Eastern Illinois University

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Eastern Illinois University

Image:EIU_logo.gif
Established 1895
(as Eastern Illinois State Normal School)
Type Public State university
President Louis V. Hencken
Undergraduates 9,928
Postgraduates 1,723
Location Charleston, Illinois, United States
Campus Small town
Nickname Panthers
Website http://www.eiu.edu

Eastern Illinois University is a state university located in Charleston, Illinois.

Contents

[edit] Institution

Eastern Illinois University has approximately 10,000 undergraduates, 1,700 graduate students, and 2,000 faculty and staff. Admission is selective. Tuition is approximately $7,000 per year for Illinois resident and $17,500 for non-residents, making it 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 $19 million.

The university includes Colleges of Science, Arts and Humanities, Education and Professional Studies, and the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences. Other academic divisions include the Graduate School, Honors College, and School of Continuing Education. Eighty-eight percent of graduates find work in a field related to their major within six months after graduation [1].

In the prestigious US News & World Report college rankings, EIU is classified as a Masters University, meaning one that grants few doctoral degrees and draws students primarily from the surrounding area, rather than nationally. EIU ranks in the top half of US News' rankings of Masters universities within the Midwest region.[2]

[edit] History

Old Main
Old Main

Eastern Illinois University was established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School. Originally a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, it gradually expanded its curriculum to include Baccalaureate and Master's degrees in most of the arts, sciences, and humanities.

The first building was finished in 1899 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 the five "castles" 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. EIU and Illinois State are the only schools where the "castle" is not named after Altgeld. Another original Gothic Revival building, Blair Hall, was restored after a disastrous fire in 2004.

[edit] Sports

Main article: Eastern Illinois Panthers
Eastern Illinois Panthers logo
Eastern Illinois Panthers logo

Eastern Illinois University's colors are blue, grey and white; the sports teams' nickname is the Panthers. Except for men's soccer and swimming teams, the teams participate in NCAA Division I (I-AA for football) in the Ohio Valley Conference. The men's soccer program competes in the Missouri Valley Conference and the swim team competes in the Mid-Continent Conference. Eastern Football is coached by Bob Spoo.

Eastern Illinois University is one of only two NCAA Division I institutions that offer women's rugby as a varsity sport.

Three current National Football League head coaches - Mike Shanahan of the Denver Broncos, Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints and Brad Childress of the Minnesota Vikings - are alumni of Eastern Illinois. Additionally, Tony Romo, the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, is also an alumnus of the University, having actually been signed by Dallas on the advice of Payton, then an assistant coach for the team.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Notable Athletes

[edit] External links


Public Colleges and Universities in Illinois
Chicago State • Eastern Illinois • Governors State • Illinois • Illinois-Springfield • Illinois State • Northeastern Illinois • Northern Illinois • SIU-Carbondale • SIU-Edwardsville • UIC • Western Illinois
Ohio Valley Conference
Austin Peay • Eastern Illinois(Panthers)• Eastern Kentucky • Jacksonville State • Morehead State • Murray State • Samford • SEMO • Tennessee State • Tennessee Tech • Tennessee–Martin
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