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The State Board of Education was created in 1857 to establish and maintain the Illinois State Normal University (L. 1857, p. 298). With the Superintendent of Public Instruction acting as secretary and member of the board, the other thirteen members were appointed by the Governor for six-year terms. Board members acted as corporate trustees for the university and reported to the General Assembly during its regular sessions. Upon passage of the Civil Administrative Code of 1917 the Department of Registration and Education took charge of the board along with trustee duties for several other teachers' colleges.
471.001
MINUTES OF BOARD MEETINGS. March 26, 1857-December 4, 1894; December 9, 1897-December 20, 1916. 3 vols. No index.
Minutes of regular biannual meetings or special sessions of the board, acting as trustees for Illinois State Normal University, reveal information about student affairs, faculty salaries, promotions and appointments, library administration, support of the General Assembly, and activities of alumni and university departments. Also included in the minutes are certified copies of county clerks' orders appropriating swamp land funds for the university; names of university underwriters and early graduates; contractors' bonding statements; building construction reports; copies of letters from teachers, administrators, and businessmen seeking board decisions on university policies; resolutions passed by the trustees; admission and attendance statistics; and financial statements.
These records are available at the Illinois State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State.
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