Leaders at Western Illinois University are focusing on the institution’s future. But they paused for a few minutes to reflect on its past.
The university held a brief ceremony outside Sherman Hall on a cool and overcast early autumn day. Sherman Hall is where Western held its first classes on September 23, 1902.
The annual Founders’ Day ceremony marks that anniversary.
“I do believe history has meaning, and that meaning is for the future and the present,” said WIU President Guiyou Huang.
“It’s a reminder of our mission. It’s a reminder of the purpose of our profession here. For all those reasons, it’s important to have a Founders’ Day celebration,” he said.
Huang hopes there will be a history of growth and achievement during his time as Western’s president. He also hopes Western’s graduates go on to become civically engaged leaders in their fields.
The state legislature passed a bill in 1899 to establish Western Illinois State Normal School. Macomb was selected as the site for the school in 1900.
“Western was an institution with a civic cause – to improve education by providing better teachers, especially for the vast rural areas of our state,” said English Professor Emeritus and University Archivist John Hallwas.
Hallwas said the school was renamed Western Illinois State Teachers College in 1921, and it became known as Western Illinois University in 1957.
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