Chicago, University of
Chicago, University of, an institution of higher learning in Chicago. It is privately controlled, nonsectarian, and coeducational. The main campus, situated on the south side of the city, includes more than 145 buildings and 170 acres (69 hectares) of land. The buildings line both sides of the Midway Plaisance (a block-wide parkway) and extend several blocks north. The older buildings are of neo-Gothic design, grouped to form quadrangles. The newer buildings are of contemporary design. Notable among them are the law school building, designed by Eero Saarinen, and the Joseph Regenstein Library. The tallest building on the campus is the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel.
OrganizationThe university is organized as a corporation directed by a board of trustees. The president is the executive head.
The university includes a college for undergraduate work, four graduate divisions, and seven professional schools. The undergraduate college is organized in five divisions: Biological Sciences, Humanities, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, and the New Collegiate Division. Students take one year of general course work and three years in a division. The graduate divisions are: Biological Sciences, Humanities, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences. The professional schools are Business, Divinity (interdenominational), Law, Medicine, Public Policy Studies, and Social Service Administration.
Numerous centers and institutes within the university conduct special studies and research. Among these are the Enrico Fermi Institute, for nuclear studies, and the National Opinion Research Center, which does research on basic problems in the social sciences. The Oriental Institute conducts studies of the origin and development of civilizations in the ancient Middle East and exhibits findings from its expeditions. Astronomical studies are carried on at Yerkes Observatory, Wisconsin, and McDonald Observatory, Texas.
The university staffs and operates Argonne National Laboratory, a nuclear facility located southwest of Chicago, under contract with the federal government. Four hospitals are included in the University of Chicago Hospitals and Health System. Also affiliated is the La Rabida Children's Hospital and Research Center, which specializes in research on children's diseases.
The Graham School of General Studies offers courses for persons who are not regular degree students. The university has intercollegiate teams in all major sports, playing against small colleges.
The University of Chicago Press publishes scholarly books and journals. Extensive library resources are housed in the Harper Memorial Library, the Regenstein Library, the John Crerar Library, and departmental libraries.
HistoryThe university was founded by John D. Rockefeller, Sr. Instruction began in 1892. The university's organizer and first president was William Rainey Harper.
Prior to the 1930's, the university was active in intercollegiate athletics as a member of the Big Ten conference. In the 1930's, however, less attention was given to sports, and in 1939 the university withdrew from the conference.
In 1941, under President Robert M. Hutchins, the university initiated a program for admission of undergraduates after only two years of high school. This program was the forerunner for programs of admission with advanced standing offered by many colleges and universities.
A group of scientists working at the university under Enrico Fermi in 1942 achieved the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. The site was named a national historic landmark in 1964.
During the 20th century several important schools of thought developed at the university, including the “Chicago School” of economics. Several economics professors were awarded the Nobel Prize, adding to the dozens of Nobel winners associated with the university.