The State university located at Springfield, Illinois, formerly known as Sangamon State University, shall hereafter be known as the University of Illinois at Springfield, shall be under the governance and control of the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, shall be operated by that Board of Trustees as a branch of the University of Illinois, and, after the effective date of this Article, shall award appropriate degrees in the name of the University of Illinois.
110 ILCS 327/40-5