Millikin University

Millikin University is a private college in Decatur, Illinois. It was founded in 1901 by prominent Decatur businessman James Millikin and is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). History The university was initially established on April 30, 1901 through a partnership with the then-Lincoln University, an existing college in Lincoln, Illinois also affiliated with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. At this time, the charter for Lincoln University, which had been in existence since February 1865, was modified to create a new overarching university, the James Millikin University. This new university had two subsidiary units: Lincoln College, the newly-renamed, Lincoln-based campus formerly known as Lincoln University, and the Decatur College and Industrial School, a new campus to be established in Decatur. This arrangement leveraged the existing resources of Lincoln University to establish a wholly new college in Decatur. The combined, two-campus university took the name of its primary advocate, James Millikin. The first president of this campus would be Albert Reynolds Taylor. The university's campus in Decatur, however, would not officially open until September 15, 1903. All the while, the school's dedication was presided over by President Theodore Roosevelt. James Millikin University maintained its two-campus model until 1952, when the two units separated to become two wholly independent instituions; the Decatur campus renamed as just Millikin University while the Lincoln campus remained known as Lincoln College. The charter of independent Millikin was approved by the state on July 23, 1953.