The University of Illinois is preparing to launch its newest fundraising campaign with an event that one school official calls "one part Ted Talk and one part Cirque de Soleil."
Barry Benson is the vice chancellor for advancement for the Urbana-Champaign campus. He says that the Friday event in Champaign will highlight the university's achievement and impact, but also feature a Ferris wheel, performances and a talk with alumnus and NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins.
The campaign is expected to surpass the $2.43 billion Brilliant Futures campaign, which lasted eight years and ended in 2011.
Benson says each campus has its own fundraising goal. Urbana-Champaign's goal will be announced at Friday's event. The Springfield campus will announce its goal on Tuesday, and Chicago's goal will be made public Oct. 27.
