What James Millikin envisioned when he founded Millikin University in 1901 was unique: a university that would embrace the "practical" side of learning along with the "literary and classical;" and, while affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, it would not be narrowly "sectarian" and would remain open to all.

The result is one of the nation's first small, comprehensive universities that, a century later, has three professional schools and one for the liberal arts and sciences, a well-rounded university where programs in classical music vie in excellence with those in accounting and the health sciences.

Millikin University has been true to its founding vision for 100 years. Our students learn through real-world projects that reinforce classroom experiences, help develop practical skills, and express the University's responsibility to the community. They learn to see connections with other academic disciplines to demonstrate the diversity of human experience, the interactions between technology and society. . . . And they learn about themselves and others, developing a respect for differences and for the dignity of all.