Lincoln Hall Project
Education’s New Dawn
Witnesses to a Building Boom
Students at the U of I in 1911 studied in a much smaller place than today. Campus had just 30 buildings (compared to more than 280 buildings today), but the University was in the midst of a building boom led by then-President Edmund James, who is remembered for working extensively with the state legislature to advance the University’s cause. Between James’s being named president in 1904 and Lincoln Hall’s opening in 1911, state appropriations to the University almost quadrupled to nearly $1.9 million (in 1911 the University received 80 percent of its income from the state; today that figure is 17 percent of its operating budget). Under James, plans for a Quad took shape, and several prominent buildings were erected, including the English Building (then called Women’s Building) in 1905; Foellinger Auditorium (then called the Auditorium) in 1908; and Henry Administration Building (then called the Commerce Building) in 1912.
Growing Reputation for Research
Edwin Slosson listed the U of I as one of the country’s top 14 schools in 1910, but he wasn’t the only one taking notice of what was happening on the Illinois prairie. The U of I was beginning to be regarded as one of the leading research institutions in the country. In 1908, the U of I was invited to join the Association of American Universities, which was an organization of prestigious research universities that wanted to raise standards in the face of European skepticism of American higher education. Importantly, the U of I also was making a name for itself among prospective students.