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Eureka College was founded by abolitionists from Kentucky who were members of a religious movement known as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and were committed to providing young people a broad, liberal education. These pioneers believed in an education infused with values as a basis for leadership. Chartered by the Illinois Legislature in 1855, Eureka was the first college in the state and third in the nation to admit men and women on an equal basis. Eureka College was designated by the National Park Service as a Campus Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places in June 2010.

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We're recognized as a top college in Illinois for vocations like teacher education, nursing, communications, and criminal justice, and we're adding new courses for emerging careers like early childhood and sports management. A Eureka College education prepares you for more than just your first job: it equips you to become a leader in your field and community.

ILLOWA Undergraduate Psychology Research Conference

About the Conference

Welcome to ILLOWA!

Home of the longest-running undergradaute psychology research conference in America. This year, we'll be at Eureka College on Saturday, April 15, 2023. We'll have an afternoon conference, the format since 2019.

For information/inquiries, please contact the event organizer, Dr. Alex Swan

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jordan Wagge

Presentation Guidelines

Submit Your Abstract! (submissions closed)

ILLOWA 2023 Conference Program

Conference History

ILLOWA is one of oldest continuing undergraduate psychological research conferences in the United States. Established 1973, ILLOWA was created when James Joyce and Kermit Hoyenga of Western Illinois University, Dean Wright of Monmouth College, and Gary Francois of Knox College established a mechanism by which local colleges and universities could enhance interaction with each other and provide an educational research experience for their students.

ILLOWA has since expanded over to include nine educational institutions in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. ILLOWA established its first website in 1998, at Culver-Stockton (Mo.) College. Since fall 2001, undergraduates who present at ILLOWA can also submit their papers for possible inclusion in the Journal of Psychological Inquiry.

The conference’s programming format has remained relatively unchanged over the years in that only undergraduates are allowed to present their findings from empirical research projects. Each year the conferences is hosted by a different institution, features a keynote speaker, and usually take place the Saturday preceding the annual convention of the Midwestern Psychological Association. The date of the convention, if scheduling permits, is the Saturday before the Midwestern Psychological Association’s annual convention.

The ILLOWA conference has been mentioned in Teaching of Psychology, Eye on Psi Chi and in the APA Monitor. Additionally, ILLOWA has been cited as one of the major undergraduate conferences in the United States. See: Smith and Davis (2010) The psychologist as a detective: An introduction to conducting research in psychology (5th Ed.).

James Joyce, Western Illinois University Kermit Hoyenga, Western Illinois University Dean Wright, Monmouth College Gary Francois, Knox College

James Joyce Kermit Hoyenga Dean Wright Gary Francois
Western Illinois University Western Illinois University Monmouth College Knox College

Previous Conference Locations

Augustana College – 1976, 1986, 1990, 1995, 2004,
Cornell College – 1985
Culver-Stockton College – 1998, 2007, 2013, 2020*, 2024
Eureka College – 2003, 2012, 2018, 2023
Knox College – 1977, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1993, 1997, 2002, 2009, 2015, 2019, 2025
Monmouth College – 1975, 1978, 1982, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2006, 2011, 2017, 2022, 2027
St. Ambrose University – 1981, 1992, 2001, 2008, 2014
Western Illinois University – 1974, 1979, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1996, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2016, 2021*, 2026

*Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Future Dates and Locations

2024 / Culver-Stockton College - April 13th
2025 / Knox College
2026 / Western Illinois University
2027 / Monmouth College