STATE NORMAL UNIVERSITY
An institution for the education of teachers, organized under an act of the General Assembly, passed Feb. 18, 1857.
This act placed the work of organization in the hands of a board of fifteen persons, which was styled "The Board of Education of the State of Illinois," and was constituted as follows:
C. B. Denio of Jo Daviess County
Simeon Wright of Lee
Daniel Wilkins of McLean
Charles E. Hovey of Peoria
George P. Rex of Pike
Samuel W. Moulton of Shelby
John Gillespie of Jasper
George Bunsen of St. Clair
Wesley Sloan of Pope
Ninian W. Edwards of Sangamon
John R. Eden of Moultrie
Flavel Moseley and William Wells of Cook
Albert R. Shannon of White
and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, ex-official.
The object of the University as defined in the organizing law is to qualify teachers for the public schools of the State and the course of instruction to be given embraces the art of teaching, and all branches which pertain to a common school education. In the elements of the natural sciences, including agricultural chemistry, animal and vegetable physiology. In the fundamental laws of the United States and of the state of Illinois in regard to the rights and duties of citizens and such other studies as the Board of Education may from time to time prescribe.
Various cities competed for the location of the institution, Bloomington being finally selected its bid including 160 acres of land, being estimated as equivalent to $141,725. The corner-stone was laid on September 29, 1857 and the first building was ready for permanent occupancy in September, 1860.
Previously, however, it had been sufficiently advanced to permit of its being used and the first commencement exercises were held on June 29 of the latter year. Three years earlier the academic department had been organized under the charge of Charles E. Hovey. The first cost, including furniture etc. was not far from $200,000.
Gratuitous instruction is given to two pupils from each county and to three from each Senatorial District. The departments are Grammar school, high school, normal department, and model school all of which are overcrowded.
The whole number of students in attendance on the institution during the school year, 1897-98, was 1,197 of whom 891 were in the normal department and 306 in the practice school department, including the representatives from 86 counties of the State, with a few pupils from other states on the payment of tuition. The teaching faculty (including the President and Librarian) for the same year was made up of twenty-six members twelve ladies and fourteen gentlemen.
The expenditures for the year 1897-98 aggregated $47,62692 against $66,528.69 for 1896-97. Nearly $22,000 of the amount expended during the latter year was on account of the construction of a gymnasium building.