Lincoln College, Illinois
Encyclopedia
History of the college
Lincoln College (chartered Lincoln University) in Lincoln, IllinoisLincoln, Illinois
Lincoln is a city in Logan County, Illinois, United States. It is the only town in the United States that was named for Abraham Lincoln before he became president; he practiced law there from 1847 to 1859. First settled in the 1830s, Lincoln is home to three colleges and two prisons. The three...
was established in 1865 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Cumberland Presbyterian Church
The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Christian denomination spawned by the Second Great Awakening. In 2007, it had an active membership of less than 50,000 and about 800 congregations, the majority of which are concentrated in the United States...
. There were a few sites that were looked at as possibilities, and in December 1864, the site of Lincoln was selected. Due to the Civil War the denomination wanted to create a college in the North because the denominations other schools were located in the South. At this same time a movement started in the new community of Lincoln to start a college. On February 6, 1865, the Illinois General Assembly
Illinois General Assembly
The Illinois General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois and comprises the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Illinois has 59 legislative districts, with two...
granted the charter that established the university. President Lincoln was aware the school would be named after him. Lincoln University was the first institution named for Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
and the only one during his lifetime. The groundbreaking
Groundbreaking
Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are often attended by dignitaries such as politicians and...
for University Hall, the first college building, was held on the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, which was six days after the charter had been granted. By September 1866, University Hall's construction was completed. In November 1866, the college opened its doors to men and women alike. In 1868, there were three people who received their degrees (http://www.lincolncollege.edu).
In 1901 Lincoln College affiliated with the Decatur College and Industrial School (now Millikin University
Millikin University
Millikin University is an American co-educational, comprehensive, private, four-year university with traditional undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, fine arts, and professional studies, as well as non-traditional, adult degree-completion programs and graduate programs in...
) in Decatur, Illinois
Decatur, Illinois
Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,...
. The name of the school was changed from Lincoln University to Lincoln College of the James Millikin University. James Millikin
James Millikin
James Millikin is the founder of Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. He was born in Ten Mile, Pennsylvania....
, a wealthy Decatur livestock breeder, offered Lincoln University a $50,000 grant for the a new building at the Lincoln campus if the school would turn over its charter. The $50,000 grant was on the condition that the citizens of Lincoln would raise $25,000 towards the new building project. The $25,000 was raised and the $50,000 grant was provided to the Lincoln campus.
In 1929 Lincoln became a junior (2 year) college no longer offering 4 year degrees as it had done since its inception. Many junior colleges were created in the 1920s and 1930s and this helped the college through the financial problems of the depression and war.
The Lincoln College Campus had experienced substantial growth following World War Two to the current time. The college has seven dorms, numerous classroom buildings, a library that houses an Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
museum, a gym and several classroom buildings.
Today Lincoln College is one of a small number of private two-year residential colleges in the United States. Most students at Lincoln College receive the Associate of Arts Degree and transfer to a four year college. Lincoln College is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
. The college is independent and no longer has a church affiliation.
In 2010, Lincoln College, Lincoln IL campus, received Accreditation from The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools for Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts; and in Theatre Degree. The First Graduating Class for the BA Degree was May 2011.
The ACCESS Program
The Lincoln College ACCESS Program is designed to enable students with ADHD to access
and succeed at the college level. It is the intent of the ACCESS Program to provide supportive
services from the Office for Disability Services (ODS) to promote success for students with ADHD. Students with ADHD will better be able to access these supportive services as they will collaborate with the Director of The Office for Disability Services and access services from individual, private coaches trained to effectively support these students’ needs. The 2008-09 ACCESS Program fee is $4,500.00.
Lincoln College has several fine arts groups of which the concert choir called "Dynamics" is currently the largest student organization on campus(http://www.lincolncollege.edu/fine_arts/music.htm). The Lincoln Express a co-ed show choir organized in 1984 has performed over 400 shows to over 180,000 at locations throughout the U.S. and other countries (http://www.lincolncollege.edu/fine_arts/express.htm). Broadway actor / singer Stephen Buntrock was a member of the Lincoln College Express in the late 1980s (http://www.theatrefest.com/StephenBuntrock/index.asp). The college is also home to an active theatre program.
WLNX
WLNX
WLNX is a radio station broadcasting an Alternative format. Licensed to Lincoln, Illinois, USA. The station is currently owned by Lincoln College, Illinois.-History:...
is the campus student operated radio station serving the Lincoln community.
Lincoln College offers several men's and women's sports at the NJCAA Division II level including baseketball, baseball, swimming & diving, golf and wrestling. The Lincoln College wrestling team has produced numerous NJCAA All-Americans and the team often places in top positions in the NJCAA Nationals including national champions in 1989 and 1991. The school mascot is the Lynx. Lincoln College was a member of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
The Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was a college athletic conference that existed from 1908 to 1970 in the United States.-History:...
from 1910-1928.
Lincoln College now has two separate campuses. A branch campus of the college catering largely to local commuter students was started in Normal, Illinois
Normal, Illinois
Normal is an incorporated town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. It had a population of 52,497 as of the 2010 census. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
in 1979. In 2001 the Normal campus began offering four year degrees. The Normal campus also has a limited amount of college housing.
Lincoln, Illinois campus
About 700 students attend this campus. Students come from about 25 of the states in the United States and the list of international countries that students come from includes Australia, China, England, France, Japan, Norway, and Sweden. Approximately 10% of students are from urban settings, 30% are from rural areas, and 60% are from suburbs. There are slightly more men in the student population than there are women. The student-faculty ration is 16-1, and most classes contain only 16-20 students. There is a 75% rate of students graduating in two years. Also, 90% of those graduates will transfer to a four-year institution the next semester, where their achievements can match or exceed those that the students that have been there for the full four years.http://www.lincolncollege.edu/home.htm
Normal, Illinois campus
Lincoln College - NormalNormal, Illinois
Normal is an incorporated town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. It had a population of 52,497 as of the 2010 census. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
opened in 1979 as an extension of the Lincoln campus of Lincoln College. This campus offers two-year associate's degree
Associate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years...
s, as well as a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree and a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
s degree. Additionally, the Midwest College of Cosmetology and the School of Travel and Tourism are located at the Normal campus. Today, Lincoln College - Normal has two modern facilities on campus, which house classrooms, laboratories, and administrative offices (http://www.lincolncollege.edu/normal). Enrollment is 550 students. The average class size is 16 people, and the student-faculty ratio is 14:1. The number of males to females is about equal (http://www.lincolncollege.edu/normal).
Proposed Ladysmith campus
Lincoln through the website of the former Mount Scenario College (http://mountsenario.com) in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, proposes a new college at the location. The information was additionally reported in the Ladysmith News.Notable alumni
- Matt HughesMatt Hughes (fighter)Matthew Allen Hughes is an American mixed martial artist, UFC Hall of Famer, and former two-time UFC Welterweight Champion. Hughes put together two separate six-fight winning streaks in the UFC, won the welterweight title on two occasions, defended the belt a record seven times, and holds the...
, Former UFC Welterweight Champion - Edward Madigan, Former U.S. Congressman
- Marcus GriffinMarcus GriffinMarcus Kevin Griffin was born on January 4, 1985 in Austin, Texas. Griffin entered the 2008 NFL Draft, however he went unselected. Griffin was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Minnesota Vikings on April 28, 2008. Griffin was subsequently waived on June 30, 2008...
, former University of Illinois basketball player - Kevin GambleKevin GambleKevin Douglas Gamble is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. At 6'5" he played as both a shooting guard and small forward...
, basketball player for the University of Iowa and the Boston Celtics - Robert B. ShermanRobert B. ShermanRobert Bernard Sherman is an American songwriter who specializes in musical films with his brother Richard Morton Sherman...
, American songwriter, screenwriter (Honorary Doctorate awarded May 12, 1990) - Norman CorwinNorman CorwinNorman Lewis Corwin was an American writer, screenwriter, producer, essayist and teacher of journalism and writing...
, American songwriter, screenwriter (Honorary Doctorate awarded May 12, 1990) - Bruce A. Block, Hollywood director, Directed The New Parent Trap, The Holiday, and a bunch more movies
- Stephen MandelStephen MandelStephen Mandel is a Canadian politician and the current mayor of Edmonton, Alberta.-Biography:Mandel received an Associate of Arts Degree from Lincoln College in Lincoln, Illinois, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Miami University, and his Masters in Political Science from...
, Canadian politician, Mayor of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada