeholders to lay a course to guide the College’s vital work.
The Strategic Visioning Committee began by incorporating feedback from 29 participants from external, local educational partners during community listening sessions held in April 2024, gathered with future strategic planning in mind.
During December 2024, nearly 100 College of Education faculty members, staff, and students—all contributing initial input to strategic vision development. The Committee also met with key University of Illinois strategic planners to gain insights throughout the input process.
The Committee then processed stakeholder input into draft form and sought additional feedback from groups during spring 2025. In May 2025, the Committee incorporated final visioning feedback and during summer 2025 updated the College’s corresponding mission and vision statements.
The resulting 2028 Strategic Vision, BOLDLY EDUCATION, is aligned with the university’s overall strategic framework, Boldly Illinois 2030. It is a living framework that guides actionable work and was created with robust participation and insights from the College of Education community at large. The implementation of Boldly Education has begun in fall 2025.
2028 Strategic Visioning Committee Members
Education at Illinois is committed to an ethos of collaboration and interdisciplinary work. The need to solve complex societal problems such as sustainability, social inequality and ethical issues around AI requires bringing together expertise from different disciplines.
Chrystalla Mouza, Dean
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