Washington University in St. Louis is a nonsectarian, private research university located in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853 and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than one hundred and twenty five nations. Twenty-two Nobel laureates have been associated with Washington University, nine doing the major part of their pioneering research at the university.
Washington University is made up of seven graduate and undergraduate schools that encompass a broad range of academic fields. Officially incorporated as "The Washington University", popular nicknames for the university include "Wash. U." and "WUSTL", all derived from the initials of the university's name. To prevent confusion over its location, the Board of Trustees added the phrase "in St. Louis" in 1976. The university has an endowment of $4.05 billion. The current chancellor is Mark S. Wrighton, who has led the university since 1995. He is among the highest paid university heads in the United States.
History
Washington University was conceived by seventeen St. Louis business, political, and religious leaders concerned by the lack of institutions of higher learning in the Midwest. Missouri State Senator Wayman Crow and Unitarian minster William Greenleaf Eliot, grandfather of the Nobel Prize laureate poet T. S. Eliot, led the effort.
The university's first chancellor was Joseph Gibson Hoyt. Crow secured the university charter from the Missouri General Assembly in 1853 and handled further political maneuvering. While Eliot was in charge of raising funds for the university, he accepted the position as President of the Board of Trustees.
In fact Wash U is unique among American universities in not having had a prior financial endowment to begin with. The institution had no backing of a religious organization, single wealthy patron, or earmarked government support. Financial problems plagued the university for several decades after its founding.
The name of the university was still unclear; in the three years following its inspection, the university bore three different names. Several months later Treat's committee proposed naming the University the Washington Institute, after the nation's first president George Washington.
In 1856 the University amended its name to Washington University. The university amended its name once more in 1976 when the Board of Trustees voted to add the suffix "in St. Louis" to distinguish the university from the nearly two dozen universities bearing Washington's name.
Washington University has been selected by the Commission on Presidential Debates to host more Presidential and Vice Presidential Debates than any other institution in history. The University has been selected to host a Presidential or Vice Presidential debate in every United States Presidential election since 1992. United States presidential election debates were held at the Washington University Field House in 1992, 2000, and 2004. A Presidential debate was planned to occur in 1996, but scheduling difficulties between the candidates canceled the debate. The university hosted the only 2008 Vice Presidential debate, between Republican Sarah Palin, and Democrat Joe Biden, on October 2, 2008, also at the Washington University Field House.
Campus
Although the school includes St. Louis in its name – and its official mailing address is in the City of St. Louis – the school's main Danforth Campus (including Brookings Hall and its most famous landmark pertrusions) is mostly in an unincorporated section of St. Louis County. The city's border pass though the east end of the campus, bisecting Whitaker Hall (Biomedical Engineering) and Givens Hall (Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts). The eastern border of the campus is Skinker Boulevard, across from Forest Park. It is bordered to the north and west by the city of University City, Missouri, and to the south by Clayton, Missouri.
The school's Medical Campus is in the city of St. Louis on the east end of Forest Park. Some administrative offices are in the city of St. Louis in what is called the North Campus. The 560 Music Center and the Lewis Center are in University City. The school has also two smaller campuses (South and West) as well as the Tyson Research Center in St. Louis County.
Academic Reputation
n 2007, Washington University received 22,428 applications for 1,338 spots at the undergraduate level. The acceptance rate for the Class of 2011 was 19%. More than 90% of incoming freshmen were ranked in the top 10% of their high school class. Also in 2006, the University ranked fourth overall and second amongst private universities in the number of enrolled National Merit Scholar freshmen, according to the National Merit Scholar Corp.'s annual report. Washington University in St. Louis was ranked number one for quality of life in 2008 according to the Princeton Review, among other top rankings.
Currently, the undergraduate program is ranked 12th overall, tied with Northwestern University, and 11th in admissions selectivity, in the 2009 U.S. News & World Report National Universities ranking. Additionally, 19 undergraduate disciplines are ranked among the top 10 programs in the country. Global rankings include 28th in a ranking of world universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2006 that assesses quality of scientific research leading toward a Nobel Prize. Britain's Times Higher Education Supplement ranked Washington University 48th in the world in 2006. Washington University was ranked 45th nationally in The Washington Monthly's 2006 ranking of universities' contributions to research, community service, and social mobility. In addition, the Olin Business School's undergraduate program is among the top 12 in the country. The Olin Business School's undergraduate program is also considered amongst the country's most competitive, admitting only 14% of applicants in 2007.
Graduate schools include the School of Medicine, currently ranked 3rd in the nation, and the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, currently ranked 1st. The Program in Occupational Therapy at Washington University currently occupies the top spot for the US News and World Report rankings (tied for #1). For the 2009-2010 edition, the School of Law is ranked 19th while the Olin Business School is ranked 22th. Additionally, the Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Design was ranked 5th in the nation by Design Intelligence.
Research
Virtually all faculty members engage in important research activities, including scholarly and creative endeavors, that complement their strong commitment to teaching. These activities contribute to a mentoring environment in which undergraduates and graduate students may work alongside their professors on new discoveries and new understandings.
Faculty are successful in winning support for their research from many sources, including the federal and state governments, corporations, foundations, nonprofit agencies, individuals, and the University itself. During fiscal 2008, $548.4 million was received in total research support, including $440 million in federal obligations.
Library
Washington University's 14 libraries (12 on the Danforth Campus, one at the medical school, and one at West Campus) bring fine collections, great facilities, and expert librarians within easy reach of students, faculty, and visiting scholars. The stunning John M. Olin Library stands at the center of campus. Its location, diverse study spaces, technology center, exhibition space, and a café offering 24-hour study space make it one of the most popular destinations on campus. New libraries serve the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts and the Earth & Planetary Sciences Department. Several other libraries have been renovated.
On-site, the Libraries offer more than 4 million books, periodicals, government publications, rare books, literary manuscripts, and audio-visual titles. Online, the Libraries provide access to thousands of databases, journals, and other digital resources, some created here at the University. Online access allows students and faculty to do research, search the catalog, request or renew books, or read reserve materials from nearly anywhere at any hour.
School & Research
- Arts & Sciences
- Olin Business School
- Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts
- School of Engineering
- School of Law
- School of Medicine
- George Warren Brown School of Social Work
- Academic Departments
- Research at Washington University
- Research Offices & Resources
- Opportunities for Students
- Environmental Research
Washington University in St. Louis was ranked 60th in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking.
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