blog posts Stanley Ikenberry, former U of I System president who left a strong legacy, has passed away Apr 2, 2025 2:00 pm Stanley O. Ikenberry, who became the youngest president in the University of Illinois history in 1979 and later returned to the presidency in an interim capacity, died Tuesday at age 90 in Boca Grande, Florida. New book explores the U of I scholars, ideas that made history in education Mar 13, 2025 3:30 pm 'Arguments for Learning: An Intellectual History of the College of Education at the University of Illinois,' is a history of the work of the college and its contribution to national and international educational reform. Legendary Illini baseball coach Itch Jones passes away Feb 18, 2025 9:15 am 'He was ahead of his time with his baseball teachings and innovative drills. He was blessed with one of the best minds in the game of baseball. A teacher, clinician, entertainer, and champion,' said current Illini head coach Dan Hartleb. In memoriam: Donald L. Bitzer, father of PLATO Jan 2, 2025 11:45 am A giant in the field of engineering, Bitzer was known as the 'father of PLATO' for his role in creating the ground-breaking computer-based education system at the U. of I. He was a co-inventor of the flat-screen panel plasma display. Flashback: 1984 Jan 9, 2025 11:15 am Being a student in 1984 meant midnight movies at the Co-Ed and browsing vinyl at Record Service. Let’s travel back in time for a look at life on campus in the eighties. 'Fight, Illini!' The song that helped build Memorial Stadium Oct 18, 2024 10:15 am In 1921, a Daily Illini songwriting contest helped raise funds to build Memorial Stadium. For the first time in one hundred years, the sounds of the winning song will fill the stadium again. Illinois architecture professors’ book provides historic analysis of Memorial Stadium Oct 16, 2024 9:45 am The design of Memorial Stadium was a hybrid, with a hemispherical shape and tiered seating. 'Our stadium, when it was built, had more seats between the goal lines than any other stadium in the country,' architecture professor Kevin Hinders said. Meet the Crackels, Memorial Stadium’s first family Oct 14, 2024 9:30 am The ten-room apartment was built into the northwest side of the stadium near the student section, with windows that looked out upon thousands of scrambling feet as they excitedly made their way to their seats. New BTN documentary ‘A House of Brick’ celebrates 100 years of Memorial Stadium Oct 9, 2024 10:45 am 'A House of Brick' premieres at 9:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14 and is repeated at 9:30 a.m. CT Thursday, Oct. 17; 3:30 p.m. CT Friday, Oct. 18 on the Big Ten Network. In central Illinois, viewers can watch the documentary on WCIA 3-TV at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16. The most famous Fighting Illini speech you’ve never heard Oct 9, 2024 10:00 am Some predicted it would be as famous. Repeatedly, alumni wrote in to say how moving Robert Zuppke’s speech was. So beloved was his speech that recordings were made of it on vinyl and made available through the Alumni Association. University of Illinois: A century of nutritional science impacts Sep 16, 2024 9:00 am U. of I. has been at the forefront of nutritional science research and education for over 100 years. Here's a look at the illustrious history and significant impacts that Illinois has had on human and animal health. McKinley Health Center celebrates 100 years of service Sep 18, 2024 12:00 pm In 1924, Dean Thomas Arkle Clark recognized the growing healthcare needs for campus and reached out to Senator William B. McKinley for aid. HIs gift helped create what was then known as McKinley Hospital. University Archives collection tells history of Illinois athlete, 1924 Olympic champion Jul 22, 2024 12:15 pm At the 1924 Paris Olympics, U. of I. track star Harold Osborn won two gold medals, in the high jump and the decathlon, making him the first (and still the only) athlete to win the decathlon and another individual event in the same Olympics. What was found in the Illini Hall time capsule? A glimpse of life in 1907 Feb 13, 2024 4:00 pm 'We had hoped that there was a time capsule there, but we really didn’t know for sure until they lifted the cornerstone back.' Sure enough, Jim Hinterlong reached inside the hole and found a small, water-stained box. Reflecting on Thurgood Marshall's speech at U of I in 1956 Jan 17, 2024 10:15 am On March 8, 1956, future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall visited the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to talk about his work, the many cases of segregation in Illinois, and the murder of Emmett Till. U of I celebrates Memorial Stadium 100th Anniversary in 2024 Jan 10, 2024 11:15 am Illinois is set to host Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 19 - 100 years and one day from Red Grange's historic six-touchdown game at the stadium's opening. 100th anniversary celebrations are planned throughout the year. Library adds previously undigitized Daily Illini issues Nov 1, 2023 11:15 am The Illinois Newspaper Project is thrilled to announce that, as of this week, previously undigitized issues of U of I’s student newspaper are available in the Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections, filling a gap in availability of Daily Illini issues from 1976 to 1992. The (failed?) effort to bring gray squirrels to campus in 1901 Sep 6, 2023 11:00 am It’s hard to know when President Draper and Professor Rolfe realized they were over their heads: Some squirrels died in their shipping containers. Many died of disease or disappeared. And, local residents started shooting them. The Galloping Ghost: Red Grange's unrivaled legacy Sep 1, 2023 9:00 am In honor of the 100th anniversary of Grange's Illinois debut back in 1923, we remember a man who revolutionized the game of football at the college and professional levels. Altgeld Hall cleaning brings back its long-forgotten pink color Jun 22, 2023 11:00 am 'When completed, along with the roof replacement work, the Phase 2 work of this project will return the exterior of this iconic U of I building to its former glory,' says Facilities & Services project manager Kevin Price. Illinois State Water Survey at 125: Journal celebrates its landmark contributions Jul 18, 2023 11:00 am June issue of the Journal of the American Water Resources Association showcases the importance of the water survey’s latest studies, particularly in addressing today’s challenges, and commemorating its 125th anniversary. Watch: Tech giants discuss 75 years of the transistor May 10, 2023 4:00 pm 75 years ago, Grainger Engineer John Bardeen invented the transistor, spring boarding the exponential growth in technology that we see today. Leaders from IBM, Intel and NVIDIA talk about what’s next. Oldest US agricultural plots go digital: 130+ years of Morrow Plots data now online Apr 21, 2023 9:00 am 'I’ve gotten requests from government and university researchers, both in the U.S. and abroad. They’re mainly modelers trying to link weather patterns with yield and soil data; a lot of modelers salivate at the Morrow Plots data.' The humble beginnings of Speech & Hearing Science at Illinois Mar 10, 2023 3:00 pm In 1938, Dr. Severina E. Nelson wanted to start an outreach program providing speech therapy. 'Finally, the janitor volunteered to donate his mop closet so that I could set up a speech therapy lab. He moved to the basement.' U of I Observatory, a National Historic Landmark, still comes alive at night Mar 13, 2023 4:15 pm People still love to visit the observatory, but it needs work. Last year, U of I was awarded a $500,000 Save America’s Treasures grant, to be matched by an additional $500,000 in campus funds, providing a total of $1 million for critical renovations. Insect Fear Film Festival celebrates 40 years of entertaining, educating about insects Feb 27, 2023 11:00 am The 2023 Insect Fear Film Festival celebrates 40 years of entertaining and educating people about insects and their close relatives. This year’s festival (March 4) features living fossil organisms. Watch the campus celebration of Nick Holonyak, Jr. Feb 13, 2023 9:45 am This is a recording of the live presentation of the U of I's celebration and memorial of Professor Nick Holonyak, Jr., recipient of both the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2002, and the National Medal of Science in 1990. Visionary Violet: A U of I feminist pioneer Jan 5, 2023 12:30 pm This short documentary from U of I's BTN producers tells the story of the first dean of women at Illinois, Violet DeLille Jayne, who championed women’s inclusion on campus, including the first women’s intermural basketball team. RIP Jim Kaler: Beloved professor, world-renowned expert on stars Dec 6, 2022 11:00 am Astronomy Magazine (Dec. 5) Jim Kaler, astronomy professor and one of the world’s leading experts on stars, died at his home at age 83. Kaler taught an estimated 10,000 students during his nearly 40-year career at the U. of I. A century after his championships, world-famous steer welcomes visitors to Stock Pavilion Aug 17, 2022 11:45 am A statue of Broadus White Socks, a world-famous, two-time prize-winning steer (1922), installed at the south entrance of the Stock Pavilion, caps decades of renovations there. Read Broadus's facinating life story, and his post-life story. Mathematics collaborates with Spurlock Museum to preserve iconic math models Jul 6, 2022 9:15 am The collection of math models in Altgeld Hall is considered one of the best in the world. They come from a pre-digital era: a way to help students understand geometry and algebra by literally grasping the concepts in their hands.