The world lost a humble giant on July 30, 2023. Steve Gerdes (ACE, ’77) was a man of boundless dreams and even greater determination. His deep love for farming, family, community, and life itself was evident in everything he did and continues to inspire through the legacy he leaves behind.
Since 1978, the Jonathan Baldwin Turner (JBT) Scholar program has recognized a group of talented students each year from the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences
Elizabeth Brooks Bruns’ journey from a farm girl to a civil engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was not without its challenges. Diagnosed with cancer at age 13, and facing several recurrences, Elizabeth had to pause her education multiple times in her teens and early twenties. “It gave me space to think about what I liked to do and took away the pressure to pick a career too quickly,” she recalls.
Albert “Bert” Kemp’s legacy is one of service, hard work, and lasting generosity.
“I want to create something so unique that it will captivate experts and keep everyday people coming back,” said Bradley “Brad” Beam, an entrepreneurial winemaker from Illinois. Since founding Spoon River Junction in 2020, Beam has kept this mission a central focus of his efforts. Yet his journey toward innovative success and passion for winemaking began years earlier.
For the past two years (and many years before) Agricultural Communications (AGCM) alumni and current students have gotten together to celebrate homecoming and the industry. It’s called the AGCM Homecoming Huddle, originally starting in the 1970s under Dr. Jim Evans.
When graduates leave the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
As part of a prestigious fellowship sponsored by The Norman Borlaug Institute, Molly Boyd, a 2024 graduate from the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics
The University of Illinois Alumni Association has named Jim and Marlene Evans the 2024 recipients of the