Two students in a lab with pipettes

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. 

LAS News
Koschmann with climbing participants
Climbing against cancer
 While completing his pediatric oncology fellowship at the University of Michigan, Carl Koschmann (BS, ‘02, biology honors) met a young patient battling cancer.Her name was Vara James. At 9 years old, she was diagnosed with a Wilms tumor in her kidney....
Ayo Dosunmu being interviewed
Four LAS alumni inducted into Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame
 The University of Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame honors the greatest student-athletes, coaches, and administrators in the university’s history. This year, eight new athletes joined the list of legends, including four who were part of the College of LAS — football player Howard Griffith,...
Liangfang Zhang
LAS alum receives MacArthur Fellowship
 Alum Liangfang Zhang (PhD, '06, chemical and biomolecular engineering) has been awarded a 2026 MacArthur Fellowship, commonly known as a “genius grant,” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.According to the MacArthur Foundation, the...
Foellinger Auditorium
College of LAS announces endowed chair and professorships
 The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences has named several accomplished faculty members to endowed chair and professorship positions. The positions are some of the highest honors that can be granted by the college. The recipients will be awarded discretionary funding to carry out...
Soffer at archeological site
The woman who rewrote prehistory
 Stories of paleolithic humans often depict men hunting megafauna like the mammoths, while the roles of women, children, and elders were assumed to be minimal. That was, until a Manhattan fashion executive turned archeologist helped to prove that women were crafting textiles long before such...
mariannealleyne
Wings of bioinspiration
The first lesson Marianne Alleyne learned from working with engineers had nothing to do with insects.It had to do with language."Actually doing interdisciplinary research or transdisciplinary research is really difficult," said Alleyne, a professor of...
winters book 26
New book studies ‘persistent citizens’ of the Global South
 A new book co-written by a U of I expert who studies development and governance explores the “state-centric persistence” of poor citizens of the Global South in their individual pursuit of benefits from government-run social welfare programs such as public healthcare and early childhood...
dolcos emotion regulation 26
Emotion-regulation training reduces distress, changes the brain, team reports
  A five-week training intervention taught college students to better regulate their emotions in response to negative events, a new study finds. After the training, the students reported less emotional distress when viewing negative images or thinking about difficult events from their own...

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