In 1890, when advanced education
was often reserved for society’s elite, Chicago minister Frank Gunsaulus
delivered what became known as the “Million Dollar Sermon.” From
the pulpit of his South Side church, near the site Illinois Institute of
Technology (IIT) now occupies, Gunsaulus said that with one million dollars
he would build a school where students of all backgrounds could prepare for
meaningful roles in a changing industrial society. Philip Danforth Armour,
the Chicago meat packer and grain merchant, heard Gunsaulus’ sermon
and came to share the minister’s vision. He agreed to finance the endeavor
with the stipulation that Gunsaulus become the first president of Armour
Institute.
When Armour Institute opened in 1893, the institute offered professional
courses in engineering, chemistry, architecture and library science. IIT
was created in 1940 by the merger of Armour Institute with Lewis Institute
(est. 1895), a West Side Chicago college that offered liberal arts as well
as science and engineering courses. The Institute of Design, founded in
1937, merged with IIT in 1949.
In 1969, IIT became one of the
few technology-based universities with a law school when Chicago-Kent
College of Law, founded in 1887, became
an integral part of the university. Stuart School of Business was added
in 1969, with a gift from the estate of Lewis Institute alumnus and Chicago
financier Harold Leonard Stuart. The school became the Stuart Graduate
School of Business in 1999. Midwest College of Engineering, founded in
1967, joined the university in 1986, forming the nucleus for IIT’s
west suburban campus.
Today, IIT is a private, Ph.D.-granting university with programs in engineering,
science, psychology, architecture, business, design and law. One of the
16 institutions that comprise the Association of Independent Technological
Universities (AITU), IIT offers exceptional preparation for professions
that require technological sophistication. Through a committed faculty
and close personal attention, IIT provides a challenging academic program
focused by the rigor of the real world.
IIT has more than 38,000 living
alumni and is known as the alma mater of accomplishments as well as people.
IIT scientists and engineers have
made some of the century’s most important technological advances,
including the invention of magnetic recording and the development of re-entry
technology for spacecraft. IIT architects have shaped the skyline of Chicago
and cities throughout the world.
The
university’s senior administration, along with all undergraduate
programs, is headquartered on the 120-acre main campus on Chicago’s
South Side, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The Main Campus is also
home to graduate programs in architecture, engineering, the sciences and
the Institute of Psychology.
The
state-of-the-art, 10-story Downtown Campus at 565 W. Adams St. houses
Chicago-Kent College of Law and the Stuart Graduate
School of Business.
The
Institute of Design, an international leader in teaching systemic, human-centered
design, is located at 350 N. LaSalle
St. in Chicago’s
Near North neighborhood.
The
19-acre Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Campus in Wheaton complements area
community colleges, serving west suburban
residents and employees
in
Illinois’ high-tech
corridor by offering graduate programs, upper-level undergraduate
courses, and continuing professional education.
The
five-acre Moffett Campus in Summit-Argo houses the National Center
for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST), a unique consortium of
government, industry and academia that seeks to improve the quality of
our nation's
food supply.
