The University 150-year celebration kicks off Tuesday and will continue for 15 months until the spring commencement in 2018 with the 150th class of graduates.

The event begins at 3 p.m. at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and will feature a presentation about the history of the University. There will be a performance by Funkadesi from 5-6:30 p.m. in the Krannert Lobby.

An estimated $400,000 will be spent on the projects and events planned for the Sesquicentennial.

Pradeep Khanna, associate vice chancellor for corporate relations and economic development, is planning the celebration. The event planning began three years ago, but has been scaled back due to budget cuts the University has made because of the reduced funds received from the state of Illinois.

The University planned on inviting a large number of speakers and holding large conferences. Now, instead of hosting new events specific for the anniversary, the campuses are instead incorporating Sesquicentennial into pre-existing annual events, such as homecoming.

All new student programs for incoming freshmen and transfer students, along with the 2017 and 2018 commencements, will be sesquicentennial themed. 

“We are managing with the resources that we have by being more creative and by redesigning activities so that they can still have a substantial impact even when they are done with a smaller budget,” Khanna said in a previous interview with The Daily Illini.

Megan Jones contributed to this report.

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