"Although Southern Illinois University in many ways may be a typical large public university, its unique location, history, and culture make it a distinct institution of higher education. This book is designed to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the university's founding by documenting its history and development from 1969 to 2019"--

For many years the residents of Southwestern Illinois lacked convenient, affordable access to higher education. To address this situation, Southern Illinois University opened residence centers at the former Shurtleff College in Alton and in East St. Louis in 1957. Enrollment at the two residence centers during 1957-1958 exceeded all expectations, and continued to increase dramatically. In 1960, Illinois voters approved a statewide Universities Bond Issue that included $25 million designated for an Edwardsville campus of SIU. Situated on 2,600 acres of Illinois hills northeast of St. Louis, and featuring buildings designed by architect Gyo Obata, the beautiful campus opened in September of 1965. Within five years, enrollment surpassed 13,000. Since 1957, SIUE has become the largest university in the St. Louis metropolitan area, and has produced more than 70,000 graduates. The university today offers 83 degree programs to students enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Schools of Business, Engineering, Dental Medicine, Nursing, and Education.

In 1969, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville initiated a remarkable performing arts series called the Mississippi River Festival. Over 12 summer seasons, between 1969 and 1980, the festival presented 353 events showcasing performers in a variety of musical genres, including classical, chamber, vocal, ragtime, blues, folk, bluegrass, barbershop, country, and rock, as well as dance and theater. During those years, more than one million visitors flocked to the spacious Gyo Obata-designed campus in the countryside near St. Louis. The Mississippi River Festival began as a partnership promoting regional cooperation in the realm of the performing arts. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville invited the St. Louis Symphony to establish residence on campus and to offer a summer season. To host the symphony, the university created an outdoor concert venue within a natural amphitheater by installing a large circus tent, a stage and acoustic shell, and a sophisticated sound system. To appeal to the widest possible audience, the university included contemporary popular musicians in the series. The audacity of the undertaking, the charm of the venue, the popularity of the artists, the excellence of the performances, and the nostalgic memory of warm summer evenings have combined to endow the festival with legendary status among those who attended.

Southern Illinois University at Ed­wardsville now has as its main campus 2,600 acres of gently rolling Mississip­pi River bluff land in the heart of the Madison-St. Clair two-county area, commonly known as Metro East, the opening of which in 1965 this book seeks to commemorate. The book pro­vides a view of the emergence of a major university in a 25-year period, 10 of these years on the Edwardsville campus. The more than 50 photographs chosen for this retrospective view complement the account of the educational philos­ophy, chief executives, faculty and cur­riculum, students and alumni of the University.