Illinois State University

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Illinois State University
File:IllinoisStateUniersitySeal.gif
MottoGladly we Learn and Teach
TypePublic
Established1857
PresidentAl Bowman
Undergraduates17,878
Postgraduates2,879
Location
Normal
,
Illinois
,
USA
CampusUrban
colorsred and white
NicknameRedbirds
MascotReggie Redbird
Websitewww.IllinoisState.edu

Illinois State University (usually abbreviated as 'ISU') is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Originally named Illinois State Normal University, ISU was founded in 1857 by Jesse W. Fell (1808-1887), and was the first public institution of higher education in the state. Normal schools were schools specifically designated for the education of teachers. In 1964, as the institution began expanding and moving toward a full liberal arts curriculum, its name was changed to Illinois State University at Normal, and by 1968 to Illinois State University.

ISU is located in Normal, Illinois, a town in McLean County in the central part of the state. The town of Normal took its name from the school. Its original name had been North Bloomington. It remains a top teaching school in Illinois. Its athletic teams compete in the Missouri Valley Conference and the Gateway Football Conference, and are known as the "Redbirds" in reference to the state bird, the cardinal.

Illinois State is also home to the world's tallest (but not largest) residence hall, Watterson Towers, which houses 2,200 students. The pair of buildings was completed in 1967.

The school's motto was originally "and gladly wold he lerne and gladly teche", in the Middle English spelling of its author, Geoffrey Chaucer. By the 1960s, the motto was spelled in the modern style, "and gladly would he learn and gladly teach". Despite the apparently gender-specific "he" in this motto, until the 1970s there were significantly more women than men attending the university. The motto has since been updated to the gender-neutral form "Gladly we Learn and Teach".

The school's Alma Mater song is "Glory Hast Thou", written to the tune of Haydn's "Austrian Hymn", better known as the tune used for "Deutschland Uber Alles".

Academics and Organizations

ISU, originally a teachers' college, has matured to a university offering a range of programs at the bachelor, master, and doctoral levels.

In 2006, there were more teachers teaching in the United States from ISU than from any other school in the country.

The university owns public radio station WGLT ("News, Blues and All That Jazz"), which broadcasts on 89.1 in Normal, 103.5 in Peoria, and by streaming audio from http://www.wglt.org/. The call letters are from keywords of the school's motto: "Gladly-Learn-Teach".

ISU is also home of the Gamma Phi Circus, the oldest collegiate circus in the United States. The Gamma Phi Circus, founded in 1929, is one of 2 collegiate circuses in the US, the other is run by Florida State University.

The university's School of Communication has one of the most successful forensics individual events teams in the country. In 1995, 1999, and 2000 it won the National Forensic Association team championship and in 2005 its team won the American Forensic Association team championship. [citation needed]

The English Department, the largest department in ISU, is unique in its interdisciplinary focus named "English Studies," which includes various literature in English, writing/composition theories, cultural studies, K-12 English education, linguistics, TESOL, and so forth. The Department is also leading the field of children's literature in the United States. The university has a respected nursing school program, the Mennonite College Of Nursing. Illinois State University's Speech Pathology and Audiology programs and its Special Education programs are among the best in the United States and the Midwest. The current president of Illinois State University, Doctor Clarence Alvin Bowman, Ph.D., is the former chairman and head of the Speech Pathology and Audiology Department. It operates the Eckelmann-Taylor Speech and Hearing Clinic and a program that works with Metcalf Laboratory School and other area schools to train some of the future therapists in providing services to schoolchildren at the graduate and postgraduate level.

TV-10, a part of the School of Communication, provides the only live local television newscast produced entirely in Bloomington-Normal.

The school publishes two newspapers - The Daily Vidette and the The Indy, an alternative, weekly publication.

The art education program has been a thriving presence in the related professional field. The National Art Education Association (NAEA) Student Chapter was the first-ever recipient of the national award for Outstanding Student Chapter in 2002. The chapter received the award again the following year. Many students have held the national position of NAEA Student Chapter President, as well as faculty holding national board positions. The program has an extremely high job placement percentage. The university's new Performing Arts Center is a helpful asset.

File:IMG 0535.JPG
Illinois State University quadrangle, Felmley Hall of Science
File:IMG 0574.JPG
College of Business Building, Watterson Towers at sunset
Illinois State University, Performing Arts Center
Illinois State University, Fell Hall

Notable alumni

Points of interest

External links

Student Organizations

see All Student Organizations

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