University of Illinois - Illio Yearbook (Urbana Champaign, IL)

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I-IISTORICALLY SPEAKING The University of Illinois holds a unique position among the Land Grant Colleges and L'niversities of the United States, it is the Federal Land Grant-State University in the State where the Land Grant College movement originated, furthermore, President Abra- ham Lincoln. a resident of the State of Illinois. made the Land Grant Act of 1862 a law. The first attempt to found a State L'niversity in Illinois was defeated in 1833. The first move to found a State Agricultural and Xlechanical School was begun at the meeting of the Buel Institute, at Granville, Illi- nois, on November 18, 1851, when jonathan Baldwin Turner stated his plans for such a school. In February, 1852, Turner made the suggestion that all states might unite in seeking a chain of industrial universities. nationu ide in compass . . . created and endowed by a grant of land from Congress to each State. The work of Turner and his friends resulted in a Nlemorial to Congress from the General Assembly of Illinois in February 1853. seeking federal aid for a national sys- tem of agricultural universities. justin .Xlorrill of Vermont, introduced the pre- liminary legislation, for such grants. his bill finally being vetoed by President Buchanan, February 26. 1859. The Land Grant Act of 1862, was sponsored by Senator B. F. XYade of Chio. introduced in the United States Senate in May 1862, passed. and signed by President Lincoln on July 1, 1862. The bill em- bodied completely the ideas of the farmers of Illinois. and granted to each state public land scrip equal to 30,0110 acres for each senator and representative in Congress for the endowment, support, and main- tenance of at least one college whose leading obiect shall be. without excluding other scientific and classical studies, and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts . . . to promote the liberal and prac- tical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions of life. The General Assembly of Illinois accepted the grant for the state on February 1-1, 1863, and the location was designated at Champaign-L'rbana on February 28, 186' after a bitter contest. Governor Oglesby im- mediately appointed the first board of trustees which chose john KI. Gregory as the first regent of the new university, termed the Illinois Industrial University. Regent Gregory served from 1867 to 1880, the Uni- versity opened on Nlarch 2. 1868 with fifty students, a regent, two faculty members, and one building with aliuost no equipment. The early years of the new university were highly controversial, due to lack of knowledge of courses to be taught in an industrial university. A shop for the teaching of mechanical engineering, the first in America, was opened in 1870, women were admitted to the University in 1870, a mechanical building and drill hall was built in 1871. the Student, a newspaper was renamed The Illini in 1873, Ifniversity Hall was completed in 1875, and in 1877 the Legislature gave the University authority to confer degrees and grant diplomas. Four colleges were organized within the University in 1873, Agri- culture, Engineering, Literature and Arts, and Natural Science. Regent Gregory accomplished two great ob- iectives, the establishment of the L'niversity, and the reversing of an unfriendly attitude to one of firm friendship for the new Industrial University. Selim H. Peabody, acting regent from 1880 to 1881, and regent from 1881 to 1891 was faced with three serious problems of administration during his term of ofiice, student government. fraternities, and finances. He solved the financial problem by securing the first appropriations from the state in 1881 to assist in the payment of instruction. He sponsored the change in name of the L'niversity from the Illinois Industrial L'niversity to the L'niversity of Illinois in 1885. He moved the State Laboratory of Natural History and the State Entomologist to the University in the same year, he founded the agricultural Experiment Station in 1888. Regent Peabody, an engineer himself, com- pleted the move to make the new L'niversity a satis- faction to the state as a technical school. It remained for Acting Regent Thoiuas jonathan Burrill who served in this capacity from 1891 to 189-1 to solve the problems of student government and fra- ternities. During this period, the Graduate School was established in 1802 and the Suiniuer School in .f - 231 1.1 . llli I , u r. ,. 11.44 77 I I' 3. -if has .i- BUILDING Tm: UNIVERSIIY

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.-XR'l'llL'R CL l I5 U ll,l..XRl7 l RINllll'Xl. LVXIXIRNIIX ini lilixnlx .-Xrtliur CIIIES U'ill.iril um. cluutcd wxcntli prcsnlcnr ul' thc Uiiivcrbity' uf Illinois lip' rliu lhmril of lirustccs on Nlnrcli 13, 1934, nnil nssunicil thc prcxiiluncy in Alnly nf rlizir year. llc has lvccn 11 nicnilrur of thu Lhixcrsity faculty since WI 5. cunning hcrc as gissixmilr prnfcswi' nf ln-.ning .inil Yciirilgitinii in rlxc llc- pairtnicnt of .lluclinnicnl l'i,I1g'lllL'L'I'lllg. lfunr ycnrx l.itur lic xmx inziilc 11 full prufcssur null in 1020 uns nnlnul liciul nf rlic dCP1ll'IIllCI1l'. Ninn: lnontlis prcviuus tu his clccrmn .is pruxiilunr. lic lmd lmucn lllklkltf Acting Dunn of thu: Cullcgc of llI1g'lI1CL'I'll1g. Dr. Xylllxlfkl wan lurrn in Ufisliiiigruii, ll.C., ninil iittcnilcil thc Central High Sclmul tlwrc. llc stnilicil in tliu N.iriun.il College of l-'Iiarnuicy fur unc ycnr nnil than cntcrcal rlic Unwi- cliusutts Institute uf 'I'ccliimlugY. faking gi ullcinicnl cnginccrlng cunrw .nhl I'L'L'L'lXlIlgl Ins lliclii-liwr uf Bclcncc .li-pix-u in l'JIl-l. lfullmxing gF.hlll.lIlliIl frmii Xl.l.l'. lic muglmr fur uni' yizir .ir rlic iQ.1l1l'1rrni.i Plclwul lui' XlCk'll.llllC.ll Xiu II! Sin l-'r.iln'isui .mil fur rlircc ycniix in flu-rgu XY.iNI11l1gtm1 LlIllXL'l'Nlfj in thc n.nwn.il c.ipit.il. lliu fuur yizirx prucuiliiip liix utinxfur rw lllxnfnx lic xi-rxm-il thc l'nncil 5l.iri-N XX .ir lk-p.irununr .ix Sini- r.1ry .inil llunring' l'illg'lllL'L'l'. Illrcu llHINlI'.ll'f' ilucnfiw' nlugruux lun- lm-un uviitl-rim'-l upon Prcxnlclir lYill.ir.l: lluurni' ul I7rigim'ci'iiig ln rlic lI.iw Sclnuvl uf ,Xppliuil Sciunuc, llnrmi' uf l..1xu lay llcurgu Xlfislixiigrzm Llnixursity, .mal .llw mln- lliwrnr ul. l,.1xu ln Nurrliui-xri-rn Lhixcrxiry, Il

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Diuoixax. jgmycriu' Bciiiusc. Usiviizsiivl-1.111 T E .,-..-1-' 5-51, ,...- J, 4x7 .Sf C' ..-f-X. wr 189-1. Acting Regent l3urrill's lirief administration w as marked as an era of improvement in internal feeling. Andrew Sloan Draper, president from 189-1 to 1911-1. was the chief administrator of thc L'niversity in the period which saw it change from a teclmical school to a true L'niversity'. Great changes in internal organi- zation, in liusiness practices and educational plans were adopted, many' of which stand to this day. Numerous Colleges and Schools were organized: the Seliool of Law in 1896 lhecoming the College of l.aw in 1911111, the School of Xlusic in 1897, the School of Pharmacy in 1896. the College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1891 the Ialirary School in 1897, the School of Den- tistry' in 19111. and the Engineering lfxperiment Station in 19113. Ifnrollments grew, liuildings were con- structed. and under President Draper. the L'nivcrsity of lllinois was hrst recognized as one of the great universities of America, President lfdmund .lanes james. who served from 1911-1 to 19211 continued the great worlt uf President Draper. in assemliling a distinguished faculty. his ad- ministration was characterized hy the emphasis on great teaching and high academic ideals. ln 1913. the College of Literature and Arts. and College of Sciences were united to form the College of Lilieral ,-Xrts and Sciences. The School of lfducation, established in 19115 was made a College in 1918, the College of Commerce and Business :Xdministration was estalilished in 1915g the State Surveys on the campus were united into the State Natural History Sui'vey in 191'. President David Kinley. acting president from 1919 to 19211 and president from 19211 to 19311. carried the work of his two predecessors to a logical conclusion. 1Yhere President Draper had perhaps centered his work on internal organization and administration. President james had emphasized academic ideal and the liuilding of a great faculty, President Kinley con- tinued these two activities and in addition sealed sound relationships with the oHieials and people of the State. An extensive building program was carried on. and the deeade was one of great confidence in the L'niversity. QA President Harry 1Yoodl1urn Chase. serving from 19311 to 1933. saw the addition of three units: the College of lfine and Applied Arts in 19?-1, the School of Physical lfducation in 1932. and the lfvtension Di- vision in 1933g the School of journalism was estalw- lished in 192f under President liinley. During the administration of President Chase. the L'niversity undertook a vast program of self examination which resulted in marlted administrative changes. .Xcting President .Xrthur Il. Daniels served for one year from 1933 to 1934. as the interim chief administra- tor lietw een the aduiinistrations of President Chase and President 1Yillard. President Daniels had served on the faculty' under four presidents. and for many years was dean of the Graduate School, President pXrtliur Cutts 1Yillard. elected in 19?-1 and the present president of the L'niversity'. an internation- ally' famous engineer liefore his election as president. has continued the distinguished work of the Presidents who have preceded him. He has already seen the L'iiiversity grow to its greatest enrollment of students and faculty. Under his administration. the three col- leges of the L'nivcrsity' in Chicago. Xledicine. Dentistry. and Pharmacy have reached new standards of organi- zation and professional recognition. Research and in- ternal organilatiou have progressed. Perhaps the out- standing' worlt of President 1Yillard to date has lieen a liuilding program which has reached every phase of student life and which has included the new lllini Union lluilding. touching the social life of the student, the Residence Halls for Klen meeting' living needs. the addition In Xlcliinley' ldospitill for lietter health facili- ties. Gregory Hall. a new classroom liuilding. an ad- dition to the lilrrary. a new pow er plant which services the University in its operation. and the new Xatural Resources liuilding which deals in research and state services, At present his duties are centered in direct- ing the activities of the L'niversity' to malte the great- est possihle contriliution to the nation in its emergency. --lfiufn ll. 'ltitsifit 23