"We are Illinois' flagship institution, and our name should reflect that," Chancellor Richard Herman said. "As we work to build our reputation as second to none among public research universities, it is critical that we identify with one name that resonates with key audiences. 'Illinois' is recognized as a leader in technology, social sciences, business, agriculture and much more. Having our Web presence reflect that name is increasingly important."
Provost Linda Katehi concurred: "As more and more of our stakeholders connect with us through e-mail and the Web, it is critical that we speak to them in one voice. 'Illinois' will become that voice of excellence across disciplines. This transition will require the help and input of each member of our campus community, and it will benefit each of us."
The uiuc.edu domain name dates back to the early days of the Internet, when the primary criterion for selecting domain names was brevity, not branding power.
"It's hard to remember that when the uiuc.edu domain name was established, most people had never heard of e-mail, and Web sites didn't exist at all," said Sally Jackson, chief information officer and associate provost. "Today an Internet address makes much more difference in how we present ourselves to the world."
I think there's still something to be said for brevity in site URLs (just look at your address bar :), especially for sites you're typing in all the time. But the new URL is not much longer, and there's certainly no arguing that it will be clear in what it represents. This change could even have some implications for alumni - for instance, engineering alumni have lifetime email addresses on the engineering subdomain. I would guess that will change to the new domain like everything else.
And no need to panic, the change is supposed to take place over several years so it's not like it'll be switched overnight. As of right now, I can see the same page on both uiuc.edu and illinois.edu
