Bridging Divides: The Origins of the Beckman Institute at Illinois

Foreword

Foreword . . . . . ix Foreword Stanley O. Ikenberry N o single event in recent decades had a greater impact on the University of Illinois than the creation of the Beckman Institute .At the center was Ted Brown,who is uniquely qualified to capture the drama surrounding one of the most innovative academic creations of the era. In recounting the history,Ted does not disclose how important it was to Dr. Arnold Beckman and to me that he serve as the institute’s founding director. No single person is indispensable; but still, absent Ted’s continuity of vision and extensive knowledge of the culture and capabilities of the campus, it is possible that the Beckman Institute might never have happened. Happily, Ted did serve, the Beckman Institute did happen, and we are now able to chronicle the remarkable journey. The other crucial actor, of course, was Arnold Beckman. Arnold was the most consequential, thoughtful, selfless, demanding, generous, and x . . . . . Foreword purposeful philanthropist I have ever known. He had grown up in a quite different America,in the humblest of circumstances,and yet went on to achieve remarkable and richly deserved academic and commercial fame. Still, over the years, he never lost his love of Illinois; of Cullom, his hometown; of the rich farmland he knew as a youngster; and of the university.AsTed helps us understand,over the years those roots actually deepened. While it was incredibly exciting at the time, we now more fully understand how pivotal the Beckman Institute has been for the University of Illinois. Arnold’s gift came during our first major capital campaign and shaped philanthropy at Illinois for years to come. The size—$40 million—at the time was the largest gift to any public university in the United States.And yet it was not so much the sheer size of the gift from Arnold and Mabel as it was the depth of generosity and sense of purpose with which it was given. In many respects the Beckman Institute evolved from the scientific and technological strengths and culture of the Urbana-Champaign campus .In other ways,however,it changed the campus profoundly.Interdisciplinary collaboration and the capacity to attract exciting new faculty talent had long been a part of the Illinois tradition, but the Beckman Institute made a profound difference that endures today. The physical face of the campus was changed as well, in part because of the size of the institute, but also because the Beckman gift forced us to rethink and replan the North Campus,which eventually led to a major updating and rethinking of the architecture and design for the entire campus. The relationship between the university, the people of Illinois, and state government changed as well. For alumni and friends, the excitement of the Beckman Institute was contagious. It lifted aspirations and expectations as well as spirits.Arnold’s demand that the State of Illinois match his gift, at least in part, was pivotal. The $10 million state match for the Beckman gift created a precedent of public-private partnership that served as a model for creative arrangements time and again in the years that followed. As Ted recounts, incredible effort and creativity went into the initial conceptualization of the institute,its focus,and the outcomes that could be expected to flow from it.Arnold and Mabel Beckman were intensely Foreword . . . . . xi interested and followed the evolution of the proposal at every step.At key points,my wife Judy and I traveled to California to review our planning with the Beckmans. At the end of one visit, and perhaps sensing my apprehension,Mabel turned to me in confidence and whispered,“Don’t worry; Stan. I have read all of the proposals. Illinois is best.” The accomplishments of the Beckman Institute over the last twenty years suggest Mabel may have been right.Moreover,the excitement and promise of that era must not be lost. Bridging Divides:The Origins of the Beckman Institute at Illinois is a wonderfully told account of an important moment in Illinois history. Stanley O. Ikenberry was president of the University of Illinois during 1979–95. He is one of the longest-serving presidents in the history of the university . He also served as president of the American Council on Education during 1996–2001. He is currently Regent Professor and President Emeritus on the Urbana-Champaign campus. ...