Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Berkeley University

View from Memorial Glade of Sather Tower (The Campanile), the center of UC Berkeley. The ring of its bells and clock can be observed from all over campus.

Sather gate and Sather tower (the Campanile) from Sproul Plaza on the UC Berkeley campus

Sather Tower (the Campanile) looking out over the San Francisco Bay and Mount Tamalpais.

South Hall (1873)
 one of the two original buildings of the University of California, still stands on the Berkeley campus


History



In 1866, the land comprising the current Berkeley campus was purchased by the private College of California. Because it lacked sufficient funds to operate, it eventually merged with the state-run Agricultural, Mining, and Mechanical Arts College to form the University of California, the first full-curriculum public university in the state. 
The university opened in September 1869. Frederick Billings was a trustee of the College of California and suggested that the college be named in honor of the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkeley
In 1870 Henry Durant, the founder of the College of California, became the first president. With the completion of North and South Halls in 1873, the university relocated to its Berkeley location with 167 male and 222 female students and held its first classes.

Organization


Berkeley's 130-plus academic departments and programs are organized into 14 colleges and schools.[2] "Colleges" are both undergraduate and graduate, while "Schools" are generally graduate only, though some offer undergraduate majors, minors, or courses.
UC Berkeley does not have a medical school; however, the University of California, San Francisco is a standalone medical school that is located nearby.

University of California, Berkeley
MottoLatinFiat Lux
Motto in EnglishLet There Be Light
EstablishedMarch 23, 1868
TypePublic
Endowment$3.15 billion (June 2011) [1]
ChancellorRobert J. Birgeneau
Undergraduates25,530 (Fall 2009)[2]
Postgraduates10,313 (Fall 2009)[2]
LocationBerkeleyCalifornia,United States
CampusUrban
6,651 acres (2,692 ha)[3]
Nobel Laureates70[4]
Colors     Yale Blue
     California Gold
Athletics27 Varsity Teams
NCAA Division I
California Golden Bears
MascotOski the Bear
AffiliationsAAU
IARU
Pacific-12
University of California
Websiteberkeley.edu
Berkeley Horizontal Logo.PNG

Thursday, December 22, 2011


Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University

Seal of Stanford University
MottoDie Luft der Freiheit weht
(German)[1]
Motto in EnglishThe wind of freedom blows[1]
Established1891[2]
TypePrivate
EndowmentUS$ 16.5 billion(2011)[3]
PresidentJohn L. Hennessy
ProvostJohn Etchemendy
Academic staff1,910[4]
Students15,319
Undergraduates6,878[5]
Postgraduates8,441[5]
LocationStanfordCalifornia,U.S.
CampusSuburban, 8,180 acres (3,310 ha)[6]
ColorsCardinal red and white         
AthleticsNCAA Division I(FBS) Pac-12
NicknameCardinal
MascotStanford Tree (unofficial)
WebsiteStanford.edu
Stanford logo.png

Landmarks


Stanford Main Quad at night
Lou Henry and Herbert Hoover house



Hoover Tower
Stanford Memorial Church
                             

History

Leland Stanford
Stanford family

Stanford was founded by Leland Stanford, a railroad magnate, United States Senator, and former California Governor, and his wife, Jane Stanford. It is named in honor of their only child,Leland Stanford, Jr., who died in 1884 just before his 16th birthday. His parents decided to dedicate a university to their only son, and Leland Stanford told his wife, "The children of California shall be our children."

The Stanfords visited Harvard's president, Charles Eliot, and asked how much it would cost to duplicate Harvard in California. Eliot replied that he supposed $15 million would be enough. David Starr Jordan, the president of Indiana University, was their eventual choice to direct Stanford, after several leaders of the Ivy League turned them down. Locals and members of the university community are known to refer to the school as The Farm, a nod to the fact that the university is located on the former site of Leland Stanford's horse farm.
The motto of Stanford University, selected by President Jordan, is "Die Luft der Freiheit weht." Translated from the German means, "The wind of freedom blows." 
The university's founding Grant of Endowment from the Stanfords came in November 1885. 
Much of this first construction was destroyed by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, but the university retains the Quad, the old Chemistry Building and Encina Hall (the residence of Herbert HooverJohn Steinbeck, and Anthony Kennedy during their times at Stanford). After the 1989 earthquake inflicted further damage, the university implemented a billion-dollar capital improvement plan to retrofit and renovate older buildings for new, up-to-date uses.

Demographics of student body
UndergraduateGraduateCaliforniaU.S. Census
African American10%3%6.2%12.1%
Asian American23%13%12.3%4.3%
White American36%35%59.8%65.8%
Hispanic American13%5%35.9%14.5%
Native American2.8%<1%0.7%0.9%
International student7%33%N/AN/A