Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1874 [PAGE 18]

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14

Report of the

THE

UNIVERSITY.

IS BOTH STATE AND NATIONAL IN ITS ORIGIN AND CHARACTER. HISTORY.

The public movement which gave rise to this University, began a quarter of a century ago. Public meetings of the friends of industrial education were held in all parts of the State, and numerous petitions, signed by thousands of the agriculturalists and other industrial classes, flooded the State Legislature. At length, in 1854, the General Assembly adopted ioint resolutions, asking Congress to make grants of public lands to establish colleges for industrial education. After long discussions, Congress passed the necessary law in July, 1862, making the magnificent grant of public lauds out of which has arisen that long list of agricultural colleges and industrial universities now scattered over the continent. Illinois, the first to ask, was among the first to accept the grant, and great public interest was excited in the question of the organization and location. Princely donations, in some cases of half a million of dollars, were tendered by several counties to secure the location of the institution. In February, 1807, a law was passed fixing the locality, and defining the plan of the University, and in May, the Board of Trustees met at the University Building, donated by Champaign county, and finally determined the location. During the year much of the script was sold or located, necessary alterations were made in the buildings, apparatus and library were purchased, a faculty partly selected, and preparations made for active work. On March 2, 1868, the University was opened for students, and on the 11th, formal inauguration exercises