Timeline | 150 Engage Illinois

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Colleges & Schools

May 13, 1850

Nov 18, 1851

Feb 08, 1853

Dec 14, 1857

Jan 01, 1860

Jul 02, 1862

Dec 04, 1865

Feb 28, 1867

Mar 12, 1867

Mar 02, 1868

Mar 03, 1868

Jan 01, 1870

Jan 05, 1870

Mar 09, 1870

Jan 05, 1871

Jul 01, 1871

Jan 01, 1872

Jan 02, 1872

Jan 01, 1874

Jan 03, 1874

Jan 01, 1875

Jun 09, 1875

Jan 01, 1876

Sep 13, 1876

Jan 01, 1878

Jan 03, 1878

Feb 18, 1878

Jan 01, 1879

Jan 02, 1885

Jun 19, 1885

Mar 02, 1887

Jan 01, 1892

Jul 01, 1892

Jan 01, 1893

Jan 03, 1893

Jan 01, 1894

Jan 01, 1895

Jan 02, 1895

Jan 03, 1895

Jan 01, 1896

Jan 03, 1896

Feb 08, 1896

Sep 19, 1896

Nov 01, 1896

Oct 19, 1898

Mar 02, 1899

Mar 13, 1900

Sep 01, 1900

Jan 01, 1901

Jan 02, 1901

Jul 06, 1901

Sep 19, 1901

Jan 01, 1902

Jan 02, 1902

Jan 03, 1902

Jan 01, 1903

Aug 01, 1905

Jan 01, 1906

Jan 20, 1906

Jun 01, 1907

Jan 01, 1910

Jan 02, 1910

Jul 01, 1910

Oct 10, 1910

Jan 01, 1911

Mar 08, 1911

Apr 22, 1911

Jan 01, 1913

Jan 02, 1913

Jan 03, 1913

Apr 16, 1913

May 08, 1914

Jan 01, 1915

Jun 21, 1916

Sep 24, 1916

Jan 01, 1917

Jan 01, 1918

Jun 08, 1918

Jan 01, 1919

Jan 02, 1919

Jan 03, 1919

Jan 04, 1919

Sep 01, 1919

Jan 01, 1920

Jan 02, 1920

Jan 03, 1920

Oct 30, 1920

Jan 01, 1921

Jan 02, 1921

Oct 01, 1921

Jun 09, 1922

Jan 01, 1923

Jan 02, 1923

Nov 03, 1923

Dec 09, 1923

Jan 01, 1924

Jan 02, 1924

Jan 03, 1924

Jun 06, 1924

Oct 18, 1924

Jan 01, 1926

Jan 01, 1927

Sep 19, 1927

Jun 11, 1929

Jan 01, 1931

Jan 02, 1931

Jan 03, 1931

Jan 01, 1933

May 27, 1933

Jan 02, 1934

Jan 03, 1934

Jan 01, 1935

Oct 15, 1935

Jan 01, 1936

May 27, 1937

Jan 01, 1938

Jan 02, 1938

Jan 03, 1938

Jan 05, 1938

Jan 01, 1940

Jul 17, 1940

Jan 01, 1941

Jan 02, 1941

Feb 08, 1941

Dec 17, 1941

Jan 01, 1942

Jan 02, 1942

Jan 03, 1942

Jan 01, 1944

Jan 01, 1946

Jan 02, 1946

Jan 02, 1947

Jan 05, 1947

Jan 06, 1947

Dec 01, 1947

Jan 01, 1948

Jan 02, 1948

Jan 03, 1948

Jan 05, 1948

Oct 01, 1948

Jan 01, 1949

Jan 02, 1949

Jan 03, 1949

Jan 01, 1950

Jan 03, 1950

Nov 02, 1950

Jan 01, 1951

Jan 02, 1951

Jan 03, 1951

Jan 04, 1951

Nov 01, 1951

Jan 01, 1952

Sep 22, 1952

Nov 01, 1952

Jan 01, 1953

Apr 09, 1953

Jan 01, 1954

Jan 01, 1955

Jan 01, 1956

Oct 09, 1956

Jan 01, 1957

Jan 02, 1957

Jan 03, 1957

Jan 04, 1957

Jan 05, 1957

Jan 01, 1958

Jan 02, 1958

Jan 03, 1958

Mar 21, 1958

Sep 12, 1958

Jan 02, 1959

Jan 03, 1959

Jan 05, 1959

Aug 16, 1959

Jan 01, 1960

Jan 02, 1960

Jan 03, 1960

Jan 04, 1960

Jun 06, 1960

Nov 01, 1960

Jan 01, 1961

May 20, 1961

Jan 01, 1962

Jan 02, 1962

Jan 03, 1962

Jan 04, 1962

Jan 05, 1962

Jan 06, 1962

Jan 07, 1962

Jan 01, 1963

Jan 02, 1963

Jan 03, 1963

Jan 04, 1963

Mar 04, 1963

Jan 01, 1964

Jan 02, 1964

Jan 03, 1964

Jan 05, 1964

Jan 06, 1964

Jan 01, 1965

Jan 02, 1965

Jan 03, 1965

Jan 01, 1966

Jan 01, 1967

Jan 01, 1968

Jan 02, 1968

Jan 03, 1968

Jan 04, 1968

Apr 01, 1969

Apr 19, 1969

Jul 20, 1969

Sep 01, 1969

Jan 01, 1970

Jan 02, 1970

Jan 01, 1971

Jan 02, 1971

Jan 03, 1971

May 05, 1971

Sep 01, 1971

Feb 01, 1972

Oct 09, 1972

Jan 01, 1973

Feb 01, 1973

Jan 01, 1974

Jan 01, 1975

Jan 02, 1975

Jan 03, 1975

Feb 01, 1976

Jan 02, 1977

Jan 03, 1977

Jan 04, 1977

May 01, 1977

Nov 01, 1977

Jan 01, 1979

Jan 02, 1980

Jan 03, 1980

Jan 04, 1980

Jan 01, 1981

Jan 01, 1982

Feb 01, 1982

Jan 01, 1983

Jan 01, 1985

Sep 07, 1985

Jan 01, 1986

Jan 15, 1986

Aug 15, 1986

Oct 10, 1986

Jan 02, 1987

Feb 01, 1987

Feb 25, 1987

Jan 01, 1988

Jan 01, 1989

Jan 02, 1989

Feb 01, 1989

Feb 02, 1989

Apr 01, 1989

Apr 07, 1989

Dec 20, 1989

Jan 01, 1990

Jul 24, 1990

Jan 01, 1991

Jan 01, 1992

Jan 02, 1992

Jan 03, 1992

Jan 04, 1992

Jan 05, 1992

Feb 01, 1992

Jan 01, 1993

Jan 23, 1993

Apr 01, 1993

Jan 01, 1994

Jan 02, 1994

Jan 03, 1994

Feb 01, 1994

Feb 02, 1994

May 01, 1994

Jul 07, 1994

Jan 01, 1995

Jan 02, 1995

Jan 03, 1995

Feb 01, 1995

Feb 02, 1995

Jan 01, 1996

Jan 02, 1996

Jan 03, 1996

Jan 04, 1996

Sep 02, 1996

Sep 03, 1996

May 27, 1997

Jun 09, 1997

Jan 01, 1998

Jan 02, 1998

Jul 01, 1999

Jan 01, 2000

Jan 02, 2000

Sep 01, 2000

Jan 01, 2001

Jan 02, 2001

Jan 03, 2001

Jan 01, 2002

Jan 06, 2002

Jan 01, 2003

Jan 02, 2003

Feb 01, 2003

May 26, 2003

Jun 01, 2003

Oct 01, 2003

Jan 01, 2004

Jan 02, 2004

Jan 03, 2004

Jan 04, 2004

Feb 01, 2004

Feb 02, 2004

Feb 03, 2004

Feb 04, 2004

Mar 01, 2004

Jan 01, 2005

Feb 01, 2005

Apr 04, 2005

Jan 01, 2006

Jan 02, 2006

Jan 03, 2006

Jan 04, 2006

Jan 05, 2006

Jan 06, 2006

Jan 07, 2006

Dec 01, 2006

Jan 01, 2007

Mar 02, 2007

Mar 29, 2007

Oct 11, 2007

Nov 11, 2007

Jan 01, 2008

Jan 02, 2008

Jan 03, 2008

Jan 04, 2008

Jan 28, 2008

Aug 21, 2008

Aug 27, 2008

Sep 29, 2008

Jan 01, 2009

Jan 02, 2009

Jan 03, 2009

Oct 05, 2009

Jan 01, 2010

Jan 02, 2010

Jan 03, 2010

Jan 04, 2010

Jan 05, 2010

Apr 09, 2010

Jun 01, 2010

Aug 20, 2010

Jan 01, 2011

Jan 02, 2011

Sep 01, 2011

Oct 12, 2011

Jan 01, 2012

Jan 02, 2012

Jan 03, 2012

Jan 04, 2012

Feb 20, 2012

Mar 28, 2012

Apr 18, 2012

Aug 01, 2012

Aug 22, 2012

Jan 01, 2013

Jan 03, 2013

Mar 25, 2013

Mar 28, 2013

May 02, 2013

Aug 30, 2013

Jan 01, 2014

Jan 02, 2014

Aug 01, 2014

Oct 23, 2014

Nov 14, 2014

Nov 20, 2014

Dec 18, 2014

Jan 01, 2015

Jan 02, 2015

Jan 03, 2015

Jan 20, 2015

Apr 26, 2015

Aug 16, 2015

Sep 30, 2015

Oct 02, 2015

Feb 08, 2016

Feb 11, 2016

Mar 07, 2016

Jun 15, 2016

Sep 01, 2016

Apr 11, 2017

May 03, 2017

Jul 01, 2017

Jul 15, 2017

Sep 01, 2017

1850

Jonathan Baldwin Turner, Professor at Illinois College in Jacksonville, first proposed “A Plan for a State University for the Industrial Classes” at a meeting of the Illinois Teachers Institute on May 13, 1850, at Griggsville, Illinois. He proposed not only the foundation of a state university for the agricultural and industrial classes in Illinois, but a system in all the states of the union.

1851

At Jonathan Baldwin Turner’s urging, the farmers’ convention in Granville, Illinois on November 18, 1851, passed a resolution to the Illinois General Assembly for the creation of a state university. A second farmers’ convention in Springfield on June 8, 1852, sent a resolution to the Illinois legislature calling for “an appropriation of public lands for each State in the Union for the appropriate endowment of universities for the liberal education of the industrial classes in their several pursuits in each State of the Union.”

1853

The State Industrial Universities Plan was chartered by the Illinois General Assembly on February 8, 1853, petitioning Congress for the establishment of national land-grants to create a system of state universities. On November 24, 1853, the Industrial League of the State of Illinois was chartered to promote the interests of the industrial classes, most notably the plan for an industrial university. The resolution of the Illinois General Assembly was introduced in the U.S. Congress on March 20, 1854, to create a system of land grant universities to cooperate with each other and with the Smithsonian Institution at Washington.

1857

A new member of the House of Representatives from one of the more populous eastern states, Justin Smith Morrill of Vermont, was entrusted by Jonathan Baldwin Turner of Illinois and other leading advocates to sponsor a bill in the U.S. Congress to establish a system of state land-grant universities, which was first introduced on December 14, 1857.

1860

During the 1860 Presidential campaign, both leading candidates, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, pledged to Jonathan Baldwin Turner to sign Morrill’s land-grant universities bill if elected.

1862

President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act of 1862 on July 2, 1862, an “Act donating Public Lands to the several States and Territories which may provide Colleges for the Benefit of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts.”

1865

An Industrial University Convention, called by the State Agricultural Society, was held in Bloomington on December 4, 1865, proposing to the Illinois General Assembly that a single university should be established in Illinois in accordance with the Morrill Act and first proposed a location in Champaign County.

1867

A bill passed the Illinois General Assembly on February 25, 1867, authorizing the creation of an Illinois Industrial University. On February 28, 1867, Governor Richard J. Oglesby signed the Griggs Bill into effect, granting the Illinois Industrial University its charter. After an official commission received bids from four counties, the communities of Champaign and Urbana in Champaign County were chosen by an act of the Illinois General Assembly on March 8, 1867. The decision alienated some of the original supporters of the movement, including Professor Turner. On Tuesday, March 12, 1867, the Board of Trustees of the Illinois Industrial University met for the first time, electing John Milton Gregory as the first Regent of the University. Gregory developed plans that included departments of Agriculture, Polytechnic, Military, Chemical and Natural Sciences, General Sciences and Literature, and Trade and Commerce.

1867

John Milton Gregory is elected first regent of the university.

James Newton Matthews, 1872. Credit University Archives.

1868

The Illinois Industrial University opened its doors on March 2, 1868, with three faculty members. The first student, James Newton Matthews of Mason, Illinois, enrolled in agriculture, later earning a medical degree and practicing medicine.On March 11, 1868, Willard Flagg Bliss was named the first professor of agriculture.

1868

The Illinois Industrial University opens with a Department of Trade and Commerce, which offers core commerce classes including bookkeeping, partnership and business affairs, banking, and insurance. The department is headed by Captain Edward Snyder.

1868

On March 3, 1868 the first math class (algebra/geometry) was taught by Regent James Milton Gregory (Gregory was elected Regent at the Board of Trustees first meeting on March 12, 1867)

First engineering curriculum to include both science-based lectures and experimental laboratory practice

1870

Stillman Williams Robinson, the University of Illinois' first professor in the Polytechnic Department (which would later become the College of Engineering), institutes one of the nation's first engineering curricula to include both science-based lectures and experimental laboratory practice.

Mumford House, 1889. Credit University Archives.

1870

A model farm house was constructed on the campus experiment station and came to be known as Mumford House. Professor Thomas J. Burrill was the first resident, and the house was later occupied by three deans of agriculture, George E. Morrow, Eugene Davenport, and Herbert W. Mumford. It is the oldest remaining structure on the University of Illinois campus and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Thomas Jonathan Burrill, ca. 1875. Credit University Archives.

1870

Thomas J. Burrill was an early professor of botany and applied plant sciences during the nascent stages of development for these disciplines in North America. Burrill was known nationally and abroad for his work in botany and applied plant sciences including tree cultivation and management. His original research was on the bacterial causes for plant and fruit disease, and it led to the development of preventative treatment methods, the first major conceptual advance by an American in the developing field of plant pathology. Burrill served as University of Illinois President from 1891 to 1894.

Early forestry research and teaching in North America

1871

In 1871 pioneering research on the culture and use of trees in Illinois for economic benefit was instituted with the establishment of an experimental plantation (formerly The forestry, with remaining portion now called the Illini Grove) that predates the more famous Morrow Plots, the first agricultural experimental fields in North America. Also in 1871 the earliest forestry course to be offered in the United States was initiated by Thomas Jay Burrill, a pioneer in the developing field of plant pathology.

1871

At a convention in Chicago of 12 state colleges called the Friends of Agricultural Education, W.C. Flagg proposed the founding of agricultural experiment stations as adjuncts to the state land-grant universities. Mr. Flagg was a prominent agricultural and political leader and a trustee of the Illinois Industrial University from its founding until his death in 1878.

1872

Nathan Clifford Ricker claimed to have received a great practical training by apprenticing for a Chicago architect shortly after the Great Fire. In 1872, he brought practical knowledge to the UI where he taught perhaps the first course in the nation in graphic statistics. Ricker was a pioneer in advanced structural design. His work contributed to the rise of the steel- skeleton skyscrapers that changed the face of the American city.

1872

The first certificate in agriculture was granted by the Illinois Industrial University.

1874

The school of Commerce is listed as an additional school apart from the College of Literature and Arts. Fernando A. Parsons replaces Edward Snyder as Instructor of Bookkeeping.

1874

Louisa Catherine Allen Gregory taught women in the School of Domestic Science and Art, opening up the opportunity for women to learn at the collegiate level.

1875

University Fine Arts Gallery (the predecessor to Krannert Art Museum), housed in University Hall on the Champaign-Urbana campus of the University of Illinois, opens to the public to present the art collections of the university formed by John Milton Gregory, who served as its first regent from 1867 to 1880.

1875

Professor Manly Miles, considered the nation’s foremost professor of agriculture, came to Illinois from the Michigan Agricultural College (later Michigan State University) on June 9, 1875.

1876

Second oldest class memorial resides directly in front of Altgeld Hall, a boulder inscribed Class of 76 from the class of 1876.

1876

Professor Manly Miles planted three half-acre experimental plots, which were later incorporated into the famous Morrow Plots. The Morrow Plots became the first continuous experiment in crop rotation in the United States.

1878

The first sixteen master’s degrees were awarded in 1878. These earliest master’s degrees were awarded to people who took additional undergrad-level courses beyond the requirements for the undergrad degree. These degrees were often awarded to faculty. There was an ongoing debate throughout the late 19th century about what constituted graduate work. Two different systems emerged. The first, residential graduate students, required one year of advanced study and submission of a thesis. The second required a period of professional activity – typically 3 years.

Clock for a tower at University Hall funded

1878

Students fund a clock for a tower of University Hall as a class memorial. The clock cost $300 and is now lodged in the north cupola of the Illini Union.

1878

On February 18, 1878, the senior professor of each college was appointed Dean, and as the sole Professor of Agriculture, George E. Morrow became the first Dean of the College of Agriculture.

1879

Professor George Espy Morrow laid out 10 half-acre experimental plots according to the Rothamstedplan in England, incorporating Manly Miles’ original plots. The plots are named after Professor Morrow, who was the first Dean of the College of Agriculture.

1885

Stephen A. Forbes joined the University of Illinois as professor of zoology and entomology, whose work was a forerunner to the science of ecology.

1885

Illinois Industrial University is renamed the University of Illinois. On this day, the State Assembly recognized the university’s change of name from Illinois Industrial University to the University of Illinois.

1887

The Hatch Act passed the Congress and was signed into law, enabling the creation of state agricultural experiment stations by the appropriation of funds for agricultural research to the various land-grant universities.

1892

In 1892, the Graduate School was established to ensure the high quality of graduate degree programs and to provide fellowship support for enterprising students who sought advanced degrees. To do this, the Graduate School was charged with overseeing degree requirements for advanced study and providing administrative structure. The first fellowships for graduate study included an annual stipend of $400. Four fellowships were awarded in 1892. These were awarded to Alice May Barber, Herman S. Piatt, Howard W. Woodworth, Mrs. Lucile Hall Parr. The Graduate School was formally inaugurated in 1907. Forty years later, the name was changed to the Graduate College. Today the Graduate College has oversight for 156 master’s programs and 91 doctoral programs in a wide range of disciplines.

1892

The forerunner of the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA), the University of Illinois Athletic Association, was chartered in 1892 as a not-for-profit corporation of the State of Illinois. It was charged with overseeing and conducting the University's intercollegiate athletics programs and associated support services, and operated as as separate entity.

1893

The library science program at the Armour Institute of Technology in Chicago was founded in 1893. From 1893 to 1907, Katharine Lucinda Sharp served as University librarian and founding director of the Department of Library Science, as recommended by American librarian, educator, and inventor of the Dewey Decimal system, Melvil Dewey. In 1897, the Department of Library Science was moved to Urbana and renamed the Illinois State Library School.

1893

Psychology at Illinois has had a long and distinguished history. The first record of a professor of psychology on campus is 1890. There was no separate Psychology Department at that time, but Dr. Charles De Garmo taught educational psychology and mental science under the Department of Philosophy and Pedagogy. A Psychological Laboratory was first established on campus in 1892 by Professor William O. Krohn. The following year the Psychology Department was established as a separate department from Philosophy with Professor Krohn in charge.

1894

The Board of Trustees announce doctoral degrees for candidates who demonstrate aptitude for independent research and original thought, and who produce a thesis that makes a contribution to existing knowledge.

Eugene Davenport, ca. February 1914. Credit University Archives.

1895

Eugene Davenport succeeded George Morrow as the dean of the College of Agriculture on January 1, 1895. The Illinois Farmers’ Institute was created by an act of the General Assembly on June 24, 1895, to promote among the people and before the legislature the interests of farmers and of the College of Agriculture.

Arthur Palmer ca. 1890. Credit University Archives.

1895

The Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) was founded as a part of the University of Illinois Chemistry Department in 1895 to survey the waters of Illinois to trace the spread of water-borne diseases. Chemical analyses of water samples were performed by Professor Arthur W. Palmer. Realizing the importance of clean drinking water, Palmer set initial survey goals of determining sanitary conditions of the state's water supplies and setting local standards of purity. He then recommended that the scope of the work be expanded, and the Illinois General Assembly provided funding to establish the State Water Survey as an institution.

1895

The Economics Department is founded under the guidance of David Kinley, whose distinguished 35-year career also includes serving as Director of The Courses of Training for Business, as Dean of the Graduate School, and as the University President.

Women compete in basketball nine years before men

1896

Students in the Physical Training for Women program played Illinois Wesleyan University in a basketball game that packed the stands of the Women's Gymnasium. Illinois won, 28 to 14. The game took place nine years before men began to compete in basketball at Illinois.

1896

The first off-campus experimental agronomy field site was established near Edgewood, Illinois in Effingham County to study the effects of green manures and soil treatments on light colored, acid soils.

1896

Originally known as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives, seven universities (Chicago, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin) were charter members of what would become the Big Ten Conference.

1896

Library Hall, designed by Nathan Ricker and James McLaren White, building begins. The cornerstone of this important building was laid on September 18, 1896, complete with a time capsule. Library Hall served as the University Library from 1897-1927.

1896

The U of I Observatory is completed and makes its first observations. Public open houses begin the following year.

1898

Monument for the first University of Illinois President (1867-1880), John Milton Gregory (died Oct 19, 1898). Grave is located between Altgeld Hall and Henry Administration Building.

Eugene Davenport, May 1913. Credit University Archives

1899

Dean Eugene Davenport mobilized the state’s agricultural interests to put the College of Agriculture on firm footing with a $150,000 appropriation for a building. The Funk Bill, promising more funding and an appropriation for the agricultural building, was passed against the wishes of President Draper. In 1900, the construction of a new College of Agriculture Building, later renamed Davenport Hall, contributed to the growth and expansion of the College.

1900

On March 13, 1900, the trustees voted to establish a department of domestic science in the College of Agriculture. Isabel Bevier, who was appointed as professor of household science, organized the curriculum and became a nationally influential academic figure in the field of home economics.

Soil samples taken at the Morrow Plots, April 1904. Credit University Archives.

1900

Cyril George Hopkins became head of the Department of Agronomy, and his groundbreaking corn breeding work improved the chemistry of the corn kernel. He later launched the Illinois System of Permanent Soil Fertility and determined that phosphate, limestone, and organic matter are needed for soil health, as is the annual rotation among crops.

1901

The Department of Physical Training was established in 1895 with George Huff taking the reins as director in 1901. This department eventually evolves into the College of Physical Education, and later, the College of Applied Health Sciences.

1901

The Department of Chemical Engineering (now Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering) was founded in 1901 by Samuel Parr. It is one of the oldest chemical engineering departments in the nation. Parr developed standard methods for measuring the quality of coal and invented the Parr calorimeter, which is still used today for measuring the heating value of fuels.

Board of Trustees purchase squirrels for campus

1901

On July 6, 1901 the Board of Trustees approved the expenditure of $250 to purchase squirrels for campus. In the recommendation in referring to why the campus needed squirrels it says 'If successful, the influence upon University life, and upon the feelings of students, would be considerable, and students would carry that influence to all parts of the State.'

Herbert W. Mumford, July 1912. Credit University Archives.

1901

Herbert Mumford joined the University of Illinois as head of the Department of Animal Husbandry, and he organized the department into divisions for each species of livestock and for nutrition, genetics, and extension, serving as a model for many other colleges.

Accounting, Business, and Business English Curricula Created

1902

The first Accounting course is offered as part of the Economics curriculum, taught by the Comptroller of the University and other accountants in that office. An organized program of business is reborn as The Courses of Training for Business with David Kinley acting as Director, and the university begins offering the first college-level courses in Business English.

Joseph Blair Leads Horticulture Department

1902

Joseph Blair becomes a professor of pomology (study of fruit) and the head of the Department of Horticulture. He goes on to establish one of the nation’s most advanced programs for landscape architecture.

1902

Illinois' Chemistry Building opened as the largest single chemical laboratory in the world, and the first interdisciplinary research institute in chemistry. Over the next century, eight Nobel laureates receive their training there. In 1939, it was renamed in honor of William Albert Noyes, a legendary professor of organic chemistry and head of the Department of Chemistry from 1907 to 1926.

1903

The University is granted authority to provide the examination, grading, and certification of public accountants.

1903

The first mathematics PhD was granted in 1903 to Henry Livingston Coar. His dissertation was titled Functions of Three Real Variables.

1905

In 1905, the School of Education is organized under the College of Liberal Arts. Education courses were formerly offered by the College of Science. The school was designed to prepare high school teachers, supervisors of special subjects, and school superintendents.

Natural History Building, 1903. Credit University Archives.

1906

Mathematics Departmental Library was opened in 1906 and was housed in the Natural History Building. A complete set of Crelles Journal of Mathematics was the first major addition to the math library.

1906

Wilbur John Fraser holds a meeting to enhance research cooperation among top dairy scientists, leading to the creation of the American Dairy Science Association.

1906

The men’s basketball team played Indiana in their first intercollegiate game. Illinois won 27-24.

Astronomer Joel Stebbins makes his first observations at the Observatory using a electricity based selenium cell photometer.

1907

Professor of Astronomy and Director of the University Joel Stebbins, working with Professor of Physics Fay C. Brown, uses selenium-based photoelectric cells to measure the brightness of the moon--the first time in America that electricity is used to measure astronomical brightness.

1910

Herbert Mumford publishes the nation’s first research on marketing an agricultural product and begins research on the management and organization of farming, leading to the Department of Agricultural Economics.

1910

In 1910, Elizabeth Ruth Bennett became the first female to receive a mathematics PhD from the University of Illinois. Her thesis was titled “Primitive groups of degree 20,” written under the direction of G.A. Miller. The Elizabeth R. Bennett Scholarship in Mathematics at the University of Illinois was established in 1974 for undergraduate mathematics major students by Elizabeth Bennett’s bequest. Bennett Scholarships are still being given to this day.

1910

William C. Bagley replaced Stephen Sheldon Colvin to become the second director of the School of Education from 1910-1917. Under Bagley's leadership, the school becomes nationally recognized for its research.

Illinois defeats Chicago, 3-0, during first Homecoming weekend.

1910

The first U of I Homecoming celebration was conceived in 1909 by students C.F. Williams and Elmer Ekblaw, members of the Shield and Trident senior society. The center of the three-day celebration was the Illinois-Chicago football game on Oct. 15, 1910. More than 1,500 graduates returned to Champaign-Urbana at the original Homecoming--one-third of all graduates at the time. Illinois defeated Chicago 3-0 on a drop-kick by Otto Seiler.

1911

Edgar Townsend, Head, Department of Mathematics 1905-1928, orders a complete set of German geometric models. Professor Arnold Emch joins University of Illinois faculty. He makes math models still on display in Altgeld Hall, along with the German models purchased by Townsend.

1911

On this date the alpha chapter of Kappa Delta Pi was founded by the University of Illinois Education club. There are currently more than 550 KDP chapters on college campuses worldwide.

1911

Illinois wins its first Big Ten gymnastics championship.

1913

Illinois becomes one of three charter members of Beta Gamma Sigma, the international business honorary society.

1913

The Commerce Building, later expanded and renamed the D. Dodds Henry Administration Building, opens for classes.

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences created

1913

After years of debate, the College of Science and the College of Literature and Arts merged to form the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, with a total enrollment of almost 1,400.

1913

On April 16, the Epsilon chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi is founded, becoming the first professional business fraternity at the university.

1914

Congress passes the Smith-Lever Act, creating cooperation between land-grant institutions and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The extension program advises farmers and community members about farming and home economics.

1915

The Board of Trustees approves David Kinley’s request to form a separate business college administrative unit. The College of Commerce opens with 581 students and 22 faculty members teaching in three departments: Economics, Business Organization and Operation, and Transportation. Nathan A. Weston, Professor of Economics, becomes Acting Dean of the College. Enrollment in the College nearly triples in its first five years.

1916

Considered the beginning of University Housing. The speech at the event by President Edmund James is also why we never call our residence halls 'dorms.' President James says, 'I wish we might all agree, the members of the staff, the people of the community, and so on, to refer to this building as the Residence Hall for Women, and not the dormitory. The word dormitory is used to describe so many sleeping accommodations that are more like a ten-cent-a-night hotel that I should hate to have it applied to a building like this.'

1916

Plans for a new School of Education building were announced in September 1916. Located on the corner of Springfield and Mathews avenues, the building's design was described as "collegiate Gothic." Today the building is known as University Laboratory High School.

1917

A program in Commerce and Law is established in the College of Commerce.

Women-only Commercial Fraternity Founded

1918

Women in the College of Commerce establish the alpha chapter of Gamma Epsilon Pi, a women-only honorary commercial fraternity. Later, during the 1920s, the College also has a professional women’s organization known as Commercia.

1918

The University of Illinois Press was formally established in 1918, although prior to that time several monographs bore the imprint University Studies. The Press's initial publications in 1918 were a history of the first half-century of the University of Illinois and a study of Abraham Lincoln.

Astronomer Joel Stebbins and physicist Jakub Kunz make the first photoelectric measurements of a total solar eclipse.

1918

Astronomer Joel Stebbins and physicist Jacob Kunz make the first photoelectric measurements of a total solar eclipse during an expedition to Wyoming.

Saunders is first woman to head a department of Business English

1919

Alta Gwinn Saunders is the first woman to join the faculty in the College of Commerce. At the time, she is also distinguished as the first woman to head a department of Business English at any university.

Charles M. Thompson becomes Dean of Commerce

1919

Charles M. Thompson, an economist with a PhD in history from the University of Illinois, begins his 23-year tenure as the Dean of the College.

1919

H. T. Scovill and A. C. Littleton co-found the University of Illinois chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, the International Honor Organization for Financial Information Students and Professionals.

1919

The Foreign Trade Club is founded as a student organization sponsored by Economics Professor Simon Litman. The organization includes a diverse member base representing several nations and cultures.

Bureau of Educational Research Established

1919

The Bureau of Educational Research was established to disperse educational research and contribute to the improvement of education statewide. It continues to be an important unit in assisting the college in obtaining grants, training working professionals, and aiding academics in their scholarly pursuits.

1920

The pioneering work of W.L. Burlison, C.M. Woodworth, and J.C. Hackleman helped Illinois-grown soybeans rise to national recognition.

1920

Beginning as an instructor in 1920, Carl Shipp “Speed” Marvel pioneered polymer plastics technology and trained polymer chemists who would go on to develop products like nylon, neoprene and Mylar. Marvel helped to develop synthetic rubber first used during World War II and later used in such products as automobile tires and plastic wrap. He also helped to develop a material used in flame-repellant suits worn by astronauts.

1920

George Halas (Civil Engingeering BS 1918) took control of the Decatur Staleys football team in 1920, moved them to Chicago and, in 1922, renamed the team 'Chicago Bears.' Halas is considered one of the founders of the NFL.

1920

The Senior Memorial Chime was installed in the Library Hall (now Altgeld Hall) tower in 1920. The chime was a gift of the classes of 1914-1921. The small room at the base of the tower was converted into the chime playing room, housing the playing and practice consoles, still in use today. In 1921 the automatic chime mechanism, controlled by a Seth Thomas clock, a gift of the Class of 1922, was installed in a small room on the roof of the playing room. The chimes were dedicated on homecoming weekend October 30, 1920.

1921

The College of Commerce begins publishing its own magazine, The Enterpriser.

1921

The Bureau of Business Research is established to study problems 'of statewide importance'. It also maintained a Division of Information to help business workers in Illinois.

University High School main entrance, ca. 1955. Credit University Archives.

1921

This teaching laboratory of the College of Education provides a space for young people to be innovative, creative, and exploratory.

1922

Joseph Tykosinki-Tykociner arrived at the University of Illinois in 1921. By March 1922, he had finally created his first talkie, and his demonstration depicted Tykociner's wife, Helena, ringing a bell and saying, "I will ring," after which she asked the audience, "Did you hear the bell ring?" On June 9, 1922, Professor Tykociner gave the first-ever demonstration of sound on film in the Physics Building on the Illinois campus. Tykociner had produced what is called a variable density soundtrack along one side of the same film that records the picture images, thereby ensuring that pictures and sound would be synchronized. This achievement made international headlines and forever changed the way the world watched and heard motion pictures.

Endowed Chair in Economics and Public Utilities

1923

The first endowed chair in the College of Commerce, the William B. McKinley Professor of Economics and Public Utilities, is established.

First course on Public Utility career training in US at Illinois

1923

The first course in the United States on public utility career training begins in the fall semester.

1923

An unfinished Memorial Stadium was the site of the 1923 Homecoming contest where Red Grange led the Illini to a 7-0 victory over Chicago in front of more than 60,000 fans. Illinois went on to finish 8-0 on the season and earn National Championship honors.

Largest percentage of CPAs among staff at Illinois

1923

The College of Commerce boasts the largest percentage of certified public accountants among its staff of any university or college in the United States.

Master of Science in Accounting degree established

1924

The Master of Science in Accounting degree is established.

1924

The first air-cooled home in North America (1108 W. Stoughton Street, Urbana) was the result of a cooperative research program between the heating industry and the University. Dedicated in 1924, Research Residence No. 1 provided answers to heating and cooling questions and advanced the development of residential air conditioning. Seichi 'Bud' Konzo, his wife, and young daughter were tenants of Research Residence No. 1, a two-story Colonial-style home near the Illinois campus, while the professor supervised some of the earliest ongoing experiments involving residential central-air conditioning.

Pi Mu Epsilon granted charter at University of Illinois

1924

In 1924 Pi Mu Epsilon, the national mathematics honorary fraternity, was granted a charter at the University of Illinois.

First woman to graduate in Railroad Administration

1924

On June 17, Gennette Kilbury graduates from the College of Commerce as the first woman in history to earn a degree in Railroad Administration.

1924

Red Grange had a performance for the ages when he scored four touchdowns in the first 12 minutes of a 39-14 victory over Michigan, on the first four times he touched the ball on runs of 95, 67, 56 and 44 yards. He later scored a fifth touchdown and threw for a sixth on the day Memorial Stadium was dedicated in front of 67,886 fans.

1926

A new Commerce Building, called Commerce South (now David Kinley Hall), opens at the south end of the Quad. It has 64,000 square feet of space compared to the 29,000 square feet in the original Commerce Building.

Mathematics library moves into Library Hall

1927

In 1927 the Mathematics Departmental Library moved into Library Hall (now Altgeld Hall), under the direction of Professor James B. Shaw who was the librarian at that time.

1927

Today's College of Media traces its roots to the creation of the School of Journalism in 1927. Created by a bill passed by the fifty-fifth General Assembly of the State of Illinois, Governor Len Small signed the legislation into law on July 17, 1927. The School of Journalism opened on Sept. 19, 1927.

The Alma Mater statue and sculptor, Lorado Taft.

1929

Renowned sculptor Lorado Taft stands for a photo with his Alma Mater statue on the day of its dedication and unveiling at the University of Illinois.

1931

The Department of Public Utilities and Transportation is established in the College of Commerce.

1931

The university appropriates $12,000 to purchase contemporary paintings and sculptures for display in the new Architecture Building, which also serves as a venue for traveling exhibitions and annual faculty art shows. The elevation of the academic status of the arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign leads to the founding of the College of Fine and Applied arts in 1931 and attracts major gives and purchases for the university art collection.

Public Skating is a popular daily activity at the UI Ice Arena.

1931

The University of Illinois Ice Arena was built in 1931, and Campus Recreation assumed management in 1977. The Ice Arena is a 55,000 square foot facility and is the only one in Champaign-Urbana. The dimensions of the rink are 192′ by 115′ with a 1,200 seat arena surrounding.

1933

Paul M. Green, who earned his PhD from the University of Illinois in 1933, becomes the Dean of the College. Prior to his appointment, Green served as the first comptroller of the Atomic Energy Commission and a deputy assistant secretary in the Department of Defense.

1933

Professor of Accountancy A.C. Littleton, a distinguished scholar in the development of accounting thought, publishes Accounting Evolution to 1900.

1933

Astronomer Robert H. Baker captures the light from Arcturus on a photometer to help open the Century of Progress World's Fair in Chicago.

Correspondence/Extension math courses begin

1934

University of Illinois Correspondence Course Program began in 1934; beginning in 1955 extension courses in mathematics were conducted by faculty traveling to various locations around the state.

1934

When Arthur C. Willard became president in 1934, he declared that building a new student center was one of his foremost goals and subsequently appointed an advisory committee. With public grants, loans, and student and alumni funds, plans for the aptly named Illini Union began.

1934

The university adds 35 paintings and 450 drawings to the University of Illinois art collection through the New Deal Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Art Project.

William C. Rose, March 1952. Credit University Archives.

1935

Biochemist William C. Rose discovered threonine, the last of the eight essential amino acids that people must obtain from food. Rose joined the Illinois faculty in 1922, and worked there until 1955. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1936 and received the National Medal of Science in 1966.

Even the Familiar Chimes of Altgeld Hall were Stilled":

1935

The Great Depression was hard for everyone living at the time in this country, but the lasting effects continued to be seen for years and years to come. It's interesting to see campus life during a time of such struggle. Sadness, loss, and squalor were all present here, but so was happiness, youth, and joy. It's amazing to see the resilience in people's faces in the pictures. The diary of a young student showed how tight his finances were. Roger Ebert retells of the sadness which echoed on campus when the chimes of Altgeld Hall chimed no more. All can be seen in this collection brought to you by The Student Life and Culture Archives and created by Justin C. Williams, a practicum student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign completing his M.S. in Library and Information Science. Depression Era Exhibit

1936

The PhD in Accountancy is established in the College of Commerce. The University of Illinois is the first university to offer this degree.

1937

Charles Alton Ellis (CE alum and Professor from 1914-1921) designs the Golden Gate Bridge during the years 1914-1921. Though not given official recognition at the time, he is now acknowledged as the true design engineer.

1938

The first Masters in Business Administration is offered through the Graduate College.

1938

The Bachelor of Science in Marketing is created in the College of Commerce.

1938

The University of Illinois Speech Clinic began as an outreach program in a janitor's mop closet in Lincoln Hall in 1938. Dr. Severina Nelson could find no other space to conduct her speech therapy. Two years later, with the title of Director of the Speech Clinic and a $2,000 grant, Dr. Nelson moved the clinic to a spacious new office in Gregory Hall. The Speech and Hearing Clinic was later housed in the Lorado Taft House where it remained until it moved to its present building in 1975. In 2007, the Speech-Language Pathology Clinic moved to a new, expanded, state-of-the-art facility located in Research Park. The Audiology Clinic and the Department of Speech and Hearing Science remain in the Speech and Hearing Science building.

1938

The first available Education master's degrees were Master's of Education and Doctorate of Education. An admissions exam was required for graduate programs starting in 1941.

1940

Library Hall is renamed Altgeld Hall in honor of former Governor John Peter Altgeld.

Invention of betatron for high-energy physics

1940

Physics Professor Donald Kerst built the world's first magnetic induction accelerator at the University of Illinois in 1940. Kerst’s invention yielded a new means to study atomic particles, contributing to advancements in particle accelerators in the era of Big Science. The betatron also began to be utilized in the medical industry, not only as an X-ray machine, but also as a radiation treatment for cancer.

David Blackwell received mathematics PhD

1941

In 1941 David Blackwell received his Ph.D. under the direction of Joseph L. Doob. Blackwell is widely regarded as the most famous African-American mathematician of any era; his trailblazing accomplishments highlight an inspiring story of dedication and perseverance against institutional and personal racial discrimination. In 1954 Blackwell gave an invited address at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Amsterdam.

1941

The first university “child study lab” is created to gain an understanding of behavioral development in children.

1941

The Illini Union building officially opened on February 8, 1941. The final cost was $1.4 million. In the same year, the Illini Union Board formed out of the Illinois Union Advisory Committee and the Men's and Women's Leagues. For the first anniversary in 1942, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt attended and cut the cake.

College initiates programs to assist WWII effort

1941

Ten days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the College of Education provided leadership to the state by organizing a conference to discuss the war and future educational responsibilities of school officials.

1942

Richard Wesley Hamming received his PhD in 1942 from the University of Illinois. Hamming developed the first efficient methods for error correction, which are now known as Hamming codes. Hamming's work appears in a myriad of applications: coding theory is used in computer memory, CD and DVD technology, and cell phone transmission.

H. T. Scovill named Acting Dean of the College of Commerce

1942

Hiram T. Scovill, a 1908 graduate of the University and a long-time Accountancy Professor, is named Acting Dean of the College of Commerce.

Physical Education adds graduate degrees

1942

During Dr. Stewart Staley's tenure as director of the School of Physical Education, professional and academic programs were greatly enhanced. A master's degree program in physical education was added in 1942 and a doctoral degree program in 1948. Men could specialize in athletic coaching, health and safety, physical education, and recreation, while women could focus their studies on physical education, health education, community welfare, and recreation.

1944

In 1944, Thomas K. Cureton became the director of the Physical Fitness Research Laboratory, one of the first of its kind in the nation. He developed methods to test motor and cardiovascular fitness and aquatic performance and to appraise the human physique. Cureton played a major role in the development of the fitness movement in America, and he is often referred to as the "Father of Physical Fitness."

William J. Fry conducted pioneering research in using ultrasound as a medical tool

1946

In 1946, Professor William J. Fry founded the Bioacoustics Laboratory (now the Bioacoustics Research Laboratory) and began conducting pioneering research in the use of ultrasound as a noninvasive surgical tool. During the 1960s, Fry expanded his research focus to include the use of ultrasound as a visualization tool which, in conjunction with computers and other advanced electronics, could yield accurate images of tissue structure. The safe, convenient, high-quality ultrasound imaging so common today is a direct result of work carried out by Fry and colleagues.

Commerce South renamed David Kinley Hall

1946

The Commerce South building is renamed Kinley Hall to honor the founder of the College and President of the University; later it is renamed David Kinley Hall so as not to be confused with McKinley Hall, the YWCA building on campus.

1947

The University's Departments of Animal and Dairy Husbandry adopt new names: Animal Sciences and Dairy Sciences.

Howard Bowen named Dean of College of Commerce

1947

Howard R. Bowen, a distinguished economist, becomes Dean of the College of Commerce.

Programs in Secretarial Training, Personnel Management, and Statistical Economics created

1947

Programs in secretarial training, personnel management, and statistical economics are established in the College of Commerce.

1947

While working at Bell Labs, John Bardeen and his colleagues Walter Brattain and William Shockley ushered in the era of solid state electronics (no vacuum tubes or moving parts) with their invention of the transistor, earning the team the 1956 Nobel Prize in physics. One of the most important inventions in modern history, the transistor is an essential component of nearly all modern electronics. Bardeen later became a professor of electrical engineering and physics at Illinois from 1951 to 1991.

Business Management Service established to assist Illinois businesses

1948

The College announces a new initiative, the Business Management Service, to provide Illinois businesses with expert consultation services from College experts.

Program in Economic and Business Aspects of Aviation begins

1948

The creation of the University of Illinois Airport (now Willard Airport) and the Institute of Aviation leads to a new program on economic and business aspects of aviation in the College of Commerce.

Rehabilitation Program for Students with Disabilities Established

1948

Tim Nugent establishes the first rehabilitation program for disabled students, primarily returning World War II veterans, on the Galesburg, IL campus. A year later the program moved to the Urbana campus.

1948

Established after World War II, the Antenna Lab achieved breakthroughs in antenna bandwidth, enabling the spread of television as well as advances in radio astronomy, radar, and space communications. Most of the innovations were enabled by the then-radical idea, credited to Professor Vic Rumsey, that antennas defined by angles rather than lengths could be sized independently of their operating frequency. By embodying Rumsey’s angular concept in an array of discrete elements, Professor Raymond DuHamel (BSEE ’47, MSEE ’48, PhD ’51) and student Dwight Isbell paved the way to “log-periodic” designs that became popular TV receivers.

1948

Lee J. Cronbach came to the University of Illinois in 1948 and made major contributions in the fields of educational psychology and psychological testing. He assisted the government during WWII and used his knowledge and expertise to continue to make major contributions to educational psychology.

Illinois Marketing Symposium established

1949

The Illinois Marketing Symposium and Paul D. Converse Award are established.

Team photo of early wheelchair basketball team. Tim Nugent head coach.

1949

Tim Nugent, the founder and director of the Rehabilitation program at Illinois, established the first national wheelchair basketball league, with Illinois competing and leading the way.

1949

The Applied Health Sciences Library was established in 1949 as the Physical Education Library. It was located in rooms 104 and 106 of the Main Library, because that was the midway between the male and female gymnasiums. The library began with 4,000 volumes and a capacity for 48 patrons. The director of the School of Physical Education, Dr. Seward C. Staley, was instrumental in the opening of the library by aiding in collection building and securing space for the library when the first doctoral degree was awarded to a physical education student in 1949.

Bachelor of Science in Accountancy and PhD in Business established

1950

The Bachelor of Science in Accountancy and the PhD in Business are established in the College of Commerce.

1950

In 1950, the University constructs the East Chemistry Building (now known as Roger Adams Laboratory) with chemical engineering studies in mind. The East Chemistry Building features a unit operations laboratory three stories tall. The building also includes a measurement and instrumentation lab for researchers to study at high pressures, as well as a special lab for boiler water conditioning.

1950

Early publications by Merle Karnes, Samuel Kirk, and Winifred Kirk make College of Education faculty members leaders in special education.

1951

Dorothy Litherland is the first woman at Illinois to receive a PhD in Accountancy and the first woman to join the Accountancy faculty, and later becomes the first woman to serve as Associate Dean of the College of Commerce.

Robert Hudelson named Acting Dean of Commerce

1951

Robert P. Hudelson is named Acting Dean of the College of Commerce.

1951

The Spice Box, now located in Bevier Hall, is created as a tea room for catering classes. It later undergoes a renovation in 2007.

Dr. Cureton starts summer fitness program for youth

1951

Dr. Thomas Cureton founds the Summer Youth Sports Fitness Program. One of the longest running summer youth fitness programs in the country, Dr. Cureton started the program as a service to the communities of Champaign and Urbana with the intent of providing an opportunity for children to stay physically active in an organized environment during the summer months.

1951

Max Beberman founded "new mathematics," a method of teaching math that went beyond rote learning. Beberman was an Education professor and teacher at Uni High. Beberman led the University of Illinois Committee on School Mathematics (UICSM) and produced a number of 16 millimeter films of his classroom performance.

1952

The Graduate School of Business is formed, allowing the College of Commerce to award the MBA instead of the Graduate College.

Ralph Meagher and Logan Huffman with ILLIAC, July 1951. Credit University Archives.

1952

Physics Professor Ralph E. Meagher and colleagues developed ILLIAC I, the first digital computer entirely built and owned by an educational institution. ILLIAC I became operational on September 22, 1952. It used 2,800 vacuum tubes, and measured ten feet high, two feet wide, and eight and a half feet tall. It was used by Lajaren Hiller, director of the Experimental Music Studios, to compose and play the ILLIAC Suite, the first computer-composed composition. ILLIAC progressed through five generations, securing Illinois’ reputation as the leader in the field of largescale, high-performance computing. Each new ILLIAC incorporated innovations in architecture, memory, logic, and software that spread throughout the computer world. The ILLIAC series culminated in the mid 1960s with the ILLIAC IV supercomputer at the time the fastest and largest in the world.

Institute for Research on Exceptional Children

1952

The mission of this institute was to increase knowledge about exceptional children and improve the effectiveness of special education programs through improved research.

1953

The Accountancy program, part of the Department of Business Organization and Operation, becomes a separate department within the College of Commerce.

The First Tornadic Hook Echo Weather Radar Observations

1953

The Illinois State Water Survey played a key role in developing tornado-tracking technology used today to issue warnings of impending severe storms. On April 9, 1953, ISWS meteorologists were the first to photograph and document a hook echo, a classic sign of tornado development. On that day, the radar showed a large hook-shaped echo emerging from a thunderstorm passing Champaign. The echo turned out to be the funnel of a large, developing tornado that moved 54 miles to the east. This was a nationally noted event, and helped launch a national research program aimed at tornado detection by radar.

1954

Accountancy professor Hiram T. Scovill becomes the first professor from the College to be inducted into the Accounting Hall of Fame.

1955

In the 1950s, mathematics faculty (including Michio Suzuki, John Walter and others) work on classification of finite simple groups, one of the most important achievements of twentieth century mathematics.

1956

In 1956 the Department of Mathematics made Altgeld Hall their permanent home. The final addition, constructed in 1956-57, created classrooms along the east side of the building, resulting in the blocking of many windows of the original structure and the enclosure of the East Reading Room. The skylight that had been over the stained glass dome was also removed at that time.

Illinois Brass Quintet-World's First Faculty Brass Quintet

1956

The Illinois Brass Quintet was formed in 1956 and became the world's first faculty brass quintet. It functioned as a representative of the School of Music for over 50 years. They were pioneers in the 'Music-Minus One' music education project.

1956

Physics and Electrical Engineering Professor John Bardeen shares the Nobel Prize in Physics for research on semiconductors and the invention of the transistor with former Bell Labs' colleagues, William Brattain, and William Shockley. The researchers had dicovered the transistor effect in late 1947 at Bell Telephone Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey.

Illinois Journal of Mathematics is founded

1957

The Illinois Journal of Mathematics was founded in 1957 by R. Baer, J.L. Doob, A. Taub, G. Whitehead, and O. Zariski.

1957

The College of Commerce establishes the Department of Finance, headed by Paul Van Arsdell, and the Executive Development Center.

1957

In 1957, the College of Physical Education was established, with Seward Staley as dean. The college includes the Departments of Physical Education for Men and Women (later Kinesiology), the Department of Health and Safety Studies (later Community Health), and the Department of Recreation (later Recreation, Sport and Tourism). The College itself will later be known as Applied Health Sciences.

1957

Astronomers at Illinois were the first to track and publish the orbit of Sputnik I. The feat led eventually to the creation of the Department of Astronomy.

1957

LAS chemist Rudy Marcus develops electron transfer theory and later wins the Nobel Prize for this work conducted in Noyes Laboratory.

Jack St. Clair Kilby solved the "tyranny of numbers" problem with the integrated circuit

1958

John Bardeen’s transitor enabled engineers to design larger and more complex circuits, which in turn introduced a new problem: how to interconnect huge numbers of discrete components economically and reliably. Working at Texas Instruments in 1958, Jack St. Clair Kilby (BSEE ‘47) solved this problem (called the “tyranny of numbers”) with the integrated circuit (IC or microchip). Behind the IC lay the “monolithic idea” of combining circuit components on a solid slab of semiconducting material. Kilby’s invention changed the world. The IC essentially created the modern computer and telecommunications industries and is a key component in most of today’s electronic products. For his invention, Kilby won the Nobel Prize in physics in 2000.

Hollander Collection acquired for Illinois Library

1958

Fred Bell, Head of the Economics Department, helps the University Library acquire one of the most important economic collections in the country, the 4,260-item Hollander Collection.

Master of Accounting Science established

1958

The Master of Accounting Science degree is established in the College of Commerce.

1958

Professor William Fry founded the Bioacoustics Laboratory in 1946 and began conducting pioneering research in the use of ultrasound as a noninvasive surgical tool and a visualization tool for diagnostics. His work contributed to today’s ultrasound imaging tools. As a result of Fry’s research, he felt that human neurosonic surgery could be achieved, and on March 21, 1958, a successful 12-hour operation using ultrasound was performed on a patient who had Parkinson’s disease.

1958

Kilby wrote in a 1976 article titled "Invention of the IC." Kilby began to write down and sketch out his ideas in July of 1958. By September, he was ready to demonstrate a working integrated circuit built on a piece of semiconductor material. Several executives, including former TI Chairman Mark Shepherd, gathered for the event on September 12, 1958. What they saw was a sliver of germanium, with protruding wires, glued to a glass slide. It was a rough device, but when Kilby pressed the switch, an unending sine curve undulated across the oscilloscope screen.

1959

The PhD in Marketing is established.

George W. Swenson established radio astronomy at Illinois

1959

Professor George W. Swenson Jr. established radio astronomy at Illinois with the Vermilion River Observatory (1959-1981), located near Danville. Swenson designed and oversaw construction of a 400 by 600 foot parabolic cylinder, a 120-foot dish, and several smaller instruments. Researchers at the observatory cataloged radio sources within and beyond the Milky Way, carried out spectroscopy of sources in star forming regions, and contributed to image synthesis as part of the Very Long Baseline Interferometry network of observatories.

1959

University of Illinois becomes the first post-secondary institution to create a transitional living program for students with severe locomotor disabilities who need assistance in the performance of daily living activities. Students reside at the Greenbrier Nursing Home.

1959

In 1959, advertising became an official department in the School of Journalism and Communications. Charles H. Sandage, for whom the current department is named, is considered by many "the father of advertising education."

Computer-Based Education Research Laboratory Opens

1960

The Computer-Based Education Research Laboratory was established in the 1960s. Here, Chalmers Sherwin and Donald Bitzer would develop PLATO (Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations), the world's first time-shared computer-based education system. A tradition of innovation in computer-aided instruction at Illinois started with PLATO, which has since evolved into NovaNet.

PLATO IV Terminal, ca. 1972-74. Credit University Archives.

1960

Introduced in 1960 by Professor Donald L. Bitzer (BSEE ’55, MSEE ’56, PhD ’60), the legendary PLATO (Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations) system offered a glimpse into the future of education and online computing. It represented the first use of a computer for pedagogy, the first time-shared education system, and the home of the first online community. PLATO developed into an extensive network through which students nationwide could study dozens of subjects interactively. PLATO users were among the first people to send e-mail, post to public bulletin boards, instant message, chat, use screen savers, use spell check, and play online games. The world’s first plasma displays were part of the PLATO system.

G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology

1960

In cooperation with USAID, Illinois builds one of the first agricultural universities in India, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in Pantnagar, an institution important in the history of the “Green Revolution.”

1960

Dr. Howard Hoyman of the College of Physical Education develops the first sex education program for grades one through twelve. The Four Cycle Curriculum for health instruction was widely adapted and considered a major contribution to the theory and practice of health education.

1960

The first international conference on the newly discovered (in 1958) Mössbauer effect is held at Allerton House, June 6-7, 1960. Mössbauer would win the Nobel Prize in Physics the following year for his discovery. Hans Frauenfelder, the conference organizer, was a professor of physics at the University of Illinois from 1952 to 1992. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Sitting left to right: Gertrude Hendrix and Margaret Mead Standing left to right: Burl L. Sims, Max Beberman, and Robert Hall

1960

University High School was contracted by the U.S. Office of Education to make films on teacher training.

Oscar Lewis, cs. 1970. Credit University Archives.

1961

Anthropology professor Oscar Lewis publishes Children of Sanchez, an examination of poverty that gained worldwide attention and influenced U.S. policymakers, including President Lyndon Johnson and the War on Poverty.

Artist's rendering of the new Krannert Art Museum, depicted on the cover of the dedication program.

1961

Krannert Art Museum opens, allowing for the permanent art collection to be cared for and exhibited alongside presentations of faculty work and traveling exhibitions. Over the years, juried prices are given for the purchase of works by Yves Tanguy (1900–1955), Stuart Davis (1894–1964), Sol LeWitt (1928–2007), and other prominent artists.

1962

Professor Nick Holonyak Jr. (BSEE ’50, MSEE ’51, PhD ’54) was the first PhD student of Nobel Prize winner John Bardeen, and he has carried on Bardeen’s legacy as a semiconductor pioneer. Working at General Electric in 1962, Holonyak developed the first practical, visible-spectrum light-emitting diode (LED), changing information display and illumination forever. Some of the most common applications include architectural lighting, traffic lights, flashlights, remote controls, large-scale displays, signage, and status indicators on devices like cell phones. Since joining the ECE faculty in 1963, Holonyak— along with his Illinois students and colleagues—has gone on to develop the quantum well laser, improvements for vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), and most recently, the transistor laser.

First International Conference on Accounting Education held at Illinois

1962

The First International Conference on Accounting Education is held at the University of Illinois. It draws attendees from eight different countries. Photo: International Conference on Accounting Education, December 1962.

Center for International Education and Research in Accounting (CIERA) established

1962

The Center for International Education and Research in Accounting (CIERA) is established, becoming the first Center of its kind.

1962

The Institute for Research on Exceptional Children, founded and directed by Samuel Kirk, was transformed into the Department of Special Education in 1962. Dr. Kirk coined the term "learning disabilities" in 1963.

1962

Division of Intramural Activities is formed as an administrative unit within the College of Physical Education. Dr. David O. Matthews comes from Bowling Green State University to be the Division of Intramural Activities’ first Director.

1962

The Department of Educational Psychology was established in 1962. Pictured is Lee J. Cronbach, who made major contributions in the field and in the field of psychological testing.

Rehabilitation Services joins College of Physical Education

1962

Rehabilitation-Education Services becomes a division of the College of Physical Education

1963

The Departments of Business Law and Management become the Department of Industrial Administration in the College of Commerce and Business Administration.

1963

The Department of History and Philosophy of Education was founded in 1963, evolving into the current-day Department of Education Policy, Organization & Leadership.

1963

The Executive Development Center conducts its first seminar for women executives at the Illini Union; 23 women attend.

1963

Health education professor Dr. William Creswell co-authors national curriculum for K-12 health education that advances health as the quality of life resulting from the dynamic interactions among an individual’s physical well-being, mental and emotional reactions, and social environment.

1963

Illinois opens Assembly Hall with a 79-73 victory over Northwestern on March 4, 1963. Illinois went on to win the 1963 Big Ten Championship.

National Academy of Engineering is founded

1964

The Academy is founded in 1964 and is part of the United States National Academies. Election to the academy is considered a prestigious honor.

1964

Commerce West, named because of its position directly west of David Kinley Hall, opens. The 98,000-square-foot building houses classroom space, 100 offices, a 350-seat auditorium, and an IBM computer. The fourth floor, dedicated to faculty and graduate offices, has no womens restroom because there are no female staff or graduate students at the time. The cost of the building is $3.3 million.

Sybil Mobley first woman of color to receive a PhD in Business at Illinois

1964

Sybil Mobley is the first woman of color to receive a PhD at Illinois in the College of Commerce and Business Administration.

Robert Willson and Don Bitzer with their Emmy Awards.

1964

Professors Donald L. Bitzer (BSEE ‘55, MSEE ‘56, PhD ‘60) and H. Gene Slottow (PhD ‘64), along with student Robert H. Willson (PhD ‘66), invented the plasma display panel in 1964. Originally conceived as an interactive component of the PLATO educational network, the plasma panel was both a display and a storage device. Each pixel or dot on the screen glowed like a little neon sign. Once a pixel was lit, it stayed lit until the person at the PLATO terminal requested new information from the computer. The plasma display created at Illinois is the forerunner to today’s high-definiton flat-panel television monitors. In recognition of their invention and its importance, Bitzer, Slottow, and Willson received an Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts in 2002.

1964

Hailed as a work of modern architecture, the Education building opened in 1964 and included 43 labs/workrooms, a TV control center, a library, three lounges, and a counseling center.

1965

The first issue of The International Journal of Accounting Education is published by Vernon K. Zimmerman.

1965

In 1965, Professor Chih-Teng Sah received an NSF grant to purchase equipment for an undergraduate laboratory to accompany lectures specifically on semiconductor materials and solid-state devices, which allowed ECE ILLINOIS to pioneer education on fabricating those materials. The lab evolved into today's ECE 444, Integrated Circuit Fabrication Laboratory, and ECE ILLINOIS began pioneering work in teaching nanofabrication to undergraduates with its move to the new ECE Building in 2014.

1965

The new Rehabilitation Education Center opens on Oak Street in Champaign to house the Division of Rehabilitation Education Services

1966

In 1966, Heinz Von Foerster organized a highly creative session on computers in music. The papers presented in this pioneering session are later published in the book, 'Music by Computers,' edited by Von Foerster and James Beauchamp.

1967

With Lilian Katz as director from 1970 to 2000, the ERIC Clearinghouse provided valuable information for people interested in the development, education, and care of children.

1968

The U of I organizes the Division of Nutritional Sciences, offering interdisciplinary opportunities for graduate education and research while giving students the ability to design an individualized program of study.

1968

Joseph W. McGuire is named Dean of the College. He initiates the Executive-in-Residence program, where leading executives live on campus for a week to meet and exchange ideas with students and faculty.

Department of Business Administration established

1968

The Department of Business Administration is established through the mergers of the Department of Industrial Administration and Marketing and the Graduate School of Business Administration.

Student teacher Glenn Pierson with a student

1968

The Alternative Teacher Education Program stemmed from Project 500 at Illinois, which recruited students from racially underrepresented backgrounds. The College of Education enrolled approximately 200 of the 690 students in Project 500.

1969

The Medicare 7, 8, or 9 Dixieland Cooperative Band was formed by Dan Perrino during a period of unprecedented student unrest in 1969. Perrino, then Dean of Student Programs and Services and a professor of music, gathered together a group of faculty to play an impromptu jazz concert in the Illini Union to help ease the tensions between the campus' students and faculty. Perrino chose to have the band perform its first concert in the University's Illini Union South Lounge, a gathering place for activist-minded students, to provide a common music experience that the faculty and students alike could enjoy. Eventually the band was named Medicare 7, 8, or 9 as a humorous reference to the wide range of its membership's ages and the diverse number of performers that frequently played for each concert. For over 30 years the band was recognized as a beloved community institution that played for alumni and campus events, community organizations throughout Illinois, Illinois governors, and nationally televised football games.

1969

Krannert Center, designed by Illinois graduate Max Abramovitz, opened in April 1969 to high praise during its month-long dedication. A critic for The New York Times called the facility “one of the most ingeniously worked out art complexes anywhere,” and a writer for the Christian Science Monitor noted that “the performing arts now have a home equal to the gilded science-palaces that adorn other campuses.” Today, Krannert Center is recognized as the nation’s premier university-based performing arts center.

1969

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descend in the lunar module 'Eagle' to the moon's surface.

1969

In September of 1969, the Board of Trustees approved naming the recently acquired building at 801 S. Wright Street after the late Arthur B. Coble. Dr. Coble was a professor of mathematics for 39 years and served as head of the department from 1933 until retirement in 1947. He died in 1966 at the age of 88. In addition to his work as teacher and administrator, he was the author of many articles, which earned him distinction as a mathematician and pre-eminence in the field of algebraic geometry. His election to the National Academy of Sciences recognized his achievement in the field of algebraic geometry. Dr. Coble also served as president of the American Mathematical Society. Before the building was owned by the University, it had been a YWCA, serving as a meeting pace and a residence for women students. Today, Coble Hall is home to the Graduate College.

Altgeld Hall added to National Register of Historic Buildings

1970

Altgeld Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Buildings in 1970

1970

Fazlur Khan developed structural systems - trussed tube system and bundled tube system - that formed the basis of high-rise design. He designed the John Hancock Center (1970) and Sears Tower (1973).

Dorothy Vickers-Shelley with a group of students at the Yankee Ridge Elementary school library.

1970

Dorothy Vickers-Shelley was the head librarian at Yankee Ridge Elementary School in Urbana for 33 years, retiring in 2003. In 1976, Ms. Vickers-Shelley wrote a short phrase to teach the students about discrimination, acceptance, and understanding: “Life if short; therefore I shall be a crusader in the fight against ignorance and fear, beginning with myself.” Every class of kindergarten through sixth grade learned and recited the quote at the beginning of each class in the library. Ms. Vickers-Shelley earned a B.S. in Elementary Education and a M.S. in Library and Information Science, both from the University of Illinois. She was also a central figure in local social justice activism throughout her career, and influenced hundreds of students to ask questions about racism and inequality. The Dorothy Vickers-Shelley Memorial Library located at Booker T. Washington STEM Academy is named in her honor.

1971

Vernon K. Zimmerman, a Fulbright Scholar and recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, is named Dean of the College of Commerce and Business Administration.

1971

In 1871, pioneering research on the culture and use of trees in Illinois for economic benefit was instituted with the establishment of an experimental plantation (formerly The Forestry, with the remaining portion now called the Illini Grove) that predates the more famous Morrow Plots, the first agricultural experimental fields in North America. Also in 1871, the earliest forestry course to be offered in the United States was initiated by Thomas J. Burrill, a pioneer in the developing field of plant pathology.

1971

The Asian American Alliance, the first pan-Asian American student organization at UIUC, forms.

Asian American Alliance members lead a local march in protest of the Vietnam War

1971

1971

From the Daily Illini - August 23, 2013 - While Quad Day has now become a staple during Welcome Week, it started as a completely different event over 40 years ago. In September 1971, the Office of Student Programs and the Illini Union teamed up to host the first official Quad Day to welcome new students to campus. In the midst of building war tensions throughout the nation's colleges and universities, the purpose of Quad Day was in part to show freshmen that the University could be a home away from home and to inform them of the different support services available to them. The inaugural event featured a talent show, a hot dog stand, and a student/faculty volleyball game. 7,000 were in attendance.

IMPE (Intramural and Physical Education) Building opens

1971

At the time of its opening, IMPE was considered to be the premier intramural-recreational sports program and largest university recreation building in the world. The grand opening was held on September 13, 1971.

1972

The College of Education implemented the Cooperative Teacher Education Program in the Chicago suburbs to give practical experience to secondary education students.

1972

John Bardeen receives second Nobel Prize in Physics (with Leon Cooper and Robert Schrieffer) for their jointly developed theory of superconductivity, usually called the BCS-theory. Bardeen is the only person to have won the Nobel Prize in Physics twice.

1973

The Master of Science in Business Administration is established.

1973

1974

The PhD in Business Administration is established.

1975

The first four courses in information systems are introduced in a joint effort between the Accountancy and Business Administration departments to train students in this new discipline.

Robert Seymour speaks before an Executive Development Program class, ca. 1960s. Credit University Archives.

1975

The Executive MBA Program begins with a class of 43 executives.

College of Physical Education changes name

1975

1976

The College of Education coordinated the massive International Association for Evaluation of Educational Achievement Second International Mathematics Study. Kenneth J. Travers of the Department of Secondary Education was the director.

1976

The College of Education collaborated with the U.S. Department of Education to establish the Center for the Study of Reading to address the high number of schoolchildren who were failing to learn to read.

1977

In 1977 the Four Color Theorem was established by Ken Appel and Wolfgang Haken (published their research in Illinois Journal of Mathematics). The Four Color Problem says that for every map in the plane (equivalently, on the surface of a sphere), the regions can be colored using four colors so that regions sharing a boundary of nonzero length receive distinct colors; this is called a proper 4-coloring.

1977

The first international executive programs are offered in the College of Business.

Nick Holonyak Jr. creates quantum-well laser

1977

In 1977, ECE alumnus and Professor Nick Holonyak Jr. and his students developed the quantum-well laser, which created a practical laser for fiber-optic communications, compact disc players, medical diagnosis, surgery, ophthalmology, and many other applications. This was an addition to his already impressive resume, which includes creating the first visible LED while at GE.

International Trumpet Guild International Convention

1977

The ITG Convention was hosted by then UI Trumpet Faculty member, David Hickman.

1977

Biologists originally believed all life on Earth belonged to one of two primary lineages, the eukaryotes (animals, plants, fungi and certain unicellular organisms) and the prokaryotes (all remaining microscopic organisms). Woese discovered within prokaryotes, two distinct groups of organisms exist, and due to his work it is now widely agreed that there are three primary divisions of living systems: the Eukarya, Bacteria, and the new group of organisms, the Archaea. Initially thought to exist only in extreme environments, microbiologists later realized Archaea are a large and diverse group, widely distributed in nature and commonly found in habitats such as soils and oceans.

1979

In 1979 Joseph L. Doob was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Jimmy Carter. Doob was a pioneer in the study of the mathematical foundations of probability theory and its remarkable interplay with other areas of mathematics.

1980

The College of Commerce and Business Administration holds its own commencement following the traditional University graduation ceremony.

Roger Cannaday and students in Rho Epsilon, the real estate fraternity on campus

1980

The Office of Real Estate Research is established.

Computer Room in Commerce West (now Wohlers Hall), 1984-1986

1980

The College of Commerce and Business Administration establishes itself as a campus leader in information systems by creating the Office for Information Management to allow faculty to pose the research questions that could not be asked before the information revolution and to prepare students to manage the information that will be available in the 1990s and beyond.

Beckwith Hall dedication, 1982. Credit University Archives.

1981

Beckwith Living Center opens to house students with severe physical disabilities who require assistance in the performance of daily living activities

1982

The Master of Science in Policy Economics is established by the Department of Economics to provide additional training for bank and government administrators and economics professors across the world in economic analysis and quantitative techniques.

1982

Established by Merle B. Karnes, University Primary School is a PreK-5 lab school where children are engaged in creative, challenging, and meaningful curricular inquiries using the Project Approach.

1983

The Office of Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OBIE) is established to encourage economic growth through research, teaching / curriculum, and public service.

1985

An MS in Taxation is established, largely due to the effort of Professor Eugene Willis.

1985

Illinois Governor James Thompson declares September 7, 1985, to be Tim Nugent Day in honor of his numerous achievements with the Division of Rehabilitation-Education Services. Under his leadership, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign adopted the nation’s first curb cuts and wheelchair-accessible fixed-route bus system. Dr. Nugent’s research formed the foundation of the first architectural accessibility standards that would become the American National Standards Institute Standards. He also founded the first collegiate adapted sports and recreation program for students with disabilities.

National Center for Supercomputing Applications opens

1986

Responding to a 'famine' of supercomputing power for U.S. researchers, Illinois astrophysicist Larry Smarr and seven Illinois colleagues submitted an unsolicited proposal to the National Science Foundation, asking for funding to launch supercomputing centers. NSF responded in 1985 by establishing the National Center for Supercomputing Applications with Smarr as its first director. NCSA 'opened for business' early in 1986.

1986

John Hogan becomes Dean of the College of Commerce and Administration

1986

Following an unsolicited proposal to the NSF from Larry Smarr, NCSA opened its doors to the national scientific computing community in January 1986. Along with NCSA, four other national supercomputing centers were opened thanks to Smarr's famed "Black Proposal."

1986

In the spring of 1986, NCSA kicked off its Industrial Partners program with a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal. By August, the program, then called the Private Sector Program, had established a $3 million relationship with Kodak. More than 20 Fortune 500 companies have since collaborated with NCSA.

1986

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology was held during the University of Illinois' Foundation annual meeting. One of the first interdisciplinary research institutes in the country, the building was made possible by a generous gift from U of I alumnus and founder of Beckman Instruments, Inc., Arnold O. Beckman, and his wife Mabel M. Beckman, with a supplement from the State of Illinois.

1987

The Department of Physical Education is renamed the Department of Kinesiology to reflect the growing emphasis on the scientific study of human movement.

1987

When it was founded in the fall of 1987, the Department of Curriculum & Instruction combined the secondary education and elementary early child education departments to provide undergraduate programs in teacher education and graduate programs in curriculum and instruction.

1987

NCSA Telnet was the center’s first major software release. Ultimately, there were many pieces of software based on the telnet protocol, which allowed users to log in to other computers via the Internet and issue commands and run programs on those host machines. NCSA Telnet, however, was among the first and most popular (in part because of its integrated file transfer capability). By 1991, in an era when there were dramatically fewer people on the Net, the application had more than 100,000 users.

1988

The Office of Volunteer Programs started in 1988 and is still running today. It started with events such as the United Way Kick Off, Make a Difference Day (M.A.D.D.), and National Volunteer Week. Today the office promotes community service by encouraging students to donate their time and volunteer for the local community. OVP takes students' interests into account and pairs them accordingly with opportunities where they gain invaluable experience through public engagement. Year after year, university students volunteer thousands of dedicated hours in the Champaign-Urbana community.

1988

Accountancy Professor Norton Bedford becomes the fifth professor from the College of Commerce and Administration, and one of only 18 academics to be inducted into the Accounting Hall of Fame since its inception in 1950.

1989

The Master in International Accounting and Auditing is established and admits its first eight students, representing Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and Kenya.

1989

A groundbreaking animation of a thunderstorm created by Professor Robert Wilhelmson, an atmospheric scientist and pioneer in the use of computer graphics to simulate severe storms, receives 14 awards, including an Academy Award nomination. He later simulates the formation of a tornado from a severe thunderstorm-a feat that is helping in storm prediction.

1989

The Office of Community College Research and Leadership was founded with funding from the Illinois State Board of Education. With Director Debra Bragg at the helm, its mission was and is to provide leadership and service to community college educators and assist in improving higher education policy and practice.

1989

Epsilon Delta was established to prepare undergraduate students for the education field. It promotes professional growth and understanding in the field of education and informs its members of the practical and theoretical advances in the field.

1989

The Asian American Association sponsors the first Midwest Asian American Studies (MAAS) conference at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

1989

Under the guidance of Founding Director Theodore “Ted” Brown, the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology celebrated its founding in April 1989 with a symposium that featured George Edelman, winner of the 1972 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and then-director of the Neurosciences Institute at Rockefeller University. The Beckman Institute was made possible by a generous gift from U of I alumnus and founder of Beckman Instruments, Inc., Arnold O. Beckman, and his wife Mabel M. Beckman, with a supplement from the State of Illinois.

1989

US Department of Interior designates the University of Illinois Observatory a National Historic Landmark recognizing the significance of Joel Stebbins and Jakob Kunz's work on astronomical photometry.

1990

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Stanley R. Levy creates the Asian American Task Force, which meets through the fall of 1991.

1990

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Stan Levy creates Asian American Task Force (AATF), compirsed of Student Affairs staff to "review the needs of and issues faced by the UIUC Asian American students and to report recommendations/ feedback to the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs." The results of the study showed that students had a desire for greater cultural awareness, students desired staff support, Asian American programming, Asian American Studies courses, support groups, and greater representation in mainstream programs on campus, such as through the Illini Union Board and an Asian American Cultural Center.

Speech and Hearing Science joins College of Applied LIfe Studies

1991

The Department of Speech and Hearing Science moves from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to the College of Applied Life Studies.

The Center for Children's Books joins the School of Information Sciences

1992

The Center for Children's Books, a renowned research collection of youth literature, moves to the iSchool, bringing with it The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, a leading review journal that has been published since 1947.

1992

Howard Thomas becomes Dean of the College of Commerce and Business Administration

1992

The College launches Phase 1 of Project Discovery, an innovative approach to accountancy education that emphasizes active learning processes rather than singular technical and tangible lessons.

1992

The Joint MBA Program is established between the University of Illinois and the University of Warsaw.

Health and Safety Studies becomes Community Health

1992

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.1px Verdana; color: #000000} The Department of Health and Safety Studies is renamed the Department of Community Health. By 1996, undergraduate and graduate programs in rehabilitation and rehabilitation education have joined the department, and the Office of Gerontology and Aging Studies has moved from the Institute for Research on Human Development to Community Health.

1992

This professorship was established by C.J. "Joe" Gauthier to honor his first wife, who was a graduate of the College of Education. It is a five-year appointed position that allows those selected to conduct research in education, with a focus on technology and business.

1993

The National Soybean Research Laboratory (NSRL) is established to allow researchers to respond directly to opportunities and challenges in the soybean market.

1993

In 1993 NCSA Mosaic broke away from the small pack of Web browsers on the market by boasting features like icons, bookmarks, an easy-to-use interface, and pictures. Soon more than 5,000 copies were being downloaded (free!) each month. Several Mosaic developers launched Netscape Navigator and more than 100 companies, including Microsoft, licensed the Mosaic software.

1993

1994

The College of Commerce and Business Administration’s Alumni Office is established to build and maintain relationships between the College and its alumni.

1994

Professor Richard E. Ziegler is recognized as one of the “100 Most Influential People in Accounting”

Students at a trivia night contest in the Courtyard Cafe.

1994

Based on student feedback, the Illini Union converts the middle open space between the North and South buildings into an enclosed Courtyard space, including a stage, lighting, and seating. It becomes a place for student performances, national touring acts, and cultural highlights.

1994

The Student Education Association offers students an opportunity to broaden their knowledge and experience in the field of education. Members meet and hear from other educators, including alumni, to better prepare for a career in education.

Minority Association of Future Educators Founded

1994

This group offers educational experiences for its members and provides a support system for minority students in education. Members participate in service projects such as reading programs that serve children in Urbana-Champaign.

1994

The 1994 International Trumpet Guild Convention was hosted by Michael Ewald, Professor of Trumpet (deceased)

1994

NCSA HTTPd is a program to serve information, much in the same way that NCSA Mosaic is a program to browse information in the World Wide Web. At its peak NCSA HTTPd powered over 95% of all webservers on the Internet.

1995

A graduate program in international finance is established with an entering class of 17 students

1995

The Office for the Study of Business Issues is established to facilitate interdisciplinary teaching and research and to provide opportunities for MBA students to work on consulting projects for the business community.

Department of Kinesiology celebrates 100th anniversary

1995

The Department of Kinesiology celebrates its centennial year. The Department of Physical Training for Men and the Department of Physical Training for Women were established in 1895 under the direction of Henry Houghton Everett and Ella Morrison. The program for men emphasized the value of physical exercise and training for athletic competition, as well as such topics as personal hygiene, tobacco and alcohol use, and applied anatomy. The program for women focused on defects of bodily carriage and movement, and the use of exercise to correct rounded shoulders, uneven hips, and drooping heads.

Student Advancement Group for Education (SAGE) Established

1995

Members of this group served as student ambassadors for the College of Education, facilitating interactions between alumni and students and hosting alumni events.

1995

The Distinguished Alumni Awards publicly honor some of the outstanding contributions our graduates make, those who have excelled in their professional endeavors.

1996

Asian American students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign hold a day-long teach-in to promote the foundation of a dedicated Asian American Studies program.

1996

The Hoeft Technology and Management program, a joint degree program offered by the Colleges of Commerce and Engineering, is introduced

1996

Illinois Business Consulting (IBC) is established in the College of Commerce and Business Administration as a way to enable students to apply their academic experience to real-world business issues. Through IBC, hundreds of College of Business students have completed more than 1,000 projects for more than 500 businesses.

1996

The Executive MBA program creates two sites: Chicago and Champaign, which are connected via video conference link. Students learn in their respective cities while faculty work between both. Chicago classes are located on the 39th floor of the Illini Center at 200 South Wacker Drive.

1996

A joint MBA program is established in Athens, Greece.

1996

The Asian American Studies Committee (AASC) is established, with Professor George Yu as chair and Professor Clark Cunningham as vice chair. The three-year committee focuses on hiring six faculty in Asian American Studies, a university commitment that receives national attention.

1996

The first Assistant Dean of Students for Asian Pacific American Student Affairs is hired. The first Unseen Unheard annual Asian American activism conference is held. An ad hoc committee is formed to investigate the possibility of founding an Asian American Studies program at UIUC.

1997

The 1997 International Trombone Festival brought over 1000 trombonists to the campus with faculty including trombone sections and members of the Chicago, Concertgebow (Amsterdam), St Louis Symphony and Vienna Philharmonic. It marked the first performance of the American Brass Quintet on campus. Hosted by Elliot Chasanov, Professor of Trombone.

Founding of the Program in Jewish Culture & Society

1997

The Program in Jewish Culture & Society is a vibrant part of campus and community life. We host a variety of events from film series to lectures to Klezmer concerts to workshops to reading groups. Our minors and majors are growing and we teach a wonderful array of courses from the Talmud to Graphic Novels!

1998

The College of Commerce and Business Administration establishes a concentration in International Business.

1998

Professor Art Wyatt is inducted into the Accounting Hall of Fame

1999

The Summer Pre-Doctoral Institute (SPI) serves incoming graduate students from U.S. populations underrepresented in graduate programs on our campus. This multi-week program prepares students for the rigors, culture, and research expectations of graduate school and provides the opportunity to work with a summer research advisor in their department. SPI began in 1999 with a cohort of eight students. Since then, 463 students have participated in the program, the majority of whom have completed their advanced degrees and gone on to careers in a wide range of disciplines.

2000

A generous gift from Albert and Jane Wohlers finances the renovation of Commerce West. The building is rededicated as Wohlers Hall.

Disabilty Research Institute established

2000

The Disability Research Institute is established with an $18 million grant from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Funded from June 2000 to July 2007 as a cooperative agreement between SSA and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Disability Research Institute (DRI) developed a national network of partners producing high-impact research in disability.

2000

The Asian American Studies Committee becomes the Asian American Studies Program under the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The program begins developing an interdisciplinary minor.

2001

The Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics (ICTM) State Math Contest Finals move to University of Illinois after 20 years at Illinois State University

2001

Avijit Ghosh becomes Dean of the College of Commerce and Business Administration

2001

The ACES Library, Information and Alumni Center is dedicated. The library contains more than 13,000 volumes and subscribes to more than 700 journals.

2002

In 2002 the Department of Chemical Engineering changed its name to the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering to reflect the growing influence of biological and genetic research in chemical engineering research and education.

i-card Programs becomes an independent unit.

2002

i-card Programs was established to provide UINs, identity assurance, and carding support to the entire University. The official University of Illinois ID card, the i-card, enables students, faculty, and staff to quickly and easily pay for meals, borrow library books, and access campus facilities and services. The Urbana ID Center issues over 30,000 cards each year.

2003

The College of Commerce and Business Administration is renamed the College of Business

2003

The Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership is established.

2003

The Early Childhood and Parenting Collaborative was established to create interdisciplinary projects that focused on the education, care, and parenting of young children. Dianne Rothenberg organized ECAP.

2002-03 Illinois men's tennis team with NCAA trophy

2003

Illinois wins the NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship in an undefeated manner.

2003

Paul C. Lauterbur, a pioneer in the development of magnetic resonance imaging and a chemistry professor, was awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He shared the prize with Sir Peter Mansfield of the University of Nottingham in England. Mansfield was a research associate in the Department of Physics at Illinois from 1962-1964. They were lauded for seminal discoveries concerning the use of magnetic resonance to visualize different structures.

Anthony Leggett wins Nobel Prize in Physics

2003

Physics Professor Anthony J. Leggett wins the Nobel Prize for Physics for pioneering contributions to the theory of superconductors and superfluids.

2004

In 2004, the Department of Leisure Studies changed its name to the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism to better reflect its education, research, and outreach activities. Similarly, the Division of Rehabilitation Education Services became the Division of Disability Resources and Educational Services that year. In 2005, the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health formed from the merger of the Department of Kinesiology and the Department of Community Health. The College of Applied Life Studies changed its name to the College of Applied Health Sciences in 2006.

2004

Excavation begins for the Burj Khalifa in January 2004. Since its completion, it has been the tallest building in the world.

2004

Professors Nick Holonyak Jr. and Milton Feng invented the first transistor laser, a device that significantly changes the science and technology of lasers and introduces basic changes in the traditional transistor and what is known about its operation. They began discussions on the transistor laser in 2003 and completed the first demonstration in 2004. Their first patent for the transistor laser was filed in February 2005 and issued in 2006.

2004

The Department of Economics becomes part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences after almost 100 years of affiliation with the College of Commerce (Business).

2004

The Department of Animal Sciences dedicates a new beef research facility, equipped with an innovative $2-million waste handling system.

2004

Charles Hardie contributed a $4 million endowment to the College of Education to advance educational scholarship. Walter Feinberg, a professor of philosophy, was named the first Charles Hardie Professor.

Fazal Rizvi (former director) and Nicole Lamers (a graduate student at the time who was the former coordinator)

2004

The online master's program in Global Studies in Education helps teachers worldwide explore ways global perspectives can be incorporated into existing curricula and pedagogies.

2004

James D. Anderson was awarded the Gutgsell Professorship in recognition of his distinguished service and outstanding contributions as a University of Illinois faculty member. Anderson is author of the seminal book "The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860-1935."

2004

The Higher Education Collaborative was formed as an interdepartmental, cross-disciplinary affiliation of individuals with teaching, research, and professional interests in higher learning in the U.S. and worldwide. HEC sponsors speakers every semester to present research and discuss critical issues affecting higher education.

2004

$26 million CRCE renovation is completed, adding an indoor Multi-activity Court, two multipurpose rooms, a three-court gym, an aquatic center, and an upper level fitness center.

2005

The Part-time MBA and Master of Science in Technology Management programs are established

2005

The Goldstick Initiative is an endowment in the Department of Special Education that helps children and their families bridge communication gaps. It also funds an annual lecture and doctoral fellowship.

2005

Illinois plays North Carolina in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship game in St. Louis.

2006

The Center for Professional Responsibility in Business and Society is created as an interdisciplinary center to develop a national vision regarding the expectations of individual and corporate responsibility.

2006

The Family Resiliency Center is established to help strengthen families’ abilities to work through life’s challenges.

2006

The Center for Advanced Bioenergy Research (CABER) is established to promote more efficient use of biorenewable resources such as biofuels and chemicals. It works with nine colleges within the university to facilitate campus outreach, teaching, and research in areas relating to bioenergy systems.

2006

Novelist and writer-in-residence Richard Powers wins the 2006 National Book Award for his ninth book, Echo Maker. Powers is also the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Genius Fellowship among other awards.

2006

The first selection was "Nickel and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenich. Subsequently, each year a panel of key university representatives compiles a list of books for the Chancellor to select from and the university community subsequently turns into a giant book club. Programs and curriculum are built around the selection, lectures are held and discussion groups ignite exciting dialogue.

2006

The Odyssey Project is a free, 32-week college-credit granting humanities program for income-eligible adults with limited to no access to higher education. It follows the Bard College Clemente Course model.

2006

The Center on Health, Aging, and Disability is established within the College of Applied Health Sciences to promote health and wellness across the lifespan through interdisciplinary research, education, and outreach, with special emphasis on healthy aging and disability issues.

2006

The Education Justice Project, co-founded by scholar Rebecca Ginsburg, provides incarcerated people access to upper-division college courses. EJP offers up to three courses per semester that earn college credit at Illinois. To qualify for EJP, incarcerated students must have at least 60 hours of college credit.

2007

The Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI), the largest public-private institute of its kind, is created to address problems associated with climate change, global warming, and the rising price and diminishing supplies of carbon-based fossil fuels.

2007

The Asian American Studies program celebrates its tenth anniversary

2007

In 2000, Governor George Ryan issued support of what was then called the Post Genomic Institute, and in 2002 funding was released for the project that would eventually become the Institute for Genomic Biology. Governor Rod Blagojevich broke ground on the construction site in June of 2003. Construction of the $75 million, 186,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility began in April 2004, was completed in November 2006, and the building was officially dedicated on March 29, 2007.

Old Physics Building designated historic site

2007

The old Physics Building is designated a "site of historic significance to physics" by the American Physical Society to recognize the pioneering work of University of Illinois researchers in elucidating the mechanism of superconductivity.

Center for Education in Small Urban Communities established

2007

The Center for Education in Small Urban Communities works collaboratively with local education agencies to create sustainable improvement in education. Its core focus is to collaboratively plan and sustain long-term, job-embedded professional learning experiences for teachers.

Center for Informatics Research is established

2008

The Center for Informatics Research in Science and Scholarship (CIRSS) is established at the School of Information Sciences with the mission to conduct research on information problems that impact scientific and scholarly inquiry.

2008

The 160,000-square-foot Business Instructional Facility opens in the College of Business

2008

Brigit Pegeen Kelly, a professor in the Department of English, was recognized by the Academy of American Poets for a career of distinguished poetic achievement. She was the 2008 recipient of the Academy of American Poets Fellowship, which in the past has gone to poets such as E.E. Cummings, Robert Frost, Gwendolyn Brooks, Carlos Williams, and Marianne Moore.

Ross Bruni, superintendent of recreation for the Lemont Park District in Lockport, Illinois, and one of the first graduates of the RST online master's degree program.

2008

The Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism launches an online master’s degree to meet the needs of RST professionals who would like to continue their education but who are unable to pursue a degree through a full-time, residential program. One of the first of its kind in the nation, the online degree was developed in partnership with the University of Illinois Global Campus. In 2009, RST assumed full ownership of the online degree program.

2008

There is a campus dorm named after Cyril Hopkins and he is buried in the cemetery directly south of Turner Hall. He received an award from the King of Greece. He accepted the award in Greece and subsequently died on the way home after receiving the award. A WWII liberty ship was named after him, built in 1944, sunk in 1964. Hopkins fundamentally changed the concept of soil fertility worldwide.

Activities and Recreation Center (ARC) opens

2008

After a three-year $54 million renovation of IMPE, the facility reopens as the Activities and Recreation Center. The new facility features a 35.5' tall climbing wall, a 1/5-mile indoor track (second longest in the country), an instructional kitchen, an auditorium, 35-person sauna, four gyms, nine multipurpose rooms, three meeting rooms, and two 50-meter swimming pools.

The system will deliver sustained performance of more than one petaflop on many real-world scientific and engineering applications. A petaflop is computing parlance for 1 quadrillion calculations per second.

2008

NCSA announced the building of the world's first sustained petascale computational system dedicated to open scientific research, called Blue Waters. The system was to be supported by a $208 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

Charles P. Slichter receives National Medal of Science

2008

Charles P. Slichter, Research Professor of Physics and Center for Advanced Study Emeritus Professor of Physics and Chemistry at the University of Illinois, receives the 2007 National Medal of Science, the nation's highest honor for achievements in science. Slichter was recognized for establishing nuclear magnetic resonance as a powerful tool to reveal the fundamental properties of molecules and solids, enabling a host of modern technologies in condensed matter physics, chemistry, and medicine.

2009

Larry DeBrock, a professor of economics and business administration, becomes the ninth Dean and the first Josef and Margo Lakonishok Endowed Dean of the College of Business.

Dr. David Buchner, director of the Master of Public Health program, and the 2011 graduates (L-R): Daniel Donahue, Bridget Cameron, Matthew Briskin, Danielle Brown, Arthur Dmitruk, and Paul Hopkins

2009

The Department of Kinesiology and Community Health admits its first cohort of students to the Master of Public Health degree program, which focuses on approaches to reducing the burden of chronic diseases through an interdisciplinary curriculum. Students in the program complete a practicum experience in a community-based health agency and a capstone experience that integrates all aspects of their educational experience. The MPH program was accredited by the Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH) in 2013.

2009

The College of Applied Health Sciences offers a new undergraduate degree program in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. It features an interdisciplinary curriculum that addresses the complexity of human health through course offerings in applied health sciences, food science and human nutrition, psychology, social work, anthropology, communications, education, history, and sociology. The i-Health degree provides a foundation to understand health from perspectives related to individual lifestyle, family, community, and culture. Students may focus their studies on health and aging, health behavior change, or health diversity.

2009

The Graduate College and University Library partner to make it possible for graduate students to submit their theses and dissertations online. The new system, Electronic Thesis and Dissertations (ETD), eliminates a lot of paper, time, and cost for students and the University. ETDs become quickly available on the Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship (IDEALS), an electronic database of research that can be accessed around the world by the academic community and through search engines. Theodoros Tsiligkaridis of Electrical & Computer Engineering was the first student to submit an ETD when he deposited his master’s thesis: “Fast Peak-Power Reduction for MIMO-OFDM Systems with Diversity.”

2010

The Business Instructional Facility is awarded LEED Platinum certification, making it the first business facility at a public university anywhere in the world to receive this distinction.

Holonyak, Feng's research leads to rewriting Kirchhoff's Current Law

2010

Research using the transistor laser led Professors Nick Holonyak Jr. and Milton Feng to rewrite Kirchhoffs current law. The unique properties of the transistor laser required Holonyak, Feng, and graduate student Han Wui reexamine and modify the law to account for photon particles as well as electrons, effectively expanding it from a current law to a current-energy law.

2010

Mathematics Development Advisory Board established by the Department of Mathematics.

UI Actuarial Science Program named Center of Actuarial Excellence

2010

Society of Actuaries names UI Department of Mathematics Actuarial Science Program a Center of Actuarial Excellence; program is largest in US at this time

2010

The first university residence hall in the nation to house students with severe physical disabilities opens. Timothy J. Nugent Hall houses the Beckwith Residential Support Services program on its first floor, which serves students who require assistance with the performance of tasks of daily living. Their rooms are equipped with lift technology, adjustable furniture, keyless entries, and wireless paging systems.

College Hosts First Graduate Student Conference

2010

The inaugural College of Education Graduate Student Conference brought together approximately 60 graduate students from six departments. The graduate presenters shared their scholarship and research via paper presentations, poster sessions, and symposiums.

2010

A multi-institutional team of researchers, led by John Gerlt, Gutgsell Chair, Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry, received a prestigious and highly competitive 'Glue grant' from the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences. Glue grants provide resources to tackle 'complex problems that are of central importance to biomedical science but are beyond the means of any one research group,' so these 'glue' together multidisciplinary groups of investigators. This Glue grant, known as the Enzyme Function Initiative (EFI), will develop a strategy for discovering the functions of unknown enzymes discovered in genome sequencing projects. The EFI will receive $33.9 million in total costs for the five-year project.

Student Money Management Center established through University Student Financial Services and Cashier Operations

2010

The Student Money Management Center (SMMC) was established to empower University of Illinois students across all three University of Illinois campuses to make positive behavioral changes associated with their finances.

2011

The College of Applied Health Sciences dedicates the Khan Annex, a fully accessible, state-of-the-art teaching and research facility that houses the Center on Health, Aging, and Disability and the Master of Public Health program. The north wing addition to Huff Hall completes the original vision of the building from 1924, when a lack of funds prevented the north wing from being built.

Dr. David Buchner at head of table; students unknown

2011

The College of Applied Health Sciences launches a combined BS-MPH program that enables students to complete an undergraduate degree and a Master of Public Health degree in five years. Open to students in Kinesiology, Community Health, and Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, the program combines coursework from a student’s senior year with a fifth year of graduate study.

2011

The Postdoctoral Affairs Office was created in the fall of 2011 to serve the growing number of postdoctoral scholars. It is housed in the Graduate College and is open to over 560 postdocs in a wide range of disciplines across campus.

2011

Professor Emeritus Richard Anderson of the Department of Educational Psychology was named to the International Gallery of Scientists, which honors eminent senior scientists who have made important and lasting contributions to the sciences of mind, brain, and behavior.

2012

In 2012 the Illinois Geometry Lab established by Assistant Professor Jayadev Athreya and graduate student Anton Lukyanenko in the Department of Mathematics.

2012

The Center for Digital Inclusion is launched at the School of Information Sciences to foster inclusive and sustainable societies through research, teaching, and public engagement about information and communication technologies (ICT) and their impacts on communities, organizations, and governments.

2012

The Division of Disability Resources and Educational Services and Timothy J. Nugent Hall receive the 2012 Barrier-Free America Award from Paralyzed Veterans of America. Opened in 2010, Nugent Hall features several private sleep/study rooms with shared baths, equipped with a remote-controlled ceiling lift system, sensor-controlled light switches and keyless entry systems, and adjustable furniture. The residence hall also offers accessible elevators, wide hallways, a voice recognition computer lab, and a dining hall with wheelchair-friendly lower counter heights.

Former Illinois governor Pat Quinn with student-veteran Travis Dodson

2012

The College of Applied Health Sciences announces plan to build a center for student veterans who have sustained severe and multiple injuries while serving in the military. University of Illinois alumnus Ronald Chez donates a $6 million lead gift, and Governor Patrick Quinn announces $4 million in capital funding for the project.

University of Illinois piloted the first competition at a university focused on increasing savings goals: University of Illinois Saves.

2012

Consumer Federation of America, University of Illinois Student Financial Services & Cashier Operations (USFSCO) Student Money Management Center (SMMC) and University of Illinois Extension organized a pilot university-based savings competition, University of Illinois Saves, between the 3 campuses, which began during America Saves Week and ran through Money Smart Week 2012.

2012

Blue Waters is one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world--THE most powerful at a university. The supercomputer can perform QUADRILLIONS of calculations every second (something a person with a calculator would need millions of years to do) and can work with quadrillions of bytes of data.

2012

College of Education alumnus Freeman A. Hrabowski III was recognized in April of 2012 by Time Magazine as one of the most influential leaders in the world. In 2008 he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Education.

2012

After being closed for more than two years for extensive renovations that leave historical features intact, Lincoln Hall reopens for classes in the fall of 2012. It is rededicated in February 2013.

College Establishes Greater China Initiative

2012

In 2012 the College of Education expanded its outreach in Asia through a program called the Greater China Initiative. The goal was to advance faculty expertise, degree programs, projects, and alumni efforts in the region. The initiative was funded by the campus and the Yew Chung Education Foundation.

2013

The Illinois MakerLab becomes the world’s first 3-D printing lab in a College of Business.

2013

Campus Recreation celebrated its 50th anniversary as a stand-alone department and 100 years of recreation on campus. As part of the celebration, the inaugural Campus Rec Hall of Fame class was inducted, including: Dr. Dave Mathews (first director), Jesse “Tony” Clements (2nd ever director and campus legend), Bobbi Hein (administrative assistant since start of department – retired after 30 years), Bob McGrew (first outdoor adventure director), and Jerry Markbreit (Illinois student referee who became an NCAA D1 and longtime NFL official).

Education building houses Confucius Institute at Illinois

2013

The Education building became the home for the Confucius Institute at Illinois in the spring of 2013. The institute is a place of research and facilitates awareness about Chinese culture. Additionally, Chinese Proficiency Tests are regularly held there.

NCSA Director Thom H. Dunning addresses the crowd at the Blue Waters opening celebration held at the NCSA Building.

2013

The Blue Waters supercomputer entered production, meaning the behemoth capable of performing quadrillions of calculations every second and working with quadrillions of bytes of data started crunching numbers around the clock to help scientists and engineers across the country tackle a wide variety of science and engineering challenges.

Stephen Long Elected Fellow of the Royal Society

2013

University of Illinois Gutgsell Endowed Professor of Crop Sciences and Plant Biology and IGB faculty member Stephen P. Long has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, the world's oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. Members are elected for life on the basis of excellence in science, via a thorough peer review process.

Compact Disc Recording of Solo Harpsichord Pieces of Armand-Louis Couperin

2013

This recording features the 18th-century harpsichord works of the youngest member of the famous Couperin dynasty. Reviewed in the American Record Guide, which said: Charlotte Mattax Moersch is a sensitive and imaginative player. The Allemande has just the right lilt, just the right nobility, and the more extroverted pieces have the appropriate pomp and circumstance. I'd choose [this recording] hands down.

2014

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded $3,000,000 to the Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities to fund the first two years of an extensive consortium of fifteen humanities institutes in the Midwest and beyond. The grant was renewed in 2016.

2014

The Division of Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES), the service unit of the College of Applied Health Sciences, receives designation as an official U.S. Paralympic Training Site by the United States Olympic Committee. The training site measures 2100 square feet and boasts specialized equipment such as roller stations, Nordic ski ergs, and weights, most of which was made possible through the support of sponsor BP, which donated $160,000 toward the creation of the new training site. The University of Illinois wheelchair program has turned out such outstanding Paralympic athletes as Sharon Hedrick, Jean Driscoll, and Tatyana McFadden.

College's first MOOC course covers importance of digital technology in education

2014

Bill Cope and Mary Kalantzis were the first scholars in the College of Education to create and teach a massive open online course. The MOOC class is called e-Learning Ecologies: Innovative Approaches to Teaching and Learning for the Digital Age.

2014

Gutsgell Professor James D. Anderson delivered the Brown Lecture in Education Research in Washington, D.C., in 2014. The Brown Lecture was inaugurated by AERA in 2004 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision in which the U.S. Supreme Court took scientific research into account in issuing its landmark ruling.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Sandia National Laboratories Kick-off Research Partnership

2014

In November 2014, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Sandia National Laboratories signed a formal five-year agreement to advance collaboration and information sharing between one of the world's premier research universities and the Department of Energy's National Security Lab. This partnership is aligned around solving this nation's big problems, sustaining and engaging human capital, and accelerating the adoption of new technology. Initial technical focus areas include programs in complex systems and resiliency, data science, digital manufacturing, and on-demand power. The University of Illinois' Applied Research Institute currently hosts Sandia at its facility in Research Park.

Entomology professor May Berenbaum receives National Medal of Science

2014

Entomology professor and department head May Berenbaum received the National Medal of Science in a White House ceremony Nov. 20. She was one of 10 recipients of the medal, which honors American scientists for achievement and leadership in advancing the fields of science and technology.

Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology

2014

The University of Illinois Institute for Genomic Biology was renamed in honor of a microbiology professor who changed the course of science with his discovery of a third major branch of the tree of life. The new name is the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology.

Blackwell receives National Medal of Science

2015

In 2015 David Blackwell was awarded (posthumously) the National Medal of Science by President Barak Obama

2015

The College of Business celebrates its centennial anniversary.

AHS launches an online professional certificate program in web design

2015

The College of Applied Health Sciences launches an online professional certificate program called Information Accessibility Design and Policy for website developers, information specialists, and disability service providers. The program addresses principles, policies, and practices of information accessibility; designing universally accessible web resources; and accessible software and web applications. Long a leader in disability support programs, AHS initiates the certificate program to ensure that people with disabilities have the same access to information sources as people without disabilities, be they digital, video, audio, or print.

2015

Alumnus Preston Williams was the first African-American superintendent in Urbana School District 116. After a 26-year career in education, which included jobs as a teacher, coach, human resources director, and deputy superintendent, Williams had an Urbana elementary school named in his honor: Dr. Preston L. Williams Jr. Elementary School.

2015

The Illini Union, State Farm Center, Illini Union Board, and Star Course Entertainment put on the first ever Spring Jam - an outdoor concert on the Quad - with artists B.o.B and Timeflies performing to over 5,000 students. This event becomes an annual tradition.

2015

Jeffrey R. Brown, the William G. Karnes Professor of Finance and Director of Center for Business and Public Policy, becomes the tenth dean of the College of Business.

2015

The College of Education hosted a Sept. 30 event to debut a new research laboratory that enables scholars to study learner interactions with digital technologies in real time while collecting massive amounts of varied data.

AHS dedicates Center for Wounded Veterans in Higher Education

2015

The College of Applied Health Sciences dedicates the Chez Family Foundation Center for Wounded Veterans in Higher Education. A one-stop, state-of-the-art facility, the center provides comprehensive residential and non-residential support services to student veterans and their families, including academic tutoring and coaching, career services, and counseling services for veterans and their families. . In addition, Veterans Administration staff members are on site to help veterans register for the benefits to which they are entitled.

Front of the Illini Union in 1940 as construction was nearing completion.

2016

The Illini Union kicked off a year-long celebration of the building's 75 years. First lady Eleanor Roosevelt attended the the first anniversary in 1942, cutting the cake.

2016

For the first time, scientists observed gravitational waves, arriving at the earth from a cataclysmic event in the distant universe. Thirty years prior, NCSA was founded by Larry Smarr based on the premise that numerically modeling scientific problems, such as the colliding of black holes, required high-performance computing to make progress. Smarr’s doctoral thesis had itself been on the modeling of the head-on collision of two black holes and he later formed a numerical group to study and simulate black hole and gravitational wave problems.

Lovie Smith and Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman

2016

Lovie Smith, former NFL coach, is named the Fighting Illini’s head coach with a 6 year, $21 million contract.

iSchool renamed School of Information Sciences

2016

The iSchool at Illinois formally changed its name to the School of Information Sciences. The school has been known by several names since its founding in 1893, most recently as the Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

2016

The Asian American Studies undergraduate major is approved.

2017

John Marlin discussed decades of work with student volunteers to promote sustainability on campus, including the current project to invigorate 22 acres of previous research plots at the South Arboretum Woods. http://wp.istc.illinois.edu/blog/2017/04/11/volunteers-flip-thiscorner-of-campus-for-a-natural-makeover/

The Carle Illinois College of Medicine announced faculty members

2017

The Carle Illinois College of Medicine announced nearly 100 inaugural faculty members, and included in the group of prominent researchers, administrators, and medical professionals with a broad range of knowledge was Dr. Daniel Morrow, chair of the Department of Educational Psychology.

2017

Education at Illinois alumna Susan Zola took over as superintendent for the Champaign Unit 4 School District, replacing fellow Education graduate Judy Wiegand.

2017

Champaign native and 1982 Curriculum & Instruction graduate Jennifer Neubauer was named president of the University of Illinois Alumni Association and associate vice chancellor for alumni relations.

20th Anniversary of Asian American Studies

2017

The Department of Asian American Studies celebrates its 20th Anniversary.

Allerton Park & Retreat Center
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Arboretum
Beckman Institute
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Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology
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College of Education
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College of Fine and Applied Arts
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Department of English
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Department of Mathematics
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