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University of Minnesota

Coordinates: 44°58′31″N 93°14′03″W / 44.97528°N 93.23417°W / 44.97528; -93.23417
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This article is about the oldest and largest campus of the University of Minnesota. For the entire system, see University of Minnesota system.
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
This file may be deleted after Tuesday, 1 January 2008.
MottoCommune Vinculum Omnibus Artibus
(Latin, "A common bond for all the arts")
TypePublic Flagship University, Land-grant, Sea-grant, Space-grant
Established1851
EndowmentUS $2.224 billion in 2006[1]
PresidentRobert H. Bruininks
ProvostE. Thomas Sullivan
Students50,402
Undergraduates28,645
Postgraduates13,929
Location
Minneapolis and Falcon Heights, Minnesota
,
USA
CampusUrban - 2,730 acres (11.04 km²)
ColorsMaroon and Gold             
NicknameThe Golden Gophers
AffiliationsAssociation of American Universities, Committee on Institutional Cooperation
MascotGoldy Gopher File:GoldyGopher.png
Websitewww.umn.edu
Pillsbury Hall, one of the oldest buildings on campus (1889)

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (U of M or The U) is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system. 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. Its student body is the fourth largest in the United States according to fall 2006 statistics, with 50,402 students.

Academics

The second largest institution of higher education in the Midwest, the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, offers degree programs in many fields, from agriculture to modern dance. As of 2006, the university has sixteen schools and colleges:

The university recently reorganized its college system, merging some of the colleges together. General College, the School of Social Work and the Department of Family Social Science from the College of Human Ecology merged with the old College of Education and Human Development, forming a new College of Education and Human Development, while the College of Natural Resources merged with the College of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences into the new College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS). The design-oriented programs from the College of Human Ecology merged with the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture(CALA), creating the new College of Design. These plans were controversial, particularly the closing of General College, which had been the entry point to the university for many first-generation students, low-income students, students with disabilities, and students of color since its founding in 1932.

The university has all three branches of the Reserve Officer Training Corps. Additionally, the university's college bowl team won College Bowl's National Championship Tournament in 2004, 2005, and 2007.

Rankings

The university in 1875

The University of Minnesota has recently made an explicit goal to become one of the top three public research universities in the world within a decade.[2] The administration believes this is a very attainable goal due to the vast resources of the university. Although this ambitious goal is in relation to public universities, the U of M is also quite competitive among all universities as the rankings show. A number of U of M graduate school departments have been ranked in the nation's top twenty by the National Research Council:[3]

In addition, many of the U of M's graduate/professional schools and programs are consistently ranked in the top tier by US News & World Report.

In 2007, the Shanghai Jiao Tong University ranked the University of Minnesota at 33 on the list of Academic Rankings of World Universities.[4]

In 2007, US News & World Report ranked the undergraduate program of The University of Minnesota as the 71st best National University in the United States. (National Universities are defined as those universities which "offer a full range of undergraduate majors as well as master's and doctoral degrees. In many cases, they place strong emphasis on research and receive federal money to support their research endeavors.")[5]

In 2006, Businessweek ranked the undergraduate business program at the Carlson School of Management 26th in the nation.

Campus

Minneapolis

Aerial photo of Minneapolis campus, facing east

The university was chartered in 1851, but it did not begin enrolling students until 1857. The original Minneapolis campus overlooked the Saint Anthony Falls on the Mississippi River, but it was later moved about a mile downstream to its current location. The original site is now marked by a small park known as Chute Square at the intersection of University Avenue and Central Avenue. The school shut down following a financial crisis during the American Civil War, and didn't reopen until 1867. It was upgraded from a preparatory school to a college in 1869.

Today's campus has buildings on both banks of the river, but the East Bank is the main portion of the campus and covers 307 acres (1.24 km²). It contains eight residence halls.

East Bank

On the East Bank, four of the residence halls (Pioneer Hall, Frontier Hall, Centennial Hall, and Territorial Hall) have concentrated into a 4-city-block space known as the "Superblock". Each residence hall has some type of inner courtyard, and the Superblock contains various small parking lots for residents and visitors. There is also an outdoor basketball court as well as a beach volleyball pit. The Superblock is a popular locale for student housing primarily because of its location and the multitude of social activity between the four residence halls.

Walter Library, Northrop Mall

Next to the Superblock is a large medical complex, now merged with the Fairview system of clinics and hospitals — known as the University of Minnesota Medical Center.

The historical center of the Minneapolis campus is Northrop Mall, a green space located about four blocks away from the Superblock. It was based on a design by Cass Gilbert, although his plans were too extravagant to be fully implemented. Several of the campus' primary buildings surround the Mall. Northrop Auditorium provides a northern anchor, with Coffman Memorial Union to the south. Four of the larger buildings on the sides of the Mall are the primary mathematics, physics, and chemistry buildings, and Walter Library, which has recently been renovated to focus more on digital media rather than the printed word.

Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art

The East Bank has a few buildings with unique architecture worth mentioning. The Armory, northeast of the Northrop Mall, is built like a Norman castle, with a sally port entrance facing Church Street, and a tower originally intended to be the Professor of Military Science's residence, until it was found to be too cold. It originally held the athletics department as well as the military science classes that it now holds. One of the oldest buildings on campus is Pillsbury Hall, designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style and built out of varieties of sandstone available in Minnesota. It has a unique color that is hard to capture in a photograph. These two buildings, along with Folwell Hall and ten others, are included in the University of Minnesota Old Campus Historic District.

In more recent times, Frank Gehry designed the Weisman Art Museum. It is a typical example of his work with curving metallic structures. Another new building on campus is the addition to the Architecture building that was designed by Steven Holl and completed in 2002. It won an American Institute of Architects award for its innovative design. The Architecture building was then re-named Rapson Hall after the local modernist architect and school of architecture dean Ralph Rapson. The University of Minnesota also boasts an historic Greek row north of Northrop Mall on University Avenue SE.

West Bank

The West Bank of the campus has been growing rapidly, first seeing major development in the 1960s. It covers 53 acres (0.21 km²). Music, theater, and art students cannot pass through the university without spending a significant amount of time there, in what is known as the West Bank Arts Quarter, home to several annual interdisciplinary arts festivals. In addition to the arts, social science is a significant area of research on the West Bank. The business school (Carlson School of Management) calls the West Bank home, as does the university's Law School and the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Wilson Library, the largest library in the university system, is also located there. Visitors to the West Bank will no doubt notice Middlebrook Hall, the largest residence hall on campus. Approximately 900 students reside in the building named in honor of William T. Middlebrook.

Getting around

The Washington Avenue Bridge connects the East Bank and West Bank portions of the Minneapolis campus.

Students traveling between the East and West Banks will most likely use the Washington Avenue Bridge either on foot or via free shuttle service. This bridge has two separate decks: the lower deck carries vehicular traffic, while the upper deck is a pedestrian walkway. An enclosed walkway runs the length of the bridge, sheltering students from the wind, rain, and snow as they cross the Mississippi. Walking is the most common mode of transportation among students; however, university police target students for jaywalking in areas surrounding the university with fines as high as $250. The enforcement of petty crime by university police has outraged many students because other more pertinent safety issues have seemingly been neglected, such as a string of assaults in the Dinkytown area, as well as numerous other cases of theft and vandalism perpetrated against students and their property.[6]

There are some subterranean passageways that students use to get from building to building when the weather is harsh. Many people don't even know they exist, however directions are marked with signs reading, "The Gopher Way".

The Minneapolis campus is located near two interstate highways: I-94 and I-35W. It is bordered on the north by the Dinkytown neighborhood and by the Stadium Village neighborhood on the east.

Two light rail stations have been proposed beneath the university along the proposed Central Corridor light rail line. Stations have been proposed under the East Bank and the West Bank.

St. Paul

Aerial photo of St. Paul campus, facing south

The university's St. Paul campus is located north and east of the Saint Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul, in the suburban city of Falcon Heights. Despite this, all university buildings on the campus have St. Paul street addresses. The campus is primarily associated with agriculture and has some university farm fields around it, creating a quieter campus. It has a grassy mall of its own and can be seen as a bit of a retreat from the busier Minneapolis campus. Prominent on campus is Bailey Hall, the only residence hall in St. Paul.

Students have commuted between the two sites for many decades. Early on, a streetcar line between the campuses was established, but it dissolved along with the bulk of the area's trolleys in the 1950s. Subsequently, buses were used, and a busway was created in 1992 to decrease the travel time between campuses. Unfortunately, the rate of collisions was fairly high with 32 crashes piling up over the years. Hence in 1997, new stop signs were added that would illuminate when a bus, bicycle, or pedestrian was approaching an intersection along the corridor. As of 2002, no additional accidents had been reported.

The St. Paul campus also borders the fairgrounds where the Minnesota State Fair is held every year. Minnesota's Fair is one of the largest in the United States, usually lasting twelve days, from late August through Labor Day in early September. Because of the heavy traffic associated with the Fair, classes do not start on either campus until after it is over, enabling the Fair to utilize the campus parking facilities. The university telephone system trunk lines utilize Minneapolis exchanges and area code (612).

Media

Northrop Mall

The Twin Cities campus has a newspaper, a magazine and a radio station, all produced and managed almost entirely by students of the university.

The Minnesota Daily is printed each weekday during the normal school season, and each week during the summer. The Daily is operated by an autonomous organization of students and is the largest student-run paper in the United States. It was first published on May 1, 1900.

A long-defunct but fondly remembered humor magazine, Ski-U-Mah, was published from about 1930 to 1950. It launched the career of novelist and scriptwriter Max Shulman.

A relative newcomer to the university's print media community is The Wake Student Magazine, a weekly publication that covers university and campus-related stories and provides a forum for student expression. The magazine was first published in 2002 and became an official university-sanctioned student group in 2003. During the 2004 student-fees-committee-cycle, The Wake was denied all funding due to claims that it had not successfully reached out to the student body. After appeal, Jerry Rinehart, university associate vice provost for student affairs restored the magazine’s funding, citing the magazine's short period of existence and the need for additional campus media. The publication's funding has since been uncontested. During the Spring 2006 semester, the Wake successfully moved to a weekly publication schedule. Additionally, the Wake publishes Liminal, a literary journal at the university that began in 2005. "Liminal" was created in the absence of an undergraduate literary journal and continues to bring poetry and prose to the university community. The journal is free and has been received as a major success by the university community.

In 2005 conservatives on campus began formulating a new, monthly magazine named the Minnesota Republic. The first issue was released in February of 2006, and funding by student service fees started in September 2006.

The campus radio station, KUOM "Radio K", broadcasts an eclectic variety of independent music during the day on 770 kHz AM. Its 5000-watt signal has a range of 80 miles, but shuts down at dusk due to FCC regulations. In 2003, the station added a low-power (8 watt) signal on 106.5 MHz FM overnight and on weekends. In 2005, a 10-watt translator began broadcasting from Falcon Heights, MN on 100.7 FM at all times. Radio K also streams its content at www.radiok.org. With roots in experimental transmissions that began before World War I, the station received the first AM broadcast license in the state on January 13, 1922 and began broadcasting as WLB, changing to the KUOM call sign about two decades later. The station had an educational format up until 1993 when it merged with a smaller campus-only music station to become what is now known as Radio K. A small group of full-time employees are joined by over 20 part-time student employees who oversees the station. Most of the on-air talent consists of student volunteers.

Some television programs made on campus have been broadcast on local PBS station KTCI channel 17. Several episodes of Great Conversations have been made since 2002, featuring one-on-one discussions between university faculty and experts brought in from around the world. Tech Talk is a show meant to help people who feel intimidated by modern technology, including cellular phones and computers.

Athletics

Main article: Minnesota Golden Gophers
University of Minnesota Athletics "Block M"

The University of Minnesota's intercollegiate sports teams are called the "Golden Gophers" and are members of the Big Ten Conference and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in the NCAA. Minnesota is one of only 13 universities in the country offering NCAA Division I-A football, Division I men's and women's basketball, and Division I ice hockey. The current athletic director is Joel Maturi.

The Golden Gophers most notable rivalry is the annual college football game between them and the Wisconsin Badgers for Paul Bunyan's Axe, the longest-running rivalry in NCAA sports. The two universities also compete in the Border Battle, a year-long athletic competition in which each sport season wise is worth 40 points divided by the number of times the teams play each other (i.e. football is worth 40 points because they play each other only once, women's ice hockey is worth 10 points per game because they play four times a year). Conference and post-season playoffs do not count in the point standings.

File:GoldyGopher.png
Goldy Gopher, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities mascot.

Goldy Gopher is the mascot for the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus and the associated sports teams. The Gopher mascot is a tradition as old as the state. Minnesota was tabbed the “Gopher State” in 1857 after a political cartoon ridiculing the $5 million Railroad Loan which helped open up the West. The cartoon portrayed shifty railroad barons as striped gophers pulling a railroad car carrying the Territorial Legislature toward the "Slough of Despond". Later, the university picked up the nickname, as the first U of M yearbook bearing the name "Gopher Annual" appeared in 1887.

Football

Main article: Minnesota Golden Gophers football
File:Gopher Stadium.jpg
TCF Bank Stadium

The Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest and most storied programs in college football history. They have won 6 National Championships and 18 Big Ten Conference Championships. The Gophers played their first game on September 29, 1882, a 4-0 victory over Hamline University. Eight years later in 1890, the Gophers played host to Wisconsin in a 63-0 victory. With the exception of 1906, the Gophers and Badgers have played each other every year since then. The 116 games played against each other is the most played rivalry in Division I-A college football .

In 1981, the Gophers played their last game in Memorial Stadium and have been playing their home games in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome ever since. The Gophers will move back to campus in 2009 when their new home, TCF Bank Stadium, opens.

Basketball

Main article: Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball

The Golden Gophers men's basketball team has won two National Championships, one National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Championship and eight Big Ten Regular Season Championships. They also have six NCAA Tournament appearances not including the 1997 appearance in which they reached the Final Four that was voided due to academic fraud, and three Sweet 16 appearances.

The Gophers' men's basketball coach, Dan Monson, resigned on November 30, 2006. Jim Molinari served as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2007 season. On March 22, university officials confirmed the hire of former University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith.

The Golden Gophers women's basketball team has enjoyed success in recent years under Pam Borton, including a Final Four appearance in 2004. Overall, they have six NCAA Tournament appearances and three Sweet 16 appearances.

Ice hockey

Main article: Minnesota Golden Gophers men's hockey
Mariucci Arena

The Golden Gophers men's ice hockey program has established itself in recent years (as it did during the tenure of Herb Brooks) as a dominating force in college hockey. A Gopher's hockey tradition is to stock the roster almost exclusively (sometimes completely) with Minnesota natives. The team has won 5 National Championships and 12 WCHA Regular Season Championships, most recently in 2007. They also have won 14 WCHA Tournament Championships and have 19 NCAA Frozen Four appearances. Home games are played at Mariucci Arena.

The Golden Gophers women's hockey team has won three National Championships and four WCHA Regular Season Championships. They have also won three WCHA Tournament Championships and have 5 NCAA Frozen Four appearances. They play their home games in Ridder Arena.

Wrestling

Main article: Minnesota Golden Gophers wrestling

The University of Minnesota has been fielding wrestling teams for 92 seasons. In that time, they have accumulated over 800 dual meet wins, the sixth highest total in college wrestling history. Home meets are primarily held in the 5,700 seat Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis. The Gopher team won three Division I championships in 2001, 2002 and 2007 as well as several individual championships.

Weather

Main article: Climate of Minnesota

Minnesota weather can be harsh in the winter, with extreme cold and large amounts of snow not uncommon. The university's Facilities Management Team is very proactive about clearing snow quickly, and as a result it is extremely rare for the university as a whole to endure unscheduled closings, with over thirteen years passing between the university's last weather-related closings. Classes were canceled during a blizzard on the afternoon of March 1, 2007. The previous weather-related closing was January 18, 1994, when then-Governor Arne Carlson ordered the shutdown of state government services throughout Minnesota during a period of extreme cold. Temperatures ranged from −27°F (−33°C) to −16°F (−26°C) in the Twin Cities that day. However, during inclement weather, individual classes are often canceled by professors and teaching assistants when necessary.

While Minnesota is known for having cold winters, hot summers also occur in the region, and weather is more variable than many other places. The Minneapolis campus largely uses steam heat in the winter and chilled water for cooling in summer, but the campus staff always takes a gamble that weather trends will continue when transitioning between the two modes in spring and fall.

It should be noted that most buildings are interconnected by a system of tunnels and skyways. It's possible to reach almost any building on either bank of the Minneapolis campus without having to go outdoors, though the routes may be somewhat circuitous and poorly marked.

One of the main heating plants, the Southeast Steam Plant, is located near the Stone Arch Bridge across from downtown. In the first half of the 20th century, it provided electricity for the regional system of streetcars operated by Twin City Rapid Transit and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was converted to provide steam for heating after the university acquired it in 1976. When the weather is cold, four railroad cars worth of coal can be required each day to keep the campus heated.

Notable alumni and faculty

Nomenclature

  • The abbreviation U of M is very widely used in various official ways and in news reports and colloquial speech. (Several other universities are also called the U of M, at least one of them officially. See the U of M disambiguation page.)
  • It is also often referred to as "the U" by locals.
  • Occasionally, it is referred to by outsiders as "UMinn," but rarely by students, alumni, and faculty.
  • "umn" is used only in Internet domain names.

References

Notes

  1. ^ nacubo
  2. ^ "Reaching the top three - Task force report explores how to measure U's success". UMN News. University of Minnesota. 2006-01-31. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
  3. ^ Newton, H. J. "NRC Rankings in each of the 41 Areas". Texas A&M University. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
  4. ^ http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/rank/2006/ARWU2006_Top100.htm Academic Rankings of World Universities 2006, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
  5. ^ http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drglance_3969_brief.php US News and World Report Best Colleges
  6. ^ "Pedestrians should exercise caution". The Minnesota Daily. 2006-09-29. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
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44°58′31″N 93°14′03″W / 44.97528°N 93.23417°W / 44.97528; -93.23417

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