The Grainger College of Engineering
Electrical & Computer Engineering

ECE Graduates

Dear ECE Graduate

Congratulations on your completion of your degree! You are graduating from one of the best electrical and computer engineering programs in the world. This is an outstanding accomplishment for which you should be very proud and excited.  

You are now a member of a very special group, the network of Illinois ECE alumni. Our department takes great pride in its alumni. Each year, the department awards about 350 BS degrees, 100 MS degrees, and 50 PhDs. More than 21,500 strong, our alumni are making valuable contributions to the advancement of technology and to the well-being of mankind.  

You are now part of a club that includes:

  • Don Bitzer (BSEE ’55, MSEE ’56, PhD ’60) and Robert Willson (PhD ’66), co-inventors of the plasma display panel with the late Gene Slottow (PhD ’64).
  • Raymond Chin (BSEE ’76, MSEE ’77, PhD ’80), co-founder and chairman of Mtone Wireless Corporation.
  • Ralph Cicerone (MSEE ’67, PhD ’70), president of the National Academy of Science.
  • Admiral Archie Clemins (BSEE ’66, MSEE ’72), retired commander-in-chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
  • ECE Professor Nick Holonyak (BSEE 50, MSEE ’51, PhD ’54), inventor of the light-emitting diode (LED).
  • Ken Hansen (BSEE '74, MSEE '77), president and CEO of the Semiconductor Research Corporation.
  • Jerry Sanders (BSEE ’58), founder of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).
  • Jennifer Sterling (BSEE 89, MSEE ’90), director of transmission strategy and compliance for Exelon Corporation.

The list goes on and on. Many alumni have founded successful start-up companies which now employ thousands. Others have become the backbone of major corporations. Still others have made their mark via the military, academia, or law. 

It is now your turn to make your impact through the pursuit of your dreams. Aim high, your talents demand so. Be daring in your endeavors; what you can do very few people can do. Chase the unknown. Embrace the challenge. Change the world.

Best wishes for what I’m sure will be a wonderful and rewarding journey!

Sincerely,

William H. Sanders
Department Head and Donald Bigger Willett Professor of Engineering