University YMCA
What really lasts for 150 years? If the 1873 attendees of Illinois Industrial University visited the U of I campus today, what would they recognize? Perhaps they’d identify some of
Flu Fighter
For about a decade now, Nicholas Wu has thought about ducks. He’d long known about avian influenza and other infectious diseases. Wu was in elementary school in Hong Kong in
Illini 411: I read that the “land” of “land-grant” universities was stolen from Indigenous tribes. Is that true of Illinois?
A: Yes, unfortunately. The Morrill Act of 1862, which created the land-grant university system, gave each U.S. state an allotment of “public lands” that it could lease or sell to
Club Kids
So special. So romantic. So U of I, how Javan G. Samp, ’15 ENG, and Melissa Raney Samp, ’15 ACES, together inscribed their names in the membership log of a
2023 Hall of Fame
George Kerr, Men’s Track & Field, 1958–60 Kerr won back-to-back NCAA Championships in 1959 and 1960 in the 800-meter and was a seven-time Big Ten champion in middle distances
Agent of Change
I first stepped foot on campus in 2002—a high school freshman from downstate Illinois, there to prove my mettle in a marching band competition. I got off the bus outside
Illini 411: Did Richard Nixon campaign on campus in 1960?
When Nixon was Eisenhower’s vice president (1953–61), he visited Champaign-Urbana for campaign stops in 1954 and 1956. During his own 1960 presidential campaign, Nixon visited the small Illinois town of
Memory Lane: Foellinger Auditorium Takes the Stage
The first concert at Foellinger Auditorium was right after it opened, as part of its Nov. 5, 1907, dedication program. The headliner was an orchestra led by Theodore Thomas, founder
Illini 411: Following my great-grandfather’s death during World War I, the University planted a memorial tree on campus in his honor. Is the tree still alive and, if so, where is it?
A: In 1920, the University planted 173 World War I memorial trees around the perimeter of the Armory, and extending down Sixth Street and up Pennsylvania Avenue. Unfortunately, some of
Alumni Interview: Amanda Vanek
I was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. My father was a policeman: Sergeant Larry Augustine, a career cop I idolized. Dad used to tell us police
