Ebert gives his alma mater a million reasons to cheer

CHAMPAIGN – Roger Ebert just gave a big thumb's up to his alma mater, in the form of a $1 million gift.

Ebert, class of 1964, and his wife, Chaz, gave the University of Illinois $1 million toward creation of the Roger Ebert Program for Film Studies Fund – a program that didn't have a counterpart in his undergraduate days.

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