Tag: The Decaturian

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Over 100 Years Putting Learning into Practice: Millikin University

As students return to campus and the Fall academic semester begins, the IDHH is featuring Millikin University, one of our many academic partners. Millikin University is located in Decatur, Illinois, along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois, and was founded by businessman James Millikin. Born in 1827, James Millikin grew up the son of a moderately wealthy farmer in Pennsylvania, helping to drive cattle to New York City as a child. While attending Washington College, Millikin vowed to establish a center of learning himself, though this ambition would not become a reality for another 55 years. Known at one point as “the cattle king of the Prairie State” due to his sizeable herds of livestock, James Millikin settled in Decatur in 1856, eventually transitioning into the banking business in 1860. In the last decade of his life James Millikin would finally realize his long-held desire to found an institution of higher education, founding Millikin University in 1901. 

From the start, Millikin University operated under the philosophy of providing an education that combines theory with practice, embracing James Millikin’s wish for a university that would emphasize the practical side of learning. Today, this approach is embodied in Millikin University’s rich tradition of Performance Learning. Through various hands-on, real-world experiences, Performance Learning prepares students for life post-graduation, honoring James Millikin’s vision of students living out their learning. Digital collections shared with the IDHH of the university’s student-run newspaper, The Decaturian, and of select School of Music Programs illustrate just a few of the many unique ways in which Millikin University students perform their knowledge, while the Big Blue Photograph Collection offers snapshots of the history of the university.

Here are a few of our favorite Millikin University items from their collections (including a delightful April Fool’s issue of The Decaturian):

black and white photograph of students in graduation cap and gown carrying lanterns at night in a parade
Lantern Parade – 1950s-1960s. 1950–1960. Millikin University. Big Blue Photograph Collection. Courtesy of Millikin University.
black and white photo of two men and two women standing posed with tennis rackets behind a tennis court net.
Tennis – Men’s & Women’s – Players – Unidentified. circa 1910. Millikin University. Big Blue Photograph Collection. Courtesy of Millikin University.
black and white photo of a women with a flowered hat sitting on a white horse
Homecoming – 1911. May 12, 1911. Millikin University. Big Blue Photograph Collection. Courtesy of Millikin University.
black and white photo of Millikin University female students twirling around a May Pole.
Maypole Festivals – 1909. May 1909. Millikin University. Big Blue Photograph Collection. Courtesy of Millikin University.
black and white photo of the Millikin University Bookstore in 1912, with books, apparel, postcards, and university pennants for sale
Bookstore – 1912. 1912. Millikin University. Big Blue Photograph Collection. Courtesy of Millikin University.
black ink newspaper page of the March 30, 1951 edition of "The Decaturian Weekly", the student newspaper at Millikin University
The Decaturian, 1951-03-30. March 30, 1951. Millikin University. The Decaturian. Courtesy of Millikin University.
black ink program for the Illinois Independent Telephone Association Convention and concern in 1909
Illinois Independent Telephone Association Convention: Concert by members of the James Millikin University School of Music; assisted by the School of Music Students’ Violin Quartet, and Miss Allie V. Richmond, Reader, of Champaign, Illinois. November 10, 1909. Millikin University. School of Music Programs. Courtesy of Millikin University.

Want to see more? 

Visit the IDHH to view even more items from Millikin University.