IL SR0217

Declares April 9, 2019 as Southern Illinois University Day to commemorate the university's 150th anniversary, marking the date Governor John Palmer signed the charter on April 9, 1869.

Southern Illinois Normal University was chartered by the General Assembly on March 9, 1869, and opened in 1874 with 54 students in its first class.

The university expanded its offerings in 1943 to include liberal arts and master's degrees in education, and dropped "Normal" from its name in 1947 to become Southern Illinois University.

SIU expanded geographically by establishing the Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville campus in 1965 and the School of Medicine in Springfield in 1970.

The Senate commends SIU's 150 years of commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and providing transformative educational experiences to students in southern Illinois and beyond.