Welcome to Illinois State University hotels - Serving hotels in Normal, IL

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About Illinois State University

Illinois State University is a public university in Normal, which is an unincorporated town in McLean County, situated in the US state of Illinois, with a population of more than 50 000 inhabitants, estimated during the 2005 census. Originally known as North Bloomington, the town was officially founded under the name of Normal, in February, 1865, being officially incorporated 2 years later. Its name is drawn from the Illinois State Normal University, which is today known as simply Illinois State University.

ISU is the first public university in the state, being founded in 1857, by Jesse W. Fell, the legal documents for the university’s establishment being signed by Abraham Lincoln. The original name of the university was Illinois State Normal University, first starting as a teacher training institution, being renamed in 1968 as Illinois State University, to better reflect its status as a 4-year higher educational institution.

Today, Illinois State is recognized by the U.S. News & World Report, as a `National University`, granting a variety of doctoral degrees and focusing on research. According to the Washington Monthly, ISU is the 93rd best university in USA, among the public universities in the state, which award doctoral degrees, only ISU ranking higher. The university is home to one of the tallest residence halls in the world, completed in 1967 – Watterson Towers – standing above 300 feet, having the capacity to house more than 2 200 students.

The athletic teams from ISU are known as the Illinois State Redbirds, who compete the NCAA Division I level (I-AA in football), including in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, most of the teams playing in the Missouri Valley Conference. The 19 sports teams from ISU have won a total of 125 titles, in the last 23 years, most of their notable achievements being in basketball and football.

Over the years, since it first opened its doors to students, Illinois State has produced a series of notable alumni, among the most resonant names on the list being: Paul Flessner - Senior VP of Microsoft, Reg Weaver - president of the National Education Association, Michelle Williams - musician, Destiny’s Child, Lee `Buzz` Capra - former All-Star Major League baseball pitcher (1971–77); led the National League in ERA in 1974, Moira Harris - actress (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines), Jeff Perry – actor, perhaps best known for his work on television (Nash Bridges, Grey’s Anatomy), as well as many other great people, who have made themselves notable, in various fields, after graduation.