From the President...

Fellow KC Illini,

There is nothing more fun for me in Kansas City than running into someone showing off Illini colors.  As many of you have experienced, I am not shy about hailing down a total stranger that happens to have on orange and blue or something showing off the Chief.  Why do I do this?  Well, because it is always a great story.  How did your life take you to the Kansas City area?  What was it about the great opportunities this community provides that tempted you to take root here?  How do you stay connected with friends and family back in Illinois?  How do you stay connected to the University?

My friends we are truly blessed.  After receiving one of the best educational experiences money can buy, we all found our way to one of the best communities one can call home.  It is this common bond that not only makes us as KC Illini, but this also connects us to University of Illinois Graduates all over the world.  Look around your community and see where you find fellow Illini.  The work product of the University of Illinois is measured with the success of its graduates.  It is measured by the roles we serve in companies and businesses in Kansas City and around the globe, and it is measured in the impact we make in our local communities.

The KC Illini Club has held a local presence longer than I have been alive.  Now, with the advent of this web platform, we move into a new era for this club.  One in which we can grow closer, grow stronger, and be more in touch globally with the University.  So whether you are reading this as a long time club member, or as someone new to Kansas City, know that your club thanks you and welcomes you here.  There are over 1400 of us in the Kansas City area.  So relax and enjoy, you are amongst good friends.

Darin N. Shank
1995, College of Commerce and Business Administration