Fun Facts About Your Undergrad

[adpiucf]

What are some fun facts about your undergrad college or university?

UCF is the seventh largest university if the US (by enrollment). We are the Golden Knights. Our mascot, Knightro, has a "girlfriend"-- a mascot named Glycerine.

Glycerine made her debut in the late 90's and a little known fact is that she received this name because
Knightro + Glycerine = Nitroglycerin (a chemical compound that causes big explosions!)

[Kevin]

The University of Central Oklahoma was the first institute of higher learning founded in the Oklahoma Territory.

The original clocktower, erected in (I think) '05 had a clock, but no movement was actually installed for 10-20 years. Until that time, the clock's face was actually painted on.

UCO beat the University of Oklahoma in football once back in the 1910's.

UCO is the third largest University in the state.

I saw a friend of mine last Friday who played in the school's orchestra with me on NBC's drama called "Conviction" -- Milena Govich.

[FeeFee]

Founded in 1919, Baruch College (City University of New York) is the first institution of free public higher education in the United States.

US News and World Report:
The Zicklin School of Business is the largest business school in the US. It ranked in the top 50 nationally, with the undergraduate business program ranking among the top 30 of public institutions.

Baruch also ranked 1st for ethnic diversity among US institutions of higher learning, "America's Best Colleges: 2005"

Not too shabby for a public college.

[honeychile]

About Pitt:
The University of Pittsburgh was founded in 1887, and is the oldest school of higher education west of the Alleghenies. It's
main feature is the Cathedral of Learning, a historic landmark, is the second-tallest education building in the world—42 stories and 535 feet tall. Begun by Chancellor John Bowman in 1926 and dedicated in 1937, the building was realized with the help of contributions from men, women, and children throughout the region and the world. During the peak of the Depression, when funding for the project became especially challenging, school children were encouraged to contribute a dime to "buy a brick." In addition to the magnificent three-story "Commons Room" at ground level, the Cathedral of Learning also contains classrooms (including the internationally renowned Nationality Classrooms), the University's administrative offices, libraries, a computer center, a restaurant, and offices and classrooms for many liberal arts departments.


Trivia tidbits:
-The Cathedral of Learning has 2,529 windows.
-Many people think that the Cathedral was built from the top down, which is a fallacy. The builders had to put the 42-story superstructure up, with the top six floors used for electrical work for the elevators, etc.
-Chancellor Bowman wasn't promised the full money for the Cathedral, so he and Margaret Crawford came up with a plan to ask the different ethnic groups of Pittsburgh to pay for and decorate a room - which became the Nationality Classrooms. As a former tour hostess, I think more people outside of the USA have heard of them than here! Some of the artifacts in the rooms (which ARE used as classrooms!) are well over a thousand years old!
-The last Dean of Women (there were only three!) was Savina Skewis, who reigned over the 12th floor. There was a LOT of controversy in the late 60's over whether of not the office should exist, and the joke at the time was "Do you think Pitt should get rid of the Dean of Women position, or are you Pro-Miss Skewis?" I must have heard that a million times while a tour hostess!

William Pitt Union The Student Union
Built in 1898, the Union was acquired by the University of Pittsburgh in 1956 and today is the hub of over 300 student activities and organizations. Prior to 1956, it was the Schenley Hotel, a well-known hotel visited by the likes of Woodrow Wilson, Katherine Hepburn, and Spencer Tracy (and some opera singer whose name escapes me).

The first Public Television Station (PBS) in the world was founded on Pitt's campus, now Music Hall.

The Home Plate of Forbes Field is embedded in glass in Wesley Posvar Hall. Behind it is the Brick Wall over which a home run was hit to win the 1960 World Series. People come from around the world on October 13th to join the throng listening to that play!

Dr. Jonas Salk developed the Polio vaccine at Pitt's teaching hospital, UPMC. Dr. Richard Starzl likewise pioneered and perfected organ transplant there.

And for fun:

Amos Hall, where all but 2 sororities are housed. I'm sure others will add their comments, but Alpha Delta Pi is on the top floor. From L-R, the 7th window from the left was my tiny single for my senior year!

[jubilance1922]

Facts about the University of Minnesota:

The first open heart surgery and the first bone marrow transplant in the United States were done at the University of Minnesota.

On September 2, 1952, a 5 year old girl was the first patient to under go a heart operation in which the deep freezing technique was employed. Her body temperature, except for her head, was reduced to 79 degrees Fahrenheit. Dr. Floyd Lewis at the Medical School of the University of Minnesota performed the operation.

A Jehovah's Witness was the first patient to receive a transfusion of artificial blood in 1979 at the University of Minnesota Hospital. He had refused a transfusion of real blood because of his religious beliefs.

Cheerleading at Minnesota

One of the most visible traditions in sports was born more than 100 years ago at the University of Minnesota. In the fall of 1898, student Johnny Campbell offered to lead organized cheers at football games. This offer came after three straight losses and a subsequent editorial in the school paper that said, “Any plan that would stir up enthusiasm for athletics would be helpful.” Campbell had a plan, and he began to lead organized cheers at the home game against Northwestern. Minnesota won 17-6, and much of the credit went to Campbell and his “yell leaders.” At that late-season game, the tradition of cheerleading was born.

The “Minnesota Rouser” is one of two official school songs at the University of Minnesota. It was written in 1909 by Floyd M. Hutsell in response to a contest sponsored by the Minneapolis Tribune. The contest was judged by University President Cyrus Northrop and Governor A. O. Eberhart, with the winner receiving $100. The rouser is sung at Gopher sporting events, along with the other official University song, “Hail Minnesota.”

Minnesota Rouser

Minnesota, Hats off to thee!
To thy colors, true we shall ever be,
Firm and strong, united are we.
Rah. rah, rah
For Ski-U-Mah
Rah, Rah, Rah, Rah
Rah for the U of M.
[Repeat]
M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A!
Minnesota, Minnesota
Yeah Gophers!

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system. Its student body is the second-largest in the United States according to autumn 2005 statistics, with 51,175 students (behind Arizona State University's campus in Tempe, Arizona).

It is located on two campuses in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota; the campuses are linked through a dedicated bus system. Additionally, the University's college bowl team won College Bowl's National Championship Tournament in 2004 and 2005.

U.S. News and World Report ranks the University of Minnesota at 77th among colleges in the United States. A number of U of M graduate school departments have been ranked in the nation's top twenty by the National Research Council(more reputable that US News and World Report):

* (1) Chemical Engineering
* (3) Geography
* (7) Psychology
* (8) Mechanical Engineering
* (10) Economics
* (11) German
* (11) Statistics/Biostatistics
* (12) Aerospace Engineering
* (13) Civil Engineering
* (13) Political Science
* (14) Mathematics
* (15) Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior
* (17) Materials Science
* (18) Biomedical Engineering
* (18) Electrical Engineering
* (20) Pharmacology
The newspaper is The Minnesota Daily, which is printed each weekday during the normal school season, going to a weekly production during the summer. The Daily is operated by an organization of students, not by the university; it claims to be the largest student-run paper in the United States. It was first published on May 1, 1900.

I was gonna post a list of famous alumni, but its too long. Goooooo Gophers!

[PSUSigKap]

Copied from the Penn State Website.

In addition, we have the largest student run philanthropy in the country. THON raised $4.2 million this year for the Four Diamonds fun at the Hershey Medical Center.


50 WAYS
PENN STATE HAS SHAPED THE WORLD

Since its founding in 1855, Penn State and its people have been leaving their mark on the world. From the viewing of the first atom, to the leading roles played by alumni in Desert Storm, Penn Staters have had a profound impact on the world and are leaving a legacy of contribution.

1 AMERICAN LITERATURE — Fred Lewis Pattee, who joined the faculty in 1894, became the first in the nation to hold the title of Professor of American Literature, a field then considered a minor subdiscipline of English literature. He helped make Penn State one of the earliest centers for American literature studies.
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2 ANIMAL NUTRITION — In the early 1900s Professor Henry Armsby used a respiration calorimeter to try to determine the net energy value of food — that is, the portion of food energy that an animal used to produce milk or meat. His experiments attracted worldwide interest and helped to develop livestock feeds of higher nutritive value.
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3 ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING — Penn State offers America's oldest continuously accredited (since 1936) curriculum in this field. It introduced the curriculum in 1910 to provide "liberal training in both the aesthetic and construction sides of architecture."
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4 ART EDUCATION — Penn State became an international center for art education when Austrian-born Viktor Lowenfeld joined the faculty in 1946. Lowenfeld was the most influential art educator of the 20th century and wrote the field's dominant book, Creative and Mental Growth, based on his pioneering work in psychology and the art of the visually impaired.
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5 ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION — Over a 30-year period beginning in 1946, dairy scientist John Almquist perfected commercially viable artificial insemination techniques for dairy cattle. His research has led to more than $600 million worth of increased food production and cost savings worldwide.
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6 ARTIFICIAL ORGANS — A heart-assist pump developed by medical and engineering faculty in 1976 to prolong the lives of cardiovascular patients was the first surgically implantable, seam-free, pulsatile blood pump to receive widespread clinical use. It led to the Penn State Heart, the only artificial heart approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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7 ASTRONAUTS — Four Penn Staters have flown in space: alumni Paul Weitz, Robert Cenker and Guion S. Bluford Jr. (the first African-American astronaut, who flew on the space shuttle Challenger in 1983), and Assistant Professor of Kinesiology James Pawelczyk.
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8 ASTRONOMY — Penn State, with the University of Texas, operates the Hobby-Eberly spectroscopic survey telescope, the largest instrument of its kind in the world, which measures individual wavelengths of light to reveal information about stars, galaxies, and other deep-space phenomena.
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9 ATOM FIRST "SEEN" — In 1955, physics Professor Erwin Mueller became the first person to "see" an atom, using a field ion electron microscope of his own invention. The device was a landmark advance in scientific instrumentation that allowed a magnification of more than 2 million times.
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10 BEST-SELLING AUTHORS — Vance Packard (The Hidden Persuaders, The Status Seekers) earned his degree from Penn State in 1936. Jean Craighead George, a member of the class of 1941, authored the Newberry Award-winning children's book, Julie of the Wolves.
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11 CINEMA — Penn State alumnus Julius Epstein won an Oscar for his screenplay for the classic Humphrey Bogart film, "Casablanca." Character actor Ed Binns, class of 1937, received critical praise for supporting roles in such box office favorites as "Patton" and "Fail Safe."
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12 COMMERCIAL TELEVISION — Penn State alumni who have made their mark in television include Carmen Finestra, an executive producer and writer for the hit ABC-TV comedy "Home Improvement," Jonathan Frakes (Commander Will Riker on the hit television series "Star Trek: The Next Generation"), and writer and director Stanley Lathan ("Cagney and Lacey," "Remington Steele" and "Sanford and Son").
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13 CORRESPONDENCE COURSES — In 1892, Penn State became the first American college or university to offer correspondence courses in agriculture, an initiative that was followed by national expansion of correspondence instruction in many technical fields.
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14 DIESEL ENGINEERING — One of the world's first academic research programs in diesel engineering began at Penn State in 1923. Discoveries in such areas as supercharging and scavenging helped to bring about today's fuel-efficient and powerful engines.
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15 DISCOVERING PLANETS — Alexander Wolszczan, professor of astronomy and astrophysics, discovered the existence of three planets orbiting outside of our solar system — the first scientist to do so.
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16 DRIVER EDUCATION — Amos Neyhart taught America's first classes for driver education teachers at Penn State in 1936, three years after he began the nation's first driver education course at nearby State College High School.
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17ENGINEERS EVERYWHERE — One in 50 professionally licensed engineers in the U.S. is a Penn State graduate.
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18 ENVIRONMENTALLY CORRECT — Polymer scientist Bernard Gordon III developed a biodegradable plastic that, with the assistance of water, disappears in two years. Early tests indicate that molecular weight of the polymer reduces as water is added, and at 120 degrees to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, the material falls apart in three days.
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19 ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS — The Noll Physiological Research Center, established in 1963, was the nation's first academic research center dedicated to studying human tolerance to heat, cold and other environmental stresses, and served as the prototype for similar labs worldwide.
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20 FAMILY DOCTORS — Penn State's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in 1967 became the nation's first medical school to establish a department of family and community medicine on the same level as traditional medical specialities. It also introduced a residency in the field, thus foreshadowing a renewed emphasis nationwide on family practitioners.
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21 FIRST AG DEGREES — Penn State was the first American institution to confer baccalaureate degrees in agriculture, in 1861.
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22 GERANIUMS — Penn State researchers developed the world's first commercially successful geranium grown from seed, the Nittany Lion Red.
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23 GREEK LEADERSHIP — With 56 fraternities and 29 sororities, Penn State has the largest number of Greek organizations of all colleges and universities in the country.
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24 HEAVY WATER — Penn State physicist Ferdinand Brickwedde in 1931 produced the world's first measurable amount of deuterium, a hydrogen isotope needed to make "heavy water" — an essential ingredient in basic atomic research.
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25 ICE CREAM — In 1892 Penn State offered America's first collegiate instruction in ice cream manufacture, followed soon after by a pioneering "short course" program that has helped to make the University an international center for research in frozen confections. Ice cream gurus Ben & Jerry got their start from a correspondence course in ice cream making from Penn State.
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26 INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING — The world's first baccalaureate curriculum in industrial engineering was introduced at Penn State in 1908.
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27 MANAGEMENT EDUCATION — Established in 1915 as one of the nation's first continuing education programs for business and industry, Penn State's management education classes boosted Pennsylvania's economy by tailoring instruction to thousands of clients statewide in such fields as time management, employee motivation and leadership, and served as models for similar efforts nationally.
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28 MATERIALS RESEARCH — In 1960, Penn State established the nation's first interdisciplinary curriculum in solid state technology and in 1962, created one of the first interdisciplinary research laboratories, which has since won international acclaim in materials synthesis, electroceramics, diamond films and chemically bonded ceramics.
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29 MATHEMATICS — Mathematician Haskell Brooks Curry's research in the 1950s into the foundations of mathematics, especially his development of combinatory logic, later found significant application in computer science, particularly in the design of programming languages.
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30 METEOROLOGISTS — One in every four meteorologists in the United States is a Penn State graduate.
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31 MINORITY ENROLLMENT — Among more than 100 colleges and universities in Pennsylvania, Penn State ranks second in the enrollment of African Americans and graduates more of these students than any other institution in the Commonwealth.
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32 MUSHROOM RESEARCH — In the 1920s, Penn State became the first land-grant college to initiate a comprehensive mushroom research program. Researchers developed improved composts and production practices that were adopted by growers worldwide and also helped Pennsylvania retain its leadership as the No. 1 source of domestic mushrooms.
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33 MUSIC — Fred Waring, nationally beloved choral leader ("The man who taught America how to sing" ) and founder of The Pennsylvanians, was a Penn Stater. So is Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and pianist Mike Reid ("Stranger in the House," "Lost in the Fifties Tonight" ).
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34 NOBEL PRIZE — Stanford University biochemist Paul Berg, a member of Penn State's class of 1948, won a Nobel Prize in 1980 for his study of the biochemistry of nucleic acids.
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35 NUCLEAR REACTOR — Penn State in 1955 became the first university to be issued a federal license to operate a nuclear reactor, which it continues to use for studies in the peaceful uses of atomic energy and the training of nuclear industry personnel.
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36 PACEMAKER — A surgeon and two engineers at Penn State perfected the world's first long-life, rechargeable heart pacemaker.
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37 PENN STATERS EVERYWHERE — Penn State has more than 466,000 living alumni. One in every 720 Americans, and one in every 70 Pennsylvanians, is a graduate of Penn State.
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38 PERSONALITY TESTS — In 1931, psychologist Robert Bernreuter began refining his "Bernreuter Personality Inventory," a pioneer multiphastic test of traits that became the standard by which other personality tests were measured and is still used worldwide for counseling and personnel selection.
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39 PETROLEUM RESEARCH — In the 1920s, Penn State researchers began pioneering investigations that identified the components of crude oil, leading to significant improvements in the refining process and the development of today's widely used lubricants that can withstand extremes of heat and cold.
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40 PLAYWRIGHTS — The hit Broadway play "Give 'em Hell, Harry," based on the life of President Harry Truman and authored by Penn State alumnus Samuel Gallu, was made into a critically acclaimed motion picture. So was Penn Stater John Pielmeier's "Agnes of God," which received three Academy Award nominations.
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41 PROGESTERONE — Pioneer steroid chemist Russell Marker's work in synthesizing the hormone progesterone in the 1930s laid the foundation for the birth control pill and such medical applications as cortisones and various hormone and steroid therapies.
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42 PUBLIC TELEVISION — The first national conference of educators and broadcasters was held at Penn State in 1952 and urged the Federal Communications Commission to set aside licenses for noncommercial use. The FCC responded favorably, thus providing the regulatory basis for today's system of public television stations.
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43 PURE FOOD — Pennsylvania's and the nation's pure food laws stem partly from the work of pioneer chemist William Frear, who in the early 1900s analyzed foods for government agencies and headed an expert committee whose recommendations shaped the landmark Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.
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44 R VALUES — This widely adopted standard of heat resistance, used to measure the insulating properties of such materials as fiberglass and window glass, was developed by Everett Shuman, who in the 1960s headed Penn State's Building Research Institute.
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45 SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS — One out of every four senior school administrators in Pennsylvania is a graduate of Penn State.
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46 SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY — In 1969-70, Penn State established the nation's first interdisciplinary program in science, technology and society. Its integrative courses addressing critical issues in these areas served as a model for similar programs at many other universities.
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47 TELECOMMUNICATIONS — Penn State alumnus Charles Krumreich invented the telephone jack. More than a billion of his patented Jack-11 square plastic plugs are used worldwide for telephones, modems, and fax machines.
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48 TOYMAKER — Herman Fisher, co-founder and longtime chairman of the board of Fisher Price, one of the nation's largest toymakers, graduated from Penn State in 1921.
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49 VISIONARY EDUCATOR — Evan Pugh, Penn State's first president (1859-64), was among the first nationally recognized advocates of adding science, agriculture and engineering to traditional collegiate studies.
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50 WEATHER PREDICTION — Meteorologist Hans Panofsky conducted fundamental work at Penn State (1952-82) that led to a new understanding of atmospheric turbulence, air pollution, ozone depletion and planetary atmospheres, and was among the first to apply computer analysis to weather prediction.

[honeychile]

I have to add a couple things to PSU's bragging rights!

22) Didn't PSU cultivate crown vetch, the green kudzu-like plant with purple flowers on them) to hold up hillsides etc, too?

25) As much as I hate to say it, the Creamery's ice cream is THE BEST in the entire world!! Probably 98% butterfat, but worth every calorie!

42) PSU may have held the Conference, but Pitt actually DID it!

and

51) The greataunt for whom I'm named was on the first climb up Mt. Nittany, and was a professor of Fine Arts at PSU for a long time! She & several other of my father's relatives had cottages around Whipple Dam, and I have some fond moments of visiting there!

[irishpipes]

The University of Illinois library, which is the 3rd largest behind Harvard and Yale, is underground, so that it will not throw shade on the Morrow Plots - an experimental corn field.


From their website:

"The Morrow Plots. Established in 1876 near the center of the University's Urbana-Champaign campus, these plots are unique. The plots comprise the oldest continuously operated agronomic experiment field in the United States and include the oldest continuous corn plot in the world. Although designated a National Historic Landmark, the Morrow Plots continue to yield data on the effects of different cropping systems and soil treatments on crop yields and soil property. "

[KSUViolet06]

*The KSU library is this largest university library in the state of Ohio.

[alum]

At Carnegie Mellon, we have sloped hallways in 2 of our older buildings. Apparently Andrew Carnegie wasn't too sure of the feasibility of the college, so he put in sloped floors so that gravity could assist the production lines if he turned the site into factories!

[BSP_Nicole]

Davis and Elkins College has its own on-campus pub.

Check it out here

[KSigkid]

Nickerson Field, the home field for many of Boston U.'s sports teams (soccer, lacrosse, etc.), was the home field for the Boston Braves of the National League in the early 20th century.

Also, Eugene O'Neill, the famous playright, killed himself in a hotel that is now a BU dorm. I believe Babe Ruth lived in the same hotel for a short time when he was with the Red Sox, but I may be mistaken.

There is a rumor that Howard Stern (a BU alum), offered to pay for a (badly-needed) new communications school building. Depending on who you want to believe, he either asked A) That they name the school after him, or B) That they put a statue of him out in front of the building. Whatever the true story, the offer was turned down.

BU has a pretty interesting history, but I can't think of everything at this moment.

ETA: BU actually has an on-campus pub as well. It has a great beer selection and some of the best sandwiches on campus.

[BobbyTheDon]

- my school is on these Giant hills that most of you people would consider mountains

- if you drive 5 minutes west, then you are in the ghetto. 5 minutes east and you are in a ritzy area where houses can run up to 50,000,000 (no joke)

- many movies and commercials were filmed there

- forrest whitaker went there and graduated from there, although he claims USC becuase he went to grad school there. that bitch (i'd do the same)

- kellog use to own the land that the university resides on. he donated the land to the state on 2 conditions. 1- you convert it into a university and 2- you take care of my horses...FOREVER (no seriously)

- the school has TONS of hot women, although they seem to hide away after the first day of class

- my school has TONS of engineering nerds, who unfortunately you see EVERYDAY

- in a few years it will be turned into a UC (thats been the rumor for the past 10 years lol)

[Denise_DPhiE]

There is a tulip named after the University. Long stort below. We have over 100,000 tulips planted at university and they bloom just in time for the Dutch Festival. I took photography my senior year and some of my best shots of are of those tulips!



There may be nothing on Long Island more Dutch than Hofstra University. According to the university's archives, the school's seal is the coat of arms of the royal house of the Netherlands; the school flag is based on a flag planted in New Netherlands by Dutch settlers; the school's athletic teams are the Flying Dutchmen and Flying Dutchwomen; a dormitory complex is named the Netherlands, and the school's commencement ceremonies traditionally begin with greetings in Dutch.

In 1985, in honor of Hofstra's 50th anniversary, the Dutch government named a white hybrid tulip the Hofstra University tulip. It is the first tulip named for an American university.

The university is named after William S. Hofstra, who traced his roots to the Dutch province of Friesland. Hofstra was president of the Nassau Lumber Co. in Hicksville and Hempstead and was well-known for his charitable endeavors. He built an estate-style house in Hempstead in 1904, which he called The Netherlands. After his death in 1932, his widow stipulated in her will that the estate be used for a public purpose. Hofstra College was started in 1935.