39 Facts About Northwestern University

1.

Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois.

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2.

In 1896, Northwestern University became a founding member of the Big Ten Conference, and joined the Association of American Universities as an early member in 1917.

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3.

Northwestern University is composed of eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools, which include the Kellogg School of Management, the Pritzker School of Law, the Feinberg School of Medicine, the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, the Bienen School of Music, the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Medill School of Journalism, the School of Communication, the School of Professional Studies, the School of Education and Social Policy, and The Graduate School.

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4.

Foundation of Northwestern University can be traced to a meeting on May 31, 1850, of nine prominent Chicago businessmen, Methodist leaders, and attorneys who had formed the idea of establishing a university to serve what had been known from 1787 to 1803 as the Northwest Territory.

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5.

On January 28, 1851, the Illinois General Assembly granted a charter to the Trustees of the North-Western Northwestern University, making it the first chartered university in Illinois.

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6.

Northwestern University admitted its first female students in 1869, and the first woman was graduated in 1874.

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7.

Northwestern University fielded its first intercollegiate football team in 1882, later becoming a founding member of the Big Ten Conference.

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8.

Under Walter Dill Scott's presidency from 1920 to 1939, Northwestern began construction of an integrated campus in Chicago designed by James Gamble Rogers, noted for his design of the Yale University campus, to house the professional schools.

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9.

In 1939, Northwestern University hosted the first-ever NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship game in the original Patten Gymnasium, which was later demolished and relocated farther north, along with the Dearborn Observatory, to make room for the Technological Institute.

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10.

However, the movement toward state certification of school teachers prompted Northwestern University to start a new graduate program in education, thereby bringing in new students and much needed income.

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11.

Relations between Evanston and Northwestern University became strained throughout much of the post-war era because of episodes of disruptive student activism, disputes over municipal zoning, building codes, and law enforcement, as well as restrictions on the sale of alcohol near campus until 1972.

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12.

In 2015, Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands visited Northwestern University to announce research collaborations between Northwestern University and several Dutch institutions focused on the study of aging.

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13.

In October 2013, Northwestern University began the demolition of the architecturally significant Prentice Women's Hospital.

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14.

Northwestern University receives roughly $45 million per year to operate the campus.

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15.

Northwestern University had a dental school from 1891 to May 31, 2001, when it closed.

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16.

In 2003, Northwestern University finished a five-year capital campaign that raised $1.

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17.

In 2014, Northwestern University launched the "We Will" campaign with a fundraising goal of $3.

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18.

The Initiative for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern University, supporting research, teaching and outreach in these themes, was launched in 2008.

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19.

Northwestern University has had a comprehensive recycling program in place since 1990.

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20.

Northwestern University received a total of 47, 633 applications for the Class of 2025 and admitted 3, 239 students for an acceptance rate of 6.

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21.

Northwestern University has chapters of academic honor societies such as Phi Beta Kappa, Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Sigma Phi (Beta Chapter), Lambda Pi Eta, and Alpha Sigma Lambda (Alpha Chapter).

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22.

Northwestern University is known for its focus on interdisciplinary education, extensive research output, and collaborative student culture.

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23.

Northwestern University offers honors, accelerated, and joint degree programs in medicine, science, mathematics, engineering, and journalism.

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24.

In 2013 alone, Northwestern University researchers disclosed 247 inventions, filed 270 patent applications, received 81 foreign and US patents, started 12 companies, and generated $79.

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25.

Northwestern University has an extensive history of producing prominent businessmen and entrepreneurs.

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26.

The Northwestern University Library is the 22nd-largest university library in North America based on total number of titles held.

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27.

Northwestern University offers both traditional residence halls and residential colleges for students who share a particular intellectual interest.

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28.

Northwestern University is a charter member of the Big Ten Conference.

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29.

At one time, Northwestern University had the longest losing streak in Division I-A, losing 34 consecutive games between 1979 and 1982.

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30.

An autopsy revealed that he had ephedrine, a stimulant banned by the NCAA, in his system, which prompted Northwestern University to investigate the prevalence of stimulants and other banned substances across all of its athletic programs.

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31.

Northwestern University Community Development Corps is a student-run organization that connects hundreds of student volunteers to community development projects in Evanston and Chicago throughout the year.

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32.

Many Northwestern students participate in the Freshman Urban Program, an initiative for students interested in community service to work on addressing social issues facing the city of Chicago, and the university's Global Engagement Studies Institute programs, including group service-learning expeditions in Asia, Africa, or Latin America in conjunction with the Foundation for Sustainable Development.

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33.

Several international nongovernmental organizations were established at Northwestern University, including the World Health Imaging, Informatics and Telemedicine Alliance, a spin-off from an engineering student's honors thesis.

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34.

Northwestern University is a prolific producer of successful entertainers and a nationally reputed hub for collegiate performing arts.

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35.

Northwestern University alumni have included numerous prominent figures in journalism, government, literature, business, science, performing arts, education, and medicine.

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36.

Directors who were graduated from Northwestern include Gerald Freedman, Stuart Hagmann, Marshall W Mason, Allison Burnett, Michael Greif, and Mary Zimmerman.

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37.

In New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, the number of Northwestern University alumni involved in theater, film, and television is so large that the alumni have been dubbed the "Northwestern University mafia.

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38.

Northwestern University alumni involved in athletics include Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, sprinter Betty Robinson, Rick Sund, Billy McKinney, Mark Loretta (MLB), Joe Girardi (MLB), Luis Castillo (NFL), Ernie Adams (NFL), Paddy Driscoll (NFL), Otto Graham (NFL), Anthony Walker Jr.

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39.

Northwestern University employs 3, 781 faculty members across its eleven schools, including 18 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 65 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 19 members of the National Academy of Engineering, and 6 members of the Institute of Medicine.

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