National honors awarded to UIUC humanities faculty during the past two years include Guggenheim Fellowships , Fulbright Fellowships , National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships , and many others. The Department of French is a world leader in the use of computerized resources for teaching and research. The Department of Speech Communication ranks among the national leaders in theory and research. It ranks first in the nation in overall quality. Support from alumni and friends has therefore become a highly-valued way for funding programs that will uphold the University's tradition of excellence.
Fellowships enable outstanding graduate students to devote full-time to their studies and research.
They are valuable resources that help to attract some of the best students in the country. Endowed chairs and professorships help to attract such faculty while enhancing each unit's visibility and stature. These play a significant role in the vitality and visibility of the various units. History Graduate Fellowship Gifts to the History Graduate Fellowship Fund are used to support a proactive stance on funding for first year graduate students and provide fellowships for advanced student research projects on the Department of History. The goal was surpassed in 1998, but as funds were being raised, so were the needs of prospective students and costs of conducting research.