Aerial view of University of Southern Indiana at 8600 University Blvd. "The University of Southern Indiana began as a regional campus of Indiana State University, opening on September 15, 1965. [In the beginning, classes were held at an old school in Evansville, Centennial.] In 1967, Southern Indiana Higher Education, Inc. (SIHE) raised nearly $1 million to acquire 1,400 acres for the Mid-America University Center. Groundbreaking was held June 22, 1968. Since September 1969, the University has occupied 330 acres, mostly donated by SIHE. On April 16, 1985, legislation was signed which made USI a separate state university. All legal matters were effective July 1, 1985. On June 30, 2008, SIHE transferred ownership of over 900 acres of land and remaining assets to the USI Foundation. (http://www.usi.edu/about/history/) NOTE: this aerial view of campus is not current--the campus has expanded greatly since this was taken.