Announcements

Spring 2 Courses Begin This Week

The Spring 2 term is officially starting this week! Spring 2 courses begin on Wednesday, March 18. Please be sure to check your course start and end dates for the Spring 2 term as some course start dates may vary. Online Programs utilizes dual learning platforms with Canvas and Coursera. Make sure to access your course in both platforms to be successful.

Drop and Withdrawal Refund Guides

For your convenience, the Office of the Registrar has created course refund guides that outline the specific drop dates and withdrawal dates for each course. Go to the current semester and scroll down to “non-standard courses” and search by course number. 

Please note that there are two separate refund guides for drops and withdrawals and you can refer to our Dropping Courses and Refunds page about the difference between a drop, withdrawal, and cancellation. As an additional resource, our event calendar posts the academic drop deadlines by course start date.

Important note: If you have already taken courses in the first eight weeks of the spring semester, you cannot withdraw or cancel the second eight-week session. Your only option is to drop your course(s). To receive a full refund, you must drop your course(s) by the published drop deadline for a 100% refund.

Summer 2026 Course Support Application Due Soon

The Gies iDegrees course support application  for the position of Synchronous Course Assistant, Grader, and Plagiarism Reviewer for Summer 2026 is due this week. If you are interested in being considered for a position that will begin in Summer, please complete the Course Support Application no later than Friday, March 20 at 11:45 pm CT. The application will provide job descriptions for each role. Please read the requirements of each role to determine eligibility.

Application Process:

• The application process only requires submitting the Gies iDegrees Course Support Application form.

• Even if you are currently working with us, you need to apply each term, so please make sure you apply before the deadline.
• Those selected for a position will be notified via email.
• Due to the volume of applications, late submissions will not be accepted.
• If you work on a course, you will not be eligible to take it for credit as a student later.

If you have any questions about the application, please email Emily Forbes at eforbes2@illinois.edu.

Gies Events

Tuesday, March 24 | 2:00 - 3:00 pm CT
 

The Gies Business Office of Access and Community is honored to host Yolanda Williams-Goliday, PhD, director of the Gender & Sexuality Resource Center, on Tuesday, March 24 from 2:00–3:00 pm CT in the Deloitte Auditorium and on Zoom. This hybrid session will focus on fostering a more inclusive environment for students, faculty, and staff who are members of the LGBTQ+ community and will provide insights on how we as a College can collectively support and advocate for the community. This event is open to all Gies Business learners, faculty, and staff. You may attend in person or online. Please register for the LGBTQ+ Inclusion session to attend and receive the Zoom link.

LGBTQ+ Community and Inclusion Registration

First Generation Coffee Chat

Thursday, March 26 | 1:00 - 2:00 pm CT

We invite first-generation graduate learners—those who are the first in their family to pursue a graduate degree—to grab a coffee or tea and join our recruitment team, along with your fellow current learners who are also first-generation graduate learners, for a coffee chat. This session will explore the challenges faced by first-generation learners and highlight strategies for success in graduate education. You'll also learn about the support services available and gain insight into what it’s like to be a first-generation learner in Gies Online programs. Bring your questions—we look forward to connecting with you!

First Generation Coffee Chat Registration

Gies News

Leading Midwest Research Universities Launch Innovation Hub in San Francisco

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has joined seven other leading Midwestern research universities in launching Third Coast Foundry, a collaborative San Francisco-based innovation hub designed to accelerate the growth of university-founded startups and deepen connections between the Midwest's research powerhouses and the Bay Area's venture capital ecosystem, one of the world’s most active venture ecosystems. Read more about the hub here.

What CES 2026 Reveals About the Future of Business Education

Gies Clinical Assistant Professor of Accountancy, Andrew Dahle, who teaches a new elective course ACCY 593: Internal Audit for Managers, attended the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this year with Associate Director of Education Innovation, Jamie Nelson where they noticed some interesting patterns about how gadgets will change the future of consumer routines. Read more about what they noticed here.

This Week at Gies

Use the  Event Calendar for information on upcoming events, such as iConverge and iDegree Convocation, as well as academic dates and deadlines for the semester. Click event titles below for details on the events happening this week.

Spring 2 Courses Begin    
Wednesday, March 18

Spring 2 Last Day to Add a Course (March 18 Start)   
Wednesday, March 18

In Case You Missed It...

Previous At-a-Glance issues are available for viewing via the Announcements section of the Online Programs website.

View At a Glance Archive