Eastern Illinois University

Coordinates: 39°29′4″N 88°10′31″W / 39.48444°N 88.17528°W / 39.48444; -88.17528

Eastern Illinois University
Former names
 Eastern Illinois State Normal School
Type Public
Established 1895
Endowment $74.57 million[1]
President David M. Glassman
Provost Blair M. Lord
Students 8,913 [2]
Undergraduates 7,640
Postgraduates 1,273
Location Charleston, Illinois, U.S.
Campus Small town
Colors Blue and Grey
         
Athletics NCAA Division I – OVC
The Summit League
Nickname Panthers
Website www.eiu.edu

Eastern Illinois University is a state university located in Charleston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a comprehensive university with a broad curriculum, including Baccalaureate and Master's degrees in education, business, arts, sciences, and humanities.

Location

Eastern Illinois University is located in Charleston, Illinois, just off Interstate 57, about 50 miles south of Champaign and about 40 miles north of Effingham. As you approach Charleston, you will see the university's iconic landmark, Old Main, at its location on 600 Lincoln Avenue.[3]

History

Eastern Illinois Normal School was established by the Illinois State Legislature in 1895 "to train teachers for the schools of East Central Illinois." A 40 acre campus was acquired in Charleston and the first building was commissioned. When the school began classes in 1899, there were 125 students and an 18 member faculty.[4]

Old Main building

The first building was finished in 1899 [5] and is called Old Main, though it is formally named the Livingston C. Lord Administration Building in honor of EIU's first president, who served from 1899 to 1933. Built of Indiana limestone in a heavy Gothic revival style with turrets, towers, and battlements, its distinctive outline is the official symbol of the school. Old Main is one of "Altgeld's castles", five buildings built in the 1890s at the major Illinois state colleges. Governor John Peter Altgeld was instrumental in funding the Illinois university system, and he was especially fond of the Gothic style. Eastern's "Old Main" and Illinois State University's Cook Hall are the only schools where the "castle" is not named after Altgeld. Other original Gothic Revival buildings include Booth Library[6] and Blair Hall.[7] Blair Hall was restored after a disastrous fire in 2004.[8] In fall 2008, the university opened the newly constructed Doudna Fine Arts Center, designed by international architect Antoine Predock. The 138,000-square-foot (12,800 m2) complex houses the music, theatre, and visual arts departments.[9]

Through the twentieth century, the school changed its name several times in order to reflect its transition from a teachers college into a muti-purpose institution that could be of wider service to Illinois. Thus, Eastern Illinois State Normal School became Eastern Illinois State Teachers College in 1921, which then became Eastern Illinois State College in 1947. In 1957, the Illinois General Assembly changed the name of the institution to Eastern Illinois University.[10]

Institution

The EIU Alumni Courtyard, library quad and the Doudna Fine Arts Center

Eastern Illinois University has 8,913 students and a talented, highly regarded faculty. Admission is selective. Tuition is approximately $8,550 per year for residents of Illinois and other bordering states, while it is $10,680 for non-residents. This makes EIU one of the most affordable universities in Illinois. There are prominent Communication Disorders and Sciences and Biological Sciences programs, though the College of Education remains the largest department. The university has an endowment of approximately $35 million. The current president is David Glassman.

In the US News & World Report college rankings, EIU is classified as a regional public university and fits into one of four regions: the Midwest Region. In the publication's 2015 rankings, EIU ranks No. 4 amongst its peers in that region.[11]

Colleges and schools

Eastern is divided into four colleges:

Other academic divisions include The Graduate School,[16] Sandra and Jack Pine Honors College,[17] and School of Continuing Education.[18] The Graduate School was founded in 1951 and has an enrollment of approximately 1,800 full and part-time students with more than 300 faculty holding graduate faculty status. The university also includes the Center for Academic Support and Achievement, the Office of Minority Affairs, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, and the Office of Study Abroad. The university's Booth Library hosts yearly exhibits, the Ballenger Teachers Center, and numerous digital collections. The main university art museum, the Tarble Arts Center, maintains a 1,000-piece permanent collection, including a 500-piece collection of late 20th century Illinois folk arts and related archival information. A majority of the holdings are concentrated on art from the state of Illinois and the Midwest region.[19]

Eighty-eight percent of graduates find work in a field related to their major within six months after graduation.[20]

Campus life

Organizations

Eastern Illinois University offers over 150 student organizations. The school's daily newspaper is The Daily Eastern News.

Residences

Eleven on-campus residence halls include seven co-ed, three female-only, and one male-only. Throughout the year the residence halls participate in competitions and various community service activities.

Dining services

Eastern Illinois University features three residence hall dining centers(Taylor, Thomas, and Stevenson), the University Food Court with five fast food locations, Java Beanery & Bakery (Java B & B), and two Marketplace Convenience Centers. They also operate a restaurant style option (Reservation-Only Dining) on the weekends.

Athletics

Eastern Illinois University's colors are blue and gray; the sports teams' mascot is the Panther. The teams participate in NCAA Division I (I-AA FCS for football) in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Eastern Football team is coached by Dino Babers and competes at home in O'Brien Stadium. Eastern Illinois University was a member of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1912-1970. Eastern Illinois University is one of two NCAA Division I institutions that offer women's rugby as a varsity sport.

Two current National Football League head coaches, Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints and Mike Shanahan of the Washington Redskins, are alumni of Eastern Illinois. Brad Childress, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2006-2010 is also a graduate, preceding Sean Payton at Eastern Illinois. Additionally, Tony Romo, the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, is an alumnus of the University, having been signed by Dallas on the advice of Payton, then an assistant coach for the team.

Eastern Illinois is also the host of the IHSA Boys and Girls State Track and Field Finals, which have been held at O'Brien Stadium since the 1970s.

Alma mater

Simply referred to as the "EIU Alma Mater," the song itself was composed by Friedrich Koch during his tenure as a music teacher at Eastern. The lyrics were composed as a poem titled "For Us Arose Thy Walls and Towers" by Isabel McKinney, a professor of English at Eastern from 1911 to 1945. These lyrics were originally set to the German folk tune Die Wacht am Rhein (The Watch on the Rhine), but were changed around the time of World War I due to anti-German sentiments at the time.[21]

Notable alumni

Notable athletes

References

  1. ↑ "Sortable Table: College and University Endowments, 2013-14". The Chronicle of Higher Education. 2015-01-29. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  2. ↑ "Eastern Illinois University :: University Marketing and Communication". eiu.edu.
  3. ↑ https://www.eiu.edu/admissions/discover.php#getting Getting to EIU eiu.edu
  4. ↑ ""The Emerging University - A History of Eastern Illinois University 194" by Donald F. Tingley". eiu.edu.
  5. ↑ Archived October 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ↑ "Eastern Illinois University :: Booth Library Homepage". eiu.edu.
  7. ↑ Nora Pat Small, "A Building for the Ages: The History and Architecture of Old Main," September 1999, Department of History, Eastern Illinois University web site.
  8. ↑ Julie Morss, "Blair Hall bags another award," Daily Eastern News, January 9, 2007.
  9. ↑ Nathaniel West, "EIU's Doudna Rededicated," Journal-Gazette/Times-Courier, Coles County, Illinois, October 24, 2008.
  10. ↑ Donald F. Tingley, "The Emerging University - A History of Eastern Illinois University 1949-1974" Retrieved December 20, 2012.
  11. ↑ America's Best Colleges 2015: Eastern Illinois University: At a glance from USNews.com
  12. ↑ "Eastern Illinois University :: College of Arts and Humanities". eiu.edu.
  13. ↑ "Eastern Illinois University :: Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences". eiu.edu.
  14. ↑ "Eastern Illinois University :: College of Education & Professional Studies". eiu.edu.
  15. ↑ "Eastern Illinois University :: College of Sciences". eiu.edu.
  16. ↑ "Eastern Illinois University :: Graduate School". eiu.edu.
  17. ↑ "Eastern Illinois University :: Honors College". eiu.edu.
  18. ↑ "Eastern Illinois University :: School of Continuing Education Homepage". eiu.edu.
  19. ↑ "Eastern Illinois University :: Tarble Arts Center". eiu.edu.
  20. ↑ USNews.com: America's Best Colleges 2008: Eastern Illinois University: Services & Facilities
  21. ↑ http://thekeep.eiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=eiu_history
  22. ↑ "Joan Allen". Eastern Illinois University. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  23. ↑ "Jim Edgar". National Governors Association. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  24. ↑ "Burl Ives". Eastern Illinois University. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  25. ↑ "Joe Knollenberg". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  26. ↑ "Charlotte Martin". Eastern Illinois University. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  27. ↑ "William Phipps". Eastern Illinois University. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  28. ↑ "Matthew Polenzani". Eastern Illinois University. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  29. ↑ "Dennis Reboletti". Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  30. ↑ "Glen Gabbard". Psychiatric Times. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  31. ↑ "Dave Huxtable". University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  32. ↑ "Marilyn Skoglund" (PDF). Vermont Judicial Branch. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  33. ↑ "Representative Brandon W. Phelps (D) - 118th District". Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
  34. ↑ "Tim Bogar". Baseball-Almanac. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  35. ↑ "Kevin Duckworth". Basketball Reference.com. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  36. ↑ "Brian Ebersole MMA Bio". Retrieved 2014.
  37. ↑ "Pro-Football Reference.com". EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  38. ↑ "Jeff Gossett" (PDF). EASTERN ILLINOIS FOOTBALL.. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  39. ↑ "Pro-Football Reference.com". Eastern Illinois University. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  40. ↑ "Kyle Hill". ABC.com. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  41. ↑ "Otis Hudson". Eastern Illinois University. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  42. ↑ "Matt Hughes". About.com. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  43. ↑ "Matt Hughes UFC Bio". Retrieved 2014.
  44. ↑ "Schellas Hyndman". Southern Methodist University. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  45. ↑ "John Jurkovic". Eastern Illinois University. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  46. ↑ "Marty Pattin". Baseball Reference.com. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  47. ↑ "Sean Payton". Eastern Illinois University. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  48. ↑ "Ted Petersen". EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  49. ↑ "Kenny Robertson UFC Bio". Retrieved 2014.
  50. ↑ "Tony Romo". Eastern Illinois University. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  51. ↑ "Stan Royer". Baseball Reference.com. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  52. ↑ "Mike Russow UFC Bio". Retrieved 2014.
  53. ↑ "Kevin Seitzer". Baseball Reference.com. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  54. ↑ "Mike Shanahan". Pro-Football Reference.com. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  55. ↑ "Dan Steel". Journal Gazette and Times-Courier. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  56. ↑ "Chris Szarka". EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  57. ↑ "Louis Taylor MMA Bio". Retrieved 2014.
  58. ↑ "Ryan Thomas MMA Bio". Retrieved 2014.
  59. ↑ "Pierre Walters". EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  60. ↑ "James Warring". EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  61. ↑ "Kirby Wilson". CBS Interactive. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  62. ↑ "Matt Veach UFC Bio". Retrieved 2014.

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