What are those inspiring words that Alma greets visitors with again?
"It is a testament to the mass Illini family that so passionately wants to pay it forward for future Illini," Jeff Piper says.
No truer words were ever spoken, says Piper (BS '00, finance), now managing director for Svoboda Capital Partners of Chicago.
“The four years I spent on campus were the most memorable and formative years of my life. Whether it was lectures in Foellinger or Lincoln, studying in the deep recesses of Altgeld or the Natural History Library, grabbing dinner at White Horse Inn or Papa Del’s, attending a game at Memorial Stadium or Assembly Hall, playing intramural sports at IMPE, living in the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity house, lounging on the Quad or grabbing a beer at Kam’s, my life at the University of Illinois was nothing short of fantastic.
“One event — other than many late nights, which I will refrain from elaborating upon — that does stick out, however, was our College of Business commencement ceremony in Huff Hall. Within a matter of a couple of hours, my friends and I all set sail into the world beyond, and we learned quickly how well Illinois had prepared us for what lay ahead.
“Visiting campus nowadays is surely sentimental given the fond memories, but also enlightening and positively impressive based on the development and growth of the institution and its surroundings, despite state budget woes."
