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Northwestern University

Northwestern University is a private, coeducational, non-sectarian research university University

[i], which grants [[academic degree]... 

, located in Evanston Evanston, Illinois

Evanston is a city on Lake Michigan [i] in Cook County [i], Illinois [i] directly ... 

 and Chicago, Illinois Chicago

Chicago is the largest city [i] in the U.S. state [i] of Illinois [i], as well as the third-most populous [i] ... 

, U.S. United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

. Northwestern's main campus is a 240-acre parcel in Evanston, along the shore of Lake Michigan Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes [i] of North America [i], and the only one in the group loc ... 

. Several of Northwestern's professional schools are located in Chicago, on a 25-acre campus near the Magnificent Mile Michigan Avenue (Chicago)

Michigan Avenue is a north-south street in Chicago [i]. ... 

. As of 2005, Northwestern's endowment and other trust funds total approximately $4.92 billion. Northwestern University enrolls approximately 15,000 full-time students and employs nearly 7,100 faculty and staff members.

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Timeline

1851   Northwestern University is founded.

1978   A bomb explodes in the security section of Northwestern University; a security guard is wounded (the first Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski

Theodore John "Ted" Kaczynski , also known as the Unabomber, is an anarcho-primitivist [i] and terrorist [i] ... 

 attack).

1979   Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski

Theodore John "Ted" Kaczynski , also known as the Unabomber, is an anarcho-primitivist [i] and terrorist [i] ... 

 bomb injures Northwestern University graduate student John Harris.



Encyclopedia

Northwestern University is a private, coeducational, non-sectarian research university University

[i], which grants [[academic degree]... 

, located in Evanston Evanston, Illinois

Evanston is a city on Lake Michigan [i] in Cook County [i], Illinois [i] directly... 

 and Chicago, Illinois Chicago

Chicago is the largest city [i] in the U.S. state [i] of Illinois [i], as well as the third-most populous [i] ... 

, U.S. United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

. Northwestern's main campus is a 240-acre parcel in Evanston, along the shore of Lake Michigan Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes [i] of North America [i], and the only one in the group loc ... 

. Several of Northwestern's professional schools are located in Chicago, on a 25-acre campus near the Magnificent Mile Michigan Avenue (Chicago)

Michigan Avenue is a north-south street in Chicago [i]. ... 

. As of 2005, Northwestern's endowment and other trust funds total approximately $4.92 billion.

Northwestern University enrolls approximately 15,000 full-time students and employs nearly 7,100 faculty and staff members.

Northwestern's student newspaper is The Daily Northwestern The Daily Northwestern

The Daily Northwestern is a student newspaper at Northwestern University [i] that is published on we ... 

,
its student radio station is WNUR and its student television news network is NNN Northwestern News Network

The Northwestern News Network, commonly known as NNN, is the student television news and sports op... 

. It is a member of the Big Ten Conference Big Ten Conference

The Big Ten Conference is the United States [i]' oldest Division I college athletic conference [i] ... 

 for college athletics. The official school color is purple.

The school is commonly referred to as simply Northwestern, and although some refer to the university as "NW" or "NWU", NU is the correct abbreviation.

History


Founded in 1851 by Methodists Methodism

Methodism or the Methodist movement is a group of historically related denomination [i] ... 

 from Chicago , Northwestern opened in 1855 with two faculty members and ten students. The University's name, Northwestern, came from its founders' desire to serve citizens of the states that occupied the area of the former Northwest Territory Northwest Territory

The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and the Territory North West of the Oh... 

: Ohio Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern [i] state [i] of the United States [i].... 

, Indiana Indiana

Indiana, meaning the "Land of the Indians [i]," is a state i ... 

, Illinois Illinois

Illinois is the 21st U.S. state [i] and is located in the Midwest [i] region o ... 

, Michigan Michigan

Michigan is a Midwestern [i] state [i] of the United States [i], located in the east north central [i] ... 

, Wisconsin Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a state [i] in the United States [i], located in the Midwest [i].... 

, and Minnesota Minnesota

Minnesota is a state [i] in the Midwestern [i] region of the United States [i]... 

.

The phrase on Northwestern's seal is Quaecumque sunt vera -- in Latin Latin

Latin is an ancient Indo-European language [i] originally spoken in Latium [i], ... 

, "Whatsoever things are true" from Philippians 4:8. Also on Northwestern's seal, a Greek phrase inscribed on the pages of an open book: ho logos pleres charitos kai aletheias, which translates as "The Word... full of grace and truth." This phrase comes from the Gospel of John : "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we behold His glory, and the glory was of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." Both the Latin and Greek phrases express the values of the University's founders, and recall Northwestern's Methodist heritage.

Northwestern's founding charter granted the school a permanent exemption from paying property taxes. For this reason, Northwestern has often endured a difficult relationship with Evanston's government. Tensions have arisen regarding building codes, law enforcement, and politics. Recently, factions of Evanston's government have attempted to divide Northwestern's campus into several different wards, so as to reduce students' voting potency.

During the 1930s 1930s

... 

, Northwestern nearly merged with its academic rival, the University of Chicago University of Chicago

The University of Chicago is a private university [i] located principally in the Hyde Park [i]... 

. In 1933, Northwestern president Scott and Chicago president Hutchins concluded that in order to secure the future of both universities, it was in the best interest of both to merge as the Universities of Chicago, with Northwestern's Evanston campus serving undergraduates, Northwestern's Chicago campus serving professionals, and Chicago's Hyde Park campus serving postgraduates. What Scott and Hutchins initially envisioned as the preeminent university in the world was eventually extinguished by Northwestern's boards of trustees, a result that Hutchins called "one of the lost opportunities of American education."

In 1948, prominent anthropologist Melville J. Herskovits Melville J. Herskovits

Melville Jean Herskovits was a U.S.... 

 founded the Program of African Studies at Northwestern, the first center of its kind at an American academic institution.

In May 1978, the first Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski

Theodore John "Ted" Kaczynski , also known as the Unabomber, is an anarcho-primitivist [i] and terrorist [i] ... 

 attack occurred at Northwestern University.

On January 11, 2003, in a speech at Northwestern School of Law's Lincoln Hall, Governor of Illinois George Ryan George Ryan

George Homer Ryan was the Republican [i] Governor [i] of the U.S. state [i] ... 

 announced that he would commute the sentences of more than 150 death row inmates. Ryan said, "it is fitting that we are gathered here today at Northwestern University with the students, teachers, lawyers and investigators who first shed light on the sorrowful conditions of Illinois’ death penalty system." In the late 1990s 1990s

The 1990s [i] decade [i] refers to the years from 1990 [i] to 1999 [i], inclusive, sometimes informally ... 

, Northwestern student journalists uncovered information that exonerated Illinois death row inmate Anthony Porter Anthony Porter

Anthony Porter was a prisoner on death row [i] whose conviction was overturned in a landmark case for Illinois [i] ... 

 two days before his scheduled execution.

The Chicago Transit Authority Chicago Transit Authority

Chicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit [i] ... 

's elevated train Chicago 'L'

The Chicago 'L', variously if perhaps incorrectly styled "L," El, or L, is the rapid transit [i] ... 

 running through Evanston is called the Purple Line, taking its name from Northwestern's school color. Although the majority of the campus sits two to four city blocks from the Purple Line, the Foster station is within walking distance of the southern end of the campus, while the Noyes station is close to the northern end of the campus. The Central station is close to Ryan Field, Northwestern's football stadium. Northwestern's professional schools and hospital in downtown Chicago are about four blocks east of the Chicago stop Chicago

Chicago is the largest city [i] in the U.S. state [i] of Illinois [i], as well as the third-most populous [i] ... 

 on the CTA Red Line.

Student body

]
Northwestern's admissions are among the "most selective" in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report U.S. News & World Report

U.S.News & World Report is a weekly newsmagazine [i]. ... 

. Among national undergraduate programs, the publication ranked Northwestern 14th overall in selectivity. As of the 2005-06 academic year, there are 7,947 undergraduates and 5,460 graduate students enrolled full-time. 909 students were enrolled part-time in the School of Continuing Studies.

In early April, it was confirmed that for the undergraduate class of 2010, there were 18,419 total applicants, up 18% from the year before. 5,200 students were admitted .

In the class of 2009, 6.4% are black, 17.4% are Asian Asian (people)

The term Asian refers to people [i] with ancestral origins in East Asia [i], Southeast Asia [i], South Asia [i] ... 

, 6.5% are Hispanic Hispanic

Hispanic is a term denoting a derivation from Spain [i], its people [i] and culture [i] ... 

 and 1.8% are multiracial Multiracial

The terms multiracial, biracial, and mixed-race describe people whose ancestors are not of a... 

. The class is 52.1% female and 47.9% male. The mean high school rank was the 94th percentile and the combined SAT SAT

The SAT Reasoning Test, formerly called the Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Asses... 

 score 1402 , marking the highest SAT average of any class in Northwestern history and making Northwestern the most selective Big Ten Big Ten Conference

The Big Ten Conference is the United States [i]' oldest Division I college athletic conference [i] ... 

 university, and the most selective university in the American Midwest. Of those enrolled in the class of 2009, 126 graduated as valedictorian of their high school class.

According to numbers posted by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, 36% of Northwestern students were affiliated with a fraternity or a sorority in Spring 2005. This is the highest percentage of students involved in Greek life among Big Ten Big Ten Conference

The Big Ten Conference is the United States [i]' oldest Division I college athletic conference [i] ... 

 universities.

Campus Life

Student theater enjoys a highly visible presence on campus. Two annual productions are especially notable: the Waa-Mu show, and the Dolphin Show. Waa-Mu is an original musical, written and produced almost entirely by students. The Dolphin Show is the nation's largest student produced musical. Children's theater is represented on campus by Griffin’s Tale and the recently formed Purple Crayon Players. In addition, Northwestern boasts the largest student-theatre community in the nation. Students produce over sixty independent productions each year. Many Northwestern alumni have used these productions as stepping stones to successful television and film careers. Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre was founded by alum David Schwimmer David Schwimmer

David Schwimmer is an Emmy [i]-nominated American [i] actor and director, who gained popul ... 

 and began in the Great Room in Jones residential college Jones Residential College

Jones Residential College is Northwestern University [i]'s fine and performing arts residential college [i] ... 

. The improv and sketch comedy group Mee-Ow lists Julia Louis-Dreyfus Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Julia Elizabeth Scarlett Louis-Dreyfus is an Emmy Award [i], Golden Globe Award [i] ... 

, Dermot Mulroney Dermot Mulroney

Dermot Mulroney is an American [i] actor [i] of Irish [i] descent.
... 

, Ana Gasteyer, and Seth Meyers among its alumni.

Athletics


A charter member of the Big Ten Conference Big Ten Conference

The Big Ten Conference is the United States [i]' oldest Division I college athletic conference [i] ... 

 and the only private institution in the conference, Northwestern has 19 intercollegiate athletic teams and numerous club sports. The football team plays at Ryan Field; the basketball and volleyball teams play at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Northwestern's athletic teams are nicknamed the Wildcats. Before 1924, they were known as "The Purple" and unofficially as "The Fighting Methodists." The name Wildcats was bestowed upon the university in 1924 by a writer for the Chicago Tribune Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago [i], Illinois [i]. ... 

 who wrote that even in a loss to the University of Chicago University of Chicago

The University of Chicago is a private university [i] located principally in the Hyde Park [i]... 

 Maroons, the Northwestern football players looked like "Wildcats [that] had come down from Evanston." The name was so popular that university board members made "wildcats" the official nickname just months later.

The Northwestern Athletics' mascot is Willie the Wildcat. However, the team's first mascot was not Willie, but a live, caged bear cub from the Lincoln Park Zoo Lincoln Park (Chicago)

Lincoln Park is a 1,200 acre park along Chicago, Illinois [i]'s lakefront facing Lake Michigan [i].
... 

 named Furpaw. In fall 1923, Furpaw was driven to the playing field to greet the fans before each game. After a losing season, the team decided that Furpaw was the harbinger of bad luck and banished him from campus.

See Northwestern Wildcats Northwestern Wildcats

Northwestern University [i] is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference [i], and the only private universit ... 

 for additional sports information
.

Rankings


According to US News & World Report U.S. News & World Report

U.S.News & World Report is a weekly newsmagazine [i]. ... 

, as of 2007, Northwestern's undergraduate program ranks 14th among all American "National University" programs. Northwestern's Medill Medill School of Journalism

Northwestern University [i]'s Medill School of Journalism, commonly referred to as simply Medill,... 

 School consistently ranks among America's top three journalism, media, and integrated marketing communications schools ; Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management Kellogg School of Management

The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University [i], officially named the J.L. ... 

 consistently ranks among America's top five business schools; Northwestern's School of Law Northwestern University School of Law

The Northwestern University School of Law is a private American law school [i] in Chicago, Illinois [i].... 

 consistently ranks among America's top fourteen law schools; Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine Feinberg School of Medicine

Northwestern University [i]'s Feinberg School of Medicine is located in Chicago, Illinois [i], at 330 Ea ... 

 consistently ranks among America's top twenty medical schools; Northwestern's School of Education and Social Policy consistently ranks among America's top ten education schools; Northwestern's Materials science Materials science

Materials science is a multi-disciplinary field involving the properties of matter and its applications t... 

 program in the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science ranks among America's top three; Northwestern's art history program consistently ranks among America's top ten; Northwestern's program in African history consistently ranks among America's top two; Northwestern's School of Music consistently ranks first among America's non-conservatory-based music programs. Other esteemed programs include Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences , Learning Sciences, Engineering, Theatre, Communications, Psychology, Radio/Television/Film, and Integrated Science .

The Princeton Review The Princeton Review

[i]
... 

 ranks Northwestern among the Top 20 schools with the "Best College Newspaper," the "Best College Theater," and where "Town-Gown Relations are Strained." In 2003, this publication ranked Northwestern first for "Best Overall Academic Experience for Undergraduates."

The Times Higher Education Supplement's ranks Northwestern 19th in the United States and 49th among world universities; the Institute of Higher Education at Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Shanghai Jiao Tong [i] University,, is one of the oldest and most influential universities in t ... 

 ranks Northwestern 23rd in the United States, and 31st among world universities. Newsweek Newsweek

Newsweek is a weekly newsmagazine [i] published in New York City [i] and distributed throughout the ... 

 Magazine ranks Northwestern the 23rd most global American university, and 35th most global university overall.

Traditions

Northwestern University student traditions include:

  • Painting The Rock to advertise student groups and on-campus events
  • Jingling car keys at sports games. This began as an arrogant taunt; Big Ten Big Ten Conference

    The Big Ten Conference is the United States [i]' oldest Division I college athletic conference [i] ... 

     rivals often bested Northwestern at football, and the keys implied "while your school may win the football game, in a few years your school's graduates will be parking Northwestern graduates' cars."
  • Taunting opposing sports teams with "State-school, state-school," referencing that all institutions of the Big Ten conference, except for Northwestern, are public universities. Students also commonly chant "That's allright, that's OK, you're going to work for us someday!"
  • "Go U", the Northwestern fight song, is played after scoring and at the end of games.
  • The Wildcat Growl is done when the other team has control of the ball in sports to show support and distract the other teams. This works especially well in thwarting audibles on the field as the majority of home fans participate.
  • The Clock Tower glows purple after a winning game, altering sports with the season, announcing the results to a large part of the Evanston community. The Clock Tower remains purple until a loss or the end of the sports season.
  • The Marching Band leads the student section in cheers and spirit, providing strong links to the past and present in preserving the oldest of traditions to numerous to mention.
  • "Hey Baby" with altered phrases denoting Northwestern spirit is played right after big plays or large gains for the team.
  • Dance Marathon Northwestern University Dance Marathon

    Currently in its 32nd year, The Northwestern University Dance Marathon is one of the world's largest stu... 

    , a 30-hour philanthropic event, raises several hundred thousand dollars every winter.
  • Primal Scream is held at 9 p.m. on the Sunday before finals week every quarter. For the event, students lean out windows or gather in court yards and scream bloody murder.
  • Armadillo Day, or more commonly Dillo Day, is held on Northwestern's Lakefill every Spring on the weekend before Memorial Day Memorial Day

    Memorial Day is a United States [i] federal holiday [i] that is observed on the last Monday of May . ... 

    .

Schools, colleges and departments


Undergraduate programs

  • Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
  • Medill Medill School of Journalism

    Northwestern University [i]'s Medill School of Journalism, commonly referred to as simply Medill,... 

     School
  • School of Education and Social Policy
  • School of Music Northwestern University School of Music

    Established in 1895, the Northwestern University School of Music is an undergraduate and graduate instit... 

  • Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

    The Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University [i] was establ ... 



Graduate and professional programs

  • Feinberg School of Medicine Feinberg School of Medicine

    Northwestern University [i]'s Feinberg School of Medicine is located in Chicago, Illinois [i], at 330 Ea ... 

  • J. L. Kellogg School of Management Kellogg School of Management

    The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University [i], officially named the J.L. ... 

  • Medill Medill School of Journalism

    Northwestern University [i]'s Medill School of Journalism, commonly referred to as simply Medill,... 

     School
  • Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
  • School of Law Northwestern University School of Law

    The Northwestern University School of Law is a private American law school [i] in Chicago, Illinois [i].... 

  • School of Music Northwestern University School of Music

    Established in 1895, the Northwestern University School of Music is an undergraduate and graduate instit... 

  • The Graduate School
  • School of Communication
  • School of Continuing Studies
  • School of Education and Social Policy

Notable alumni

Main article: List of Northwestern alumni

Notable faculty

  • J. Michael Bailey
  • Stuart Dybek
  • Robert J. Gordon
  • Jurgen Habermas Jürgen Habermas

    Jrgen Habermas is a German [i] philosopher [i] and sociologist [i] in the tradition of critical theory [i]... 

  • John Hagan John Hagan

    John Hagan, the eighth Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy [i], was born in Luton [i], England [i], o ... 

  • Peter Hayes
  • Erich Heller
  • Vladimir Ipatieff Vladimir Nikolayevich Ipatieff

    Vladimir Nikolayevich Ipatieff was a Russian and American chemist [i]. ... 

  • Yuri Manin Yuri I. Manin

    Yuri Ivanovitch Manin is a Russian-born mathematician, known for work in algebraic geometry [i] and diophantine geometry [i] ... 

  • Charles Moskos Charles Moskos

    Charles C. Moskos is an influential military sociologist in the United States Military [i] and a profess ... 

  • John Pople
  • David Protess
  • Don E. Schultz
  • David Wachsman
  • Garry Wills
  • Mary Zimmerman

References in popular culture

  • Fictional alumni of Northwestern include: Josie Geller , Andrea Sachs , Natalie Hurley , and Sara Tancredi Sara Tancredi

    Dr. Sara Tancredi, played by Sarah Wayne Callies [i], is a fictional character from Fox [i] ... 

     .
  • Daniel Cosgrove's character, Richard "Dick" Bagg, in Van Wilder interviews with representatives from Northwestern's medical school.
  • Jonathan Bennett's character, Aaron Samuels, in Mean Girls Mean Girls

    Mean Girls is a 2004 film [i] written by Tina Fey [i]. ... 

    attends Northwestern at the end of the film. Also, the parents of Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Lohan

    Lindsay Dee Lohan, known professionally as Lindsay Morgan Lohan, is an American [i] ... 

    's character are professors at the university.
  • Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Paltrow

    Gwyneth Katherine Paltrow is an Academy Award [i]-winning American [i] actress [i] ... 

    's character, Catherine Llewellyn, in the movie Proof is a graduate student in the Department of Mathematics at Northwestern University. She drops out of school to take care of her father, Robert Llewellyn, an ailing mathematician.
  • Steve Martin Steve Martin

    Stephen Glenn Martin is an American [i] comedian [i], writer [i], producer [i] ... 

    's character in Cheaper by the Dozen coaches football at a school that is clearly supposed to be Northwestern.
  • Mena Suvari Mena Suvari

    Mena Adrienne Suvari is an American [i] actress [i].... 

    's character in American Pie American Pie

    "American Pie" is an eight-and-a-half minute long classic rock [i] song by singer-songwriter [i] Don McLean [i] ... 

    is thinking of applying to Northwestern, but says that the essays are pretty tough.
  • Sarah Michelle Gellar Sarah Michelle Gellar

    Sarah Michelle Gellar is an American [i] actress [i] perhaps best known for having ... 

    's titular character Buffy Summers Buffy Summers

    Buffy Anne Summers is the title fictional character [i] in the film Buffy the Vampire Slayer [i] ... 

     in the TV show Buffy The Vampire Slayer Buffy the Vampire Slayer

    Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an American television series that originally ran from March 10 [i], 1997 [i] ... 

    gets accepted to Northwestern in the season three episode 'Choices', but turns it down for the University of California University of California

    The University of California is a public university [i] system in the state [i] of California [i] ... 

    , Sunnydale.
  • Meadow Soprano Meadow Soprano

    Meadow Mariangela Soprano is a fictional character in the American [i] HBO [i] ... 

    , the daughter in HBO's The Sopranos The Sopranos

    The Sopranos is an American [i] television [i] drama [i] broadcast on HBO [i] about a ... 

    , declares her intention to transfer from Columbia University Columbia University

    Columbia University is a private [i] university [i] whose main campus lies in the Morningside Heights [i] ... 

     in New York to Northwestern.
  • Scott Foley Scott Foley

    Scott Kellerman Foley is an actor [i], best known for roles on Felicity [i], A.U.S.A. [i], and i ... 

    's character Noel on the WB show Felicity Felicity

    Felicity was an American [i] television series [i] that revolved around the fictional ... 

     has a long-distance relationship with his high school girlfriend Hannah , who attends music school at Northwestern.
  • Twins Brenda and Brandon Walsh on the popular show Beverly Hills, 90210 Beverly Hills, 90210

    Beverly Hills, 90210 was a popular primetime [i] television soap opera [i] that aired from October 1 ... 

     both considered Northwestern before deciding to attend the fictional California University.

See also

  • Randy Walker - Former Football Coach
  • Ricky Byrdsong Ricky Byrdsong

    Ricky Byrdsong was a former Northwestern University [i] basketball [i] coach.... 

     - Former Basketball Coach
  • Waa-Mu - Annual student written musical review, produced by the theatre department
  • Technological Institute - The home of the engineering program
  • WNUR FM 89.3 - NU's student run radio station
  • Jones residential college Jones Residential College

    Jones Residential College is Northwestern University [i]'s fine and performing arts residential college [i] ... 

     - A residential college dedicated to the arts
  • Willard Residential College - The largest residential college
  • Communications Residential College  - A residential college for students interested in communications

External links




Professional Schools



Undergraduate and Graduate



Miscellaneous


Notes


References