Illinois College Blueboys
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Established | 1829 |
| Affiliation | United Church of Christ and Presbyterian Church (USA) |
| Endowment | $148.4 million |
| President | Dr. Barbara A. Farley |
| Students | Approximately 1,000 |
| Location |
Jacksonville, Illinois, United States 39°43′52″N 90°14′49″W / 39.731°N 90.247°WCoordinates: 39°43′52″N 90°14′49″W / 39.731°N 90.247°W |
| Colors | Blue and White |
| Athletics | NCAA Division III: Midwest Conference |
| Mascot | Blueboys and Lady Blues |
| Website | www.ic.edu |
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Illinois College is a private, liberal arts college, affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (USA), and located in Jacksonville, Illinois. It was the second college founded in Illinois, but the first to grant a degree (in 1835). It was founded in 1829 by the Illinois Band, students from Yale University who traveled westward to found new colleges. It briefly served as the state's first medical school from 1843–1848, and became co-educational in 1903.
The Rev. John M. Ellis, a Presbyterian missionary in the East, saw the need for a “seminary of learning” in the new state of Illinois. His plans drew the attention of Congregational students at Yale University, and seven of them, in one of the famous “Yale Bands,” came westward to help found the College.
The first president of Illinois College was Edward Beecher who left his position at the Park Street Church in Boston and firmly imbued the new College with New England traditions and academic foundations. His sister, Harriet Beecher Stowe, was author of the influential anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin and a visitor to the campus. His brother, Henry Ward Beecher, preached and lectured at the college as well. Beecher Hall, named in honor of president Beecher, was the first building constructed on the Illinois College campus, and remains the oldest college building in the state of Illinois.
The first two college graduates in the state of Illinois, Richard Yates and Jonathan E. Spilman, received their degrees from Illinois College in 1835. Yates became the Civil War governor of Illinois and later a U.S. senator. A program at Illinois College for first generation college students was named The Yates Fellowship Program in his honor. Jonathan Edwards Spilman composed the familiar music to Robert Burns’ poem “Flow Gently, Sweet Afton.”
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