A history of the Board of Governors of State Colleges and Universities in Illinois is presented. Nine sections are as follows: governance in higher education (the distant and recent past and roles and responsibilities of governing boards); the context of higher education in Illinois; the board of governors of state colleges and universities: structure, mission, and functions; board leadership (board chairpersons, administrative leadership); the board's raison d'etre: the universities; the students (enrollments, educational costs and financial assistance); the faculty (staffing and salary patterns, collective bargaining, relationships between the Board and the faculties); other major issues (affirmative action, the Cooperative Computer Center in Chicago, interactions with other state agencies); and "what's past is prologue." An appendix provides the following: a list of members of the Board of Governors of State Colleges and Universities, 1965-1988; a list of chairpersons for the Board of Governors, 1965-1987; names of the chief executive officers of the Board of Governors, 1965-1988; presidents of the Board of Governors, 1965-1987; a list of interviewees; a copy of the questionnaire used in gathering the history of the Board of Governors; and a list of respondents to the questionnaire. Contains 50 references. (SM)