Effective Fall 2025, DGS will become the Division of Exploratory Studies. Same mission; new name.
Support
DGS
Giving
DGS helps students make meaning of their education and choose a major and career pathway with confidence and clarity. Click below to make a gift to the DGS Annual Fund and support the exploring experience at Illinois.
Why give?
The DGS Annual Fund is an unrestricted fund used to meet emerging priorities year after year. The generosity of donors leads to lifelong impact, helping students gain invaluable experiences and skills and fostering a vibrant, supportive and inclusive community in DGS.
Gifts will support exploring students in a variety of ways including:
1
Success and Retention
- Growing scholarship opportunities for DGS students
- Developing community-building events
- Supporting assessment practices and staff development activities to enhance service delivery
- Preserving seats for exploring students in programs such as The Merit Program for Emerging Scholars
2
Exploration and Discovery
- Funding staff-led study abroad experience for exploring students
- Creating discovery-focused field trips and other experiential learning opportunities
- Launching distinguished faculty exchanges and other scholarly events
3
Recognition for Excellence
- Expanding sponsorships for leadership retreats and activities
- Creating merit-based awards and other celebratory initiatives for exploring students
Let's
Join Efforts
Partner with DGS
Interested in connecting with exploring students? Ready to exchange information and ideas with the DGS staff?
We would love to collaborate and work together to support exploring students’ success at Illinois!
What are the options?
DGS works closely with a variety of partners across campus not only to train and develop our advising team, but also to develop and sponsor activities uniquely tailored for DGS students. Here are some examples of cross-campus collaborations:
1
Advise and Recruit Students
- Majors and Minors Fair and I Explore Week in partnership with The Career Center and University Housing
- Weekly advising hours at DGS, offered by Gies College of Business
- Off-site DGS advising located at Exploration Living Learning Community and La Casa Cultural House
- UIC Nursing info sessions hosted at DGS
2
Promote Opportunities
- General Studies classroom visits hosted by Illinois Leadership Center, National and International Scholarships Program, Jeffries Center, The Career Center and more
- Study abroad workshops for exploring students, hosted by Illinois Abroad and Global Exchange
3
Co-create Resources
- Development of our online Exploration Toolkit and Exploration Pathways sites, in collaboration with The Career Center
- Development of our Major Handbook, in collaboration with departments and colleges across campus
4
Train and Educate our Team
- Brief “showcase” presentations for the DGS advising team featuring resources like the Writers Workshop, Jeffries Center tutoring support, the Title IX Office, Informatics and Game Design, and many more
- Staff exchanges and case study collaborations with Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, college advising teams, and more
Have ideas to add to this list?
If you have a great idea for collaboration, we want to hear from you!