EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY

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

Contents

Institution

History

Sports

Notable alumni

Notable Athletes

External links

References

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 $35 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.^[2]
In the US News & World Report college rankings, EIU is classified as a Masters University, meaning one that grants no 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.^[3]

History

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. 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 and Blair Hall. Blair Hall was restored after a disastrous fire in 2004.

Sports

Main articles: Eastern Illinois Panthers


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 Summit League. 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.

Notable alumni

★ Joan Allen, actress

★ Jim Edgar, Governor of Illinois from 1991 to 1999

★ Joan Embery, environmental activist

★ Burl Ives, actor and folk singer. Did not graduate.

★ Joe Knollenberg, representative of the Ninth District of Michigan, United States House of Representatives since 1992

★ Brent Manning, former head of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources

★ John Malkovich, actor. Did not graduate.

★ Larry Smith, CNN Headline News sports anchor ^[4]

★ Jerry Van Dyke, actor. Did not graduate.

Notable Athletes

★ Tim Bogar - retired Major League Baseball infielder

★ Brad Childress - head coach of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League

★ Kevin Duckworth, former National Basketball Association all-star center

★ Jeff Gossett, NFL Pro Bowl punter

★ Matt Hughes, professional MMA fighter

★ John Jurkovic, former NFL defensive lineman

★ Marty Pattin, MLB All-Star pitcher

★ Sean Payton, head coach of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League

★ Tony Romo, starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League

★ Kevin Seitzer - retired all-star Major League Baseball player

★ Mike Shanahan, head coach of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League

★ Chris Szarka, fullback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League

★ Ray Fisher, former lineman - Dallas Texans of the National Football League

★ Dan Steele, track All-American, 400-meter National Champion, and Bronze Medalist in four-man bobsled at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics

★ Stan Royer, former Major League Baseball player; utility infielder, designated hitter

External links

★ Eastern Illinois University official website

★ Information on EIU from US News and World Report

★ Official athletics website

★ Campus map

★ The Daily Eastern News

★ Agora, the English Department's online journal

★ Historia, the History Department's online journal

★ Eastern Illinois University history and archives

★ Old Main and Gothic architecture at Eastern Illinois University

References

1. http://www.nacubo.org/documents/research/2006NES_Listing.pdf
2. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drservices_1674_brief.php
3. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drglance_1674_brief.php
4. http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/smith.larry.html