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
|
