Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

During the post–World War II economic expansion, a lack of public higher education was noticeable in the growing Metro-East area. Organizations from across the area took it upon themselves to relieve this lack. Southern Illinois University (SIU), over 100 miles (160 km) to the region's south, opened a residence center in Belleville in 1949. In 1955, the Edwardsville Chamber of Commerce founded the Southwestern Illinois Council for Higher Education (SWICHE), tasked with creating a more permanent solution to the problem. SWICHE and SIU's board of trustees met and stated their agreement in goals in 1956, and, that same year, an executive committee from the Board of Education in Alton invited Alonzo Myers, Chairman of the Department of Higher Education for Higher Education at New York University, to perform a study of the need for higher education in the Metro-East.

Myers's 1957 report, The Extent and the Nature of Needs for Higher Education in Madison and St. Clair Counties, outlined the precise need: the 1950 census showed that students in the region in question were only half as likely as those in other regions of the country to finish a four-year college degree program (owing specifically to the lack of a nearby university and the financial difficulties of going to school away from home at other state universities). Businesses in the area were in need of college-trained employees, but were forced to hire outside of the area, especially in the fields of business administration, nursing, education, and industrial technology. Myers concluded that, rather than more residence centers, private schools, or junior colleges, a branch of a four-year public university would best serve the needs of the area. He recommended SIU, the closest large public university, as the best candidate.

Acting on the report, in 1957, SIU purchased both a former building of East St. Louis High School and the campus of Shurtleff College in Alton as temporary facilities. Even with all of the research and planning that had gone before, the true need had been underestimated. When the new campuses opened, officials planned on having about 800 students; 1776 enrolled, and enrollment doubled within two years.

The dual campus solution was temporary, mostly because both facilities were in urban areas with little room for expansion even at the time of purchase. Land for the permanent campus was purchased in 1960—2,660-acre (1,076.5 ha) of farmland. Money for the purchase came from A) contributions from individuals, businesses, industries, labor unions, civic organizations, and PTAs; B) loans from 14 Metro-East banks; and C) state funding. The location, west of Edwardsville, was chosen due to its accessibility via highways, its usability as an educational campus, and its proximity to the major urban areas of the Metro-East.

In 1960, a bond issue was voted upon by the residents of Illinois; the measure passed by more than 100,000 votes, providing funds for the construction of the campuses of SIUE and the school now known as the University of Illinois Chicago. A conference entitled Environmental Planning-Edwardsville Campus (EPEC) took place in 1961, highlighting the architectural and spatial design of the future campus. The campus was designed by architects Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum. Ground was broken in 1963 and, with the first two buildings (Peck Hall and Lovejoy Library) completed, classes were first held on the Edwardsville campus in fall 1965. A series of dedication ceremonies from 1966 to 1969 highlighted the ongoing growth of the campus.

Prior to the development of the Edwardsville campus, six "Divisions of Academic Programs" were established for the SIU Residential Centers in Alton and East St. Louis on March 4, 1960. When the move was made to the new campus in 1965, the "Divisions" became the Schools of Business, Education, Fine Arts, Humanities, Science and Technology, and Social Sciences. The nursing program, which was to become the School of Nursing when the new campus opened, was established on March 29, 1964. On April 18, 1969, the board of trustees voted to establish the School of Dental Medicine, which opened in 1972. The School of Engineering originated as the Engineering Department of the School of Science and Technology and was elevated to School status in 1982. Between September 9, 1993, and July 1, 1995, the Schools of Fine Arts, Humanities, Sciences, and Social Sciences and the University College merged to become the College of Arts and Sciences. The newest of SIUE's schools, the School of Pharmacy, began classes in 2005. In 2014, the School of Education was renamed to School of Education, Health and Human Behavior to better represent the diversity and growth of its academic programs.

During its early days of rapid growth, the school became increasingly independent of its parent school in Carbondale. In 1971, SIU's board of trustees made official the campus's name of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.

Mississippi River Festival

From 1969 to 1980, the SIUE campus hosted the Mississippi River Festival (MRF), a summer outdoor concert series that featured performances by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (which was in-residence on campus during the MRF's early years) and high-profile classical, jazz, folk, pop, and rock artists including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Van Cliburn, Aaron Copland, Bob Hope, The Who, Yes, Chicago, Joan Baez, The Eagles, the Modern Jazz Quartet, and The Grateful Dead.

Athletic facilities

The Vadalabene Center (also known as the "VC"), named after state senator Sam M. Vadalabene, opened in 1983 and is the focal point for SIUE athletics, containing many of the university's sports facilities. The Vadalabene Center's arena was renamed to First Community Arena at the Vadalabene Center by First Community Credit Union in 2021. The company will pay $2.3 million over the next 10 years for the new name. The center was expanded in 1993 with the addition of the Student Fitness Center, which was improved in 2009. It was further expanded in 2008 as SIUE's athletics began the transition from NCAA Division II to Division I. Among the changes were an increase in the arena seating from 2,400 to over 4,000. All of the athletics department offices are housed in the Lukas Athletics Annex to the VC, which was opened in 2012. The VC is home to not only Intercollegiate Athletics, but also to Campus Recreation and to the Departments of Kinesiology and Health Education of the School of Education. Korte Stadium and its Bob Guelker Field opened in 1994 and serves the men's and women's soccer and track and field teams. Cougar Field, home of the softball team, and its Fulginiti Indoor practice facility (opened 2012) sits just to the northwest of Korte Stadium. The Simmons Baseball Complex is home to the Cougar baseball team and is located on New Poag Road, west of Stadium Drive, in the northwest corner of the campus. The Cougar Tennis Courts are just west of the Vadalabene Center and the SIUE Cross Country Course is on the north edge of the campus at the intersection of North University Drive and New Poag Road.

Additional facilities

The Environmental Resource Training Center (ERTC) is designated by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) as the State of Illinois' center for continuing education of personnel involved in the operation, maintenance and management of drinking water and wastewater treatment systems. The ERTC is located on the north side of the campus along New Poag Road and features lab and classroom space, as well as a 30,000 gallon-per-day wastewater treatment and drinking water treatment plant.

The university developed a 35-acre (14.2 ha) botanical garden, known as The Gardens at SIUE, that is also a living laboratory in support of the educational and research missions of the university. The Gardens are located off Cougar Lake Road, near the Cougar Lake Recreation Area and the Cougar Village apartments.

The Southwest Illinois Advanced Manufacturing Center (SIAM) was launched in 2005, performing applied and basic research for product/process development and improvement. The center was funded by the U. S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration. The Hoffman Center on the N.O. Nelson Campus of Lewis and Clark Community College in Edwardsville provided over 35,000 sq ft (3,300 m2) of space for SIAM. The center was closed in 2012.

Freedom of speech settlement

In late July 2023, SIUE paid a student $80,000 to settle a legal complaint against it for faculty misconduct against a student. The student had expressed conservative views online. Other students complained the views were harmful, and gag and no contact orders were issued against her. Under the settlement, three SIUE professors must undergo compulsory First Amendment training.