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Eastern Illinois University

Coordinates: 39°29′4″N 88°10′31″W / 39.48444°N 88.17528°W / 39.48444; -88.17528
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Eastern Illinois University
Former names
Eastern Illinois State Normal School (1899–1921)
Eastern Illinois State Teachers College (1921–1947)
Eastern Illinois State College (1947–1957)
TypePublic university
Established1895; 129 years ago (1895)
Endowment$66.6 million[1]
PresidentJay Gatrell
ProvostRyan C. Hendrickson
Students8,505 (fall 2024)[2]
Location
Charleston, Illinois
,
U.S.

39°29′4″N 88°10′31″W / 39.48444°N 88.17528°W / 39.48444; -88.17528
CampusCollege town, 320 acres (129.5 ha)[3]
NewspaperThe Daily Eastern News
Colors    Blue and grey[4]
NicknamePanthers
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division I FCS — Ohio Valley Conference
MascotBilly the Panther
Websitewww.eiu.edu

Eastern Illinois University (EIU) is a public university 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 bachelor's and master's degrees in education, business, arts, sciences, and humanities.

History

[edit]
Old Main c. 1900

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.[5]

The first building was finished in 1899[6] 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[7] and Blair Hall.[8] Blair Hall was restored after a disastrous fire in 2004.[9] 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.[10]

Through the twentieth century, the school changed its name several times in order to reflect its transition from a teachers college into a multi-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.[11]

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the university celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2020.

Presidents

[edit]
  • Samuel M. Inglis (appointed in 1898 but died before officially assuming office)[12]
  • Livingston C. Lord (1899 to 1933)
  • Robert G. Buzzard (1933 to 1956)
  • Quincy Doudna (1956 to 1971)
  • Gilbert C. Fite (1971 to 1976)
  • Daniel E. Marvin (1977 to 1983)
  • Stanley G. Rives (1983 to 1992)
  • David L. Jorns (1992 to 1999)
  • Carol D. Surles (1999 to 2001)
  • Louis V. Hencken (2001 to 2007)
  • William L. Perry (2007 to 2015)
  • David M. Glassman (2017 to 2023)
  • Jay Gatrell (2023 to present)

Academics

[edit]
Old Main is the oldest building at Eastern Illinois University.

Eastern Illinois University has roughly 8,500 students. As of 2024, tuition is approximately $10,150 for all domestic undergraduates, while it is $12,688 for international undergraduates. Additional fees amount to $3,506.68.[13] The university estimates its average cost-of-attendance to be approximately $24,640 per academic year.[14] The university has an endowment of approximately $108 million.[15] The president of the university since 2023 is Jay Gatrell.[16]

Eastern Illinois University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.[17] Eastern Illinois also offers 51 undergraduate degree programs; 32 graduate degree programs; and 10 post-baccalaureate certificate programs.[18]

Eastern is divided into four colleges:

  • College of Liberal Arts and Sciences[19]
  • Lumpkin College of Business & Technology[20]
  • College of Education[21]
  • College of Health & Human Services[22]

Other academic divisions include the Graduate School,[23] Sandra & Jack Pine Honors College,[24] and the School of Extended Learning.[25] 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 Inclusion and Academic Engagement, 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.[26]

Reputation and rankings

[edit]

In the 2025 U.S. News & World Report college rankings, Eastern Illinois University was ranked 54th out of 165 regional universities in the Midwest.[27]

Student life

[edit]
Pemberton Hall, a women's residence hall

Eastern Illinois University offers over 170 student organizations, ranging from religious, multicultural, service, academic, Greek, honorary, governing, social, athletic and political organizations.[28]

Alma mater

[edit]

The "EIU Alma Mater" song was composed by Friederich 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.[29]

Media

[edit]

The student newspaper is The Daily Eastern News, founded in 1915; EIU is said to be one of the smallest universities in the country to have a daily newspaper.

The university's student-run radio station is Hit-Mix 88.9 WEIU.

WEIU-TV is a PBS station on the campus of Eastern Illinois University. The student-run news program is News Watch.[30]

Residential life

[edit]

There are eleven on-campus residence halls.

Ruth Carman Hall was a former residence. It was named after Ruth Carman, an EIU alumni.[31]

Carman Hall opened on September 4, 1970, but wasn't officially completed until November 14, 1971.[32] Initially, the housing office was unable to fill the upper two floors of the building, but by 1977 the entire building was in use.[33] From August 2011, only eight floors were occupied due to reduced enrollment.[34] Carman Hall was closed after May 30, 2013, to allow for an assessment of the condition of the building and for future renovation.[35] In 2014, the university stated that it would remain closed as a cost-saving measure due to low enrollment.[36]

Since closure, the building has been used for training purposes by EIU's Reserve Officers' Training Corps[37] as well as high-rise rescue training by various area fire departments.[38]

Eastern Illinois University features two residence hall dining centers (Taylor and Stevenson), the University Food Court with six fast food locations, Java Beanery & Bakery (Java B & B), Chick-fil-A, Charleston Market, Panther Grille, Ace Sushi, Qdoba, and two Marketplace Convenience Centers.[39] They also operate a restaurant-style option (Reservation-Only Dining) on the weekends.

Athletics

[edit]
Main article: Eastern Illinois Panthers

Eastern Illinois University's colors are blue and grey; the sports teams' mascot is the Panther. The teams participate in NCAA Division I (I-AA FCS for football) in the Ohio Valley Conference. Eastern Illinois University was a member of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1912 to 1970.

The football team is coached by Chris Wilkerson and competes at home in O’Brien Field.

Current National Football League head coach, Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos, is an alumnus of Eastern Illinois. Brad Childress, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2006 to 2010, is also a graduate, preceding Sean Payton at Eastern Illinois. Additionally, Tony Romo, the former starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, and Jimmy Garoppolo, starting quarterback of the Las Vegas Raiders, are alumni of the university.

Eastern Illinois is also the host of the IHSA Boys and Girls State Track and Field Finals, which have been held at O'Brien Field since the 1970s. They also host the IHSA Girls State Badminton Finals and previously hosted the State Journalism Finals.[40]

Notable alumni

[edit]
Main article: List of Eastern Illinois University alumni

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Data USA: Eastern Illinois University". Data USA. November 7, 2023.
  2. ^ "Student success & campus life drive EIU enrollment".
  3. ^ "EIU at a Glance-Campus". www.eiu.edu. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  4. ^ Eastern Illinois University Brand Guidelines (PDF). Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  5. ^ Tingley, Donald (January 1974). ""The Emerging University - A History of Eastern Illinois University 194" by Donald F. Tingley". EIU.edu.
  6. ^ [1] Archived October 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Eastern Illinois University :: Booth Library Homepage". eiu.edu.
  8. ^ Nora Pat Small, "A Building for the Ages: The History and Architecture of Old Main," Archived January 16, 2005, at the Wayback Machine September 1999, Department of History, Eastern Illinois University website.
  9. ^ Julie Morss, "Blair Hall bags another award," Daily Eastern News, January 9, 2007.
  10. ^ Nathaniel West, "EIU's Doudna Rededicated," Journal-Gazette/Times-Courier, Coles County, Illinois, October 24, 2008.
  11. ^ Donald F. Tingley, "The Emerging University - A History of Eastern Illinois University 1949-1974" Retrieved December 20, 2012.
  12. ^ "EIU History". eiu.edu.
  13. ^ "Eastern Illinois University :: Financial Aid - Cost of Attendance". www.eiu.edu. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  14. ^ "EIU Integrity Documents". Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  15. ^ "2024 Foundation Annual Report". online.fliphtml5.com. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  16. ^ Kidd, Madelyn (February 3, 2023). "BREAKING: Jay Gatrell to be EIU's 13th president". The Daily Eastern News. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  17. ^ "About EIU". eiu.edu. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  18. ^ "EIU at a Glance - Academics". eiu.edu. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  19. ^ "Eastern Illinois University :: College of Arts and Sciences". eiu.edu. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  20. ^ "Eastern Illinois University :: Lumpkin College of Business and Technology". eiu.edu. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  21. ^ "Eastern Illinois University :: College of Education". eiu.edu. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  22. ^ "Eastern Illinois University :: College of Health and Human Services". eiu.edu. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  23. ^ "Eastern Illinois University :: Graduate School". eiu.edu.
  24. ^ "Eastern Illinois University :: Honors College". eiu.edu.
  25. ^ "Eastern Illinois University :: School of Continuing Education Homepage". eiu.edu.
  26. ^ "Eastern Illinois University :: Tarble Arts Center". eiu.edu. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  27. ^ "Eastern Illinois University". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  28. ^ "EIU at a Glance-Organizations". www.eiu.edu. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  29. ^ "Eastern Illinois State College - Fifty Years of PublicService" (PDF). thekeep.eiu.edu. January 1, 1950. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  30. ^ "WEIU :: News Watch". www.weiu.net. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  31. ^ "History of Carman Hall". EIU Housing. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  32. ^ Brock, Corryn. "Exploring Carman Hall's history". The Daily Eastern News. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  33. ^ "Students find dorm living more attractive at EIU". Journal Gazette. August 17, 1977. p. 39. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  34. ^ Stroud, Rob (August 6, 2011). "Decline in EIU enrollment leaves residence hall with empty floors". JG-TC.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  35. ^ "Carman Hall to close for renovations, aseessments". Journal Gazette. February 19, 2013. p. 3. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  36. ^ Hernandez, Debby. "Carman Hall to remain closed". The Daily Eastern News. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  37. ^ Markham, Stephanie (April 2, 2015). "ROTC receives training in Carman Hall". The Daily Eastern News. Archived from the original on June 20, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  38. ^ Taylor, Luke. "Carman's potential: firefighter training". The Daily Eastern News. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  39. ^ "Panther Dining | University Food Court". Eastern Illinois University. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  40. ^ "EIU | IHSA State Championships". Eastern Illinois University. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
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