For the UI’s youngest, longest-serving and 14th president, the Quad remains the “sacred” spot on campus, “the Illini equivalent of Times Square.”
Rarely did a day pass during Stan Ikenberry’s 16 years as president that he didn’t visit at least once.
“I deliberately walked to most meetings just so I could cross the Quad. On Saturday mornings, I made it a point to bike to the Quad. When I felt under pressure, faced a big issue, had a crisis, maybe just needed a break and wanted to clear my head, I sought out the Quad.
“When students were unhappy, I could see it on the Quad. When times were tense, I could sense it on the Quad. When something really big happened, most often it happened on the Quad.
“A single picture can never capture the spirit and essence of an entire campus but the Quad comes very close.”
