UGA Main Library

The University of Georgia (UGA) is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States. UGA offers seventy-nine degree programs in a wide range of disciplines and enrolls about 26,000 undergraduate and about 9,000 graduate students from the United States and around the world every year.

The university is organized into sixteen schools and colleges. In its 2011 edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked the university's undergraduate program 56th among national universities, while ranking the business, education, journalism, law, and public affairs graduate programs as high as 4th and all in the top 50. The same publication also cited the university as the No. 11 ranked "Up-and-Coming School" in the National University category tied with the University of Southern California and ahead of Emory University. It has also been recognized as one of the Public Ivies.^[4] The university also made the list of "Top 10 Public Ivy League Schools."^[5] The School of Environment and Design was named the No. 1 Landscape Architecture program for undergraduates in the nation, as well as No. 3 for post-graduate studies in the list of top 15 Landscape Architecture Schools for 2006.^[6][7] Internationally, Georgia was ranked 386th in the 2011 QS World University Rankings^[8].

UGA student athletes compete intercollegiately as the Bulldogs. As a member of the Southeastern Conference, the Bulldogs have won thirty-seven national championships and 130 conference championships.

Besides academics, research, and athletics, UGA is also well known for its campus in the acclaimed college town of Athens,^[9] with dominant architectural themes of Federal—the older buildings—and Classical and Antebellum style. Situated on a 615-acre (2.49 km²) main campus, UGA has a workforce of more than 9,800, an annual budget of about $1 billion, and a physical plant valued at some $500 million, making it one of the largest employers in Georgia and a major contributor to the state's economic and cultural vitality.^[10]

Organization[link]

The President of the University of Georgia (currently Michael F. Adams) is the head administrator and is appointed and overseen by the Georgia Board of Regents.

The University comprises sixteen schools and colleges, and although some divisions use "college" and some use "school", the title does not indicate any distinction between the sixteen colleges and schools that constitute the University:

Schools & Colleges[link]

• College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
• Franklin College of Arts & Sciences
• Terry College of Business
• Eugene P. Odum School of Ecology
• College of Education
• College of Environment & Design
• College of Family and Consumer Sciences
• Daniel B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
• Graduate School
• Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication
• School of Law
• College of Pharmacy
• College of Public Health
• School of Public and International Affairs
• School of Social Work
• College of Veterinary Medicine

History[link]

Antebellum history[link]

The University of Georgia was incorporated on January 27, 1785, by the Georgia General Assembly, which had given its trustees, the Senatus Academicus of the University of Georgia, 40,000 acres (160 km²) for the purposes of founding a “college or seminary of learning.”^[11] The Senatus Academicus was composed of the Board of Visitors and the Board of Trustees with the Georgia Senate presiding over those two boards. The first meeting of the university's board of trustees was held in Augusta, Georgia on February 13, 1786.^[12] The meeting installed its first president, Abraham Baldwin, a native of Connecticut and graduate of Yale University. The college was not immediately established and portions of the original land tracts were used for other purposes or sold to raise $7,463.75 by 1798.^{[citation needed]}

On July 2, 1799, the Senatus Academicus met again in Louisville, Georgia and decided that the time was right to officially begin the University. During this meeting 633 acres (2.6 km²) on the banks of the Oconee River were chosen on which the university was to be built. This tract of land, now a part of the consolidated city–county of Clarke County, Georgia and Athens, Georgia was then part of Jackson County. The meeting also established a new president of the university naming Josiah Meigs, another Yale graduate, to the post. The first classes were held in 1801, in what was called the Franklin College, named in honor of Benjamin Franklin. The first graduating class graduated on May 31, 1804.^{[citation needed]}

The Senatus Academicus convened for the last time in Dothan, Georgia, from November 3, 1859, through November 5, 1859, after which it was replaced with a Board of Trustees which reported to the Georgia General Assembly which is composed of the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate.

Civil War era[link]

During the American Civil War, the University closed in October 1863 and reopened in January 1866 with an enrollment of seventy-eight students including veterans utilizing an award of $300 granted by the General Assembly to injured soldiers younger than thirty.^[11] In that same year, the legislature appropriated $2,000 for the creation of a College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. This was the result of the Morrill Act which was used to create land grant colleges across the nation. The agricultural department within the University opened on May 1, 1872. A portion of the funds were used to establish a branch of the agricultural department in Dahlonega, Georgia which developed into North Georgia College.^[13] The Military Department of the university was abandoned in the years following the Civil War, but its campus at Milledgeville, including the former State capital building, became Georgia Military College.

20th century[link]

With students limited to white males for the first century of its history, UGA began educating female students during the summer of 1903. Women were not admitted as full-time undergraduates until 1918.^{[citation needed]} Before official admission of women to the University, several women were able to complete graduate degrees through credit earned during the summer sessions. The first woman to earn such a degree was Mary Lyndon. She received a Master of Arts degree in 1914. Mary Creswell earned the first undergraduate degree in June 1919, a B.S. in Home Economics. Two UGA dormitories are named after these graduates: Creswell Hall and Mary Lyndon Hall.

Racial integration was achieved in 1961^{[citation needed]}, with the admission of Hamilton E. Holmes and Charlayne Hunter after notable tension with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 2001, on the fortieth anniversary of their having first registered for classes, the University renamed a prominent campus building in their honor: Holmes-Hunter Academic Building.^[14] Although Hunter and Holmes were the first African-American students to matriculate at UGA, Mary Frances Early became the first African-American graduate by earning her master’s (MMEd) in music education in 1962. In 1963, Chester Davenport became the first African-American admitted to the UGA School of Law and its first African-American graduate (LL.B. 1966). A decade later, Sharon Tucker was the first female African-American law graduate, earning her J.D. in 1974.^[15]

Recent years[link]

The University has seen its academic reputation rise markedly since Georgia's HOPE Scholarship program was started in 1993. The school has grown both in size and reputation. The merit-based scholarship allows any resident of the state of Georgia to attend any public college in the state without paying tuition, provided they maintain a 3.0 GPA. The average SAT for students entering UGA in 2010 was 1263,^[16] and national rankings place UGA among the top 20 public universities in America and a top 10 best value.^[17] UGA is designated as both a land-grant and sea-grant university.^[1] UGA's Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication awards the prestigious George Foster Peabody Awards, which are presented annually for excellence in television and radio news, entertainment and children’s programming. The University also presents the annual Delta Prize for Global Understanding, which recognizes individuals or groups whose initiatives promote peace and cooperation among cultures and nations. UGA has an extensive network of student activities that center around academic, religious, social and fraternal organizations. It maintains one of the South's oldest and most active Greek systems, and the fraternity and sororities maintain homes both on and off campus. Organizations include both Democratic and Republican student clubs, Order of Omega, Arch Society, student philanthropies such as UGA Heros,^[18] UGA Habitat, UGA Miracle and UGA Relay for Life,^[19] and secret societies such as Palladia and Gridiron. The UGA Alumni Association has almost 274,000 members and operates a center in both Athens and Atlanta, Georgia, which can be found in the Atlanta Financial Center.

Campus[link]

Herty Field, in the center of North Campus, was UGA's first home football field

Though there have been many additions, changes, and augmentations, UGA’s campus maintains its historic character. The historical practice has been to divide the 614-acre (2.5 km²) main campus into two sections, North Campus and South Campus. Since 1995, new facilities serving the arts, academics, fitness and student housing have been built on what has come to be known as "East Campus."^[20] This area includes new apartment-like dorms called East Campus Village. Adjacent is the newest and fourth dining hall on campus called The Village Summit at Joe Frank Harris Commons. Also on East campus is the Performing and Visual Arts Complex, the Ramsey Center for Physical Activity and the relocated Lamar Dodd School of Art. "West Campus" refers to the area adjacent to the main campus where many of UGA's largest residence halls are located; most UGA freshmen live in one of the high-rise dorms on West Campus.

The UGA Arch

Tradition maintains that UGA's oldest permanent building, Old College, is modeled on Yale University’s Connecticut Hall.^[21] UGA’s North Campus contains the picturesque historic buildings—such as the Chapel,^[22] New College, Demosthenian^[23] and the Phi Kappa^[24] Halls, Park Hall,^[25] Meigs Hall, and the President’s office^[26]—as well as modern additions such as the Law School^[27] and the Main Library.^[28] The dominant architectural themes are Federal—the older buildings—and Greco-Roman Classical/Antebellum style. UGA’s North Campus has also been designated an arboretum by the State of Georgia.

A notable North Campus fixture is the cast-iron gateway that stands at its main entrance. Known as "The Arch" (but often erroneously pluralized to "The Arches"), the structure was patterned after the Seal of the State of Georgia, and has faced historic downtown Athens ever since it was erected in the 1850s.^[29] Although the Seal's three pillars represent the state's three branches of government,^[30] the pillars of The Arch are usually taken to represent the Georgia Constitution's three principles of wisdom, justice, and moderation, which are engraved over the pillars of the Seal. There is a superstition about walking through The Arch. It is said that if you walk under the Arch before receiving your diploma, you will not graduate from UGA on time.^[31] Another legend claims that should you walk through The Arch as a freshman, you will become sterile.^[32]

Path on North Campus leading to the Arch and downtown Athens

Dividing North and South Campus is the "central campus" area, home of the University Bookstore, Tate Student Center, and Miller Learning Center, as well as Sanford Stadium, home of the football team. Adjacent to the stadium is a bridge that crosses Tanyard Creek and is the traditional crossover into South Campus, home of most of the science and agricultural classroom buildings. Further south and east, across East Campus Road, is East Campus, home of the Ramsey Center, the East Campus Village (apartment-style dormitories), and several fine arts facilities, including the Georgia Museum of Art and the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. A new facility for the art school opened its doors in the Fall of 2008.^{[citation needed]} This new state-of-the-art facility replaced the elder that was placed on North Campus.

Adjacent to the campus is the "west campus" area. This extends from the corner of Britain Avenue and Lumpkin Street in the south to Waddell and Wray streets in the north. It is bordered along the east by Lumpkin Street and on the west by Church Street south of Baxter Street and Florida Avenue to the north. Located on the south end are several dormitories including the Hill Community, Oglethorpe House, Creswell Hall, Brumby Hall and Russell Hall. Also located here are Legion Field and Pool, which are recreational facilities.

Academic and research facilities[link]

The university is notably not a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of 61 leading public and private research universities in the United States and Canada. A recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education notes that "[w]hile AAU membership conveys a certain cachet, several well-known research heavyweights, such as Boston University, Dartmouth College, North Carolina State University, and the University of Georgia, are not members."^[33] However, the university is regarded as a research heavyweight that can make good arguments for joining.^[34] The AAU's membership criteria focus primarily on the amount of competitive research funds, and the share of faculty members who belong to the National Academies. Despite the stated importance of research as a criterion, some universities left out of the AAU outpace member institutions.^[35] According to The Chronicle of Higher Education's analysis, at least 11 institutions received more federal money in 2008 than did 13 members, and six received more than 19.^[36] Some critics of the association's influence say the reason universities pay it so much attention is because of the stingy and slow admissions process.^[37]

Miller Learning Center[link]

The Zell B. Miller Student Learning Center and the adjacent memorial garden

The $43.6 million dollar Zell B. Miller Learning Center (MLC) has been the largest academic building on the University of Georgia campus since its opening in the autumn of 2003 when it was originally called the Student Learning Center (which explains why some students still refer to it as the SLC).^[38] Located at the heart of the UGA campus, it houses both classroom space and library space in close proximity.

On the inside is a technological space that includes two dozen classrooms capable of seating 2,400 students and equipped with the latest technology. The building serves as an expansion of UGA library services, with a completely electronic library, 276,000 sq ft (25,600 m²). of actual floor space.

Paul D. Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences[link]

Named after U.S. Senator Paul D. Coverdell, this $40 million dollar facility totals 140,000 square feet (13,000 m²), giving enough room for 25 research teams or roughly 275 scientists, staff and graduate students. The Center was designed mainly to maximize energy efficiency.^[39] Laboratory intensive groups at the Coverdell Center include the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases (CTEGD), the Developmental Biology Group (DBG), and the Bio-Imaging Research Center (BIRC),the Health and Risk Communications Group (HRCG), the administrative homes of the College of Public Health (CPH) and the Biomedical Health Sciences Institute (BHSI), and the CPH’s Department of Health Administration, Biostatistics and Epidemiology.^[40] Former President George H.W. Bush spoke at the Center's grand opening in 2006.^{[citation needed]}

Artificial Intelligence Center[link]

The Artificial Intelligence Center is an interdepartmental research and instructional center within the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Georgia.

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center houses two degree programs, the Master of Science program in Artificial Intelligence and the bachelor's degree program in Cognitive Science. Over the years the AI Center has received funding for research from the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, GlaxoSmithKline Research & Development Ltd., the Georgia Research Alliance, Centro Internacional por Agricultura Tropical, Clemson University, Medical College of Georgia, and the American Association for Artificial Intelligence.

University of Georgia Marine Institute[link]

The university's campus also spreads to Sapelo Island, off the Georgia coast, which is home to the University of Georgia Marine Institute, a nearshore ecological and geological research institute.

The Georgia Center, the University of Georgia's Conference Center and Hotel is located on South Campus. The Georgia Center includes 200 hotel rooms including suites, four onsite dining options, banquet areas, conference rooms, auditoriums, a fitness center, and a computer lab. The Georgia Center is open to all visitors to Athens and UGA.

Coastal Plain Research Arboretum[link]

The Coastal Plain Research Arboretum (38 acres (150,000 m²)) is an arboretum in Tifton, Georgia, located on the grounds of the Tifton Campus of the University of Georgia.^[41]

The arboretum was established in 1987, with plant development and selection starting in 1991.^[42] It consists of stream-side forest and wetland, and is dedicated to native plant species of the Georgia coastal plain.^[41]

The arboretum contains pine woods, a native azalea collection, and approximately 280 taxa of native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants.^[41] It is one of several institutions active in efforts to conserve the endangered Torreya taxifolia.^[43] The arboretum director is John M. Ruter, professor of horticulture at the university's Tifton campus.^[44]

Student facilities[link]

Ramsey Center

The Ramsey Center is the student recreational and athletic facility located on East Campus at the University of Georgia. The Ramsey Center is one of the largest student athletic/recreation facilities in the United States built and was named in honor of Bernard and Eugenia Ramsey. The campus's eight-acre Ramsey Student Center for Physical Activities has 2 gyms, 3 pools (one Olympic-sized, a 17-foot (5.2 m) diving well, and a lap pool), a 1/8 mile indoor suspended rubberized track, a 44 feet (13 m)-high climbing wall, 14-foot (4.3 m) outdoor bouldering wall, 10 racquetball courts, 2 squash courts, 8 full-length basketball courts, and 19,000 square feet (1,770 m²) of weight-training space.^[45] This $40 million structure was named by Sports Illustrated as the best recreational sports facility in the country for the year 1997.^[46]

Franklin Residential College

Franklin Residential College^[47] is a residential college, based on the Oxford and Cambridge model. It is a collaboration of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, the University Housing office, and the Vice President of Instruction. It was founded in 2000.^[48] The home of the college is Rutherford Hall, which was built in the late 1930s as a women's dormitory.

Tate II Expansion

On Thursday, April 19, 2007, ground was officially broken for the $52 million Tate Student Center Expansion and Renovation project.^[49] A multi-level parking deck began the first phase of the construction on which the new Student Center was built. Tate II officially opened its doors on June 1, 2009.

Included in the new student center is: an 11,000-square-foot (1,000 m²) multi-purpose space on the fifth floor, a dining room, meeting rooms, and lounge seating on the fourth floor, a food court, retail space, Print & Copy Services, a large lounge area, gaming area, and open performance space on the third floor. The new food court is operated by UGA Food Services. It includes Hotei's, a hibachi style grill, Larry's Giant Subs, and Barberitos. Some of the amenities, such as the Bulldog Cafe and the Tate Theatre, will remain in the old Tate Center. The total cost of the new expansion is approximately $58.2 million.^[50]

Construction on the $13.5 million, 500-space Tate Student Center parking deck was underway through May 2009.^{[citation needed]}

Other facilities[link]

Construction on the $39.2 million, 171,000 sq ft (15,900 m²). Lamar Dodd School of Art is underway through spring 2008. The site is just south of the existing Performing and Visual Arts Complex on East Campus.

The Georgia Museum of Natural History has one of the most extensive natural history collections in Georgia.

The Georgia Center, the University of Georgia's Conference Center and Hotel is located on South Campus. The Georgia Center includes 200 hotel rooms including suites, four onsite dining options, banquet areas, conference rooms, auditoriums, a fitness center, and a computer lab. The Georgia Center is open to all visitors to Athens and UGA.

Academics[link]

Rhodes Scholars[link]

As of 2008, twenty-one UGA students have been named Rhodes Scholars including Eugene T. Booth and Hervey M. Cleckley. UGA student Deep Shah and alumna Kate Vyborny were elected in 2008, making the University the only public institution with two scholars that year and one of only six universities with multiple scholars that year.^[54] In 2010, Tracy Yang was named a Rhodes Scholar.

Study Abroad Program[link]

The University of Georgia began its first year-round residential study-abroad program at Oxford University in England, where students and faculty live in a three-story Victorian house located in the heart of the city of Oxford and owned by UGA. Founded in 1987 the Oxford study abroad program began as a summer option and expanded to include spring in 1994. With the purchase of the house in 1999 – evidence of UGA's strong commitment to study abroad – the program became available throughout the academic year.

The University of Georgia owns two other international residential centers as well: one in Cortona, Italy; the other, and UGA's largest, in San Luis de Monteverde, Costa Rica. The UGA Costa Rica campus currently comprises 155 acres (0.63 km²) and over 36,000 square feet (3,300 m²) of built space nestled in the country's mountainous Monteverde Cloud Forest, a region that has been celebrated in publications such as Forbes Traveler, Newsweek, and National Geographic. Ever expanding its programmatic offerings, UGA Costa Rica annually offers 23 study abroad programs in 28 disciplines across the fall, spring, Maymester, and summer terms.

UGA now ranks among the top five American universities for the number of students studying abroad, with more than 100 programs in over 50 countries. UGA has faculty study abroad programs on every continent, including Antarctica. Additionally, UGA has signed agreements with several outside study abroad organizations: the American Institute For Foreign Study; Australearn; the Institute for Study Abroad (IFSA), Butler University; International Studies Abroad (ISA); the The School for Field Studies; the University of New Orleans, Innsbruck International Summer School.^[55] Currently, just over 2,000 students, or 6% of the entire campus enrollment (graduate and undergraduate) study abroad in a given year. During the past five years, the number of students participating in study abroad programs has nearly doubled. Approximately 30 percent of the members of recent graduating classes had a study abroad experience.^[56]

Athletics[link]

University of Georgia Mascot Hairy Dawg

The UGA athletics logo

The University of Georgia varsity athletic teams participate in the NCAA's Division I-A as a member of the Southeastern Conference. Since the 1997–1998 season, UGA has seven top ten rankings in the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Directors' Cup, a numerical ranking based on the success of universities in all varsity sports.^[57] The University has won national championships in football, women's gymnastics, women's equestrian (2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010), baseball, tennis (men's and women's), golf (men's and women's), and women's swimming and diving. The Gym Dogs, the University's women's gymnastics team, have a NCAA-leading 10 national championships in gymnastics, including five consecutive championships from 2005 to 2009.

The Bulldogs' most historic rivalry is with the nearby Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. However, major rivalries have grown since, including the rivalry with the Florida Gators, the Tennessee Volunteers, Auburn Tigers, referred to as the "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry" in reference to the first football game played between the two teams in 1892 and the more than one hundred meetings since.

University of Georgia Ice Hockey

The University also boasts several non-varsity sports, including wrestling,^[58] men's and women's soccer, crew,^[59] ultimate frisbee,^[60][61] rugby, lacrosse, and ice hockey. Georgia's men's soccer team received a bid to play in the NIRSA Club National Championship for the first time in 2007. Several Varsity sports are duplicated with non-varsity teams, such as women's tennis. Georgia's men's lacrosse team has won the South Eastern Lacrosse Conference three times, in 1998, 2007, and 2008, and received an automatic bid to the MCLA national tournament; while the women's team earned an at-large bid to the WDIA National Tournament in 2007.

Most recently, many have acclaimed UGA's athletic program for implementing a program that fines student-athletes for unexcused absences in class. And, for the first time in school history, more than 50% of student-athlete GPAs were over 3.0. In addition, many other universities are looking to UGA's plan as a model.^{[citation needed]}

Although they are not an athletic team, UGA's majorette line and feature twirlers has won numerous national titles making them the most award collegiate majorette line in America.^{[citation needed]} As for the feature twirler, currently Karrissa Wimberley (a 15-time world champion baton twirler) has the position.^{[citation needed]}

Student life[link]

Student housing[link]

Greek life[link]

The first Greek letter fraternity to charter at the university was Sigma Alpha Epsilon in 1865, and the first sorority was Phi Mu in 1921. There are 17 sororities from the Panhellenic Council and 26 IFC fraternities. Students with Greek affiliation made up 23 percent of the undergraduate student body as of 2007, including 21% of the males and 24% of the females.^[62] Perhaps the most prominent features of Greek Life at the University are the large, mostly Greek Revival, mansions maintained by the national fraternities and sororities as chapter houses lining South Milledge Avenue and South Lumpkin Street and the ubiquitous t-shirts worn by students on campus commemorating Greek social events.

In 2005 the University announced that five of the fraternities on Lumpkin Street would need to be relocated by June 2008. The school plans to build academic buildings on the house sites, which the University owns and the fraternities lease. UGA offered to relocate the Lumpkin fraternities and two others to River Road (a former site of several fraternities who were moved out in the 90's), located on East Campus. Kappa Alpha Order and Chi Phi did not take up the offer and decided to move off campus. Kappa Alpha Order moved to Hancock Street while Chi Phi is currently building a house on Milledge Avenue. Sigma Chi, having signed a renewable 40-year land lease with the University in 1996^[63], continues to maintain their house next to the Student Learning Center (now the Zell B. Miller Learning Center). In October 2008, Pi Kappa Alpha, Phi Delta Theta, Tau Epsilon Phi and Sigma Nu broke ground for the new Greek Park located on River Road. The four new houses were completed in August 2009 for fall rush.

Noted people[link]

See also[link]

• List of forestry universities and colleges
• The Green Hand
• University of Georgia Press
• WUGA-TV

Notes[link]

Further reading[link]

• Boney, F.N. A Pictorial History of the University of Georgia. Athens, GA: U of Georgia P, 2000
• Johnson, Amanda Georgia as Colony and State. Atlanta, Georgia: Walter W. Brown Publishing Co., 1938, pp. 187, 247, 376, 429–430, 569–570

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: University of Georgia

• Official website
• Official Athletics website

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The University of Western Ontario, commonly referred to as Western, is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers 455 hectares (1,120 acres) of land, with the Thames River running through the eastern portion. Western administers a wide variety of academic programs between 12 faculties, professional schools and three affiliated university colleges.^[7]

The university was founded in 1878 as the Western University of London, Ontario,^[8] a denominational school of the Church of England, by Bishop Isaac Hellmuth and the Anglican Diocese of Huron. The university became secular in 1908 and was renamed to its present name in 1923. The school has over 23,000 undergraduate and 5,000 graduate students. More than 220,000 alumni and former students of Western can be found in over 100 countries around the world. The Western varsity athletic teams are known as the Western Mustangs, and are members of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport.

History[link]

The university was founded on 7 March 1878 by Bishop Isaac Hellmuth (1817–1901) of the Anglican Diocese of Huron as "The Western University of London Ontario."^[9] It incorporated Huron University College, which had been founded in 1863.^[10] The first four faculties were Arts, Divinity, Law and Medicine, and there were originally only 15 students when classes began in 1881.^[11] The first of these students graduated in 1883. The Western University of London was eventually made non-denominational in 1908.^[9]

In 1916, the current site of the University was purchased from the Kingsmill family, and in 1923 the Western University of London was renamed The University of Western Ontario.^[9] The first two buildings constructed at the new site were the Arts Building (now University College) and the Natural Science Building (now the Physics and Astronomy Building). Classes on the present site of the school began in 1924.^[12] The University College tower, one of the most distinctive features of the University, was named the Middlesex Memorial Tower in honour of the men from Middlesex County who had fought in World War I. Western later became affiliated with St. Peter's College seminary of London, Ontario in 1939, and it eventually became King's College, an arts faculty.^[10]

Although enrollment was relatively small for many years, the University began to increase greatly in size after World War II. The University saw the addition of a number of new faculties in the post-war period, such as the Faculty of Graduate Studies (1947), the School of Business Administration (now the Richard Ivey School of Business) (1949), the Faculty of Engineering Science (now the Faculty of Engineering) (1957), the Faculty of Law (1959), and Althouse College for education students (now the Faculty of Education) (1963)^{[citation needed]} and the Faculty of Music (1968).^[13]

In 2012, the university's brand was changed to Western University, and the logo was changed from the traditional Tower to an altered coat of arms. The legal name remains the University of Western Ontario.^[14]

Campus[link]

Fall Colours at Western

The University of Western Ontario is situated in the city of London, Ontario, located in the southwestern end of the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The majority of the campus is surrounded by residential neighbourhoods, with the Thames River bisecting the eastern portion of the campus. Western Road is the major transportation artery of the university, going north to south. While the campus covers 455 hectares (1,120 acres), the majority of the teaching facilities are centered within the core approximately 169.3 hectares (418 acres).^[4]

Sustainability[link]

Campus sustainability at Western is managed by the President's Advisory Committee on Environment & Sustainability. The committee's mandate includes incorporating sustainability into the academic programming, engaging in research across the disciplines into issues of environmental sustainability, utilizing ecological landscaping methods and preserving green space and building and renovating facilities in accordance with energy efficiency and sustainability principles^[15] Along with the other members of the Council of Ontario Universities, Western had signed a pledge in 2009 known as Ontario Universities Committed to a Greener World, with the objective of transforming its campus into a model of environmental responsibility.^[16] Western is also a signatory of the Talloires Declaration, a sustainability declaration created for presidents of higher education.^[17] The university campus received a B- grade from the Sustainable Endowments Institute on its College Sustainability Report Card for 2011.^[18]

Administration[link]

The governance of the university is conducted through the Board of Governors and the Senate. The Senate was the university's first governing body, created in the university's founding document, An Act to Incorporate the Western University of London, Ontario, 1878.^[19] The Board of Governors was later established in An Act to amend the Act to incorporate the Western University of London, Ontario, 1892.^[20] The Board is responsible for the for the overall management of the university, including financial matters.^[21] Ex officio governors of the Board include the university's chancellor, president, the mayor of London, the warden of Middlesex County and the secretary of the Board of Governors. The Board also consists of 26 other governors, either appointed or elected by the various members of the university's community and the surrounding community, including elected representatives from the student body.^[22]

The Senate is responsible for the university's academic policies.^[23] The Senate consists of 20 ex officio positions in the Senate granted to the chancellor, the president, the vice-presidents of the university, the senior dean of each faculty, the university librarian and the secretary of the senate. The secretary of the senate is a non-voting ex officio member. The Senate also consists of 46 elected members from the university's faculty, 18 members from the student population, and 9 members from the Western's affiliated colleges, including their principals. The Senate also consists of 9 other members from around the university community. In total, there are 103 members of the Senate, 102 of which may vote and 10–13 official observers of the Senate.^[24]

The president and vice-chancellor acts as the chief executive officer of the university who is accountable to the Board of Governors and the Senate, and supervises and directs the academic and administrative work of the university and of its teaching and non-teaching staff.^[25] Amit Chakma is the tenth president of the university, serving in the post since 1 July 2009.^[26] The chancellor of the university acts as the honorary and symbolic head of the university. The position of chancellor is a four year, non-renewable term.^[27] The current chancellor of the university is John Thompson, who held the position since 2008.^[28]

Programs at the university is divided amongst 12 faculties and schools, including Althouse College of Education, Don Wright Faculty of Music, Richard Ivey School of Business, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and Western Law School. The university also is affiliated with three university colleges, Brescia University College, Huron University College and King's University College.^[7]

Academic profile[link]

The Richard Ivey School of Business

Western is a publicly-funded research university, and a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.^[29] The full-time undergraduate programs comprise the majority of the school's enrollment, made up of 23,690 full time, part time undergraduate students and concurrent education students. The graduate student population is 5,297, including full time students, part time students and post-graduate medical residents.^[3] The university conferred 4,504 bachelor degrees, 207 doctoral degrees, 1,427 master degrees, and 1,180 second entry professional degrees in 2008–2009.^[30] Students may apply for financial aid such as the Ontario Student Assistance Program and Canada Student Loans and Grants through the federal and provincial governments. The financial aid provided may come in the form of loans, grants, bursaries, scholarships, fellowships, debt reduction, interest relief, and work programs.^[31]

Admission requirements at Western differs depending upon the education system in which the applicant has originated from, due to the lack of uniformity in marking schemes.^[32] The acceptance rate at Western fell from 66 percent in 2005 to 58 percent in 2010.^[33] The secondary school average for full-time first-year students at Western was 86.8 percent.^[34]

Reputation[link]

The University of Western Ontario has ranked as one of Canada's top universities. According to the 2010 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) rankings, the university ranked 201–300 in the world and 9–18 in Canada.^[38] The 2011 QS World University Rankings ranked the university 157th in the world, making it 7th in Canada^[40] In terms of national rankings, Maclean's ranked Western 9th in their 2011 Medical Doctoral university rankings.^[39] Western was ranked in spite of having opted out—along with several other universities in Canada—of participating in Maclean's graduate survey since 2006.^[41]

Several of Western's programs were also ranked in individual rankings. Social sciences at Western was ranked 96th in the world in the 2010 QS World University Rankings.^[40] In 2011, the ARWU similarly ranked social science at Western 76–100 in the world.^[36] Western Law School was also ranked 9th nationally in Maclean's 2011 rankings for common law schools in Canada.^[42] Western's Richard Ivey School of Business has also ranked well internationally. In 2010, Bloomberg Businessweek had ranked the Ivey as the 6th best business school outside of the United States and second in Canada.^[43] In 2011, the Financial Times had also ranked Ivey 46th in its 2011 global MBA ranking, placing second nationally.^[44]

Western is also renowned for educating many of Canada's top achievers. In 2010, Western ranked 1st amongst Canadian universities for earning the most Top 40 Under 40 Awards, in both the undergraduate and MBA categories. ^[45]

Research[link]

Western has four primary fields of research in which it currently operates: life sciences and the human condition, culture analysis and values, the human and physical environments, and social trends, public policy, and economic activity.^[46] In Research Infosource's 2011 ranking of Canada's 50 top research universities, Western was ranked 10th, with a sponsored research income of $221.236 million, averaging $155,600 per faculty member.^[47] The federal government is the largest source of funding providing 46 percent of Western's research budget, primarily through grants. Private corporations contribute 10% of Western's research budget.^[48] The Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan (HEEACT), an organization which also evaluates universities based on their scientific paper's performances, ranked Western 184th in the world and 9th nationally in its 2011 rankings.^[49] Western was also ranked 87th in the world within the field of social sciences in HEEACT's 2011 rankings.^[50]

Research regarding the human brain has also become a major focus at the university. The Centre for Brain and Mind was created to provide a focus for research in cognitive neuroscience at Western.^[51] and the Centre recently discovered that the blind may echolocate by using the visual cortex of the brain.^[52] Another recent study at Western has suggested that people deaf from birth may be able to reassign the area of their brain used for hearing to boost their sight.^[53]

Student life[link]

The two main student unions on administrative and policy issues is the University Students' Council for all undergraduate students and the Society of Graduate Students for graduate students.^[54][55] The University Students' Council recognizes more than 180 student organizations and clubs, in which more than 19,500 people are a member.^[56] These clubs and organizations cover a wide range of interests such as academics, culture, religion, social issues, and recreation.^[57] The oldest accredited club at Western is The University of Western Ontario Debating Society, which was first established in 1896.^[58]

The main campus at UWO has a number of student residences: Alumni House; Elgin Hall; Delaware Hall; London Hall; Essex Hall; Medway-Sydenham Hall; Perth Hall and Saugeen-Maitland Hall; Huron College has the following residences: Benson House; Cronyn House; Hellmuth Hall; Henderson House; O'Neil-Ridley Hall; Southwest Residence; Young House and Yellow Cottage. Brescia College has one residence: Ursuline Hall. King's College has the following residences: King's Alumni Court; Wemple Building (Portions of the upper two floors are reserved for residence space, the rest of the building contains classrooms, cafeteria, administrative offices etc.) ; Town Houses #1–10.^[59]

There are a number of fraternities and sororities existing throughout the student community. There are currently five sororities at Western, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Pi Beta Phi.^[60] There are also seven fraternities existing at Western, Alpha Epsilon Pi, Phi Gamma Delta, Delta Upsilon, Pi Kappa Alpha, Lambda Chi Alpha, Sigma Chi, and Kappa Alpha Society.^{[61][62][63][64][65][66]} The fraternities and sororities that exist within the student community of Western are not recognized or accredited by the University Students' Council.^[57]

Performances[link]

The Don Wright Faculty of Music offers over 300 concert performances of various styles throughout the year, most of which are open to the public. The UWO Symphony Orchestra and the UWO Chamber Orchestra perform regularly under conductor Geoffrey Moull. UWOpera, under the direction of Theodore Baerg, performs a wide variety of repertoire ranging from operetta to full operatic works in the Paul Davenport Theatre (refurbished and renamed in 2009 from Talbot Theatre).^[67]

Theatre Western produces a season that includes an annual musical revue of modern and classic Broadway, Purple Shorts (Western's One-Act Play Festival,) and a major musical production each spring. Recent productions include West Side Story, Cabaret, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.^{[citation needed]} The Faculty of Education typically puts on a major production every year.^{[citation needed]} The Huron Underground Drama Society (or "HUDS") is a student run drama group that puts on several shows per year. Their plays or skits are usually completely student written, and are well known for their edgy comedic content.^{[citation needed]}

Media[link]

The university's student population operates a number of media outlets throughout the campus environmennt. The Gazette is a student newspaper which has been in publication since 1906.^[68]. The Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Information, Media and Technoculture (FIMS) both run publications called The Current and mitZine respectively. The University Students' Council also own and operates a campus radio station CHRW-FM (94.9 FM).^[69] The first campus radio to operate at Western was in 1971, although the present day station CHRW-FM, was not established until 1979, one year after the closure of the Western's first campus radio station.^[70] The University Students' Council had previously operated a closed-circuit television station, known as tvWestern.ca. The television station began broadcasting in 1994.^[71] The television station was discontinued by the student union in 2010 after being cut from its operating budget.^[72]

Athletics[link]

Athletics at Western is managed by Sports & Recreation Services, a division of the Faculty of Health Sciences.^[73] The university's varsity teams compete in the Ontario University Athletics conference of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport. The varsity teams are known as the Western Ontario Mustangs. As is mandatory for all members of Canadian Interuniversity Sport, Western does not provide full-ride athletic scholarships.^[74]

The university has a number of athletic facilities open to both their varsity teams as well as to their students. TD Waterhouse Stadium has been the main stadium of the university since it opened in 2000, with a seating capacity for over 8,000 spectators. The stadium is home to the university's varsity football team, and has hosted a number of events including the World Lacrosse Championships and the Canada Games.^[75] The Thompson Recreation & Athletic Centre which houses a number of athletic venues, including an ice rink, tennis facilities and a track, is home to the varsity ice hockey teams and the varsity track and field teams.^[76] Another athletic facility at the university is Alumni Hall, which is a multipurpose venue for sports such as basketball, volleyball and other indoor events.^[77]

Intramural sport leagues and tournaments have a high level of participation at Western.^[78] Opportunities are offered at multiple skill levels and across a variety of sports. Sports offered include traditional sports like volleyball, basketball and soccer, as well as less traditional events like dodgeball and inner tube water polo. Western also hosts secondary school football games at TD Waterhouse Stadium.^[79]

Notable people[link]

John Robarts, former premier of Ontario, and former alumnus and chancellor of Western.

As of November 2007, the University of Western Ontario has over 220,000 alumni residing in over 100 countries.^[80] Throughout Western's history, faculty, alumni, and former students have played prominent roles in many different fields and have won the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize and other awards such as the Rhodes Scholarship.^[81][82] Former faculty member Frederick Banting received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of insulin.^[83] Two graduates from Western have also travelled in space, namely Bjarni Tryggvason and Roberta Bondar.^[84][85]

Many former students have gained local and national prominence for serving in government, such as James Bartleman, who served as Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 2002 to 2007.^[86] Western's alumni also include a number of provincial premiers, including former premiers of Ontario John Robarts and David Peterson,^[87] and the former premier of Alberta, Don Getty.^[88] A number of graduates have also served prominent positions on the international level. Examples include Glenn Stevens,^[89] the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia and Margaret Chan, the Director-General of the World Health Organization.^[90]

A significant number of prominent business leaders have also studied at Western. Examples include Thomas H. Bailey, founder and former chairman of Janus Capital Group,^[91] Geoff Beattie, president of The Woodbridge Company and chairman of CTVglobemedia,^[92] George Cope, president and CEO of Bell Canada Enterprise,^[93] Edward Rogers III, deputy chairman of Rogers Communications, and former president of Rogers Cable,^[94] Arkadi Kuhlmann, chairman of ING Direct,^[95] Rob McEwen, chairman and CEO of US Gold Corporation, Minera Andes and the founder, chairman and former CEO of Goldcorp Inc.,^[96] John Thompson, former chairman of Toronto-Dominion Bank and chancellor of Western,^[97] Prem Watsa, chairman, CEO of Fairfax Financial,^[98] Lee Seng Wee, former chairman of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation,^[99] Galen Weston, chairman and president of George Weston Limited.^[100]

See also[link]

• 15025 Uwontario
• Old Four
• St. Peter's Seminary (Diocese of London, Ontario)
• Western Mustang Band

References[link]