Eastern Illinois University

Old Main c. 1900 Blair Hall in 2025 Doudna Fine Arts Center in 2023 Eastern Illinois University was established by the Illinois State Legislature in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois Normal School to "train teachers for the schools of East Central Illinois." Throughout its history, the school adapted its name several times to reflect its development into a comprehensive university, becoming Eastern Illinois State Teachers College in 1921 and Eastern Illinois State College in 1947. In 1957, the Illinois General Assembly changed the name of the institution to Eastern Illinois University. [ 5 ] Upon establishment, an initial 40-acre parcel for the campus was acquired in Charleston, Illinois, the seat of Coles County. When classes began in 1899 there were 125 students and 18 faculty members; the first campus building was Old Main . [ 6 ] [ 7 ] Built of Indiana limestone and featuring Medieval features like turrets and battlements, Old Main's primary tower has an asymmetrical profile that is featured on the university's marketing and official symbols. Eastern's Old Main belongs to a group of central buildings on five university campuses around the state called " Altgeld's castles ," which were built in the 1890s at the direction of then-Governor John Peter Altgeld , who advocated for architecture with visual interest. Additional architectural points of interest on EIU's campus include the Gothic Revival Booth Library , Pemberton Hall , and Blair Hall; Blair was restored after a fire in 2004. [ 8 ] The Doudna Fine Arts Center (completed 2008) is a centerpiece of Eastern's campus. Designed by internationally-recognized architect Antoine Predock , the 138,000-square-foot (12,800 m 2 ) complex features first-class facilities for the music, theatre, and visual arts departments, including numerous studios/workshops/labs, three theater venues, a concert hall and a recital hall.

The building is adorned with interior and exterior copper facades and multiple-story color-glass interior walls; there are several interior bridges to connect the various wings within the four-story concourse, which itself serves as a multi-use space for the university and the region. [ 9 ] Presidents Old Main is the oldest building at Eastern Illinois University. Samuel M. Inglis (appointed in 1898 but died before officially assuming office) [ 10 ] 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)

The EIU Alma Mater was composed by Friederich Koch during his tenure at Eastern. The lyrics were originally a poem titled "For Us Arose Thy Walls and Towers" by Isabel McKinney, a professor of English at Eastern from 1911 to 1945. Before Koch's melody was employed, the McKinney lyrics were 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. [ 11 ]

Eastern Illinois University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission . Its educator certification programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation . [ 12 ] Eastern offers 51 undergraduate degree programs, 32 graduate degree programs, and 10 post-baccalaureate certificate programs. [ 13 ] Eastern is divided into four colleges: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences [ 14 ] Lumpkin College of Business & Technology [ 15 ] College of Education [ 16 ] College of Health & Human Services [ 17 ] Other academic divisions include the Graduate School, [ 18 ] Sandra & Jack Pine Honors College, [ 19 ] and the School of Extended Learning. [ 20 ] 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. [ 21 ] Reputation and rankings In the 2025 U.S. News & World Report college rankings, Eastern Illinois University is ranked 14th in Top Public Schools, [ 22 ] second only to University of Illinois at Springfield within the state, and is in the top third of regional universities in the greater Midwest. [ 23 ]