Repository: UIHistories Project: UIS History 1969-1995 (Sangamon State Univ) [PAGE 5]

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I. Introduction

The physical development of Sangamon State University on the land selected and purchased by the Board ofRegents began with hiring the architecturalfirmof Murphy, Downey, Wofford, and Richman, which at the time of its initial employment was named Murphy and Mackey. Joseph Murphy, the lead architect on the project, worked closely with Dr. Robert C. Spencer, the founding university president. The Lone Range Development Plan - Sangamon State University sometimes referred to as the Master Plan, was prepared in 1970 and adopted in principle by the Board of Regents at its July 1970 meeting. In Part II of the document, the plan reads A surveyor's stake, standing in the furrowed ground of an Illinois prairie, announces that the co-ordinates of plan upon plan, meeting upon meeting, drawing upon drawing, and survey upon survey have focused on this as the point around which all the activities of a new university will revolve. And has it revolved! In 1995, approximately 25 years since that surveyor's stake was driven into the ground, Sangamon State University has developed into an exciting and important institution of higher education. The campus is comprised of 42 buildings which include 764,782 gross square feet of space. Of this, 134,944 gross square feet is residential space for student housing. Although the campus is still considered "young," the Handsome landscaping and buildings provide a mature-looking, aesthetically pleasing educational setting. During the past 25(+) years, the university has been guided by four presidents. The founding president, Dr. Robert C. Spencer, was hired by the Board of Regents effective September 1, 1969, and held the position until July 1, 1978. The second president, Dr. Alex B. Lacy, Jr., began September 1, 1978, and held office until his resignation July 1, 1984. The third president, Dr. Durward Long, began July 1, 1984, and held the position until February 1, 1991. The present university president. Dr. Naomi B. Lynn, assumed office on July 15, 1991. The State ofUiinois initially appropriated $3,000,000 through Senate Bill 955 for Fiscal Year 1968 to purchase land for both Sangamon State University and for Governor's State University. The legislation allocated one million dollars of the total amount to Sangamon State University. The Board of Regents spent the funds for campus planning, title, appraisal, legal expenses, and purchase of the land. Initial capital appropriations of $972,000 (FY70) and $1,548,000 (FY71) were received from the general revenue fund in addition to an Illinois Building Authority (IBA) authorization of $10,000,000 to build Brookens Library, the first permanent building. General revenue capital funds were quite flexible and were used for a variety of projects to get the university opened. After these initial authorizations, appropriations were more difficult to receive. In an effort to complete the campus, each year the university found itself competing for state appropriated dollars with all the other Illinois institutions of higher education. The construction of the university campus is comprised of more than one hundred individual Urge and medium projects The largest projects were funded from state appropriated capital funds and are listed I