An act to incorporate Rock River Seminary

Sec. [Section]1^st Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois represented in the General Assembly that John Clark, Leander S. Walker, Thomas S. Hitt, Jacob B. Crist, C. Burr Artz, Samuel M. Hitt, John Wallace, Nathaniel Swingley, Anthony Pitzer and James S. Beatty

and their successors in office be and they are hereby created a body politick and corporate under the name and style of “The Rock River Seminary” and henceforth shall be styled and known by that name and by that name and style to remain and have perpetual succession. The number of Trustees shall not exceed twelve exclusive of the principal and presiding officer of the Seminary, who shall ex officio be a member of the board of Trustees.

Sec. 2^d the object of Said corporation Shall be the promotion of the general interest of education to qualify the youth of our country to engage in the Several employments and professions of Society and to discharge honourably and usefully the various duties of life.

Sec. 3^d The corporate powers hereby bestowed shall be Such only as are essential or useful in the attainment of Said object, and Such as are usually confered on Similar corporate bodies viz: To have perpetual Succession, to make contracts[,] to Sue and be Sued[,] implead and be impleaded[,] to grant and receive by its corporate name and to do all other acts as natural persons may do, to acept, acquire[,] purchase[,] or sell property, real[,] personal[,] and mixed in all lawful ways to use[,] employ[,] moneys[,] and discharge pose of

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all such property and all money belonging to Said corporation, in such manner as shall Seem to the trustees best adapted to promote the objects before mentioned, to have a common Seal and to alter or change the Same, to make such byelaws for the regulations of the corporation as are not inconsistent with the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this State.

Sec. 4^th The trustees Shall have power authority from time to time to prescribe the course of Study to be pursued in said Seminary, to fix the rate of tuition, room rent and other Seminary expences to appoint the Principal of the institution and Such other Professors and instructors, officers[,] and agents as may be needed in managing the concerns of the institution to define their duties[,] powers[,] and employments to fix their compensation to displace and remove the Principal or any of the Professors either of the instructors[,] officers[,] agents as said Trustees shall deem the interest of Said Seminary shall be required to fill all vacancies in the board of instruction and among the officers and agents to erect suitable and necessary buildings purchase books and chemical[,] Phylosophical[,] and other apparatus and other suitable means of instruction to put into operation if the Trustees deem it expedient a System of manual labour for the purpose of promoting the health of the Students and lessening the expense of education, to make rules for the general management of the affairs of the Seminary, and for the regulation of the conduct of the Students.

Sec. 5^th The Trustees Shall faithfully apply all funds by them collected or hereafter collected according to their best judgement in erecting suitable buildings in supporting the necessary instructors[,] officers[,] and agents in purchasing books, maps, charts, globes, philosophical[,] chemical[,] and other apparatus necessary to aid in the promotion of Sound learning in Said institution

Sec. 6^th Any donation[,] devise[,] or bequest made for Special purposes ^in^ accordance with the objects of the institution if the Trustees shall accept the Same Shall be faithfully and truly applied in conformity with the express condition or conditions of the donor or divisor the bonds[,] tenements[,] and hereditaments to be held in perpetuity in virtue of this act Shall not exceed one thousand acres, Provided however that grants[,] donations[,] or divises in lands which from time to time Shall be made to said corporation may be held for the term of ten years from the date of any Such grant[,] donation[,] or devise at the end of which time the Said lands over and above the before-named one thousand acres shall be sold by the corporation and in case of neglect to sell said lands so donated Shall revert to the original donor or divisor or to the lawful heirs of the same.

Sec. 7^th The Treasurer and all other agents of the institution when required by the trustees Shall give bond for the Security of the corporation in such penalty and such security as the board Shall approve and all process against Said corporation Shall be by summons and Service of the Same Shall be by leaving an attested copy with the Treasurer at least thirty days before the return day thereof.

Sec. 8^th In its different departments of instruction the Seminary shall be open to all denominations and the profession of any religious faith shall not be required in order to admission but those Students who are idle or vicious or whose characters are immoral may be dismissed from the institution.

Sec. 9^th Said Seminary Shall be located in Town twenty four (24) North Range Ten (10) East of the fourth (4) principal Meridian and on Sec. twenty seven (27) in Ogle County Illinois . The trustees Shall hold at least one meeting in each year for business and may appoint other Stated meetings of the board (Special meetings may at any time be held by order of the President[,] Treasurer[,] or any three members of the board) a majority of whom Shall constitute a quorum to do business and it Shall be lawful for the rock River conference of the Methodist Episcopal church to appoint Annually a board of visitors consisting of Six persons who shall have power to sit with the board of trustees at their annual meetings and participate with them ex officio as members of the board in the appointment of the board of trustees instruction and filling vacancies in the board of trustees as provided for in the 10^th Section.

Sec. 10^th The filling of vacancies in the board of trustees and the appointment of a Principal to the Seminary, Professors[,] and Trustees shall be made only at the annual meetings as provided for in the ninth section of this act, Provided that the Trustees may fill any vacancy in the board of

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instructors or employ additional annual Teachers when necessary until the Succeeding regular annual meeting.

Sec. 11^th This act shall be in force from and after the time at which the persons named in the first Sec. of the act or a majority of two thirds of them as trustees of Rock River Seminary Shall accept the same and the evidence of Said acceptance Shall be a copy of the order of the board ordering this act to be Spread upon their Journals certified by the President and Secretary of the Board.