ILLINOIS STATE NORMAL UNI VERSITY, located at Normal, a suburb of Bloomington, Ill., was founded in 1857. It is the oldest State normal school in the Missis sippi Valley, and has furnished principals or instructors for nearly all of the younger normal schools in the central and western States. Up till 1916 it had given instruction to 27,576 normal students, nearly all of whom have be come teachers. Its graduates number 2,616. The school occupies five buildings upon a beautiful campus of five acres. It is well equipped with a library, laboratories, gym nasium and apparatus for instruction in all the various branches of study. Its revenue, about $230,000 per year, appropriated from the State treasury, includes the interest derived from the college and seminary funds, granted by the Federal government in 1818. It is governed by the Board of Education of the State of Illi nois, a body of 15 appointed by the governor. The State superintendent of public instruction is ex officio secretary of the board. Its sole purpose is to prepare teachers for the schools of the State; accordingly students are required to sign a pledge declaring their intention to teach. Tuition is free. The organization in cludes the teachers' college with a full four year course to prepare hi-school teachers, principals and superintendents; the normal school to educate teachers for the elementary and rural schools; the university high school and the elementary training school. The two
latter serve for the practical training of student teachers. The scope of its work includes the preparation of every kind of teacher needed in the public schools. The required work in cludes courses in pedagagy, psychology and general method, history and philosophy of education, school management and the Illinois school system and one year of practical teach ing in the training department. Along with these are provided courses in special method in the various branches of the elementary and high-school course. Special courses are pro vided in manual training, art, vocal music, the household arts, commercial branches and agriculture. The attendance in 1916 was 2,806, besides 630 in the department. The regular faculty of instruction numbers 61; 40 additional teachers are employed in the summer school. The presidents of the institution have been Gen. Charles E. Hovey (1857-61) • Richard Edwards (1862-76) ; Ed win C. Hewitt (1876-90) • John W. Cook (1890-99)efm ley ( • Arnold Tompkins (1899-1900); David F1900-).