40°06′34″N 88°13′38″W / 40.109379°N 88.227205°W / 40.109379; -88.227205
91-630: The Illini Union , located at 1401 West Green Street in Urbana, Illinois, on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign , is the student union for the University. The building was dedicated on November 1, 1941, as the campus's home for student organizations, meetings, and student programs and activities, replacing University Hall. It was constructed in cooperation with the University of Illinois Foundation, which secured funding for
182-488: A "Tree City" and to trees as landmarks or beacons. Mooney, an internationally acclaimed artist, is a native to Champaign-Urbana. The Urbana Indoor Aquatic Center is a public indoor pool operated by the Urbana Park District and Urbana School District. It is located between Urbana High School and Urbana Middle School. Crystal Lake Pool is a public outdoor pool. It is located on Broadway Street, across from
273-416: A Digital World, which focuses on how digital tools like internet, smartphone and 3D printers are changing the marketing landscape. In the 2021 U.S. News & World Report "America's Best Colleges" report, UIUC's undergraduate program was ranked tied for 47th among national universities and tied for 15th among public universities, with its undergraduate engineering program ranked tied for 6th in
364-555: A campus-wide programming organization and as the advisory Board for the Illini Union Director. University of Illinois at Urbana%E2%80%93Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ( UIUC , U of I , Illinois , or University of Illinois ) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area , Illinois, United States. It is the flagship institution of
455-410: A conference center in nearby Monticello at Allerton Park . The campus is known for its landscape and architecture, as well as distinctive landmarks. It was identified as one of 50 college or university "works of art" by T.A. Gaines in his book The Campus as a Work of Art . The campus also has a number of buildings and sites on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places including Harker Hall ,
546-608: A different ward. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote. Urbana High School 's current building was built in 1914. It was designed by architect Joseph Royer who also designed many other area buildings such as the Urbana Free Library and the Champaign County Court House. The architecture is of the Tudor style defined primarily by the towers over the main entrance and flattened point arches over
637-525: A household in the city was $ 35,984, and the median income for a family was $ 66,955. Males had a median income of $ 27,150 versus $ 25,511 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 25,365. About 11.4% of families and 29.1% of the population were below the poverty line , including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over. Candlestick Lane is the name of a neighborhood in eastern Urbana. This neighborhood consists of Grant Place and adjacent properties on Fairlawn and Eastern Drives. It
728-505: A more sustainable future." In 2022, new solar and geothermal energy projects, a reduction in water use, and wide-ranging sustainability research helped the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign earn its fifth consecutive gold certification in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) . Illinois has consistently achieved gold certification since it began reporting data through STARS in 2013, and
819-416: A much larger and fancier structure, to ensure that the county seat would remain in Urbana. Champaign-Urbana was selected as the site for a new state agricultural school, thanks to the efforts of Clark Griggs. Illinois Industrial University, which would evolve into the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign , opened in 1868 with 77 students. A number of efforts to merge Urbana and Champaign have failed at
910-545: A new name, Urbana Landmark Hotel, on December 1, 2012, but it closed in July 2015 and sold January 2020 for redevelopment as a Hilton Tapestry hotel. Carle Park, established in 1909, is located at Indiana and Garfield, just west of Urbana High School in central Urbana. Measuring 8.3 acres (34,000 m ), it contains a statue entitled Lincoln the Lawyer by Lorado Taft and more than 50 well-established trees that are part of
1001-476: A research-level collection on the history and genealogy of Champaign County. In 1987 it was designated the official repository for non-current Champaign County records. Although it focuses on Champaign County, the Archives holds extensive collections of works dealing with the rest of Illinois and those states that document the significant migration routes of the communities that comprise Champaign County. The CCHA
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#17327798222791092-552: A separate identity for the main campus within the University of Illinois System , which today includes separate institutions at the University of Illinois Chicago (formed by the merger of UICC and UIMC) and University of Illinois Springfield . In 1998, the Hallene Gateway Plaza was dedicated. The Plaza features the original sandstone portal of University Hall, which was originally the fourth building on campus. In recent years, state support has declined from 4.5% of
1183-563: A setback when the Chicago branch of the Illinois Central Railroad , which had been expected to pass through town, was instead laid down two miles west, where the land was flatter. The town of West Urbana grew up around the train depot built there in 1854, and in 1861 its name was changed to Champaign . The competition between the two cities provoked Urbana to tear down the ten-year-old County Courthouse and replace it with
1274-581: A shelter are located near the Race Street entrance. The park also contains many streams which are among the first tributaries of the Embarras River . The Urbana Dog Park, located on East Perkins Road, is a place to walk one's dog without a leash. The Anita Purves Nature Center, located on the north end of Crystal Lake Park, offers nature education programs. The "Art in the Park", just north of
1365-428: Is a city in and the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois , United States. As of the 2020 census, Urbana had a population of 38,336. It is a principal city of the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area , which had 236,000 residents in 2020. Urbana is notable for sharing the main campus of the University of Illinois with its twin city of Champaign . The Urbana area was first settled by Europeans in 1822, when it
1456-633: Is a collaboration between the Technology Entrepreneur Center and EnterpriseWorks, with participation from the Office of Technology Management and IllinoisVentures. The program consists of three workshops over six weeks, where teams work to validate the market size, value propositions, and customer segments of their innovations. SocialFuse is a recurring pitching and networking event where students can pitch ideas, find teammates, and network. The Center for Plasma-Material Interactions
1547-821: Is a week-long workshop, occurring annually in January. Students visit startups and technology companies in the Silicon Valley and network entrepreneurial alumni from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Students are exposed to technology entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership. The trip features corporate leaders, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs in various stages of a startup lifecycle. Illinois I-Corps teaches National Science Foundation grantees how to learn to identify valuable product opportunities that can emerge from academic research, and gain skills in entrepreneurship through training in customer discovery and guidance from established entrepreneurs. The program
1638-564: Is also home to the Local History Online database. Local History Online gives access to holdings (books and journals, Champaign County records, City of Urbana municipal records, newspapers, directories, school yearbooks, images, maps, oral histories, local organization newsletters, and other special collections) of the Champaign County Historical Archives, including digital content. The catalog
1729-618: Is an annual festival in Urbana. It was first held in August 1975 in the Busey Bank parking lot in downtown Urbana. It was a community event put on by employees of Busey Bank. Since then the Sweetcorn Festival has continued to grow. The Urbana Business Association is now responsible for the planning of the festival, over the years adding a local car show, an expanded family area, live music on multiple stages, food, vendors, beer, in
1820-521: Is called Candlestick Lane because every year the residents decorate their yards for Christmas with a lot of lights and figures. The tradition began in 1961 (maybe 1960) as a house-decorating contest sponsored by the Illinois Power Company. The neighborhood used its prize money to purchase electric candlesticks for each home. The City of Urbana installs special red and green street signs, reading "Candlestick Lane" and "Grant Place" during
1911-722: Is closest to the University of Illinois, while the Cunningham exit goes to downtown Urbana. The University exit goes to downtown Urbana as well as Illinois Route 130 to Philo . Local bus service is primarily provided by the Champaign–Urbana Mass Transit District , although limited service is available from Champaign County Area Rural Transit System and Danville Mass Transit , operators which primarily serve Rantoul and Danville respectively. The Norfolk Southern operates an east to west line through Urbana. The NS line connects industries in eastern Urbana to
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#17327798222792002-648: Is frequently updated. The library is publicly funded and receives additional support from about 600 people who have joined the Friends of the Urbana Free Library. FM radio AM radio Analog television Digital television (DTV) Print Downtown Urbana is located southwest of the intersection of its two busiest streets: U.S. 150 (University Avenue) and U.S. 45 (Vine Street-Cunningham Avenue). Most of Urbana lies south of I-74 . There are three exits (from west to east): Lincoln (I-74 milepost 183), Cunningham (184) and University (185). The Lincoln exit
2093-403: Is land and 0.07 square miles (0.18 km ) (or 0.60%) is water. Urbana borders the city of Champaign . The main campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is situated on this border. Together, these two cities are often referred to as Urbana-Champaign (the designation used by the university) or Champaign-Urbana (the more common usage, due to the larger size of Champaign). With
2184-580: Is led through live sessions, headed by UIUC faculty. Similar to the university's on-campus admission policies, the online master's degrees offered by The University of Illinois through Coursera also has admission requirements. All applicants must hold a bachelor's degree, and have earned a 3.0 GPA or higher in the last two years of study. Additionally, all applicants must prove their proficiency in English. The University of Illinois also offers online courses in partnership with Coursera, such as Marketing in
2275-1065: Is located on campus and is the home of the Illinois Natural History Survey , Illinois State Geological Survey, Illinois State Water Survey, Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, and the Illinois State Archeological Survey. Researchers at the Prairie Research Institute are engaged in research in agriculture and forestry, biodiversity and ecosystem health, atmospheric resources, climate and associated natural hazards, cultural resources and history of human settlements, disease and public health, emerging pests, fisheries and wildlife, energy and industrial technology, mineral resources, pollution prevention and mitigation, and water resources. The Illinois Natural History Survey collections include crustaceans, reptiles and amphibians, birds, mammals, algae, fungi, and vascular plants, with
2366-766: The Astronomical Observatory , Louise Freer Hall , the Main Library , the Experimental Dairy Farm Historic District , and the Morrow Plots . University of Illinois Willard Airport is one of the few airports owned by an educational institution. In 2008, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign became a signatory of the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, binding
2457-676: The Grainger College of Engineering has an admit rate of 22.3%. Certain in-demand majors like Computer Science, including Computer Science + X, of which the program being ranked consistently 5th nationwide can be extremely competitive, with an acceptance rate of less than 6.8% in 2022, and average freshman ACT composite score of 33.7. Computer Science + X admit rate: 18.1% In 2009, an investigation by The Chicago Tribune reported that some applicants "received special consideration " for acceptance between 2005 and 2009, despite having sub-par qualifications. This incident became known as
2548-717: The John Bardeen Quadrangle occupy the center of the Engineering Campus . Boneyard Creek flows through the John Bardeen Quadrangle, parallel to Green Street. The Beckman Quadrangle, named after Arnold Orville Beckman , is primarily composed of research units and laboratories, and features a large solar calendar consisting of an obelisk and several copper fountains. The Main Quadrangle and South Quadrangle follow immediately after
2639-518: The Rose Bowl Game in 1947, 1952, 1964 and a total of five national championships. Illinois athletes have won 29 medals in Olympic events . The alumni, faculty members, or researchers of the university include 30 Nobel laureates, 27 Pulitzer Prize winners, two Fields medalists , and two Turing Award winners. The University of Illinois, originally named "Illinois Industrial University",
2730-674: The Siebel Center for Design , and $ 50 million to support the renamed Department of Computer Science to become Siebel School of Computing and Data Science. Furthermore, the Grainger Foundation (founded by alumnus W. W. Grainger ) has contributed more than $ 300 million to the university over the last half-century, including donations for the construction of the Grainger Engineering Library . Larry Gies and his wife Beth donated $ 150 million in 2017 to
2821-585: The Universal Parallel Computing Research Center . The university contracted with Cray to build the National Science Foundation -funded supercomputer Blue Waters . The system also has the largest public online storage system in the world with more than 25 petabytes of usable space. The university celebrated January 12, 1997, as the "birthday" of HAL 9000 , the fictional supercomputer from
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2912-482: The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus lies in this city. It is a public land-grant research university and the flagship institution of the University of Illinois system . It is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the United States with over 50,000 students enrolled annually, giving Urbana a large student population throughout the year. The Urbana Free Library, one of
3003-574: The University of Illinois clout scandal . The university offers more than 150 undergraduate and 100 graduate and professional programs in over 15 academic units, among several online specializations such as Digital Marketing and an online MBA program launched in January 2016. In 2015, the university announced its expansion to include an engineering-based medical program, which would be the first new college created in Urbana-Champaign in 60 years. The university also offers undergraduate students
3094-436: The University of Illinois system and was established in 1867. With over 59,000 students, the University of Illinois is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the United States. The university contains 16 schools and colleges and offers more than 150 undergraduate and over 100 graduate programs of study. The university holds 651 buildings on 6,370 acres (2,578 ha) and its annual operating budget in 2016
3185-709: The fourth-largest university library in the United States by holdings. The university also hosts the National Center for Supercomputing Applications . Illinois athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA and are collectively known as the Fighting Illini . They are members of the Big Ten Conference and have won the second-most conference titles . Illinois Fighting Illini football won
3276-405: The liberal arts tradition was at odds with many state residents and lawmakers who wanted the university to offer classes based solely around "industrial education". The university opened for classes on March 2, 1868, and had two faculty members and 77 students. The Library, which opened with the school in 1868, started with 1,039 volumes. Subsequently, President Edmund J. James , in a speech to
3367-463: The 2011 fiscal year, Research Park produced an economic output of $ 169.5M for the state of Illinois. The Technology Entrepreneur Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a permanent center established to provide students with resources for their entrepreneurial ideas. The center offers classes, venture and product competitions, and workshops to introduce students to technology innovation and market adoption. Events and programs hosted by
3458-408: The 2022 score was one of its highest to date. Currently, the campus features 27 LEED-certified buildings. As of 2024, 87% of students graduate within 8 years of entering, compared to the national median of 58% for all 4-year universities nationwide. The overall first-year admit rate for 2023 is 43.7%, which differ greatly among UIUC colleges — whereas the overall first-choice admit rate is 34.7%,
3549-584: The Anita Purves Nature Center. It was closed after the summer 2008 season due to deteriorating conditions and concomitant safety issues, it was rebuilt and reopened in 2013. Campus Recreation Center East (CRCE) has an indoor leisure pool with a hot tub. CRCE is owned by the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign . In Urbana, the pools in Freer Hall, formerly a 25-yard and 6-lane lap pool, and Kenney Gym have been closed and filled,
3640-654: The College of Fine and Applied Arts was ranked 3rd nationally by Planetizen in 2015. The university was also listed as a "Public Ivy" in The Public Ivies: America's Flagship Public Universities (2001) by Howard and Matthew Greene. The Princeton Review ranked Illinois 1st in its 2016 list of top party schools. Internationally, UIUC engineering was ranked 13th in the world in 2016 by the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) and
3731-690: The Danville, Urbana, Bloomington and Pekin Railroad. This short-lived entity became part of the Indianapolis, Bloomington and Western Railway before the railroad was completed. A branch line of the Norfolk and Western Railway (formerly the Wabash Railroad) used to connect Urbana with the main line from Danville to Decatur at Sidney, Illinois , but this was first rerouted and later closed in
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3822-629: The Hickman Tree Walk. The Lincoln statue was previously sited in front of the Urbana Lincoln Hotel, but was moved after only a few months. Meadowbrook Park is located southeast of the Race Street and Windsor Road intersection. The park covers 130 acres (0.53 km ), including 80 of recreated Illinois tallgrass prairie . Around the prairie restoration center of the park loops three miles of wide concrete path suitable for walking, running, and bicycling. In addition, for an off
3913-1037: The Holiday season. The lights are turned on from around 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. from the third Saturday in December through New Years Day. The Market at the Square , also known as the Farmers' Market , has been a community event in Urbana since 1979. Every Saturday morning from some time in May to some time in November, dozens of vendors set up shop in the Lincoln Square parking lot in downtown Urbana. They primarily sell local produce (including corn, tomatoes, lettuce and watermelons), but one can also find local crafts, music, kettle corn and booths for various community and political organizations. The Urbana Sweetcorn Festival
4004-509: The Illinois Industrial University officially changed its name to the "University of Illinois", reflecting its agricultural, mechanical, and liberal arts curriculum. According to educational historian Roger L. Geiger , Illinois and a few other public and private universities set the standard for what the research university in the United States would become. During his presidency, Edmund J. James (1904–1920) set
4095-637: The John Bardeen Quad. The former makes up a large part of the Liberal Arts and Sciences portion of the campus, while the latter comprises many of the buildings of the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES) spread across the campus map. Additionally, the research fields of the College of ACES stretch south from Urbana and Champaign into Savoy and Champaign County . The university also maintains formal gardens and
4186-531: The Norfolk Southern main line at Mansfield, Illinois , west of Champaign. The line now operated by Norfolk Southern is the former Peoria & Eastern Railway , later operated as part of the Big Four ( Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway ), New York Central , Penn Central , and Conrail systems, being sold by Conrail to Norfolk Southern in 1996. Construction of the line was begun by
4277-555: The TEC include the Cozad New Venture Challenge, Silicon Valley Entrepreneurship Workshop, Illinois I-Corps, and SocialFuse. The campus-wide Cozad New Venture Challenge has been held annually since 2000. Participants are mentored in the phases of venture creation and attend workshops on idea validation, pitching skills, and customer development. In 2019, teams competed for $ 250,000 in funding. The Silicon Valley Workshop
4368-518: The Top 25 American Research Universities by The Center for Measuring University Performance . Beside annual influx of grants and sponsored projects, the university manages an extensive modern research infrastructure. The university has been a leader in computer based education and hosted the PLATO project, which was a precursor to the internet and resulted in the development of the plasma display . Illinois
4459-548: The Toughest Problems in Computer Science," he mentioned Microsoft hires more graduates from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign than from any other university in the world. Alumnus William M. Holt, a senior vice-president of Intel , also mentioned in a campus talk on September 27, 2007, entitled "R&D to Deliver Practical Results: Extending Moore's Law" that Intel hires more PhD graduates from
4550-615: The U.S. among schools whose highest degree is a doctorate. Washington Monthly ranked UIUC 18th among 389 national universities in the U.S. for 2020, based on its contribution to the public good as measured by social mobility, research, and promoting public service. Kiplinger's Personal Finance rated Illinois 12th in its 2019 list of 174 Best Values in Public Colleges, which "measures academic quality, cost and financial aid." The Graduate Program in Urban Planning at
4641-704: The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign than from any other university in the country. In 2007, the university-hosted research Institute for Condensed Matter Theory (ICMT) was launched, with the director Paul Goldbart and the chief scientist Anthony Leggett . ICMT is currently located at the Engineering Science Building on campus. The University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA), which recognizes excellence in both individual and institutional achievements, has awarded two awards to U of I. Urbana, Illinois Urbana ( / ɜːr ˈ b æ n ə / ur- BAN -ə )
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#17327798222794732-472: The Urbana City Hall (400 S. Vine St.) dedicated October 2012, took 22 years of struggle and efforts of three mayors. The environmental and sculptural artists/curator of the park, John David Mooney designed the plantings, walkways, a 12-foot high fountain sculpture (Falling Leaf), and a 33-foot high light sculpture (Spirit Tree). The Spirit Tree specifically gives new meaning to Urbana's designation as
4823-567: The beaten path experience, the park offers two miles of unpaved trails which wind through the prairie grass. Several small hills make the path unsuitable for inexperienced inline skaters. The path is adorned by about twenty large sculptures from local artists. A playground, shelter, and parking lot are located near the Windsor Road entrance. A community garden , an herbal garden, the Timpone Ornamental Tree Grove and
4914-546: The board of trustees in 1912, proposed to create a research library. It is now one of the world's largest public academic collections. In 1870, the Mumford House was constructed as a model farmhouse for the school's experimental farm. The Mumford House remains the oldest structure on campus. The original University Hall (1871) was the fourth building built; it stood where the Illini Union stands today. In 1885,
5005-411: The campus to the goal of carbon neutrality as soon as possible. In 2010, the first Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) was written to chart a path to this goal. The iCAP is a strategic framework for meeting the university's Climate Leadership Commitments to be carbon-neutral by 2050 or sooner and build resilience with its local community. Since then, the iCAP has been rewritten every five years to track
5096-649: The construction through a $ 525,820 Public Works Administration grant and a $ 656,000 loan which was later repaid through student fees. Today, Illini Union contains the Illini Union Hotel, a credit union, a convenience store, information services, CITES (Campus IT ) instructional facility, quick-service restaurants , a bowling alley, arcade, student performance spaces, and office space for Registered Student Organizations, student government, Student Legal Services, Student Tenant Union, LGBT Resource Center, and Union administration. The Illini Union Board serves as
5187-408: The doors. Not part of the Urbana School District, University Laboratory High School , locally known as Uni High, is a publicly funded laboratory school located on the campus of the University of Illinois in Urbana. It was founded in 1921. It is a research project of the University of Illinois College of Education. Urbana Middle School was first known as Urbana Junior High School in 1953. In 2003
5278-432: The first public libraries in Illinois, was founded in 1874 and is located in the downtown area. The historic building which houses the library was built in 1918. A major new addition was opened in 2005. The library houses historical archives of Champaign County, which can be used for genealogical research. Established in 1956, the Champaign County Historical Archives is a department of the Urbana Free Library that maintains
5369-415: The former redeveloped as research and teaching spaces. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign fields ten men and eleven women varsity sports. Urbana has been home to several separate minor league baseball clubs in conjunction with Champagin. The Champaign-Urbana Velvets played in the Illinois–Missouri League from 1911 until the league disbanded after 1914. The city's most recent minor league team
5460-425: The heart of downtown Urbana. In addition to corn and beverages, the festival has offered a range of activities and events, including a display of antique and other collectors' cars and volksmarches , arts events, a dog show, and a book sale organized by the Friends of the Urbana Free Library. The Urbana Lincoln Hotel is connected to Lincoln Square Mall, an indoor walking mall, in the center of Urbana. The hotel
5551-406: The iCAP process — especially in the areas of zero waste and conservation of energy, food, water, land, and natural resources — as well as sustainability outreach and immersive educational programs. In her remarks on being named Director of iSEE in 2022, Professor of Agricultural and Consumer Economics Madhu Khanna explained: "We aim to position campus to play a transformative role in moving us all to
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#17327798222795642-419: The insect collection is among the largest in North America. The Illinois State Geological Survey houses the legislatively mandated Illinois Geological Samples Library, a repository for drill-hole samples in Illinois, as well as paleontological collections. ISAS serves as a repository for a large collection of Illinois archaeological artifacts. One of the major collections is from the Cahokia Mounds. Located in
5733-434: The last twenty years state funding for the university has fallen. Private philanthropy increasingly supplements revenue from tuition and state funding, providing about 19% of the annual budget in 2012. Notable among significant donors, alumnus entrepreneur Thomas M. Siebel has committed nearly $ 150 million to the university, including $ 36 million to build the Thomas M. Siebel Center for Computer Science , $ 25 million to build
5824-449: The launch of the Master of Computer Science in Data Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. At the time, the university's computer-science graduate program was ranked fifth in the United States by U.S. News & World Report . On March 29, 2017, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign launched their Master's in Accounting (iMSA) program, now called the Master of Science in Accountancy (iMSA) program. The iMSA program
5915-400: The nearby village of Savoy they form the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area . As of the 2020 census there were 38,336 people, 17,295 households, and 6,680 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,220.97 inhabitants per square mile (1,243.62/km ). There were 18,321 housing units at an average density of 1,539.32 per square mile (594.33/km ). The racial makeup of the city
6006-422: The new town was celebrated for the first time on July 4, 1833. Stores began opening in 1834. The first mills were founded in c. 1838 -50. The town's first church, the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the parsonage, was built in 1840 by the Rev. A. Bradshaw, with the Baptist Church following in 1855. The Presbyterian Church was founded in 1856. The city's first school was built in 1854. Urbana suffered
6097-500: The novel and film 2001: A Space Odyssey ; in both works, HAL credits "Urbana, Illinois" as his place of operational origin. The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology supports interdisciplinary collaborative research in the broad areas of intelligent systems, neuroscience, molecular science and engineering, and biomedical imaging. The Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology supports research in genomics and related areas of biology. The Prairie Research Institute
6188-410: The opportunity for graduation honors. University Honors is an academic distinction awarded to the highest achieving students. To earn the distinction, students must have a cumulative grade point average of a 3.5/4.0 within the academic year of their graduation and rank within the top 3% of their graduating class. Their names are inscribed on a Bronze Tablet that hangs in the Main Library. In addition to
6279-419: The policy of building a massive research library. He also laid the foundation for the large Chinese international student population on campus. James established ties with China through the Chinese Minister to the United States Wu Ting-Fang . Class rivalries and Bob Zuppke's winning football teams contributed to campus morale. Alma Mater , a prominent statue on campus created by alumnus Lorado Taft ,
6370-446: The polls. On October 9, 1871, a fire burned much of downtown Urbana. Children playing with matches started the fire. (It is unrelated to the Great Chicago Fire that started the day before, though both fires occurred during severe drought and were spread by high winds.) According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Urbana has a total area of 11.90 square miles (30.82 km ), of which 11.83 square miles (30.64 km ) (or 99.40%)
6461-437: The reverse to refer to the main campus specifically. The university name officially changed to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign by 1977 (although the word "at" was later dropped for marketing purposes by all U of I System campuses by 2021). While this was a reversal of the commonly used designation for the metropolitan area ( Champaign-Urbana ), a majority of the campus is located in Urbana. The name change established
6552-528: The school was renovated for space. The school currently serves 954 students from grades 6 to 8. The Elementary schools in Urbana are Leal, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. Preston L. Williams Jr., Thomas Paine, and Yankee Ridge. Urbana Early Childhood School is the former Washington Early Childhood Center and is located on the Prairie Campus next to Dr. Preston L. Williams Elementary. Most of
6643-465: The shortly thereafter renamed Gies College of Business . The main research and academic facilities are divided almost evenly between the twin cities of Urbana and Champaign , which form part of the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area . Some parts are in Urbana Township . Four main quads compose the center of the university and are arranged from north to south. The Beckman Quadrangle and
6734-499: The southwest part of campus, Research Park opened its first building in 2001 and has grown to encompass 13 buildings. Ninety companies have established roots in research park, employing over 1,400 people. Tenants of the Research Park facilities include prominent Fortune 500 companies Capital One, John Deere, State Farm, Caterpillar, and Yahoo, Inc. Companies also employ about 400 total student interns at any given time throughout
6825-502: The state's tax appropriations in 1980 to 2.28% in 2011, a nearly 50% decline. As a result, the university's budget has shifted away from relying on state support with nearly 84% of the budget coming from other sources in 2012. On March 12, 2015, the Board of Trustees approved the creation of a medical school, the first college created at Urbana-Champaign in 60 years. The Carle Illinois College of Medicine began classes in 2018. Over
6916-588: The university 38th in 2019; the university was also ranked 48th globally by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings in 2020 and 75th in the world by the QS World University Rankings for 2020. The Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) has ranked University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as the 20th best university in the world for 2019–20. UIUC is also ranked 32nd in
7007-487: The university's Illinois Online platform, in 2015 the university entered into a partnership with the Silicon Valley educational technology company Coursera to offer a series of master's degrees, certifications, and specialization courses, currently including more than 70 joint learning classes. In August 2015, the Master of Business Administration program was launched through the platform. On March 31, 2016, Coursera announced
7098-593: The university's progress. In December 2013, the University of Illinois launched the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) on the Urbana-Champaign campus. The institute, under the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, leads an interdisciplinary approach to researching solutions for the world's most pressing sustainability, energy, and environmental needs. In addition, iSEE has engaged students, faculty, staff, and campus leadership in
7189-511: The world in Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings for 2018. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is often regarded as a world-leading magnet for engineering and sciences (both applied and basic). According to the National Science Foundation , the university spent $ 625 million on research and development in 2018, ranking it 37th in the nation. It is also listed as one of
7280-489: The year. The complex is also a center for entrepreneurs, and has over 50 startup companies stationed at its EnterpriseWorks Incubator facility. In 2011, Urbana, Illinois was named number 11 on Popular Mechanics' "14 Best Startup Cities in America" list, in a large part due to the contributions of Research Park's programs. The park has gained recognition from other notable publications, such as inc.com and Forbes magazine. For
7371-564: Was 51.61% White , 18.86% African American , 0.30% Native American , 18.26% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 3.57% from other races , and 7.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.52% of the population. There were 17,295 households, out of which 17.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.57% were married couples living together, 8.99% had a female householder with no husband present, and 61.38% were non-families. 44.42% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.10% had someone living alone who
7462-444: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 2.06. The city's age distribution consisted of 11.7% under the age of 18, 38.2% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 13.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males. The median income for
7553-514: Was a 2nd-generation ARPAnet site in 1971 and was the first institution to license the UNIX operating system from Bell Labs. The university hosts the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), which created Mosaic , the first graphical web browser , the Apache HTTP server , and NCSA Telnet . The Parallel@Illinois program hosts several programs in parallel computing , including
7644-634: Was also marked by large growth in the Graduate College and increased federal support of scientific and technological research. During the 1950s and 1960s the university experienced the turmoil common on many American campuses. Among these were the water fights of the 1950s and 1960s. By 1967, the University of Illinois system consisted of a main campus in Champaign-Urbana and two Chicago campuses, Chicago Circle (UICC) and Medical Center (UIMC), and people began using "Urbana-Champaign" or
7735-473: Was called "Big Grove". When the county of Champaign was organized in 1833, the county seat was located on 40 acres of land, 20 acres donated by William T. Webber and 20 acres by M. W. Busey, considered to be the city's founder, and the name "Urbana" was adopted after Urbana, Ohio , the hometown of State Senator John W. Vance, who authored the Enabling Act creating Champaign County. The creation of
7826-607: Was designed by famed Urbana architect Joseph Royer in 1923 and opened several rooms on November 1, 1923, to accommodate guests for the university's Homecoming game. The original building was built in the Tudor Revival style. A convention center was added in the 1970s in the Bavarian style. While being forced to close twice between 1990 and 2009, the hotel was purchased by a private developer in 2010 and underwent major rehabilitation. The hotel opened under new management and with
7917-413: Was established in 2004 by Professor David N. Ruzic to research the complex behavior between ions , electrons , and energetic atoms generated in plasmas and the surfaces of materials. CPMI encompasses fusion plasmas in its research. In Bill Gates ' February 24, 2004, talk as part of his Five Campus Tour (Harvard, MIT, Cornell, Carnegie-Mellon and Illinois) titled "Software Breakthroughs: Solving
8008-401: Was one of the 37 universities created under the first Morrill Land-Grant Act , which provided public land for the creation of agricultural and industrial colleges and universities across the United States. Among several cities, Urbana was selected in 1867 as the site for the new school. From the beginning, President John Milton Gregory 's desire to establish an institution firmly grounded in
8099-554: Was over $ 2 billion. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign also operates a Research Park home to innovation centers for over 90 start-up companies and multinational corporations . The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a member of the Association of American Universities and is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". In fiscal year 2019, research expenditures at Illinois totaled $ 652 million. The campus library system possesses
8190-678: Was the Champaign-Urbana Bandits who played during the single 1994 season of the Great Central League . The Bandits played at Illinois Field . Prior to holding postseason play, the league folded. The Champaign-Urbana Colts played in the Central Illinois Collegiate League from 1990 until the team folded in 1996. Urbana has Mayor–council government , of the strong-mayor form. The city council has seven members, each elected from
8281-553: Was unveiled on June 11, 1929. It was funded from donations by the Alumni Fund and the classes of 1923–1929. The Great Depression in the United States slowed construction and expansion on the campus. The university replaced the original university hall with Gregory Hall and the Illini Union . After World War II, the university experienced rapid growth. The enrollment doubled and the academic standing improved. This period
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