On October 7, 1985, a gift of $40 million from Arnold and Mabel Beckman was announced for the purpose of establishing the “Arnold O. and Mabel M. Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology” at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Beckman, the chairman of the board of Beckman Instruments, Inc., and a native of Cullom, Illinois, received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University in 1922 and his master’s in physical chemistry in 1923. His gift is conditioned upon a $10 million contribution from the State of Illinois towards construction of the facility and support by the state and by the University for its maintenance and operation. The purpose of the Institute is to apply a new approach to interdisciplinary research in the biological and physical sciences. The Institute was divided into two major areas. The Center for Materials Science, Computers, and Computing emphasized research on solid-state materials, large-scale integration and systems, computer sciences, and information sciences. Areas of research concentration at the Center for Biology, Behavior, and Cognition included molecular life sciences, cell biology, neuroscience, and cognitive science. The interdisciplinary nature of the Institute is expected to lead to a better understanding of human and artificial intelligence. Specific records about the Beckman Institute can be found here: https://archives.library.illinois.edu/archon/index.php?p=collections/classifications&id=132, though material in other record groups are listed below.
Administrative Records:
- Board of Trustees Reports (Record Series 1/1/802): 63rd report mentions establishment of the Beckman Institute
- Jane Hayes Rader Papers (Record Series 1/20/15): Contains commencement address by Arnold O. Beckman, May 24, 1987
- Stanley O. Ikenberry General Correspondence File (Record Series 2/14/1): Arnold O. Beckman, Beckman Instruments, Beckman Institute
- Stanley O. Ikenberry News Releases, Statements, and Speeches (Record Series 2/14/2): Statement on legislative funding approval for the Beckman Institute and speech and the Institute groundbreaking
- President James J. Stukel General Correspondence File (Record Series 2/15/1): Correspondence with Arnold O. Beckman and regarding the Beckman Institute
- Vice President for Academic Affairs Subject File (Record Series 5/1/3): Beckman Institute (including photographs and regarding proposal)
College and Departmental Archives:
- Graduate College Administrative Subject File (Record Series 7/1/7): Graduate College Organization, 1980-87 includes correspondence, organizational charts, funding, and information on development of Beckman Institute
- National Center for Supercomputing Applications Subject File (Record Series 7/5/1): University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign administration; Theodore Brown; Beckman Institute’s budget and facilities
- National Center for Supercomputing Applications Conferences and Meeting Agendas, Minutes, and Itineraries (Record Series 7/5/9): Contain material regarding lectures, committee meetings, workshops, and seminars at the Beckman Institute and Theodore Brown
- Beckman Institute Technical Reports (Record Series 7/22/810): Documents research on artificial intelligence, cognitive science, complex systems, robotics, etc.
Publications and Reference Files:
- University Archives Reference File (Record Series 35/3/65): Reference file on Beckman Institute: includes programs, brochures, publications on the history, and clippings on the establishment of the Beckman Institute and Arnold Beckman
- Press Releases (Record Series 39/1/10): Contain press releases regarding Beckman Lecture in Science and Innovation, the Beckman Institute and Lectures, and Arnold O. Beckman, 1982-2008
- Publications Based on Archives Research (Record Series 0/1/21): Morberg, Carl L., “The Beckman Symposium on Biomedical Instrumentation.” The Rockefeller University. (1986); Arnold O. Beckman: One Hundred Years of Excellence (Philadelphia: Chemical Heritage Foundation, 2000)
- Alumni and Faculty Biographical File (Record Series 26/4/1): Biographical file for Arnold O. Beckman: Contains newspaper clippings, Golden Past Golden Future: The First Fifty Years of Beckman Instruments (by Harrison Stephens, Claremont, CA: Claremont University Center, 1985); College of Engineering newsletters; press releases
Faculty Papers:
- Theodore L. Brown Papers (Record Series 15/5/44): Contains correspondence concerning the creation of the Institute, biographical material on the Beckmans
Digital Images: