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Illinois State University
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Illinois State University is a public university in Normal, Illinois, United States. Most commonly referred to as ISU, the school was founded in 1857 by Jesse W. Fell (1808-1887); Abraham Lincoln drew up the legal documents to establish the university. The original name of the school was was Illinois State Normal University, reflective of its primary mission to serve as a normal school for the training of teachers. In 1964, as the institution began expanding and moving toward a full liberal arts curriculum, its name was changed, first to Illinois State University at Normal, and then by 1968 to Illinois State University.
ISU is recognized by the US News rankings as a "National University", that is, a university which grants a variety of doctoral degrees and strongly emphasizes research.
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Encyclopedia
Illinois State University is a public university in Normal, Illinois, United States. Most commonly referred to as ISU, the school was founded in 1857 by Jesse W. Fell (1808-1887); Abraham Lincoln drew up the legal documents to establish the university. The original name of the school was was Illinois State Normal University, reflective of its primary mission to serve as a normal school for the training of teachers. In 1964, as the institution began expanding and moving toward a full liberal arts curriculum, its name was changed, first to Illinois State University at Normal, and then by 1968 to Illinois State University.
ISU is recognized by the US News rankings as a "National University", that is, a university which grants a variety of doctoral degrees and strongly emphasizes research. US News ranks ISU in the "third tier", meaning that it is currently in the third quartile of schools within the National University category. Among public universities in Illinois awarding doctorate degrees, only the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranks higher. It is also ranked as the 123rd best university in the U.S. by the Washington Monthly
The ISU athletic teams are members of the Missouri Valley Conference and the Missouri Valley Football Conference, and are known as the "Redbirds," in reference to the state bird, the cardinal.
Illinois State is also home to one of the world's tallest residence hall Watterson Towers, which houses 2,200 students. The building, which consists of a pair of towers, was completed in 1967.
The school's Alma Mater song is "Glory Hast Thou," written to the tune of Haydn's "Austrian Hymn," better known as the tune used for "Das Lied der Deutschen," the German national anthem.
The Town of Normal, originally named North Bloomington, took its name from the school. It is located in McLean County, in central Illinois.
A Teaching School
ISU is recognized as one of the top ten largest producers of teachers in the US according to the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education .
In accordance with its mission, the school's motto was originally "and gladly wold he lerne and gladly teche," in the Middle English spelling of its author, Geoffrey Chaucer. By the 1960s, the motto was spelled in the modern style, "and gladly would he learn and gladly teach." Despite the apparently gender-specific "he" in this motto, until the 1970s there were significantly more women than men attending the university. The motto has since been updated to the gender-neutral form "Gladly we Learn and Teach."
Academics and Organizations
Though originally a teachers' college, ISU has grown into a university offering a range of programs at the bachelor, master, and doctoral levels.
The English Department, the largest department in ISU, is unique in its interdisciplinary focus named "English Studies," which includes various literature in English, writing/composition theories, cultural studies, K-12 English education, linguistics, TESOL, and so forth. The Department is also leading the field of children's literature in the United States. ISU's History Education program, housed in the History Department, is frequently cited as one of the leaders in that field. Premised on the philosophy that future history teachers should learn their craft from historians, immersing themselves not just in content knowledge but in historical method too, the History Education program has served as a model for similar programs at other universities. ISU also has a respected nursing school, the Mennonite College Of Nursing, and its Speech Pathology and Audiology programs and Special Education programs are among the best in the United States and the Midwest. The current president of Illinois State University, Doctor Clarence Alvin Bowman, Ph.D., is the former chairman and head of the Speech Pathology and Audiology Department. It operates the Eckelmann-Taylor Speech and Hearing Clinic and a program that works with Metcalf Laboratory School and other area schools to train some of the future therapists in providing services to schoolchildren at the graduate and postgraduate level.
Illinois State University also boasts one of the largest student spirit organizations in the United States. Known on Campus as RED ALERT. The Registered Student Organization has over 4,100 members, roughly one fourth of the student body. The group was founded in 2006 to promote student involvement in University Athletics and has since grown exponentially.
ISU is also home of the Gamma Phi Circus, the oldest collegiate circus in the world The Gamma Phi Circus, founded in 1929, is one of 2 collegiate circuses in the US, the other is run by Florida State University.
The university owns public radio station WGLT ("News, Blues and All That Jazz"), which broadcasts on 89.1 in Normal, 103.5 in Peoria, and by streaming audio from http://www.wglt.org/. The call letters are from keywords of the school's motto: "Gladly-Learn-Teach".
TV-10, a part of the School of Communication, provides the only live local television newscast produced entirely in Bloomington-Normal.
The school publishes two newspapers - The Daily Vidette and The Indy, an alternative, weekly publication.
ISU has its own student radio station, WZND. It is operated in dual format: Rock and Jamz. The station broadcasts on two channels in the residence halls and on the web from http://www.wznd.com.
The visual art education program has been a thriving presence in the related professional field. The National Art Education Association (NAEA) Student Chapter was the recipient of the national award for Outstanding Student Chapter in 2002. The chapter received the award again in 2003 and 2007—the only school to receive this award multiple times. Many students have held the national position of NAEA Student Chapter President, as well as faculty holding national board positions. The program has an extremely high job placement percentage.
Demographics
As of the fall of 2008, total enrollment at Illinois State University was reported as 20,104, with 17,655 undergraduate students and 2,449 graduate students. The division of gender was 58% female to 42% male, and 93% of all undergraduates were between the ages of 17 and 24 years old. Eleven percent of all students were from minority groups, including 1,073 African-Americans, 391 Asians or Pacific Islanders, 677 Hispanics, 66 Native Americans or Alaskans, and 429 international students from 65 countries. The middle 50% of enrolled students in 2008 earned ACT scores between 22 and 26.
The Quad
The Illinois State University campus quadrangle is compact compared with other large universities with buildings spaced closely together around a rectangular center lawn.
The quad is a popular site for dissemination of campus information including notifications of events or meetings that are taking place around campus. In the beginning of the semester the Quad is host to Festival ISU, where campus organizations set up tables with games, prizes, and information about themselves to network their organizations.
Many activities take place on the quad as well, such as movies and concerts. Lined with benches and shady trees, the site is also a popular spots for students to relax, study and play informal games of football, soccer, and capture the flag, among others.
Milner Library
The Milner Library contains a collection of more than 1.5 million volumes and an ever-increasing number of electronic materials accessible via the Internet to students and faculty. Milner Library is distinguished by its extensive collection of materials related to educational pedagogical theory and policy, curriculum development, and issues related to special education and assistive technology. In addition, the Special Collections and Rare Books room contains an extensive Circus and Allied Arts collections. Combined, these collections contribute to the University's relatively high standing in regional, national, and world rankings. In 2007, the library received the John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award, an award given to only seven libraries nationwide.
The Milner Library was named for Angeline “Ange” Vernon Milner (1856-1928) a Bloomington-Normal native and the first full-time librarian of Illinois State Normal University. Milner is credited with organizing the university's initial collection of more than 40,000 items and was a prolific author of more than seventy articles and short monographs in library and education journals during her tenure as University Librarian from 1890 to 1927.
University Residence Halls
Illinois State University currently has ten residence halls: Atkin, Colby, Hamilton, Haynie, Hewett, Manchester, Watterson, Whitten, Wilkins, and Wright. These are administered by the ISU's Office of Residential Life.
Hamilton and Whitten Hall were constructed in 1960, and are located across the street from Dunn, Barton, and Walker in South Campus. Hamilton and Whitten are connected to each other, and lifestyle floors such as Upper-class and Graduate, Student Nursing, and Speech Pathology and Audiology. They also offer nine-month housing, which allows students to move in three days before other students, and remain in the dorms during all University breaks, including Thanksgiving, semester, and spring break. Hamilton Hall was named after Alma H. Hamilton, the first recipient of an Illinois State Normal University bachelor degree; and Whitten Hall was named after Jennie Whitten, the former head of the Foreign Language Department.
Atkin and Colby Hall are also located in South Campus, and are connected to Hamilton-Whitten through the Feeney Center. They were built in 1962. Atkin-Colby has special life style floors such as Foreign Language, History, Political Science, Honors House, and International House. They also offer nine month housing. Both Atkin and Colby Halls are now co-ed after decades of being female-only residences. Before going co-ed, the halls were widely referred to as the "virgin towers" by students due to their high concentration of freshmen females.
Atkin Hall was named after Edith Irene Aitkin, Illinois State Normal University mathematics professor from 1909-1940; and Colby Hall was named after June Rose Colby, English professor from 1892-1932.
Haynie, Wilkins, and Wright Hall were constructed in 1962, and are referred to as the ‘‘’Tri Towers.’’’ They are located in West Campus, adjacent to Redbird Arena and Hancock Stadium. The Tri Towers offer rooms for special lifestyles such as ROTC, Service and Leadership for freshman, Business, Social Justice, Wellness, Substance-Free, and Quiet. A majority of athletes live in these dorms, because it is so close to their practice areas. It also contains three basketball courts, and a large grassy area for volleyball, softball, and soccer. The Tri Towers are the farthest dorms from campus.
Haynie Hall was named after Martha D.L. Haynie, the first female Illinois State Normal University professor; Wilkins Hall was named after Daniel Wilkins, principal of the Female School Institute of Bloomington in the 1850’s; and Wright Hall was named after Simeon Wright, one of the University’s founding fathers.
Hewett and Manchester Hall were constructed in 1966; they are connected, and are located in East Campus. Hewett Hall was a female only dorm until 2007. It will reopen as a coeducational residence hall in the fall of 2008. Manchester is coed with a number of different lifestyle floors including Art, Business, Communication, Co-Sciences, Curriculum and Instruction, Geo-Environmental, Information Technology, Math, Music, Service and Leadership, Substance-Free, and Quiet. Each building contains 17 floors.
Hewett Hall was named after Edwin C. Hewett, the third University president; and Manchester Hall was named after Orson L. Manchester, Illinois State Normal University dean from 1911-1928.
The newest residence hall on campus is Watterson Towers. It was built between 1968-1970 and is one of the tallest student residence halls in the world. Watterson Towers is located in the extreme southeast corner of campus. Its top floor, where the laundry rooms are, provides the highest vantage point between St. Louis, Missouri and Chicago, Illinois. Watterson is divided into suites of six rooms that share one bathroom (equipped with two sinks, two toilets, and two showers). There are two towers, North and South, each containing five "houses," with each house comprising five floors. Watterson's elevators stop on the third floor of each house, and residents follow stairs to their particular floor. Each house is named after a former U.S. Secretary of State, in the order in which they served office. Lifestyles in Watterson include Wellness, Quiet, Substance-Free, and Restricted Visitation. It generally houses students who are sophomores or older, but is available for everyone. Watterson Towers was named after Arthur W. Watterson, a geography faculty member and chair.
Three major residence halls, Dunn, Barton and Walker Hall were demolished in 2008 to provide space for a Student Fitness, Kinesiology and Recreation Center set to open in Fall 2010.
Greek life at Illinois State University
Illinois State's Greek community was established in 1967. About 13% of the population participates in Greek life. Greek organizations provide students with a wide range of academic, social, and leadership opportunities available on campus.
Greek Organizations On-Campus Include:
Alpha Epsilon Pi, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Gamma Rho, Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Psi Lambda, Alpha Tau Omega, Ceres, the best sorority Chi Omega, Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Zeta, Delta Omicron, Delta Sigma Phi, Delta Sigma Theta, Delta Tau Delta, Delta Chi, Delta Phi Lambda, Zeta Tau Alpha, Zeta Phi Beta, Farmhouse, Lambda Chi Alpha, Pi Beta Phi, Pi Kappa Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, Sigma Alpha Iota, Sigma Lambda Beta, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Sigma Tau Gamma, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Sigma Chi, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Tau Beta Sigma, Phi Beta Sigma, Phi Kappa Psi, Phi Mu Alpha, Phi Sigma Sigma.
Nationally ranked teams
The university's School of Communication has one of the most successful forensics individual events teams in the country. In 1995, 1999, and 2000 it won the National Forensic Association team championship and in 2005 its team won the American Forensic Association team championship.
The Illinois state co-ed cheerleading team has competed at both NCA and UCA nationals in co-ed Division 1. In 2002 they placed 2nd in the nation in co-ed Division 1 at UCA nationals in Orlando, FL. In 2001 they placed 3rd in the nation in co-ed division 1 at UCA nationals in Orlando, FL. They have appeared on ESPN and in American Cheerleader Magazine.
Sports
Notable alumni
Sports
Entertainment
Politics
Business
- Paul Flessner - Senior VP of Microsoft
- Patti S. Hart - Former Chairman/President/CEO of Pinnacle Systems Inc.
Education
University Presidents
- Charles E. Hovey (1857-1862)
- Richard Edwards (1862-1876)
- Edwin C. Hewett (1876-1890)
- John W. Cook (1890-1899)
- Arnold Tompkins (1899-1900)
- David Felmley (1900-1930)
- Harry A. Brown (1930-1933)
- Raymond W. Fairchild (1933-1955)
- Robert G. Bone (1956-1967)
- Samuel J. Braden (1967-1970)
- David K Berlo (1971-1973)
- Gene Budig (1973-1977)
- Lloyd Watkins (1977-1988)
- Thomas Wallace (1988-1995)
- David Strand (1995-1999)
- Victor Boschini Jr. (1999-2003)
- Al Bowman (2004 - Present)
Points of interest
External links
- official website. Also official:
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