Academy", an organization for a campus grade and high school. From 1837 until 1864, the school only admitted male students. The first woman attended Blackburn in 1864, thereby sparking the movement of admitting female students. Also in 1864, the school was recognized and established as a four-year institution.
In 1869, a new charter was developed that changed the name from "Blackburn Theological Seminary" to "Blackburn University". In 1871, the first draft of the Blackburn Newspaper was established. Today, it is known as the "'Burnian" and is the oldest college newspaper still published in Illinois.
William M. Hudson began his tenure as college president in 1911. A year later, he initiated the Student "Self Help Plan" which helped participating students pay $100 tuition in exchange to work 3 hours a day of manual labor. During President Hudson's tenure Blackburn showed much progress. Starting in 1916, students could receive a Certificate of Associates of Arts, and in 1917, the last Blackburn class graduated …
