NOTE: This document was generated from the 1995-1997 UIUC Programs of Study. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, but be advised that requirements may have changed since this book was published. Errors may have also been introduced in the conversion to a WWW document. Thus for items of importance, it might be wise to seek confirmation from either the paper version or a live human being.
The University attracts more than $170 million each year in private, state, and federal grants and contract appropriations. In recent years, a significant amount of this support has been directed toward the creation and development of major centers for advanced research and study, including more than $100 million for the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. This center has established the University as a recognized world leader in the fields of supercomputing architecture, design, and applications. In 1985, the University was the recipient of the largest single gift ever made by an individual to a public university--$40 million from University alumnus Arnold 0. Beckman for the establishment of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. In 1989, the University formally opened the Beckman Institute, where interdisciplinary research is conducted on human and artificial intelligence.
A major center for the arts, the campus attracts dozens of nationally and internationally renowned artists each year to its widely acclaimed Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Designed by Max Abramovitz, who also worked on New York City's Lincoln Center, Krannert Center has four indoor theatres and an outdoor ampitheatre and is a magnificent showcase for music, theatre, opera, and dance. It also houses generous rehearsal spaces and studios, and professional shops for scenery, costume, properties, audio, and lighting production. More than 300 performances are offered each year, including those by the world's finest professional artists, from Itzhak Perlman, Jessye Norman, and the great international orchestras to dance and theatre companies to jazz, folk, and family programs. These performances complement a full season of productions by the Departments of Theatre and Dance and the School of Music.
The Krannert Art Museum has a diverse collection of 8,000 objects ranging from European and American paintings, to contemporary art and photography, African, pre-Columbian, and Asian art. A full schedule of temporary exhibits complements the permanent collections. The World Heritage Museum houses collections of artifacts from the ancient Middle East, Egypt, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The Museum of Natural History has displays on early humans, flowering and nonflowering fossil plants, animal exhibits, and more than 400,000 research specimens. These museums and the John Philip Sousa Museum and Library are used for research, teaching, and enjoyment. Student work in architecture and related areas is exhibited in the Temple Buell Architecture Gallery. The Japan House provides members of the campus community an opportunity to experience the teaching of Japanese arts in a realistic setting.
The Illini Union is a common meeting place for students, faculty, staff, and visitors to eat, play, study, and relax. It contains cafeteria and dining facilities, guest rooms, an art gallery, reading and television rooms, billiards and electronic game rooms, bowling lanes, a ticket and check-cashing counter, and the alumni office. The Illini Union Art Gallery exhibits a broad range of contemporary art and craft objects.
Distinguished public figures and outstanding scholars appear regularly on campus for symposia, lectures, forums, and public discussions.
WILL-TV and WILL-AM and -FM radio stations, all affiliated with the Public Broadcasting Service, provide a wide range of cultural programs to a large area of the state.
Many concerts are given in the Music Building and Smith Music Hall, and films are shown on campus throughout the year. Students direct, produce, and act in plays presented at the Armory Free Theatre.
The University's Intramural-Physical Education Building is one of the world's largest structures for university intramural sports and recreational facilities.
The Assembly Hall holds the distinction of being the world's second largest edge-support dome. It has a permanent seating capacity of 16,000, and is used for Big Ten basketball games, performances by touring companies, concerts, conventions, convocations, and other activities. Special events are scheduled throughout the year.
Memorial Stadium, with a seating capacity of 70,000, is home for Fighting Illini football.
Willard Airport serves commercial, general, and private aviation, and houses the Institute of Aviation. Located six miles southwest of campus, the airport is also a center for research, education, and military aviation.
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