Millikin University
Former names
Decatur College and Industrial School of the James Millikin University (1901–1953)
MottoIn His Plenitudo Vis
(In These, the Fullness of Strength)
TypePrivate university
Established1901 (1901)
AccreditationHLC
Religious affiliation
Presbyterian
Endowment$94.3 million (2020)[1]
PresidentJim Reynolds
Administrative staff
1,393, full and part-time
Students1,807 (Fall 2022)[2]
Undergraduates1,708 (Fall 2022)
Postgraduates99 (Fall 2022)
Location
Decatur
,
Illinois
,
United States

39°50′33″N 88°58′30″W / 39.8425°N 88.975°W / 39.8425; -88.975
CampusCity, 75 acres (30.3 ha)
ColorsBlue and white
   
NicknameBig Blue
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division III – CCIW
Websitewww.millikin.edu

Millikin University is a private college in Decatur, Illinois. It was founded in 1901 by prominent Decatur businessman James Millikin and is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA).[3]

History

The university was initially established on April 30, 1901, through a partnership with the then-Lincoln University, an existing college in Lincoln, Illinois also affiliated with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. At this time, the charter for Lincoln University, which had been in existence since February 1865, was modified to create a new overarching university, the James Millikin University. This new university had two subsidiary units: Lincoln College, the newly renamed, Lincoln-based campus formerly known as Lincoln University, and the Decatur College and Industrial School, a new campus to be established in Decatur. This arrangement leveraged the existing resources of Lincoln University to establish a wholly new college in Decatur. The combined, two-campus university took the name of its primary advocate, James Millikin.

The university's campus in Decatur, however, would not officially open until September 15, 1903. All the while, the school's dedication was presided over by President Theodore Roosevelt.

James Millikin University maintained its two-campus model until 1952, when the two units separated to become two wholly independent institutions; the Decatur campus renamed as just Millikin University while the Lincoln campus remained known as Lincoln College. The charter of independent Millikin was approved by the state on July 23, 1953.[4]

Academics

Millikin confers graduate and post-graduate certificates and degrees. Its most popular undergraduate majors, based on number out of 403 graduates in 2022, were:[5]

  • Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse (55)
  • Musical Theatre (31)
  • Business Administration and Management (28)
  • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts (27)
  • Biology/Biological Sciences (25)

Media

Decaturian

The Decaturian is the bi-weekly student newspaper. Its first issue appeared in 1903; issues up to 1951 are archived online.[6]

WJMU 89.5 The Quad

WJMU is Millikin University's student-operated freeform format radio station. In addition to its musical responsibilities, WJMU also creates its own public service announcements, liners, news, Millikin sports programming and promotional materials.[7]

In 1922, a license was issued for a new AM broadcasting station, operating on a wavelength of 360 meters (833 kHz).[8][9] This station was randomly assigned the call letters WBAO, which came from a sequential roster of available call signs. It maintained a limited schedule of broadcasts.[10][9] On May 25, 1928, the Federal Radio Commission (FRC) issued General Order 32, which notified 164 stations, including WBAO, that "From an examination of your application for future license it does not find that public interest, convenience, or necessity would be served by granting it."[11] On September 1, 1928, the FRC listed "Stations WJBL and WBAO" as one of the "consolidations which have been approved by the commission, or imposed on the stations by the commission".[12] WBAO was formally deleted on October 1, 1928,[9][13] and it was announced that programs previously broadcast by that station would now be heard over WJBL.[14]

Rankings

In 2021, U.S. News & World Report ranked Millikin University #12 in "Regional Colleges Midwest", #11 in Best Undergraduate Teaching, and #29 in Best Value Schools, noting that the institution had selective admissions and a student-faculty ratio of 10:1.[15]

Athletics

Since their first year of athletics in the 1903–04 academic year and prior to joining the NCAA Division III and the CCIW in the 1946–47 season, Millikin primarily competed as an Independent of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Millikin University teams have since participated in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III. The Big Blue are a member of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW).[16] Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, wrestling, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and volleyball; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, triathlon, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field and volleyball.

Notable alumni

Actors and musicians

Artists

Athletes and coaches

Millikin University was a member of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1910 to 1937.

Authors and media figures

Business figures

Higher Education leaders

Public Service

See also

References

  1. ↑ As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Millikin University". Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Freedom of Access to Campus". Millikin University. 2015-08-02. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
  4. ↑ "Millikin History: A Brief History of Millikin University". millikin.edu. Millikin University. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  5. ↑ "Millikin University". nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator. U.S. Dept of Education. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  6. ↑ Digital-Decaturian Project
  7. ↑ "WJMU". Millikin University. 2015-08-25. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
  8. ↑ "New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, May 1, 1922, page 2. Limited Commercial license, Serial #677, issued on April 25, 1922 for operation on 360 meters for a three month period.
  9. 1 2 3 James Millikin University entry, Educations Own Stations by S. E. Frost, Jr., 1937, pages 138-139.
  10. ↑ "Campus News to be broadcast by WBAO". The Decaturian. Decatur, Macon County, Illinois: Millikin University. 1927-11-18. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  11. ↑ "Appendix F (2): Letter to and list of stations included in General Order No. 32, issued May 25, 1928", Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission for the Year Ended June 30, 1928, Together With Supplemental Report for the Period From July 1, 1928 to September 30, 1928, pages 146, 148.
  12. ↑ Federal Radio Commission announcement (September 1, 1928), Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission for the Year Ended June 30, 1928, Together With Supplemental Report for the Period From July 1, 1928 to September 30, 1928, pages 161-163.
  13. ↑ "Strike out all particulars", Radio Service Bulletin, November 30, 1928, page 12.
  14. ↑ "First University Broadcast Will Be on October 10", The Decaturian Weekly, October 4, 1928, page 1.
  15. ↑ "Millikin University". usnews.com. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  16. ↑ "History". athletics.millikin.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
  17. ↑ "Jodi Benson: The Industry, Motherhood & The Little Mermaid". TheatreArtLife. 2018-01-31. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
  18. ↑ ""Mermaid" star visits school that set her dreams afloat". The Denver Post. 2007-08-28. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
  19. ↑ "Tad Hilgenbrink". IMDb. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  20. ↑ Ryman Arts. "Herbert D. Ryan biography". Retrieved 2014-09-18.
  21. ↑ New York Times April 12, 1975, pp.31
  22. ↑ "Mike Rowland Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  23. ↑ "Caterpillar Officers".
  24. ↑ Herald and Review (Decatur, Macon, Illinois) 02 Jun 1940, Sun. Page 3.
  25. ↑ https://www.wilmington.edu/people/trevor-m-bates-dhsc-at-atc/ Retrieved 2022-02-23
  26. ↑ Bailey, Jennifer (April 3, 2019). "Residents elect Williams as mayor". Commercial News. Williams, 41, and the other elected officials who won Tuesday night will be sworn in on May 7
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