As graduate students, you play an essential role in the life of the university. You participate in the most advanced programs of study that we offer. As teaching assistants, you share your knowledge and expertise with other students. Indeed, it is through your efforts that we have earned our international reputation for excellence. Allow me to share some thoughts about graduate education with you.
Graduate students are the faculty's young disciples who ensure the continuity of learning. . . .
There is profound pleasure in graduate work. Although graduate study can be stressful, it can also make you exquisitely happy. And now, a bit of advice. I know many of you chose Illinois for graduate study because of our reputation for excellence, particularly in research. For example, in the spring of 1999, U.S. News and World Report ranked Illinois 6th for its graduate programs in engineering.