Universität Karlsruhe

                               

The University of Karlsruhe was founded as Polytechnische Schule, a poly technical school, on October 7, 1825. It was modeled upon the École poly technique in Paris. In 1865, Grand Duke Frederick I of Baden (German: Friedrich) raised the school to the status of a Hochschule, an "institute or university". Since 1902 The university also has been known as the Fridericiana in his honour.

In 1885 the institution was renamed a Technische Hochschule, Institute of Technology, and in 1967 it became Universität, a full university. In 1899 all technical universities, therefore including the University of Karlsruhe, were granted the right to award doctorate degrees identified as Dr. Ing. for engineering. For honorary degrees, the fields are preceded by h. c., for example, Dr. h. c. Ing. Karl Benz awarded in 1914, who was graduated from the university during his youth.

On April 6, 2006 a contract for the foundation of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) was signed by Professor Horst Hippler and Dr. Dieter Ertmann from the University of Karlsruhe, and Professor Manfred Popp and Assistant Jur. Sigurd Lettow from Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe. The name was selected to emulate the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the leading technical university in the United States.

In 2008 a 200 Million Euro donation to the university was made by SAP Co-Founder Hans-Werner Hector.

Faculties

1. The university has eleven faculties:
2. Mathematics
3. Physics
4. Chemistry and Biology
5. Humanities and Social sciences
6. Architecture
7. Civil engineering, Geology, and Ecological Sciences
8. Mechanical Engineering
9. Chemical and Process Engineering
10. Electrical engineering and Information Technology
11. Computer Science
12. Economics
13. Many departments cooperate, some are shared with the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe.
14. History
15. Academics
16. Universität Karlsruhe (University of Karlsruhe) ranked 171 in the 2007 THES-QS World University Ranking
17. Universität Karlsruhe (University of Karlsruhe) ranked 184 in the 2009 THES-QS World University Ranking
18. Universität Karlsruhe (University of Karlsruhe) ranked 167 in the 2010 QS World University Ranking

University of Wisconsin-Madison

                              

A public, land-grant university, UW-Madison offers a wide spectrum of liberal arts studies, professional programs, and student activities. The school is frequently called a "Public Ivy," and in 2007 U.S. News & World Report ranked UW as the eighth best public university in the United States. It has also been ranked as the 16th best university in 2006 in terms of volume scientific publications according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities. UW-Madison ranked second in a list of top national research universities for the 2006 fiscal year, generating more than $900 million in research, according to statistics by the National Science Foundation.

From 1848 to 1956, the university was part of the higher education system in Wisconsin that included the current Madison campus, ten freshman-sophomore centers and the state-wide extensions. Between 1956–1971, it was part of the then University of Wisconsin. It became a part of the University of Wisconsin System in 1971.

Wisconsin's NCAA Division I athletic teams are called the Badgers. They compete in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except ice hockey, where they participate in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Wisconsin's football team won the Rose Bowl in 1994, 1999, and 2000. Its men's basketball team won the NCAA National Championship in 1941, and made it to the Final Four in 2000. Both the men's and women's hockey teams won the national championship in 2006.

History

In achievement and prestige, the University of Wisconsin–Madison has long been recognized as one of America’s great universities. A public, land-grant institution, UW–Madison offers a complete spectrum of liberal arts studies, professional programs and student activities. Many of its programs are hailed as world leaders in instruction, research and public service.

Origins

The university traces its roots to a clause in the Wisconsin Constitution, which decreed that the state should have a prominent public university. In 1848, Nelson Dewey, Wisconsin’s first governor, signed the act that formally created the university, and its first class, with 17 students, met in a Madison school building on February 5, 1849.

From those humble beginnings, the university has grown into a large, diverse community, with about 40,000 students enrolled each year. These students represent every state in the nation, as well as countries from around the globe, making for a truly international population.

Mission

UW–Madison is the oldest and largest campus in the University of Wisconsin System, a statewide network of 13 comprehensive universities, 13 freshman-sophomore transfer colleges and an extension service. One of two doctorate-granting universities in the system, UW–Madison’s specific mission is to provide “a learning environment in which faculty, staff and students can discover, examine critically, preserve and transmit the knowledge, wisdom and values that will help insure the survival of this and future generations and improve the quality of life for all.”

The university achieves these ends through innovative programs of research, teaching and public service. Throughout its history, UW–Madison has sought to bring the power of learning into the daily lives of its students through innovations such as residential learning communities and service-learning opportunities. Students also participate freely in research, which has led to life-improving inventions ranging from more fuel-efficient engines to cutting-edge genetic therapies.

The Wisconsin Idea

Students, faculty and staff are motivated by a tradition known as the “Wisconsin Idea,” first started by UW President Charles Van Hise in 1904, when he declared that he would “never be content until the beneficent influence of the university [is] available to every home in the state.” The Wisconsin Idea permeates the university’s work and helps forge close working relationships among university faculty and students, and the state’s industries and government.

Academics

University of Wisconsin–Madison, the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System, is divided into twenty associated colleges and schools. In addition to traditional undergraduate and graduate divisions in business, engineering, education, agriculture, and letters and sciences, the university also maintains professional schools in law, medicine, veterinary medicine, environmental studies, public affairs, journalism, library science and pharmacy.

The largest university college, the College of Letters and Science, enrolls approximately half of the undergraduate student body and is made up of thirty-nine departments and five professional schoolsthat instruct students and carry out research in a wide variety of fields such as biology, astronomy, history, geography, linguistics, and economics.

Agricultural and Life Sciences, College of

Business, Wisconsin School of

Continuing Studies, Division of

Education, School of

Engineering, College of

Environmental Studies, Gaylord Nelson Institute for

Graduate School

Human Ecology, School of

University of California, Irvine

                                          

UCI is a center for quality education that fosters the passionate and enthusiastic expansion of knowledge. Our graduates are equipped with the tools of analysis, expression and cultural understanding necessary for leadership in today’s world.

UCI is consistently ranked among the nation’s best universities – public and private – with achievements in a broad range of fields that have garnered high national rankings for many schools, departments and programs. Three UCI researchers have won Nobel Prizes – two in chemistry and one in physics.

The university is noted for its excellent research and graduate programs, an extensive commitment to undergraduate education, and a growing number of professional schools and programs of academic importance and social significance. Recent additions include public health, pharmaceutical sciences and nursing science programs, as well as a new School of Law scheduled to open in 2009.

UCI is among the fastest-growing campuses in the UC system. Increasingly a first-choice campus for students, UCI attracts record numbers of undergraduate applications each year and admits freshmen with highly competitive academic profiles. We enrolled our first undergraduates in public health and nursing science last year, and are continuing to expand our educational role in these and other fields critical to California's health and prosperity. This year, we hired renowned constitutional law scholar Erwin Chemerinsky as the inaugural dean for our new law school, which welcomes its first class in fall 2009.

UCI is a center for quality education and is consistently ranked among the nation's best universities. Achievements in the sciences, arts, humanities, medicine, and management have garnered top 50 national rankings for more than 40 academic programs. Three UCI researchers have won Nobel Prizes—most recently Irwin A. Rose, in chemistry, in 2004.

UCI reaches beyond the classroom and laboratory to help solve societal issues and support human development. We are a hub for stem cell research, a trailblazer in understanding global warming, and a leader in the fight against breast cancer. Our nationally ranked medical center in Orange serves as Orange County's only Level I trauma center, and we are currently building a new state-of-the-art university hospital that will further strengthen medical care for the region's citizens.

UC Irvine's name is originated from the Irvine Company, which donated 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) for a single dollar and sold another 510 acres (2.1 km2) to the University of California. In 1971, the University of California and the Irvine Company planned a city around the campus, which was incorporated as the city of Irvine.

UC Irvine's location is in the heart of Orange County, California, serving the fifth most-populous county in the United States. Additionally, UCI also maintains the UC Irvine Health Sciences system (with its flagship UCI Medical Center in Orange), the University of California, Irvine, Arboretum, and a portion of the University of California Natural Reserve System. UC Irvine is also a Public Ivy.

Schools
UC Irvine's academic units are referred to as Schools. There are eight undergraduate Schools, two graduate Schools, one Department, and one field of Interdisciplinary Studies. The most recent academic unit, the College of Health Sciences, was established in 2004.
Claire Trevor School of the Arts
School of Biological Sciences
Paul Merage School of Business
Department of Education
Henry Samueli School of Engineering
College of Health Sciences
School of Humanities
Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences
Interdisciplinary Studies
Donald Bren School of Law (expected opening fall 2009)
School of Medicine
School of Physical Sciences
School of Social Ecology
School of Social Sciences
Summer Session
UC Irvine Extension

Proposed academic units at UC Irvine:
School of Design

Some Facts about UCI
University of California, Irvine ranked 140th in the THES-QS 2007 World University Ranking
University of California, Irvine ranked 132nd in the THES-QS 2008 World University Ranking
University of California, Irvine ranked 161st in the THES-QS 2009 World University Ranking
University of California, Irvine ranked 146th in the QS 2010 World University Ranking

University of California, Berkeley

History

The roots of the University of California go back to the gold rush days of 1849, when the drafters of the State Constitution, a group of vigorous and farsighted people, required the legislature to "encourage by all suitable means the promotion of intellectual, scientific, moral and agricultural improvement" of the people of California. These early planners dreamed of a university which eventually, "if properly organized and conducted, would contribute even more than California's gold to the glory and happiness of advancing generations."

The university that was born nearly 20 years later was the product of a merger between the College of California (a private institution) and the Agricultural, Mining, and Mechanical Arts College (a land grant institution). The College of California, founded by former Congregational minister Henry Durant from New England, was incorporated in 1855 in Oakland. Its curriculum was modeled after that of Yale and Harvard, with the addition of modern languages to the core courses in Latin, Greek, history, English, mathematics, and natural history. With an eye to future expansion, the board of trustees augmented the college's Oakland holdings with the purchase of 160 acres of land four miles north, on a site they named Berkeley in 1866. (Cal's Charter was introduced in 1868.) This original tract was to be considerably expanded over the years.

While the College of California was in its infancy, efforts continued in the state legislature to create a public educational institution, and in 1866 the legislature took advantage of the federal Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 to establish the Agricultural, Mining, and Mechanical Arts College. The college was to teach agricultural, mechanical arts, and military tactics "to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life." Scientific and classical studies were not to be excluded but were of secondary importance.

The boards of trustees of the College of California and the Agricultural, Mining, and Mechanical Arts College decided to merge the two schools to their mutual advantage -- one had land but insufficient funds and the other had ample public funds but no land-on the condition that the curricula of both schools be blended to form "a complete university." On March 23, 1868, the governor signed into law the Organic Act that created the University of California. The new university used the former College of California's buildings in Oakland until South Hall and North Hall were completed on the Berkeley site (South Hall is still standing), and in September 1873 the University, with an enrollment of 191 students, moved to Berkeley.

In the 1930s research on campus burgeoned in nuclear physics, chemistry, and biology, leading to the development of the first cyclotron by Ernest O. Lawrence, the isolation of the human polio virus, and the discovery of a string of elements heavier than uranium. Twenty members of the Berkeley faculty have been awarded Nobel Prizes for these and subsequent discoveries, as well as in literature and economics, for liberal arts kept pace with physical sciences. In 1966 Berkeley was recognized by the American Council on Education as "the best balanced distinguished university in the country."

Schools

Berkeley's 130-plus academic departments and programs are organized into 14 unique colleges and schools. "Colleges" are both undergraduate and graduate, while "Schools" are generally graduate only, though some offer undergraduate majors, minors, or courses.

Haas School of Business 

College of Chemistry 

Graduate School of Education 

College of Engineering 

College of Environmental Design 

Graduate School of Journalism 

Boalt Hall School of Law 

School of Information 

College of Letters and Science 

College of Natural Resources 

School of Optometry 

School of Public Health 

Richard & Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy 

School of Social Welfare 

Berkeley is a comprehensive university, offering over 7,000 courses in nearly 300 degree programs. The university awards over 5,500 bachelor's degrees, 2,000 master's degrees, 900 doctorates, and 200 law degrees each year.

Uppsala University

The university has for centuries been an important place of science and learning, represented by names such as Linnaeus, Celsius, and Ångström, and in more recent times by several Nobel laureates in the sciences - such as Svante August Arrhenius. In addition, Uppsala also has an important place in Swedish national culture and identity: in historiography, literature and music, represented by names such as Rudbeck, Geijer, Atterbom, and Strindberg. Many aspects of Swedish academic culture in general, such as the white student cap, originated in Uppsala. It shares some peculiarities, such as the student nation system, with Lund University (founded in 1666) and the University of Helsinki.

It has a teaching staff of 3,800 out of a total of 6,000 employees. Of its annual turnover of around 4 billion SEK, approximately 60% goes to graduate studies and research. It belongs to the Coimbra Group of European universities.

Uppsala University has traditionally had a strong presence in the area around the cathedral on the western side of the River Fyris, and although lack of space has forced it ever since the late 19th century to seek areas for expansion further towards the western and southwestern periphery of Uppsala, the presence of the university still dominates the historic centre of the town.

Uppsala University is a comprehensive international research university dedicated to advancing science, scholarship, and higher education. For more than 500 years, Uppsala University has been a distinguished seat of learning with rich opportunities for students and researchers at all levels. Our history is part of our strength – but our sights are on the future.

World-Class Research

Research is pursued across nine faculties. In a great many fields, Uppsala University research is on the international cutting edge. International collaboration is a key link in the University's activities. A tradition of learning and outstanding research have earned the University an excellent reputation and a given place in the international research community. The University is much in demand as a collaborative partner from universities around the world.

First-Class Education

Uppsala University offers a great variety of basic and advanced-level programmes. New master programmes attract students from Sweden and abroad.

Creative settings

The University strives to create optimal environments for interdisciplinary research and education. Creative forums for research and education have been built up at different campus areas in Uppsala, each with a distinct focus.

Living Tradition and Culture

Uppsala is the oldest university in the Nordic countries – founded in 1477. Today’s advances in research and education are based on traditions of learning with deep historical roots. Living tradition and culture are part of our strength.

Faculties

The University is divided into faculties for education and research. Faculties are governed by faculty boards. Uppsala University consists of nine faculties.

Disciplinary Domain of Humanities and Social Sciences:

1. Arts
2. Languages
3. Law
4. Social Sciences
5. Theology

Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy:

Medicine

Pharmacy

Disciplinary Domain of Science and Technology:

Science and Technology

Educational Sciences:

Educational Sciences

Numbers and Facts

University of Malaya

Beginnings

In September 1904, Tan Jiak Kim led a group of representatives of the Chinese and other non-European communities, and petitioned the Governor of the Straits Settlements, Sir John Anderson, to establish a medical school in Singapore. Tan, who was the first president of the Straits Chinese British Association, managed to raise $87,077, of which the largest amount of $12,000 came from himself. On 3 July 1905, the medical school was founded, and was known as the Straits and Federated Malay States Government Medical School. The medical library was first housed in the students' reading room within the school, converted from the vacant old female lunatic asylum in Sepoy Lines.

In 1912, the medical school received an endowment of $120,000 from the King Edward VII Memorial Fund, started by Dr Lim Boon Keng. Subsequently on 18 November 1913, the name of the school was changed to the King Edward VII Medical School. In 1921, it was again changed to the King Edward VII College of Medicine to reflect its academic status. In 1929, Raffles College was established to promote arts and social sciences at tertiary level for Malayan students.

Establishment of the university

Two decades later, Raffles College was merged with the King Edward VII College of Medicine to form the University of Malaya on 8 October 1949. The two institutions were merged to provide for the higher education needs of the Federation of Malaya and Singapore.

The growth of UM was very rapid during the first decade of its establishment and resulted in the setting up of two autonomous divisions in 1959, one located in Singapore and the other in Kuala Lumpur.

Growth and consolidation

In 1960, the governments of the Federation of Malaysia and Singapore indicated their desire to change the status of the Divisions into that of a national university. Legislation was passed in 1961 establishing the former Kuala Lumpur division as the University of Malaya while the Singapore division was renamed the University of Singapore, the predecessor of today's National University of Singapore, on January 1, 1962.

On June 16, 1962, the university celebrated the installation of its first Chancellor, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia's first Prime Minister. The first Vice-Chancellor was former Dean, Sir Alexander Oppenheim, the world renowned mathematician who formulated the Oppenheim conjecture in 1929. When Oppenheim left in 1965 with no successor in sight, Rayson Huang who later went on to become the first Asian Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong, was asked to take over as the Acting Vice Chancellor. He served in that capacity for 12 months but declined reappointment in order to return to academic pursuits.

Chin Fung Kee, an authority in geotechnical engineering, replaced Huang as Acting Vice-Chancellor until the university succeeded in filling the position in 1967 by the appointment of James H.E. Griffiths. A distinguished physicist and a fellow of Magdalen College, Griffiths was also the former head of Clarendon Laboratory of Oxford University and one of the discoverers of ferromagnetic resonance.

Malaysianization

In 1968, economist Ungku Abdul Aziz succeeded Griffiths as Vice-Chancellor, making him the second Malaysian after Chin to be elevated to the highest executive office in UM and the first Malaysian to be appointed as full Vice-Chancellor. This development was a precursor to the introduction of ethnic quotas into public universities with the introduction of the New Economic Policy in 1971.

On May 1, 2006, the first woman Vice-Chancellor when former Dean of the Faculty of Law, Universiti Malaya and later assistant governor of Bank Negara Malaysia, Rafiah Salim, was appointed to the position.

Rankings

The THES - QS World University Rankings has ranked UM in the top 200 universities of the world, although its position has varied from 89 to 246. It was ranked 89, 169, 192, 246, 230 and 180 for the years 2005 to 2009 respectively, and these fluctuations were perceived as a progressive drop and became an object of public questioning and controversy about the perceived declining standards of Malaysian universities and the apparent lackadaisical attitude of UM in addressing long standing issues. This prompted the Ministry of Higher Education to establish its own competitive ranking system between Malaysian public universities known as the Rating System for Malaysian Higher Education Institutions or SETARA following an Academic Reputation Survey conducted the year before. The results of the first SETARA exercise were published in 2008 and University of Malaya came out as the top university in the country. It was the only university which achieved a rating of 5 (out of maximum 6).

Campuses

UM has three campuses, two located in Kuala Lumpur and the other located in Kelantan.

Main

The Main Campus is located in the suburb of Lembah Pantai, southwest of Kuala Lumpur. The campus has an area of 750 acres (3.0 km²) and is the original campus of the Kuala Lumpur division of the original University of Malaya. Most of the main administrative buildings and faculties are located here. The 80 hectare Rimba Ilmu Botanical Gardens are also located within the campus.

City

The City Campus is located in the Bukit Persekutuan area of Kuala Lumpur approximately 15 minutes away from the Main Campus. The University of Malaya Centre for Continuing Education, Institute of Principalship Studies, International Institute of Public Policy and Management, Graduate School of Business and the City Campus library are located here.

Branch

The Academy’s branch campus in Nilam Puri, Kelantan offers courses in Islamic foundation studies in Shariah, Usuluddin, Islamic Studies and Islamic Education with Science.

List of Faculty

1. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
2. Faculty of Business and Accountanc
3. Faculty of Computer Science and Informa
4. Faculty of Economics and Administrationtion Technology
5. Faculty of Dentistry

Université Pierre et Marie Curie

It has over 180 laboratories, most of them associated with the Center national DE la recherche scientific.It is located on the Jussieu Campus in the Latin Quarter of the 5th arrondissement in Paris.

Some of its most notable institutes and laboratories include the Institut Henri Poincaré, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, Laboratoire d'informatique de Paris 6, Institut de mathématiques de Jussieu/Chevaleret (shared with University Paris Diderot) and the Laboratoire Kastler-Brossel (shared with Ecole Normale Supérieure).

The University's Faculty of Medicine includes the Pitié-Salpêtrière and Saint-Antoine hospitals.

Pierre & Marie Curie University (UPMC) is one of the largest universities teaching science and medicine in France, and indeed in Europe, with 4000 researchers and teaching academics/researchers, 180 laboratories, and some 30 000 students including 8000 in postgraduate studies. UPMC is based in the Latin Quarter in Paris, with most facilities on a campus of 500 000m².

UPMC also has branches in regions outside Paris : 3 oceanological observatories, at Roscoff (Atlantic Ocean), Banyuls and Villefranche-sur-Mer (Mediterranean Sea).

Medicine : 2 medical teaching and research units in Paris teaching hospitals [CHUs]: Saint-Antoine and Pitié-Salpêtrière. Partnerships with a number of hospitals and health care centers.

The different campuses are part of a complete renovation program.

Facts about UPMC

30,000 students (22,000 science students – 8000 medical students)

8000 post-graduate students

2200 post-graduate diplomas (DEA and DESS i.e. master's equivalent) and 150 engineering degrees (master's equivalent) awarded each year

4000 teaching academics/researchers

3000 engineers & technicians, administrative & logistic staff, 4 broad interdisciplinary sectors of research

180 research laboratories

300 doctorates in medicine

700 doctorates in science based upon thesis work

550 contractual cooperation agreements for research on innovative programs

330 partner institutes in science and medicine

100 contractual agreements under the terms of research projects subsidized by the European Commission

6 Centers of Excellence selected by the European Commission to host doctoral students who are granted Marie Curie scholarships

4250 students of 121 different nationalities

History

The campus was built in the 1950s and 60s, on a site previously occupied by wine storehouses. The Dean, Marc Zamanski, saw the Jussieu campus standing as a tangible symbol of scientific thought in the heart of Paris, with the Faculty of Science, set in the Latin Quarter, as part of an intellectual and spiritual continuum linked to the university history of Paris. In 1968, the Paris Faculty of Science was divided into a number of different universities. The University of Paris 6 became the scientific center and was set up in 1971; it shares the Jussieu campus with the University of Paris 7 and the Paris Geophysical Institute (Institut de Physique du Globe). In 1974, the University of Paris 6 chose a prestigious champion when it adopted the official title "Université Pierre et Marie Curie", and ever since has endeavored to perpetuate the scientific legacy of these forebears. UPMC is now the largest scientific and medical complex in France, active in all fields of research with scope and achievements at the highest level.

The main research sectors are:

Research at UPMC covers fields in all the major areas of international research, including life sciences, health, genomics & post-genomics, sciences of the universe and the environment, optics, laser technology, information processing, communications, and modeling.

University of California, Davis

UC Davis has grown to become a prestigious public research university, especially in the arts, humanities, life sciences, health sciences, and engineering. UC Davis also has renowned graduate programs, such as the UC Davis School of Medicine (which includes the UC Davis Medical Center), the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, the UC Davis School of Law, and the UC Davis Graduate School of Management.

U.S. News & World Report 2008 America's Best Colleges ranked UC Davis the 42nd best university in the United States, 11th best public university in the United States, and 4th best of all the UC schools (after Berkeley, Los Angeles, and San Diego). Washington Monthly ranked UC Davis 8th in the United States.UC Davis is also the 3rd oldest campus of the University of California system, and is a Public Ivy institution of higher education.

In addition to research and academics, UC Davis has a noteworthy athletics program; Aggie teams have recently joined NCAA Division I athletics. Most of UC Davis's athletics teams play in the Big West Conference, but some (for the sports that the Big West Conference does not sponsor) also compete in the Great West Football Conference, Pacific-10 Conference, and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

In 1905, Governor George Pardee signed into law an act to establish a university farm school for the University of California (at the time, the Berkeley campus was the sole campus of the University). It would be more than a year before that commission selected a tiny town, then known as Davisville, as the site. What was to become the third UC Campus opened its doors to 40 degree students (all male) from UC Berkeley in January 1909 as the "University Farm." (The farm had begun accepting non-degree farmers' short courses in October of 1908; there were initially around 115 such attendees.) The establishment of the Farm was largely the result of the vision and perseverance of Peter J. Shields, secretary of the State Agricultural Society, and the namesake of the future Peter J. Shields Library at UC Davis.

Peter J. Shields, the "Father of the Farm."

Shields began to champion the cause of a University Farm to teach agriculture in a more applied fashion after hearing about California students who chose to go to out-of-state universities due to the lack of such programs in the University of California at that time. He later stated:

There was a College of Agriculture at Berkeley in connection with the University of California, but it was purely academic. It was largely confined to the study of botany and chemistry; it had no farm and little prestige; it was apt to be thought of as a snap curriculum, attracting students who wanted to go to college but wanted to avoid its more difficult work.

After two failed bills, a law authorizing the creation of a University Farm was passed in March 18, 1905, and Yolo County, home to some of California's prime farmland, was chosen as the site. The Farm accepted its first female students in 1914 from Berkeley. Renamed in 1922 the Northern Branch of the College of Agriculture, it continued growing at a breakneck pace: in 1916 the Farm's 314 students occupied the original 778 acre (3 km²) campus, but by 1951 it had already expanded to a size of 3,000 acres (12 km²). In 1959, the campus was declared by the Regents of the University of California as the seventh general campus in the University of California system. It has since grown into a vibrant and politically active campus.

Academics

UC Davis is organized into the following schools and colleges:

Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing 

UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences 

UC Davis College of Biological Sciences 

UC Davis College of Engineering 

UC Davis College of Letters and Science 

UC Davis Graduate School of Management 

UC Davis School of Education 

UC Davis School of Law 

UC Davis School of Medicine 

UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine 

Ranking

8th in the ranking of U.S. universities based on their contributions to society (Washington Monthly )

10th in research funding among U.S. ranked public universities (National Science Foundation)

11th among public universities nationwide (U.S. News & World Report)

16th among public universities nationwide (National Research Council)

The University of California, Davis ranked 96th in the 2007 THES-QS World University Ranking

The University of California, Davis ranked 89th in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking

The University of California, Davis ranked 108th in the 2009 THES-QS World University Ranking

The University of California, Davis ranked 110th in the 2010 QS World University Ranking

The University of California, Davis ranked 101th in the 2011 QS World University Ranking

University of Amsterdam

History

The commonly-held predecessor of the University of Amsterdam, the Athenaeum Illustre (Latin - the illustrious Athenaeum) was founded in the 14th-century Agnietenkapel in Amsterdam in 1632, to educate students in History and Philosophy. Professors lectured publicly and tutored privately. In January 1632 two internationally acclaimed scholars, Caspar Barlaeus and Gerardus Vossius, held their inaugural speeches here. In the course of the seventeenth century, Law, Medicine and Theology were introduced in the curriculum. Alumni (whilst it was still the Athenaeum) include Cornelis Petrus Tiele.

The Athenaeum remained a small institution until the nineteenth century, with no more than 250 students and eight teachers. This situation changed only slowly. In 1815 the Athenaeum Illustre was officially recognised as an institute of higher education. In 1877, Athenuem Illustre is reorganised to become the university of the municipality of Amsterdam. It became the Gemeentelijke Universiteit van Amsterdam (GU or 'Municipal University') and it received the right to confer doctoral degrees.

The professors were appointed by the city council and the mayor presided over the university administration. Because the Amsterdam city council was noted for its progressive politics this scheme guaranteed a large degree of intellectual freedom for the university.

Very little then changed until 1961, when the national government took control of financial responsibility. The university ceased to be the Gemeentelijke Universiteit and finally became the Universiteit van Amsterdam.

In 1969 the university became nationwide news when the university's administrative center at the Maagdenhuis was occupied by students who wanted more democratic influence. During the seventies and eighties the university was often the target of nationwide student actions.

Faculties

The University of Amsterdam has seven faculties which conduct education and research in the humanities, social and behavioural sciences, economics and business, law, science, medicine and dentistry. Each faculty is headed by a dean. Education and research take place in a variety of departments and institutes within the faculties. Each faculty also has a central services department which is responsible for its operational management.

1. Faculty of Dentistry
2. Faculty of Economics and Business
3. Faculty of Humanities
4. Faculty of Law
5. Faculty of Medicine
6. Faculty of Science
7. Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

The UvA aims to offer an inspiring, broadly-oriented international academic environment where both staff and students can develop their capacities optimally. The UvA is characterised by a critical, creative and international atmosphere, and is open-minded and strongly engaged with society. Because the UvA is located in both historic and modern buildings spread throughout Amsterdam, the University forms an integral part of the city.

University of Amsterdam ranked 49th in the 2009 THES-QS World University Ranking

Leicester University

The University was founded as Leicestershire and Rutland College in 1918. The site for the University was donated by a local textile manufacturer, Thomas Fielding Johnson, in order to create a living memorial for those who lost their lives in World War I. This is reflected in the University's motto Ut Vitam Habeant — 'so that they may have life'. The central building, now known as the Fielding Johnson building and housing the University's administration offices and Faculty of Law, dates from 1837 and was formerly the Leicestershire and Rutland Lunatic Asylum.

Students were first admitted to the college in 1921. In 1927, after it became University College, Leicester, students sat the examinations for external degrees of the University of London. In 1957 the college was granted its Royal Charter, and has since then had the status of a University with the right to award its own degrees. The University won the first ever series of University Challenge, in 1963.

Two names commonly associated with the University of Leicester are Richard and David Attenborough. Their father Frederick Attenborough was Principal of the University College from 1932 until 1951. The brothers grew up on the campus (with their younger brother John), in a house which is currently home to the careers service (and is now near to the Attenborough tower, the tallest building on the campus and home to many of the arts and humanities departments). They were educated at the adjacent grammar school before attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the University of Cambridge respectively. Both have maintained links with the university - David Attenborough was made an honorary Doctor of Letters in 1970 and opened the Attenborough Arboretum in Knighton in 1997. In the same year, the Richard Attenborough Centre for Disability and the Arts was opened by Diana, Princess of Wales. Both brothers were made Distinguished Honorary Fellows of the University at the 13 July 2006 afternoon degree ceremony.History

The University of Leicester is one of the older universities in the country. Founded in 1921 with nine students, the fledgling college gained full degree-awarding powers in 1957 when it was granted its Royal Charter.

The site for the University was given by a local textile manufacturer, Thomas Fielding Johnson, in order to create a living memorial for those who gave their lives in the First World War. This is reflected in the University motto 'Ut Vitam Habeant' - so that they may have life.

Famous names associated with the University include: Lord Richard and Sir David Attenborough; poet Philip Larkin; authors C.P. Snow, Malcolm Bradbury and Sue Townsend; astronaut Jeff Hoffman; astronomers Patrick Moore and Heather Couper; TV personalities Michael Nicholson and Sue Cook; the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir John Stevens; the Government's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Liam Donaldson and comic Bob Mortimer.

1. Academics
2. The University is organised into six faculties:
3. Faculty of Medicine and Biological Sciences
4. Faculty of Arts
5. Faculty of Law
6. Faculty of Science
7. Faculty of Social Sciences (expanded in 2004 to include the Faculty of Education)
8. Faculty of Engineering

Leceister University ranked:

1. 185th in the 2007 THES-QS World University Ranking
2. 177th in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking
3. 196th in the 2009 THES-QS World University Ranking
4. 169th in the 2010 QS World University Ranking
5. 195th in the 2011 QS World University Rankings

Free University of Berlin

History

It was founded in 1948 by students and staff who were relegated because of their political views from Humboldt University of Berlin, formerly the traditional Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität of Berlin, and at that time controlled by the authorities in the Soviet sector. In 1968, it was the center of the left-wing German student movement in parallel to that in Paris, London, and Berkeley. Activists of that time included the SDS and Rudi Dutschke. By the 1980s, it had become the largest German university with 66,000 students. With the restructuring of the Humboldt University after the German reunification, the Freie Universität Berlin was downsized to about 38,000 students in the 1990s.

Freie Universität Berlin is a leading research institution. It is one of nine German universities that met with success in all three funding lines in the federal and state Excellence Initiative, thereby receiving additional funding for its institutional future development strategy. Freie Universität can thus take its place as an “International Network university” in the global competition among universities. Its future development strategy is focused around three strategic centers: for cluster development, for international exchange, and for graduate studies. Development and assessment of research projects takes place within three major focus areas – area studies, humanities, and life sciences. Freie Universität has various offices abroad, e.g., in New York, Beijing, and Moscow, that provide a platform for international cooperation. The university’s performance in the Excellence Initiative has provided funding for several new graduate schools and transdisciplinary research clusters.

The Times Higher Education Supplement world rankings in Arts and Humanities of 2008 place the FU Berlin 3rd best in Europe, and 24th in the world.

Departments

1. The university has 12 departments, three interdisciplinary central institutes and other central service institutions:
2. Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy
3. Business and Economics
4. Earth Sciences
5. History and Cultural Studies
6. Law
7. Mathematics and Computer Science
8. Medicine (Charité - University Medicine Berlin)
9. Pedagogy and Psychology
10. Philosophy and Humanities