By Associated Press - Wednesday, February 22, 2017

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) - The University of Illinois is kicking off a 15-month celebration of the institution’s 150th birthday.

The party will start next week with a Tuesday ceremony at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Urbana. Musicians from the university’s School of Music will perform, and Chancellor Robert Jones will cut a cake the university describes as “crowd-sized.”

The University of Illinois was established in 1867 as a land grant institution.

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Other events are planned in coming months to mark the sesquicentennial. They include new musical compositions and performances, several new books and a groundbreaking for the new Siebel Center for Design.

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Online: 150.illinois.edu

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