Bill Text: IL SR0217 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Declares April 9, 2019 as Southern Illinois University Day.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2019-05-08 - Resolution Adopted [SR0217 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-SR0217-Introduced.html


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1
SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, In 1868, educators in southern Illinois held
3meetings throughout the area to discuss the need for a teacher
4training school in the lower half of Illinois; the General
5Assembly passed the charter establishing Southern Illinois
6Normal University on March 9, 1869, and the charter was signed
7by Governor John Palmer on April 9, 1869; and
8 WHEREAS, The University opened in 1874, and the first class
9had 54 students; the first graduating class consisted of 143
10students, including two African-American students; and
11 WHEREAS, Southern Illinois Normal University's enrollment
12grew, and by the late 1930s, the administration and alumni
13began petitioning the Governor and the General Assembly to
14expand the university's offerings to include liberal arts
15degrees in anticipation of increased enrollment following the
16conclusion of World War II; and
17 WHEREAS, On June 30, 1943, the General Assembly granted
18Southern Illinois Normal University the ability to grant
19liberal arts degrees and master's degrees in education; in
201947, the 65th General Assembly dropped "Normal" from the
21university's name, and it became known as Southern Illinois
22University; and

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1 WHEREAS, Over the next few decades, enrollment and academic
2programs grew substantially, and university officials took
3notice of the lack of opportunities for higher education in the
4Metro East area; in 1957, the university purchased the defunct
5Shurtleff College and began enrolling and educating students;
6in 1960, land was purchased, and classes began at the Southern
7Illinois University at Edwardsville campus in 1965; and
8 WHEREAS, The University continued to expand and
9established the Southern Illinois University School of
10Medicine in Springfield in 1970; and
11 WHEREAS, Today, Southern Illinois University is a strong,
12diverse, student-centered, research-intensive, comprehensive
13university that embraces a unique tradition of inclusive
14excellence, innovation, and outstanding teaching to transform
15the lives of students; and
16 WHEREAS, This year, Southern Illinois University
17celebrates its sesquicentennial anniversary; and
18 WHEREAS, Southern Illinois University's 150th anniversary
19celebration included a Day of Giving on March 6, 2019;
20throughout the year, the University will celebrate with special
21exhibits, lecture series, and campus and community events;

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1therefore, be it
2 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
3ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare April 9,
42019 as Southern Illinois University Day in honor of its 150
5years of service to southern Illinois and beyond; and be it
6further
7 RESOLVED, That we admire their commitment to excellence in
8teaching and research and to providing a transformative
9educational experience for all students and wish them 150 more
10years of excellence; and be it further
11 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
12presented to the SIU System Board of Trustees, Interim
13President J. Kevin Dorsey, and Interim Chancellor John Dunn as
14an expression of our esteem and respect.
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