University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign

University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign

The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (U of I, University of Illinois, UIUC, or simply Illinois) is a public research-intensive university in the U.S. state of Illinois. As a land-grant university, it is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system. The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (founded, 1867) is the second oldest public university in the state, after Illinois State University, and is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference. It is a member of the Association of American Universities and is classified as a RU/VH Research University under the Carnegie Classification system which denotes very high research activities.The campus library system possesses the second-largest university library in the United States after Harvard University.

The university comprises 17 colleges that offer more than 150 programs of study. Additionally, the university operates an extension that serves 2.7 million registrants per year around the state of Illinois and beyond. The campus holds 647 buildings on 4,552 acres (1,842 ha) in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana (together known as Champaign–Urbana); its annual operating budget in 2011 was over $1.7 billion.

History

Main article: History of University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign

The original University Hall, which stood until 1938, when it was replaced by Gregory hall and the Illini Union. Pieces were used in the erection of Hallene Gateway dedicated in 1998

Between several cities, Urbana was selected in 1867 as the site for the new school. From the beginning, Gregory’s desire to establish an institution firmly grounded in the liberal arts tradition, which was at odds with many State residents and lawmakers who wanted the university to offer classes based solely around “industrial education”.The University opened for classes on March 2, 1868, and had two faculty members and 77 students. ” Gregory is largely credited with establishing the University as it is today. Gregory’s grave is on the Urbana campus, between Altgeld Hall and the Henry Administration Building. His headstone (mimicking the epitaph of British architect Christopher Wren) reads, “If you seek his monument, look about you.”

 The Library, which opened with the school in 1868, started with 1,039 volumes. Subsequently, President Edmund J. James, in a speech to the Board of Trustees in 1912, proposed to create a research library. It is now one of the largest public academic collections in the world.In 1870 the Mumford House was constructed as a model farmhouse for the school’s experimental farm. The Mumford House remains the oldest structure on campus.The original University Hall (1871) was the 4th building built; it stood where the Illini Union stands today.

During the Presidency of Edmund J. James (1904–1920), James is credited for building the foundation of the large Chinese international student population on campus.James established ties with China through the Chinese Minister to the United States Wu Ting-Fang In addition, during James’s presidency, class rivalries and Bob Zuppke’s winning football teams contributed to campus morale.

On June 11, 1929, the Alma Mater statue was unveiled. The Alma Mater was established by donations by the Alumni Fund and the classes of 1923-1929. The statue was originally stood behind the Auditorium until moved to its current location on August 22, 1962 Like many Universities, the economic depression slowed construction and expansion on the campus but during this time the old University Hall began to collapse in 1938. The University replaced the original university hall with Gregory Hall and the Illini Union. In years following World War II, the university experienced rapid growth. The enrollment doubled and the academic standing improved.This period was also marked by large growth in the Graduate College and increased federal support of scientific and technological research.During the 1950s and ’60s the university experienced the turmoil common on many American campuses. Among these were the water fights of the fifties and sixties.

In 1998, the Hallene Gateway Plaza was dedicated. The Plaza features the original sandstone portal of the New Main University Hall.The state of Illinois supplied roughly two-thirds of the university’s budget while the federal government funded 90% of research.In recent years, state support has declined from 4.5% of the state’s tax appropriations in 1980 to 2.28% in 2011, a nearly 50% decline. As a result, the university’s budget has strongly shifted away from relying on state support with nearly 84% of the budget now coming from other sources. On March 12, 2015 the Board of Trustees approved the creation of a medical school, being the first college created at Urbana-Champaign in over 60 years.

Evolution of name

The original name in 1867 was “Illinois Industrial University.” In 1885, the Illinois Industrial University officially changed its name to the University of Illinois, reflecting its agricultural, mechanical, and liberal arts curriculum. This remained the official name for nearly 100 years, until it was changed to the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1982 (using the reverse of the commonly used designation for the local area, “Champaign-Urbana”), ostensibly to establish a separate identity for the campus within the University of Illinois system. However, the institution continues to be known as “the University of Illinois”, or just “Illinois” in both the media and on many of UIUC’s web pages. Starting in 2008, the university began rebranding itself as “Illinois” rather than UIUC, changing the website and email addresses from uiuc.edu to Illinois.edu.

Campus

The main research and academic facilities are divided almost evenly between the twin cities of Urbana and Champaign. The College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences’ research fields stretch south from Urbana and Champaign into Savoy andChampaign County. The university maintains formal gardens and a conference center in nearby Monticello at Allerton Park. Four main quads compose the center of the university and are arranged from north to south. The Beckman Quadrangle and the John Bardeen Quadrangle occupy the center of the Engineering Campus. Boneyard Creek flows through the John Bardeen Quadrangle, paralleling Green Street. The Beckman Quadrangle is primarily composed of research units and laboratories, and features a large solar calendar consisting of an obelisk and several copper fountains. The Main Quadrangle and South Quadrangle follow immediately after the John Bardeen Quad. The former makes up a large part of the Liberal Arts and Sciences portion of the campus, while the latter comprises many of the buildings of the College of ACES spread across the campus map.

The campus is known for its landscape and architecture, as well as distinctive landmarks. It was identified as one of 50 college or university ‘works of art’ by T.A. Gaines in his book The Campus as a Work of Art The campus also has a number of buildings and sites on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places including Harker Hall, Astronomical Observatory, Louise Freer Hall, The Main Library, The Experimental Dairy Farm Historic District, and Morrow Plots. U of I’s Willard Airport is one of the few airports owned by an educational institution.

Graduate Education Program Overview

At University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign, a public institution, all of the online education classes are recorded and archived so students can access the information on their time. The application deadline for online education degree programs at University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign is rolling.

Distinguishing characteristics of online program (as submitted by school)

We have offered online education since 1998, and our faculty continues to use research-based innovations to improve our degrees & courses.

Quick Stats

Academic year founded	1998-1999
Total enrollment	236
2015-2016 Tuition (per credit)	$344 (part-time, in-state) $344 (part-time, out-of-state) $344 (full-time, in-state) $344 (full-time, out-of-state)
Application deadline	rolling
Program website	http://education.illinois.edu/online-offcampus
Admissions URL	http://www.grad.illinois.edu/admissions
Admissions email	gradadmissions@illinois.edu