# @illinois_alumni on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DVwDWI_kTJB
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/59173485-illinois-alumni-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/99d7aacff4.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-03-11T16:27:31.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Illinois Alumni (@Illinois_Alumni) — https://gondola.cc/Illinois_Alumni

## Caption

On this day in 1868, Illinois held what might have been the first official campus party.⁣
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Nine days after Illinois Industrial University opened its doors, students and faculty gathered on the fourth floor of the original campus building, nicknamed “the Elephant,” for inaugural ceremonies.⁣
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The program featured an address from Regent John Milton Gregory, choir performances, prayers from local clergy and a dinner described as “hog and hominy gotten up in the highest style of Central Illinois.”⁣
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Campus celebrations may look a little different today, but bringing the community together has always been part of the Illinois experience.⁣
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#ILLINOISalumni #OnThisDay #LandGrantUniversity 
📸: UI Archives

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## Tags

landgrantuniversity, onthisday, illinoisalumni

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