Western Illinois University held a brief ceremony on Sept. 23 to mark the 126th anniversary of its founding.
“Our founders responded to a need for an educational institution that improved the quality of teaching and learning in our community,” WIU President Kristi Mindrup told the audience gathered for the annual Founders Day event in the University Union.
“Our founders saw a need and executed a plan, not for the betterment of themselves, but for the betterment of those around them.”
The event included Provost Mark Mossman ringing a hand-held bell, a nod to the bell ringing done to signal the start of classes on the Macomb campus in 1902.
“I encourage you to think about the ways our actions today will continue to shape a bright future and keep this symbolic bell ringing for the next generations of Leathernecks,” Mindrup said.
The Illinois General Assembly established the university in 1899. The university’s named has changed several times in its 126-year history:
- It was originally known as Western Illinois State Normal School
- In 1921, it became Western Illinois State Teachers College
- In 1947, it was renamed Western Illinois State College
- In 1957, it adopted the current name of Western Illinois University
After the ceremony, Mindrup told TSPR that Founders Day is about both the past and the future of the institution.
“Founders Day is a celebration of tradition and the future simultaneously,” she said. “Starting out small, growing over time, but continuing – no matter the shape and size of the institution – to meet the needs of the region through our programs, people, and partnerships.”
Student Government Association President Jace Green told TSPR that Founders Day is a recognition of the long journey from the university’s origins to what it is today.
“There’s been the ups. There’s been the downs. There’s been the times that make you scratch your head, and there’s been times that make you jump for joy,” Green said.
During his remarks to the audience, Green addressed the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot while speaking at Utah Valley University.
“No matter your feelings on a person’s values and opinions, we can all agree that peace and love are the way forward,” Green said.
“There’s a lesson to be taken from these events in Utah. I charge all students to take up the mantle of leadership and lead this university to be the institution that it has been and that it can be. We must do so by putting aside our differences and moving forward with peace and the mutual desire to better ourselves.”
He said those on campus today have the opportunity and responsibility to shape the next chapter of WIU’s history.
Another speaker during the Founders Day event was James Bierman, the student representative on the WIU Board of Trustees.
“When Western Illinois was founded in 1899, it began with a simple yet powerful idea: access to quality education for all,” Bierman said during the ceremony.
He said that mission still guides the institution today, and it’s the responsibility of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and trustees to uphold it.
“Founders Day is more than just a moment to look back. It’s a reminder of what’s possible when we move forward together, united,” he said.
Afterward, Bierman told TSPR that Founders Day has a significant place in his heart.
“Both of my parents, this is their alma mater, as well as several aunts and uncles of mine. So it was a very proud moment for me to pick Western as my alma mater as well,” Bierman said.
He remembers attending homecoming activities as a child and finding the atmosphere “electric.”
He thinks WIU has changed over the past decade or two, but believes that’s not necessarily bad.
“I think that Western has done a great job at adapting to the trends overall in higher education throughout the country,” Bierman said.
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