Illinois State University Illinois State University ( ISU ) , founded in 1857 , is the oldest public university in Illinois , United States ; it is located in the town of Normal . ISU is considered a " national university " that grants a variety of doctoral degrees and strongly emphasizes research . ISU is also recognized as one of the top ten largest producers of teachers in the US according to the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education . The ISU athletic teams are members of the Missouri Valley Conference and the Missouri Valley Football Conference and are known as the " Redbirds , " in reference to the state bird , the cardinal . Location . Illinois State University ' s campus is in the twin - city community of Bloomington - Normal near the geographic center of the state , 137 miles southwest of Chicago and 164 miles northeast of St . Louis . Interstates 74 , 55 , and 39 ; U . S . Route 150 ; and Illinois Route 9 intersect in loomington - Normal , creating a transportation hub . An Amtrak passenger station is just two blocks from the University . History . ISU was founded as a training school for teachers in 1857 , the same year Illinois ' first Board of Education was convened and two years after the Free School Act was passed by the State Legislature . Among its supporters were judge and future Supreme Court Justice , David Davis and local businessman and land holder Jesse W . Fell whose friend , Abraham Lincoln , was the attorney hired by the Board of Education to draw up legal documents to secure the school ' s funding Founded as " Illinois State Normal University " , its name was reflective of its primary mission as a teacher training institution ( at that time called a normal school ) . Classes were initially held in downtown Bloomington , occupying space in Major ' s Hall , which was previously the site of Lincoln ' s " Lost Speech " . With the completion of Old Main in 1860 , the school moved to its current campus in what was then the village of North Bloomington , which was chartered as " Normal " in 1865 . The new town had named itself after the university . In 1964 as the institution expanded and moved toward a full liberal arts curriculum , its name was changed to Illinois State University at Normal , and in 1968 , to Illinois State University . In accordance with its mission , the school ' s motto was originally " and gladly wold he lerne and gladly teche , " in the Middle English spelling of Geoffrey Chaucer which has since been updated to modern English in the gender - neutral form " Gladly we Learn and Teach . " Academics and organizations . Though originally a teachers ' college , ISU has grown into a university offering a range of programs at the bachelor , master , and doctoral levels . Rankings . Illinois State is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools . The teacher preparation programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and are certified by the Illinois State Board of Education . In addition , 22 programs hold discipline - based accreditation . Illinois State University was ranked 156th out of the 204 ranked National Universities by U . S . News & World Report in 2013 . Illinois State also ranked # 255 out of 281 national universities in the US by " Washington Monthly " , making it the lowest ranked of the national universities in Illinois . Forbes magazine ranks Illinois State # 421 out of 650 American colleges . Demographics . As of the fall of 2012 , total enrollment at Illinois State University was reported as 20 , 502 , with 18 , 207 undergraduate students and 2 , 295 graduate students . The majority of students ( 55 . 6 % ) are female . 16 . 5 % of all students were from minority groups . 382 international students from 66 countries are enrolled . The average new beginning student had an ACT score of 23 . 7 . The Quad . The Illinois State University campus quadrangle is compact compared with other large universities , with buildings spaced closely together around a rectangular center lawn . The Quad is a popular site for small special events including movies and concerts and Festival ISU , where campus organizations set up tables with games , prizes , and information about their organizations . Lined with benches and shady trees , the site is a popular spot for students to relax , study , and play informal games of sports . The ISU Quad is also host to the Fell Arboretum , which is part of a 490 - acre site that represents over 154 species of tree . The Fell Arboretum has won the Tree Campus USA award in 2008 . Milner Library . Milner Library contains a collection of more than 1 . 5 million volumes and an ever - increasing number of electronic materials accessible via the Internet to students and faculty . The library ' s collection is distinguished by materials related to educational theory and policy , curriculum development , and issues related to special education and assistive technology . The Special Collections include extensive Circus and Allied Arts materials and a children ' s literature collection that features more than 100 first edition volumes signed by author Lois Lenski . Milner Library is also a selective federal depository for government information . Combined Milner ' s collections contribute to the university ' s relatively high standing in regional , national , and world rankings . In 2007 , the library received the John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award , an award given to only seven libraries nationwide . Milner Library administers the Dr . Jo Ann Rayfield University Archives , which houses selected official records from university departments and organizations , faculty and student publications and local history materials including a collection from the Adlai Stevenson family . The archives also houses an Illinois Regional Archives Depository ( IRAD ) . Additional library facilities include book storage both on and off - site as well as a preservation department . The Milner Library was named for Angeline " Ange " Vernon Milner ( 1856 – 1928 ) , a Bloomington - Normal native and the first full - time librarian of Illinois State Normal University . Milner is credited with organizing the university ' s initial collection of more than 40 , 000 items and was a prolific author of more than seventy articles and short monographs in library and education journals during her tenure as University Librarian from 1890 to 1927 . The current library building , the third in the university ' s history , opened in 1976 . University residence halls . Illinois State University currently provides ten residence halls that house about 6 , 000 students . Administered by the ISU ' s Office of Residential Life , these facilities include lifestyle floors that serve communities of residents with shared interests . Watterson . Watterson Towers is not only the largest residence hall on campus , it is also one of the tallest student residence halls in the world , and provides the highest vantage point in Illinois between Chicago and St . Louis . Watterson features areas for wellness , quiet , substance - free , and restricted visitation . Built between 1968 and 1970 , the facility is named for Arthur W . Watterson , a geography faculty member and chair . Watterson went through a massive renovation from March 2010 through August 2012 . East Campus . Hewett and Manchester Hall are located in East Campus . Both are majorly coed , with specialty floors as single - gender . Until recently , Hewett was all - female . Each have floors for Art , Business , Communication , Co - Sciences , Curriculum and Instruction , Geo - Environmental , Honors , Information Technology , Math , Music , Service and Leadership , Substance - Free , Quiet , and International House . These dorms were recently renovated in 2008 – 09 . During this renovation the old dining center located in basement in between each hall was transformed into the Julia N . Visor Center . Built in 1966 , they were named for Edwin C . Hewett , the third University president , and Orson L . Manchester , Illinois State Normal University dean from 1911 to 1928 . West Campus . Haynie , Wilkins , and Wright Hall are located in West Campus , adjacent to Redbird Arena and Hancock Stadium . Also known as " The Tri Towers " , they feature floors for ROTC , Wellness , Substance - Free , and Quiet . These halls are the most remote residence facilities on campus and are known for housing a majority of athletes because of their close proximity to practice areas . They were built in 1962 and named for Martha D . L . Haynie , the first female Illinois State Normal University professor , Daniel Wilkins , principal of the Female School Institute of Bloomington in the 1850s , and Simeon Wright , one of the University ' s founders . In 2012 , the university opened the new Cardinal Court Apartments . These replaced an earlier complex by the same name and on the same site that had been built in 1959 . Much like the old Cardinal Court , the new Cardinal Court provides apartment - style living combined with the benefits of university housing . Besides simply being more modern than the old complex , the primary difference from the older complex is that the old Cardinal Court had been reserved for married couples and graduate students . South Campus . Until recently , there were several residence halls in what has been known as " South Campus " . There are no longer any students housed in the area now , and the buildings have either been demolished or decommissioned . Those buildings still extant are under consideration for repurposing , possibly for administrative purposes . Hamilton and Whitten Hall ( aka " Ham - Whit ) shared a joint entrance and front desk . They featured lifestyle floors such as Upper - class and Graduate , Student Nursing , and Speech Pathology and Audiology . Constructed in 1959 , the facility was named for Alma H . Hamilton , the first recipient of an Illinois State Normal University bachelor degree , and Jennie Whitten , the former head of the Foreign Language Department . Atkin and Colby Hall , though built later than " Ham - Whit " , were essentially a mirror image of the former , and shared a dining center with the same . Originally built in 1962 as female - only dorms , they were later converted to co - ed . They were named for Edith Irene Atkin , Illinois State Normal University mathematics professor from 1909 – 1940 and June Rose Colby , English professor from 1892 – 1932 . Three residence halls , Dunn , Barton , and Walker Hall , were demolished in 2008 to provide space for the Student Fitness , Kinesiology and Recreation Center . Student life . The school publishes two newspapers , " The Daily Vidette " and " The Indy " , the latter being an alternative weekly publication . ISU owns a public radio station WGLT ( " News , Blues and All That Jazz " ) , which broadcasts on 89 . 1 in Normal , 103 . 5 in Peoria , and by streaming audio . The call letters are from keywords of the school ' s motto : " Gladly - Learn - Teach . " and maintains a student radio station , WZND . On January 20 , 2010 WZND changed its format from a dual format ( Rock and Jamz ) to a college shuffle format . The station broadcasts on channels 4 & 5 in the residence halls and on the web . TV - 10 , a part of the School of Communication , provides the only live local television newscast produced entirely in Bloomington - Normal . Illinois State University also boasts one of the largest student spirit organizations in the United States , RED ALERT . This registered student organization has over 4 , 100 members , roughly one fourth of the student body . The group was founded in 2006 to promote student involvement in university athletics and has grown exponentially . ISU is also the home of the Gamma Phi Circus , the oldest collegiate circus in the world , founded in 1929 . It is one of two collegiate circuses in the US ; the other is run by Florida State University . The Student Government Association at Illinois State University is a unique governing body for the ISU Student Body . It is unique in that it sends 21 voting student members to serve on the Academic Senate which is composed of student , faculty , staff , and administrators . This place in the shared governance of the University is rare among universities giving ISU Students a major voice on campus . Greek life . Illinois State ' s Greek community was established in 1967 . About 13 % of the population participates in Greek life . Greek organizations provide students with a wide range of academic , social , and leadership opportunities . Greek organizations Fraternities Social : Alpha Epsilon Pi Alpha Sigma Phi Delta Chi , Farmhouse , Delta Sigma Phi , Alpha Tau Omega , Alpha Gamma Rho , Sigma Phi Epsilon , Sigma Tau Gamma , Tau Kappa Epsilon , Pi Kappa Alpha , Phi Kappa Psi , Gamma Iota Sigma , Acacia ( Colony ) Social / Cultural : Kappa Alpha Psi , Alpha Phi Alpha , Alpha Psi Lambda , Iota Phi Theta , Sigma Lambda Beta , Omega Psi Phi , Phi Beta Sigma Professional / Music : Delta Omicron , Pi Sigma Epsilon , Farmhouse , Phi Mu Alpha , Alpha Kappa Psi , Delta Sigma Pi , Gamma Iota Sigma Service : Alpha Phi Omega , Sororities Social : Alpha Gamma Delta , Alpha Delta Pi , Sigma Sigma Sigma , Gamma Phi Beta , Gamma Phi Beta , Phi Sigma Sigma , Chi Omega , Delta Delta Delta , Delta Zeta , Zeta Tau Alpha , Sigma Gamma Rho , Ceres , Pi Beta Phi Social / Cultural : Delta Phi Lambda , Delta Sigma Theta , Zeta Phi Beta Service : Epsilon Sigma Alpha Music : Tau Beta Sigma , Sigma Alpha Iota , Delta Omicron , Phi Mu Alpha Nationally ranked teams . The ISU Forensics Individual Events team is one of the most successful forensics individual events teams in the country . In 1995 , 1999 , and 2000 it won the National Forensic Association team championship and in 2005 its team won the American Forensic Association team championship . Illinois State has been selected as the host of the 2011 NFA National Championship . Famous alumni include Nelsan Ellis of HBO ' s True Blood . The Illinois state co - ed cheerleading team has competed at both NCA and UCA nationals in co - ed Division 1 . In 2002 they placed 2nd in the nation in co - ed Division 1 at UCA nationals in Orlando , FL . In 2001 they placed 3rd in the nation in co - ed division 1 at UCA nationals in Orlando , FL . They have appeared on ESPN and in American Cheerleader Magazine . The Illinois State Club Baseball team was ranked No . 18 in the country in the spring of 2010 for much of the year , but ultimately finished second in the Great Lakes South Conference behind the University of Illinois . The Redbirds compiled a 15 – 5 overall record , including 9 – 4 in conference . The Illinois State University Mock Trial Team has enjoyed continue success since its inception in 1987 . The team competes in intercollegiate tournaments sponsored by AMTA ( American Mock Trial Association ) . In 2004 , they won the National Championship after defeating Gonzaga University in the final round . The team is consistently ranked as a top 5 team in the Midwest . Sports . The school ' s fight song is " Go , You Redbirds " , a song written specifically for ISU and frequently played at sporting events . The Alma Mater song , also played at sporting events from time to time , is " Glory Hast Thou , " written to the tune of Haydn ' s " Austrian Hymn , " and better known as the tune used for " Deutschlandlied , " the German national anthem . Folklore and legends . The ghost of Angeline Vernon Milner , the university ' s first librarian , is said to haunt the former library building , now called Williams Hall . Built in 1940 , the building was named in honor of Milner who served as University Librarian from 1890 until her retirement in 1927 . Beginning in the 1990s , personnel working in the book storage and archives facilities formerly housed in Williams Hall reported encounters with what they believe to be ghost of Milner . Notable alumni and faculty . The Illinois State University Alumni Center , located at 1101 N . Main in Normal , is designed to serve over 170 , 000 alumni of Illinois State University , as well as current students , faculty / staff , and the Bloomington / Normal community . Notable Illinois State University faculty include :