University of Chicago
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2008-07-16T23:00:25Z
69.154.135.46
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{{Infobox_University
|image_name=Uchicagoseal.png
|name=The University of Chicago
|motto=''Crescat scientia; vita excolatur'' ([[Latin]])
|mottoeng=Let knowledge grow from more to more; and so be human life enriched<ref name="Motto Translation">{{cite web | title=About the University | year=2007 | publisher=The University of Chicago | url=http://www.uchicago.edu/uchi/about/ | accessdate=2007-04-20}}</ref>
|established=1890 by [[John D. Rockefeller]]
|type=[[Private university|Private]] nondenominational coeducational
|calendar= Quarter
|president=[[Robert Zimmer]]
|city=[[Chicago]]
|state=[[Illinois|IL]]
|campus=[[urban area|Urban]], 211 acres (850,000 m²)
|undergrad=4,901
|postgrad=9,820
|faculty=2,168
|staff=14,772 employees (includes [[University of Chicago Medical Center|Medical Center]])
|athletics = [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] [[Division III]] [[University Athletic Association|UAA]]
|nickname=[[Chicago Maroons|Maroons]]
|mascot=[[Phoenix (mythology)|Phoenix]]
|endowment=[[United States dollar|US $]]6.2 [[1000000000 (number)|billion]]<ref name="endowment1">{{cite web | title=University of Chicago | year=2007 | publisher=The University of Chicago | url=http://news.uchicago.edu/more/facts.php | accessdate=2007-06-30}}</ref>
|nobel_laureates = 81<ref>[http://www-news.uchicago.edu/resources/nobel/ University of Chicago Nobel Laureates], University of Chicago Nobel Laureates</ref>
|website=[http://www.uchicago.edu/ www.uchicago.edu]
|colors=Maroon and White {{color box|maroon}} {{color box|white}}
|logo= [[Image:UniversityofChicagoSealTEXT.png|250px|The University of Chicago Logo]]
|}}
The '''University of Chicago''' is a [[private university]] located principally in the [[Hyde Park, Chicago|Hyde Park]] neighborhood of [[Chicago]]. Founded by the oil magnate [[John D. Rockefeller]], the University has traditionally dated its establishment to [[July 1]], [[1891]], when [[William Rainey Harper]] became President and the first member of the faculty. The University of Chicago held its first classes on [[October 1]], [[1892]].<ref>Robertson, David Allan (1918). ''The Quarter-Centennial Celebration of the University of Chicago'', Chicago: University of Chicago Press.</ref> Chicago was one of the first universities in the [[United States]] to be conceived as a combination of the American [[liberal arts college]] and the German [[university|research university]]. Notorious for its uniquely rigorous devotion to [[academia|academic scholarship]] and [[intellectualism|intellectual life]], the University of Chicago is sometimes jokingly referred to as the school "where fun comes to die."<ref>[http://librarian.lishost.org/?p=949 Librarian » Blog Archive » The University of Chicago: “Where Fun Goes to Die.”<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
Associated with 81 [[Nobel Prize]] laureates, the University of Chicago is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost universities. Historically, the university is noted for the unique undergraduate [[core curriculum]] pioneered by [[Robert Hutchins]] in the [[1930s]], and for influential academic movements such as the [[Chicago school (economics)|Chicago School of Economics]], the [[Chicago school (sociology)|Chicago School of Sociology]], and the [[law and economics|Law and Economics]] movement in legal analysis. The University of Chicago was the site of the world's first man-made self-sustaining [[nuclear reaction]]. It is also home to the [[Committee on Social Thought]], an interdisciplinary graduate research program, and to the largest [[List of university presses|university press]] in the United States.<ref name="press">{{cite web | title=Duffy is named Director of the University Press | year=[[April 27]], [[2000]] | publisher=The University of Chicago Chronicle | url=http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/000427/duffy.shtml | accessdate=2006-04-30}}</ref>
==Campus==
===Hyde Park campus===
[[Image:MidwayView1.JPG|thumb|400px|left|The [[Midway Plaisance]], with several towers of the Main Quadrangle.]]
The University of Chicago is principally located seven miles (11 km) south of [[Chicago Loop|downtown Chicago]], in the [[Hyde Park, Chicago|Hyde Park]] and [[Woodlawn, Chicago|Woodlawn]] neighborhoods. The campus is bisected by [[Frederick Law Olmsted]]'s [[Midway Plaisance]], a large linear park created for the [[1893 World's Fair]]. While the bulk of the campus is located north of the Midway, some of the professional schools are located south of the Midway. The quadrangles of the main campus feature a [[botanical garden]] and [[neo-Gothic architecture|neo-Gothic]] buildings constructed mostly out of [[limestone]] in the late 19th century. The tallest building is [[Rockefeller Chapel]], designed by [[Bertram Goodhue]]. Buildings of the original quadrangles were deliberately patterned after the layouts of [[University of Oxford|Oxford University]] and [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge University]]. Mitchell Tower, for example, is a smaller-sized reproduction of Oxford's [[Magdalen Tower (Britain)|Magdalen Tower]],<ref name="mitchell">{{cite web | title=Architectural Details | year=December 2002 | publisher=The University of Chicago Magazine | url=http://magazine.uchicago.edu/0212/alumni/arch.html | accessdate=2006-04-30}}</ref> and the University Commons, [[Hutchinson Hall, University of Chicago|Hutchinson Hall]], is a duplicate of Oxford's [[Christ Church, Oxford|Christ Church]] Hall.<ref name="hutchinson">{{cite web | title=University of Chicago College/English Dictionary | year=2008 | publisher=The University of Chicago | url=https://classof2008.uchicago.edu/insiders_guide/dictionary.cfm | accessdate=2006-04-30}}</ref>
Contemporary buildings have attempted to complement the style of the original architecture. Notable examples include the Laird Bell Law Quadrangle by [[Eero Saarinen]], the School of Social Service Administration by [[Ludwig Mies van der Rohe]], and the [[Robie House]] by [[Frank Lloyd Wright]]. The largest modern addition is the [[Regenstein Library]], designed by architect [[Walter Netsch]] and constructed on the grounds of the former [[Stagg Field]], the site of the [[Metallurgical Laboratory|world's first nuclear reaction]].
The Hyde Park campus is also home to the [[Oriental Institute, Chicago|Oriental Institute]], an internationally renowned [[archeology]] [[museum]] and research center for ancient [[Near Eastern]] studies. The Institute is housed in an unusual [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] and [[Art Deco]] building designed by the architectural firm [[Mayers Murray & Phillip]]. The Museum has artifacts from digs in [[Egypt]], [[Israel]], [[Syria]], [[Turkey]], [[Iraq]], and [[Iran]]. Notable possessions include the famous [[Megiddo Ivories]], various treasures from [[Persepolis]], the old [[Iran|Persian]] capital, a 40-ton human-headed winged [[lamassu]] from [[Khorsabad]], the capital of [[Sargon II]], and a monumental [[statue]] of [[Tutankhamun|King Tutankhamun]].
Across the street from the Oriental Institute is the [[Seminary Co-op]] bookstore, located in the basement of the [[Chicago Theological Seminary]]. The Co-op stocks the largest selection of academic volumes in the [[United States]].<ref name="seminary">{{cite web | title=Seminary Co-op Bookstore | publisher=Metromix | url=http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/search/27594,0,2064020.venue | accessdate=2006-09-03}}</ref>
[[Image:Rosenwald-Hall-Szmurlo.jpg|thumb|400px|right|Julius Rosenwald Hall]]
A recent two billion dollar campaign has brought unprecedented expansion to the campus, including the unveiling of the [[Max Palevsky Residential Commons]], the [[Gerald Ratner Athletics Center]], a new hospital and a new science building. The Jules and Gwen Knapp Center for Biomedical Discovery, a ten-story medical research center, as well as further additions to the medical campus are currently under construction.<ref name="knapp">{{cite web | title=$25 million gift from Jules and Gwen Knapp will help build 10-story medical research facility at the University of Chicago | publisher=The University of Chicago | url=http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/06/060210.knapp.shtml | accessdate=2006-06-11}}</ref> In the next stage of its campaign, the university plans to revamp and consolidate residence halls, some of which are far from campus and aging poorly. A new residence hall south of the midway is expected to open in September 2009.<ref name="dorm2009">{{cite web | title=High costs delay, downsize new dorm | year=[[April 13]], [[2007]] | publisher=The Chicago Maroon | url=http://maroon.uchicago.edu/online_edition/news/2007/04/13/high-costs-delay-downsize-new-dorm/}}</ref>
===Satellite campuses===
The University of Chicago also maintains a number of facilities apart from its main campus. The university's [[University of Chicago Graduate School of Business|Graduate School of Business]] maintains campuses in [[Singapore]], [[London]] and in downtown Chicago, while the Paris Center, a campus located on the [[Rive Gauche|left bank]] of the [[River Seine]] in [[Paris]], hosts various undergraduate and graduate study programs.
The university's [[Yerkes Observatory]], constructed in 1897 and located in [[Williams Bay, Wisconsin]], is home to the [[List of largest optical refracting telescopes|largest refracting telescope]] ever built.<ref> As of 2006, the University of Chicago is in the process of consummating a controversial proposed sale of the property to a real estate development firm, under plans which would preserve the historic building while devoting most of the land to homes and a resort complex.</ref> Although Yerkes was never able to match the observation conditions afforded by the mountaintop location of its main competitor, the [[Lick Observatory]], the telescope was a leader in astrophysics. Yerkes was the first telescope to determine the spiral structure of the [[Milky Way Galaxy]] and the first to observe carbon in [[stellar spectra]].
==History==
''Much of the information below is adapted from the University of Chicago's [http://maroon.uchicago.edu/news/articles/2006/02/03/plans_progress_for_d.php official website].''
===Founding===
The University of Chicago was founded by the American Baptist Education Society and oil magnate [[John D. Rockefeller]], who later called it "the best investment I ever made."<ref name="brief">{{cite web | title=A Brief History of the University of Chicago | year=2000 | publisher=The University of Chicago | url=http://www-news.uchicago.edu/resources/brief-history.html| accessdate=2006-04-30}}</ref> The University's founding was part of a wave of university foundings that followed the [[American Civil War]]. Incorporated in 1890, the University has dated its founding as [[July 1]], [[1891]], when [[William Rainey Harper]] became its first president. The first classes were held on [[October 1]], [[1892]], with an enrollment of 594 students and a faculty of 120, including eight former college presidents.<ref name="firstclasses">{{cite web | title=History and Purpose of the University of Chicago | publisher=The University of Chicago | url=http://catalogs.uchicago.edu/general-history.html| accessdate=2006-09-03}}</ref> Earlier references to University of Chicago rise from the incorporation of the "first" University of Chicago{{mdash}}a school Senator Stephen A. Douglas started with an 1856 grant.<ref>{{cite book | last = Goodspeed | first = Thomas Wakefield | title = A History of the University of Chicago | publisher = The University of Chicago Press | date = 1916 | location = Chicago | pages = 13 | isbn = }}</ref>
Westward migration, population growth, and industrialization had led to an increasing need for elite schools away from the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]], especially schools that would focus on issues vital to national development. Though Rockefeller was urged to build in [[New England]] or the [[Mid-Atlantic]] region of the United States, he ultimately chose Chicago. His choice reflected his strong desire to realize [[Thomas Jefferson]]'s dream of a natural meritocracy's rise to prominence, determined by talent rather than familial heritage. Rockefeller's early fiscal emphasis on the physics department showed his pragmatic, yet deeply intellectual, desires for the school.
Though founded under [[Baptist]] auspices, the University of Chicago has never had a sectarian affiliation. The school's traditions of rigorous scholarship were established primarily by Presidents [[William R. Harper|William Rainey Harper]] and [[Robert M. Hutchins|Robert Maynard Hutchins]]. Chicago opened its door to women and minorities from the very beginning, a time when they seldom had access to other leading universities. It was the first major university to enroll women on an equal basis with men,<ref name="women">{{cite book | year=1986 | publisher=Barron's |title=Barron's Profiles of American Colleges|pages=253|quote=The University of Chicago was founded in 1890 as a private, independent institution, and was the first major university to accept women as students on an equal basis with men.}}</ref> as well as the first major, predominantly white university to offer a black professor a tenured position, in 1947.<ref name="black">{{cite web | title=Ranking America's Leading Universities on Their Success in Integrating African Americans | publisher=The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education | url=http://www.jbhe.com/features/36_leading_universities.html | accessdate=2006-06-27}}</ref>
[[Image:UChicago Spring.jpg|thumb|400px|left|Ryerson Physical Laboratory, located on the Main Quadrangles.]]
Unlike many other American universities at the time (with the notable exception of [[Johns Hopkins University]]), the University of Chicago revolved around a number of graduate research institutions, following [[Education in Germany|Germanic precedent]]. The [[College of the University of Chicago]] remained quite small compared to its [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] peers until around the middle of the 20th century.
As a result, the graduate population of the university dwarfs the undergraduate population 2:1 to this day, while the university's undergraduate student body remains the third smallest amongst the top 10 national universities. The student-to-faculty ratio is 4:1, one of the lowest amongst national universities, and all faculty members are required to teach undergraduate courses.<ref name="ratio">{{cite web | title=Best 361 College Rankings: University of Chicago summary | publisher=The Princeton Review (registration required) | url=http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/profiles/generalinfo.asp?listing=1023043<id=1&intbucketid=&redirect=0 | accessdate=2006-08-20}}</ref><ref name="petersons">{{cite web | title=College Closeup: University of Chicago| publisher=Peterson's | url=http://www.petersons.com/ugchannel/code/idd.asp?sponsor=36&inunId=9162#The%20University | accessdate=2006-08-19}}</ref>
===Presidency of Robert Hutchins===
During his presidency, Robert Maynard Hutchins met with the president of rival [[Northwestern University]] to discuss the future of the two institutions through the [[Great Depression|Depression]] and the looming war. Hutchins concluded that, in order to secure the future of both universities, it was in the best interest of both for the two campuses to merge as the "Universities of Chicago", with Northwestern's campus serving as the site for undergraduate education and the Hyde Park campus serving as the graduate studies campus. President Hutchins' vision for what he hoped would become the preeminent university in the world eventually faltered amidst opposition from several groups, most notably Northwestern’s medical faculty. Hutchins called the episode "one of the lost opportunities of American education."<ref name="merger">{{cite web | title=The deal that almost was: 'The Universities of Chicago' | publisher=Northwestern University | url=http://www.northwestern.edu/features/historic_moments/04_05_01_merger.html | accessdate=2006-06-09}}</ref>
Starting in the 1930s, the university conducted a more successful experiment on the college. To make the university a preeminent undergraduate academic institution, administrators decided to implement President Hutchins' philosophy of [[Educational perennialism|Secular Perennialism]]. This led to the innovation of the [[common core]], an educational strategy in which students read original source materials rather than textbooks, and discuss them in small groups using the [[Socratic method]] rather than a lecture approach.<ref>Hutchins, Robert Maynard (1954). ''Great Books: The Foundation of a Liberal Education'', New York: Simon & Schuster.</ref> The common core is still an important feature of Chicago's undergraduate education. In addition to pioneering this new undergraduate curriculum, the university took steps to eliminate "distractions" such as varsity sports, fraternities, and religious organizations. This attracted [[free-thinkers]] such as [[Carl Sagan]] and [[Kurt Vonnegut]] to the university. The university succeeded in eliminating all varsity sports for 20 years and all but five fraternities (Alpha Delta Phi, Delta Upsilon, Phi Delta Theta, Phi Gamma Delta, and Psi Upsilon), although three of the eliminated fraternities were re-chartered in the 1980s (Alpha Epsilon Pi, Delta Kappa Epsilon, and Sigma Phi Epsilon).
===Science at Chicago===
In addition to its contributions to [[higher education]], the University of Chicago made significant contributions to 20th century science. In 1909 Professor [[Robert Millikan]] performed the historic [[oil-drop experiment]] in the Ryerson Physical Laboratory on the university campus.<ref name="oildrop">{{cite web | title= Historical Sketch, 1893-1986 | publisher=The University of Chicago Department of Physics | url=http://physics.uchicago.edu/historical_sketch.html}}</ref> This experiment allowed Millikan to calculate the charge of an [[electron]] and paved the way for the theory of [[quantum mechanics]] in the 1940s. The American Physical Society now designates Ryerson Laboratory a historic physics site.<ref name="historicphysics">{{cite web | title= American Physical Society to commemorate University of Chicago as historic physics site in honor of Nobel laureate Robert Millikan | publisher=The University of Chicago News Office | url=http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/06/061128.millikan.shtml}}</ref>
As part of the [[Manhattan Project]], University of Chicago chemists, led by [[Glenn T. Seaborg]], began to study the newly manufactured radioactive element [[plutonium]]. The [[George Herbert Jones Laboratory]] was the site where, for the first time, a trace quantity of this new element was isolated and measured in September 1942. This procedure enabled chemists to determine the new element's atomic weight. Room 405 of the building was named a [[National Historic Landmark]] in May 1967.<ref name="plutonium">{{cite web | title=Room 405, George Herbert Jones Laboratory | publisher=National Park Service | url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail2.cfm?ResourceId=735&Date=1995&Ownership=Private&priorityname=Priority1&ResourceType=Building| accessdate=2006-09-09}}</ref>
[[Image:Nuclearmonument.jpg|right|thumb|250px| [[Henry Moore]]'s ''Atomic Energy'' on the site of the first self sustained nuclear chain reaction.]]
On [[December 2]], [[1942]], scientists achieved the [[Metallurgical Laboratory|world's first self-sustained nuclear reaction]] at [[Stagg Field]] on the campus of the university under the direction of professor [[Enrico Fermi]]. A sculpture by [[Henry Moore]] marks the spot, now deemed a [[National Historic Landmark]], where the nuclear reaction took place. Stagg Field has since been demolished to make way for the [[Regenstein Library]].
In addition to its groundbreaking work in [[physics]], the University of Chicago is recognized for numerous other important scientific discoveries.<ref name="research">{{cite web | title=Faculty and Research | year=Unknown date| publisher=The University of Chicago | url=http://www.uchicago.edu/docs/factbook/discovery.shtml| accessdate=2006-04-30}}</ref> These include
* The technique of [[carbon-14 dating]], developed in 1949 by [[Willard Frank Libby]] and his team during his tenure as a professor at the university. Libby was awarded the [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] in 1960 for this discovery.
* The discovery of the atmosphere's [[jet stream]].
* The discovery of [[REM sleep]].
* The procedure for the nation's first living-donor [[liver transplant]].<ref name="petersons">{{cite web | title=College Closeup: University of Chicago| publisher=Peterson's | url=http://www.petersons.com/ugchannel/code/idd.asp?sponsor=36&inunId=9162#The%20University | accessdate=2006-08-19}}</ref>
* The famous [[Miller-Urey experiment]], considered to be the classic experiment on the origin of life.
* The development of [[agent orange]], a highly-toxic [[herbicide]] that would gain notoriety for its use during the [[Vietnam War]].<ref name="orange">{{cite web | title=Agent Orange | year=Unknown date| publisher=U-S-History.com | url=http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1860.html| accessdate=2006-07-03}}</ref>
*Prediction of white dwarfs and black holes by [[S Chandrasekhar]], [[Nobel Prize in Physics]] in 1983
===Arts at Chicago===
Although the University of Chicago is better known for its academic and scientific achievements, its students and faculty have also made significant contributions to the arts. In 1955, the University of Chicago became the birthplace of [[improvisational comedy]] with the formation of the undergraduate comedy troupe, the [[Compass Players]].<ref name="improv">{{cite web | title=Some students walk into a bar... | year=October 2005| publisher=The University of Chicago Magazine | url=http://magazine.uchicago.edu/0510/peer/students.shtml| accessdate=2006-04-30}}</ref> In 1959, alumnus [[Paul Sills]], who many consider the father of improvisational theater, founded [[The Second City]] along with [[Bernard Sahlins]], also a graduate of the University. Since its founding, [[The Second City]] Theater has inspired other comedy troupes such as [[Saturday Night Live]], as well as serving as an incubator for artists such as [[Alan Arkin]], [[Mike Nichols]], [[Harold Ramis]], [[Bill Murray]], [[Mike Myers (actor)|Mike Myers]], [[Steven Colbert]], [[Tina Fey]], and [[Steve Carell]].<ref name="Paul Sills, father of Second City improv, dies at 80">{{cite web | title="Paul Sills, father of Second City improv, dies at 80" | year=2008| publisher=Chicago Tribune | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-paul-sills-obit-0603jun03,0,7097665.story| accessdate=2008-06-03}}</ref>
In 1964, Professor [[Ralph Shapey]] founded the [[University of Chicago Contemporary Chamber Players]], one of the oldest and most successful professional new music groups in the nation. The Contemporary Chamber Players, also known as "contempo," has given over eighty world premieres of established and emerging composers.<ref name="contempo">{{cite web | title="contempo" | year=2008| publisher=The University of Chicago | url=http://contempo.uchicago.edu/hist_mission.html| accessdate=2008-06-03}}</ref>
While teaching on the [[Committee on Social Thought]], Professor [[Saul Bellow]] wrote several best-selling novels, including ''[[Herzog (novel)|Herzog]]'' in 1964 and ''[[Humboldt's Gift]]'' in 1975, for which he was awarded the 1976 [[Pulitzer Prize for Fiction]] and [[Nobel Prize in Literature]].<ref>{{cite book|last = Slater|first = Elinor|coauthors = Robert Slater|title = Great Jewish Men|publisher = Jonathan David Company|date = 1996|pages = 42|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=T91sokr_nJYC&dq=great+jewish+men|chapter = SAUL BELLOW: Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature|chapterurl = http://books.google.com/books?id=T91sokr_nJYC&pg=PA41&vq=saul+bellow&dq=%22saul+bellow%22+naturalized+citizen&sig=Z1uJ1PxtO0mB-Zh_Fnzvv17WQgI
|isbn = 0824603818|accessdate = 2008-06-11}}</ref>
The University of Chicago also founded [[The Renaissance Society]] in 1915, which is devoted to the exhibition of contemporary art. The Society's 1934 exhibition of [[Alexander Calder]]'s "[[mobile]]" and its 1936 survey of paintings and drawings by [[Ferdinand Leger]] were the first solo exhibitions of these artists in the United States.<ref name="The Renaissance Society">{{cite web | title="The Renaissance Society" | year=2008| publisher=The Renaissance Society | url=http://www.renaissancesociety.org/site/General_Information.3.html| accessdate=2008-06-03}}</ref>
===1950s–1980s===
In the early 1950s, student applications declined as a result of increasing crime and poverty in the Hyde Park neighborhood. In response, the university became a major sponsor of a controversial [[urban renewal]] project for Hyde Park, which profoundly affected both the neighborhood's architecture and street plan. For details of this urban renewal effort, see [[Hyde Park, Chicago| Hyde Park]].
[[Image:Rockefeller Chapel.jpg|thumb|400px|left|The [[Rockefeller Chapel]], the tallest structure on campus.]]
In 1959, the university’s literary journal the ''Chicago Review'', edited by Irving Rosenthal and [[Paul Carroll]], published excerpts from [[William S. Burroughs]]’ experimental novel ''[[Naked Lunch]].'' The material appeared in the Spring 1958 edition. The university was criticized for publishing fiction deemed [[obscene]] by a columnist in the ''Chicago Daily News'' and suppressed the Winter 1959 issue, which contained more material from the ''Naked Lunch'' manuscript. The university administration fired Rosenthal and Carroll, who regarded the university's attempt at suppressing ''Naked Lunch'' as [[censorship]].<ref> Brennan, Gerald E. "Naked Censorship: The True Story of the University of Chicago and William S. Burroughs’s Naked Lunch, Part I", ''Chicago Reader'' 24:52 ([[September 29]], [[1995]]): 17-18. Excerpt available online at: http://humanities.uchicago.edu/orgs/review/60th/14burroughsindex.shtml </ref>
The University experienced its share of student unrest during the 1960s, beginning in 1962, when students occupied President George Beadle's office in a protest over the University's off-campus rental policies. In 1969, more than 400 students, angry about the dismissal of a popular professor, Marlene Dixon, occupied the Administration Building for two weeks. After the sit-in ended, when Dixon turned down a one-year reappointment, 42 students were expelled and 81 were suspended, <ref>[http://alumniweekend.uchicago.edu/reu-72-scrap.shtml The University of Chicago - Alumni Weekend<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> the most severe response to student occupations of any American university during the student movement.<ref>{{cite web|first=Eileen|last=Boris|title=Voices of Women Historians: The Personal, the Political, the Professional|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=2BHlbO6eJrQC&pg=PA33&lpg=PA33&source=web&ots=KUgwwHV8dP&sig=rtafr4hjVRsxxbpzEPgycuyFdNA|accessdate=2008-06-11}}</ref> A few months later, junior professor and SDS founder Richard Flacks was attacked in his office by an unknown assailant, and nearly beaten to death.<ref>Rheingold, Robert. "[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE6DA1239F93BA35752C0A96F948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2 The Past Examined]," ''New York Times'' (January 8, 1989)</ref>
In 1978, [[Hanna Holborn Gray]], then the provost of [[Yale University]], became President of the University of Chicago, the first woman ever to serve as the president of a major research university.
===1990s–present===
[[Image:Max-palevsky-night.jpg|thumb|300px|Max Palevsky Residential Commons]]
In 1990, the Consortium on Chicago School Research (CCSR) was created after the passage of the Chicago School Reform Act that decentralized governance of the city's public schools. Researchers at the University of Chicago joined with researchers from [[Chicago Public Schools]] and other organizations to form CCSR with the imperative to study this landmark restructuring and its long-term effects. Since then CCSR has undertaken research on many of Chicago's [[education reform|school reform]] efforts, some of which have been embraced by other cities as well. Thus, CCSR studies have also informed broader national movements in public education.
In 1999, then-President [[Hugo F. Sonnenschein|Hugo Sonnenschein]] announced plans to relax the university's famed [[core curriculum]], reducing the number of required courses from 21 to 15. When ''[[The New York Times]]'', ''[[The Economist]]'', and other major news outlets picked up this story, the university became the focal point of a national debate on education. The National Association of Scholars, for example, released a statement saying, "''It is truly depressing to observe a steady abandonment of the University of Chicago's once imposing undergraduate core curriculum, which for so long stood as the benchmark of content and rigor among American academic institutions.''"<ref name="depressing">{{cite web | title=NAS Criticizes Changes in Chicago Undergraduate Core | year=[[April 16]], [[2002]]| publisher=National Association of Scholars | url=http://www.nas.org/print/pressreleases/hqnas/releas_16apr02.htm| accessdate=2006-04-30}}</ref> The changes were ultimately implemented, but the controversy led to Sonnenschein's resignation in 2000.
In 2006, the University of Chicago's [[Oriental Institute, Chicago|Oriental Institute]] became the center of controversy when [[U.S. federal courts]] [[Chicago's Persian heritage crisis|ruled to seize and auction its valuable collection]] of ancient [[Persia]]n artifacts, the proceeds of which would go to compensate the victims of a [[Ben Yehuda Street Bombing|1997 bombing in Jerusalem]] that the United States believes was funded by [[Iran]]. The ruling threatens the university's invaluable collection of ancient [[clay tablet]]s held by the Oriental Institute since the 1930s but officially owned by Iran.
In 2007, the University of Chicago received an anonymous alumni donation of $100 million. The donation will be used as the cornerstone of a $400 million undergraduate student aid initiative. Beginning in the fall of 2008, students will be eligible for enhanced financial aid packages called Odyssey Scholarships, which hopes to eliminate student loans entirely among students whose annual family income is less than $60,000 and to eliminate half the student loan packages among students whose annual family income is between $60,000 and $75,000. The College expects nearly a quarter of the entire College population to benefit from the program.<ref name="donation">{{cite web | title=Alumnus’ $100 million gift launches new Odyssey scholarship program | year=[[June 7]], [[2007]]| publisher=The University of Chicago Chronicle | url=http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/070607/anonymousgift.shtml| accessdate=2007-06-19}}</ref>
In 2008, the University of Chicago announced plans to establish the [[Milton Friedman]] Institute. Friedman, a Nobel Laureate in economics, received his M.A. in economics from the university in 1933 and was a professor at the University of Chicago for over thirty years. The institute will cost around $200 million and occupy the buildings of the [[Chicago Theological Seminary]].
==Academics==
[[Image:Snowy UChicago.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Jones and Kent Halls covered in snow on the central quads.]]
===Specific programs===
The University of Chicago's [[economics]] department is particularly well-known. In fact, an entire school of thought (the [[Chicago school (economics)|Chicago School of Economics]]) bears its name. Led by [[Nobel Prize]] laureates such as [[Milton Friedman]], [[Ronald Coase]], [[George Stigler]], [[Gary Becker]], [[Robert Lucas, Jr.|Robert Lucas]], [[James Heckman]], [[Robert Fogel]], and [[Roger Myerson]], the university's economics department has played an important role in shaping ideas about the [[free market]].<ref>Kasper, Sherryl (2002) ''The Revival of Laissez-Faire in American Macroeconomic Theory: A Case Study of Its Pioneers''. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN 1840646063</ref> The [[Chicago school (economics)|Chicago School of Economics]] is also famous for applying economic principles to every aspect of human life, as demonstrated by University of Chicago Professor [[Steven Levitt]] in his best-selling book, ''[[Freakonomics]]''.
The university is also known for creating the first [[sociology]] department in the United States, which later gave birth to the [[Chicago school (sociology)|Chicago School of Sociology]]. Scholars affiliated with this school are considered pioneers in the field and include [[Albion Woodbury Small|Albion Small]], [[George Herbert Mead]], [[Robert E. Park]], [[W. I. Thomas]], and [[Ernest Burgess]].<ref name="sociology">{{cite web | title=Department of Sociology | publisher=The University of Chicago | url=http://sociology.uchicago.edu/ | accessdate=2006-04-30}}</ref>
The university is home to several committees for interdisciplinary scholarship, the most famous of which is the [[Committee on Social Thought]]. One of several Ph.D-granting committees at the university, it was started in 1941 by University of Chicago president [[Robert Maynard Hutchins]] along with historian John U. Nef, economist [[Frank Knight]], and anthropologist [[Robert Redfield]]. The committee is interdisciplinary, but it is not centered on any specific topic. Since its inception, the committee has drawn together noted academics and writers to "foster awareness of the permanent questions at the origin of all learned inquiry".<ref name="socialthought">{{cite web | title=The Committee on Social Thought | publisher=The University of Chicago | url=http://socialthought.uchicago.edu/Introduction.htm | accessdate=2006-06-14}}</ref> Members of the committee have included [[Hannah Arendt]], [[T. S. Eliot]], [[David Grene]], [[Leo Strauss]], [[Allan Bloom]], [[Friedrich von Hayek]], [[Leon Kass]], [[Mark Strand]], [[Wayne Booth]], Joseph Rutherford Hicks, and [[J.M. Coetzee]].<ref name="socialthought">{{cite web | title=The Committee on Social Thought | publisher=The University of Chicago | url=http://socialthought.uchicago.edu/Introduction.htm | accessdate=2006-06-14}}</ref>
The Council on Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences and Humanities administers over seventy interdisciplinary workshops, which provide a forum for graduate students, faculty, and visiting scholars to present scholarly work in progress. The council is composed of faculty from the Social Sciences and Humanities divisions and the Divinity School who set policy for the council and approve new workshops for funding. The focus of the workshops varies depending on the interests of the student and faculty participants, but tend to focus on a thematic, geographic, temporal area of study.<ref name=CAS>{{cite web | title= about CAS | year=[[November 17]], [[2007]] | publisher=The Council on Advanced Studis| url=http://cas.uchicago.edu/| accessdate=2007-11-17}}</ref>
In 1983, the University of Chicago implemented the [[University of Chicago School Mathematics Project]], a comprehensive mathematics program for students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Today, an estimated 3.5 to 4 million students in elementary and secondary schools in every state and virtually every major urban area are now using UCSMP materials.<ref name="ucsmp">{{cite web | title=The University of Chicago School Mathematics Project (UCSMP) | publisher=The University of Chicago | url=http://socialsciences.uchicago.edu/ucsmp/ | accessdate=2006-05-28}}</ref>
The University of Chicago, [[as of 2009]], offers undergraduate instruction in at least 47 foreign languages, ancient and modern.<ref name="coursecatalog">{{cite web | title=Courses & Programs of Study 2008-2009 | publisher=The University of Chicago | url=http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/programs/index.shtml | accessdate=2008-07-04}} The languages offered at present include, according to the catalog, [[Akkadian]], [[American Sign Language]], [[Anatolian languages|Ancient Anatolian Languages]], [[Ancient Greek]], [[Arabic]], [[Aramaic]], [[Armenian language|Armenian]], [[Bengali]], [[Bosnian language|Bosnian]]/[[Croatian]]/[[Serbian language|Serbian]], [[Catalan]], [[Chinese language|Chinese]], [[Czech language|Czech]], [[Egyptian]], [[French language|French]], [[Ge'ez]], [[German language|German]], [[Hebrew]], [[Hindi]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Japanese language|Japanese]], [[Kazakh]], [[Korean language|Korean]], [[Latin]], [[Marathi]], [[Modern Greek]], [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]], [[Pali]], [[Persian language|Persian]], [[Polish language|Polish]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Romany]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Sanskrit]], [[Slavic languages|Slavic]], [[South Slavic languages|South Slavic]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Swahili]], [[Sumerian]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Telugu language|Telugu]], [[Tibetan language|Tibetan]], [[Turkish language|Turkish]], [[Ugaritic]], [[Urdu]], [[Uzbek]], and [[Yiddish]]. </ref>
===Divisions and schools===
[[Image:Eckhart Hall.jpg|thumb|400px|left|Eckhart Hall, located on the East Quadrangles.]]
The University of Chicago currently maintains twelve units: [[The College of the University of Chicago|the College]], four divisions of graduate research, six professional schools, and the Graham School of General Studies. The University of Chicago also operates the Library, the Press, the Lab Schools, and the Hospitals.
Faculty and students at the adjacent [[Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago]] also collaborate closely with the university.<ref name="toyota">{{cite web | title=About TTI-C | year=2006 | publisher=Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago | url=http://www.tti-c.org/about.html | accessdate=2006-09-03 }}</ref> Although formally unrelated, the [[National Opinion Research Center]] (NORC) is also located on the campus, and many faculty members and graduate students hold research appointments at NORC.
The university also operates the [[University of Chicago Laboratory Schools]] (from [[day care]] through [[high school]], founded by [[John Dewey]] and considered one of the leading [[University-preparatory school|preparatory schools]] in the United States), the Hyde Park Day Schools (for the learning disabled of otherwise exceptional ability), and the Orthogenic School (a residential treatment program for those with behavioral and emotional problems).<ref name="lab">{{cite web | title=About the Lab Schools | year=2005 | publisher=The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools | url=http://www.ucls.uchicago.edu/about/ | accessdate=2006-09-03 }}</ref> The university also administers four unaffiliated public [[charter schools]] on the [[South side (Chicago)|South Side]] of Chicago.
The [[University of Chicago Press]] is the largest [[university press]] in the country.<ref name="press">{{cite web | title=Duffy is named Director of the University Press | year=[[April 27]], [[2000]] | publisher=The University of Chicago Chronicle | url=http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/000427/duffy.shtml | accessdate=2006-04-30}}</ref> It publishes a wide array of scholarly and academic texts, including the influential ''[[Chicago Manual of Style]]'', as well as several academic journals, including ''[[Critical Inquiry]]''.
The University of Chicago's library system is also one of the largest in the country. The university's [[Regenstein Library]] is committed to providing physical, "browsable" access to print books in a single location, rather than relying on offsite storage as many libraries do. In 2005, funding was approved for the construction of a {{convert|308000|sqft|m2|-2|sing=on}} addition to the library to accommodate an expansion of its collection. When the expansion is complete, the Regenstein will contain the largest browsable collection of print volumes in the United States.<ref name="biggestlibrary">{{cite web | title=University of Chicago to Get $42-Million Library Expansion | year=2005 | publisher=ALA | url=http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2005abc/june2005a/uchicago.cfm | accessdate=2007-09-19}}</ref> The university expects to finish construction by winter of 2009.<ref name="regexpansion">{{cite web | title=Regenstein Library Addition | year=2006 | publisher=The University of Chicago | url=http://facilities.uchicago.edu/campusconstruction/projects/c-regenstein.shtml | accessdate=2006-09-09 }}</ref> The "Reg", as it is commonly called by students, is noted for its exceptional breadth and depth of material. In its 2007 rankings, the ''[[Princeton Review]]'' ranked it among the top college libraries in the country.<ref name="library2">{{cite web | title=Best 361 College Rankings: Best College Library | year=2007 | publisher=The Princeton Review (registration required) | url=http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/rankings/rankingDetails.asp?CategoryID=1&TopicID=12 | accessdate=2006-07-27 }}</ref>
The [[John Crerar Library]] is recognized as one of the best libraries in the country for research and teaching in the sciences, medicine, and technology and maintains more than 1.3 million volumes in the biological, medical and physical sciences as well as collections in general science and the philosophy and history of science, medicine, and technology.<ref>http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/crerar/about.html visited 2007-01-25</ref> Students in the College have access to all of the university’s special libraries, including the D’Angelo Law Library, Yerkes Observatory Library for astronomy and astrophysics, the Social Service Administration Library, and the Eckhart Library for mathematics and computer science.<ref name="petersons">{{cite web | title=College Closeup: University of Chicago| publisher=Peterson's | url=http://www.petersons.com/ugchannel/code/idd.asp?sponsor=36&inunId=9162#The%20University | accessdate=2006-08-19}}</ref>
Chicago also operates a number of off-campus scientific research institutions, including the [[Argonne National Laboratory]], part of the [[United States Department of Energy|United States Department of Energy's]] national laboratory system. The university also owns and operates the [[Oriental Institute, Chicago|Oriental Institute]] and has a stake in the [[Apache Point Observatory]] in [[Sunspot, New Mexico|Sunspot]], [[New Mexico]]. It is also a founding member of the [[Committee on Institutional Cooperation]].
In February 2006, the University of Chicago announced its bid for a [[U.S. Department of Energy]] contract to obtain complete management rights to the [[Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory]], which maintains the [[Tevatron]], the world's highest-energy particle accelerator. Fermilab is currently one of the world's preeminent centers for research in the fields of [[elementary particle physics]] and [[astrophysics]].<ref name="astrophysics">{{cite web | title=URA and the University of Chicago announce partnership for the management of Fermilab | year=[[February 9]], [[2006]] | publisher=The University of Chicago | url=http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/06/060209.fermilab.shtml | accessdate=2006-04-30}}</ref> On [[November 1]], [[2006]], the Department of Energy announced that the Fermi Research Alliance, LLC (FRA), led by the University of Chicago, would manage Fermilab for five years starting [[January 1]], [[2007]]. The FRA is a partnership between the Universities Research Association (URA) and the University of Chicago. Based on its performance, the FRA may be entitled to renew this contract without competition for up to 20 years.
<center>{{UChicago2}}</center>
===Undergraduate college===
{{main|College of the University of Chicago}}
[[Image:AQuadBuilding1.JPG|thumb|400px|right|Buildings such as these within the main quadrangle epitomize the neo-Gothic architecture that is present throughout the campus.]]
'''The College of the University of Chicago''' grants [[Bachelor of Arts]] and [[Bachelor of Science]] degrees in 52 majors and 14 minors in the biological, physical, and social sciences, as well as in the humanities and interdisciplinary areas. A major may provide a comprehensive understanding of a well-defined field, such as anthropology or mathematics, or it may be an interdisciplinary program such as African and African-American studies, environmental studies, biological chemistry, or cinema and media studies. A full list of offered majors and minors is available within the college's [[College of the University of Chicago|main article]].
Undergraduate students must undergo a rigorous [[core curriculum]], the goal of which is to impart an education that is both timeless and a vehicle for interdisciplinary debate. Students must take courses designed to foster critical skills in a broad range of academic disciplines, including history, literature, science, mathematics, writing, and critical reasoning. Core curriculum classes at Chicago contain no more than 25 students and are generally led by a full-time professor (as opposed to a [[teaching assistant]]).<ref name="curriculum2">{{cite web | title=Another Chapter in the Life of the College | publisher=University of Chicago Magazine | url=http://magazine.uchicago.edu/9904/html/curriculum.htm | accessdate=2006-09-03}}</ref> Currently, 15 courses are required in addition to tested foreign language proficiency if no Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate examinations are used for exemption (a reduction of six quarter credits may be achieved via this method).
While the science curriculum has largely followed the intellectual evolution of its respective fields, the requisite humanities and social science sequences now have several variants that encompass non-Western, non-canonical, and critical theory texts.<ref name="curriculum">{{cite web | title=Curriculum: the Ideal of a Liberal Education | year=2005 | publisher=The University of Chicago | url=http://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/level2.asp?id=7 | accessdate=2006-09-03}}</ref> The majority of undergraduate courses are small, discussion-based [[seminar]]s, and undergraduate students routinely take their upper-level courses alongside graduate students.
First-year students are assigned to one of 38 houses through the university's [[house system]]. House sizes range from 25 to 100 members but typically consist of no more than 70 students. The house system serves as the focal point of university life, and each house offers amenities such as kitchens, common areas, and study rooms. A significant portion of the undergraduate student body, however, lives off-campus, and relocation amongst the houses is not uncommon.
==Rankings and reputation==
[[Image:UChicago Door.jpg|thumb|300px|left|The entrance to Mandel Hall, a [[Victorian architecture|Victorian-style]] theater that acts as a concert and assembly venue for students.]]
Comprehensively, the University of Chicago is ranked: 9th among world universities and 8th among universities in North America by the [[Shanghai Jiao Tong University]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/ranking.htm |title=Academic Ranking of World Universities 2007 |year=2007 |publisher= Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University |accessdate=2007-04-15}}</ref> 7th among world universities and 4th in North America by the ''[[THES - QS World University Rankings|Times Higher Education Supplement]]'' on the basis of peer review,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thes.co.uk/worldrankings/ |title=World University Rankings |year=2006 |publisher=The Times Higher Educational Supplement |accessdate=2007-04-15}}</ref><ref>[http://www.topuniversities.com/worlduniversityrankings/] — A 2006 ranking from the ''[[THES - QS]]'' of the world’s research universities.</ref><ref>[http://blog.beerkens.info/index.php/thes-qs-world-university-rankings-2007-top-100-universities/] — A 2007 ranking from the ''[[THES - QS]]'' of the world’s research universities.</ref> and the 20th most "global" university by ''[[Newsweek]]'' on the basis of scholarly achievements and "international diversity".<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14321230/site/newsweek/ |publisher= Newsweek |title=The World's 100 Most Global Universities |accessdate=2007-04-15}}</ref> <!--Please leave program or department-specific rankings (i.e., art history, materials science, physical therapy, etc.) on the respective school's page-->
The 2008 edition of ''[[U.S. News and World Report]]'' ranks the undergraduate program 9th among national universities (tied with [[Columbia University]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/t1natudoc_brief.php |title=America's Best Colleges 2007 |publisher=U.S. News & World Report |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-04-15}}</ref> Meanwhile, in its 2007 publication, "The Best 361 Colleges", the ''[[Princeton Review]]'' ranked the University of Chicago 1st in the country in the category of "best overall academic experience for undergraduates," the ranking being retired in 2008. Such performance, measured over time, has led ''Newsweek'' to note that the College is viewed as a "powerhouse" amongst the old guard of elite schools [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14325172]. Further, this rigor prepares students well for higher studies, with 85% of undergraduates attending graduate school within five years, the highest rate in the nation, and with more going on to [[doctor of philosophy]] programs than at any other university affiliated college[https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/academics/majorsminors/gradprep.shtml].
In 2008, ''[[Forbes]]'' magazine ranked the University of Chicago's undergraduate program the 4th best in the country after [[Harvard University|Harvard]], [[Yale University|Yale]], and [[Princeton University|Princeton]] based on post-graduation achievements and student evaluations.<ref name="forbes">{{cite web|url=http://www.forbes.com/opinions/forbes/2008/0519/030_2.html |title=''Forbes'': How to Choose a College}}</ref> In 2008, ''Forbes'' also named the University of Chicago a "[[billionaire]] university," ranking the university as the 7th most successful university in the country for producing [[billionaire]] alumni.<ref name="forbes2">{{cite web|url=http://www.forbes.com/businessbillionaires/2008/05/19/billionaires-harvard-education-biz-billies-cx_af_0519billieu.html |title=''Forbes'': The Billionaire Universities}}</ref>
As for professional schools, in 2007 rankings, [[University of Chicago Graduate School of Business|the Graduate School of Business]] ranges from 5th in the country<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/mba/brief/mbarank_brief.php |title=Top Business Schools |year=2007 |publisher=U.S. News & World Report |accessdate=2007-04-15}}</ref> to 1st in the world [http://www.economist.com/business/globalexecutive/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9889718]. US News ranks the [[University of Chicago Law School|School of Law]] 6th (tied with [[University of Pennsylvania]]), <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/law/brief/lawrank_brief.php |title=Top Law Schools |year=2007 |publisher=U.S. News & World Report |accessdate=2007-04-15}}</ref> the [[Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies|Harris School of Public Policy]] 7th in policy analysis<ref>{{cite web|url=http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/pub/brief/padsp9_brief.php|title = Public Affairs Specialties: Public-Policy Analysis |year=2004 | publisher=U.S. News and World Reports|accessdate=2007-08-07}}</ref> as well as 7th in social policy,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/pub/brief/padsp10_brief.php|title = Public Affairs Specialties: Social Policy |year=2004 | publisher=U.S. News and World Reports|accessdate=2007-08-07}}</ref> the [[Pritzker School of Medicine|School of Medicine]] 15th in the country,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/med/brief/mdrrank_brief.php |title=Top Medical Schools |year=2007 |publisher=U.S. News & World Report |accessdate=2007-04-15}}</ref> and the School of Social Service Administration 3rd. The [[University of Chicago Divinity School]], which offers both academic and ministerial training, is ranked #1 in faculty quality out of all U.S. doctoral programs in religious studies by the National Research Council [http://www.phds.org/rankings/religion/rank?form.submitted=1&ed_eff=&change=&myd=&fac_qual=5&n_awd=&p_awd=&p_full=&p_full_sign=1&n_fac=&n_fac_sign=1&n_stu=&n_stu_sign=1&n_phd=&n_phd_sign=1&p_supp=&p_ra=&p_ra_sign=1&p_ta=&p_ta_sign=1&f_stu=&f_phd=&min_phd=&us_phd=&us_phd_sign=1&form.button.submit=Continue].
Nevertheless, the University's strong emphasis on research is reflected in the doctoral level performance of its four non-professional graduate divisions. According to the [[United States National Research Council|National Research Council]] the school was ranked within the United States at: 8th in “arts & humanities,” 11th in “biological sciences,” 7th in “physical sciences and mathematics,” and 5th in “social and behavioral sciences.[http://www.stat.tamu.edu/~jnewton/nrc_rankings/nrc1.html#RANKBYAREA]” In aggregate, 18 programs ranked in the top ten in the nation, the 7th strongest showing[http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/publications/pdf/nrc_rankings_1995.pdf].
The university operates the [[University of Chicago Hospitals]], which was ranked the 14th best hospital in the country by ''[[U.S. News and World Report]]''.<ref name="hospital">{{cite web | title=America's Best Hospitals | year=2005 | publisher=U.S. News and World Report | url=http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/honorroll.htm | accessdate=2006-05-31}}</ref> It is the only hospital in Illinois ever to be included in the magazine's "Honor Roll" of the best hospitals in the [[United States]].<ref name="honor">{{cite web | title=National survey again names University of Chicago Hospitals to the Honor Roll of the best US hospitals | year=2005 | publisher=University of Chicago Hospitals | url=http://www.uchospitals.edu/about/awards/usnews.html | accessdate=2006-06-06}}</ref>
Further, the university has also been an incubator for several prominent business ventures, with the world’s first management consultancy, [[McKinsey & Company]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mckinsey.com/aboutus/wherewestarted/1920s.asp |title=Where We Started |publisher=McKinsey & Company |accessdate=2007-04-15}}</ref> software giant [[Oracle Corporation|Oracle]], and the United States first international corporate law firm, [[Baker and McKenzie]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bakernet.com/NR/rdonlyres/E424928C-3A2E-4B37-880B-7657B8F2188A/0/2firmhistory_v5WP175880.pdf |title=Our History |publisher=Baker & McKenzie |accessdate=2007-04-15}}</ref> all having been founded by University of Chicago alumni.
The University is also ranked first among colleges with fewer than 5,000 students for sending students to the Peace Corps. <ref> {{Cite http://maroon.uchicago.edu/online_edition/news/2008/01/29/u-of-c-wins-recognition-for-top-peace-corps-yield/}}</ref>.
According to [[David Rothkopf]], the University of Chicago is one of the top three elite universities in the world (along with Harvard and Stanford) to produce members of the new global "Superclass."<ref>David Rothkopf, ''Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They Are Making'' (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008): 290.</ref>
The University also participates in the [http://www.naicu.edu/ National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities] ([[NAICU]])'s [[University and College Accountability Network (U-CAN)]].
==Faculty and alumni==
===Presidents===
[[Image:Snowy UChicago2.jpg|thumb|425px|right|The quadrangles during wintertime.]]
For each president, the University of Chicago commissions a large portrait that is hung in Hutchinson Commons, located in the Reynolds Club, one of the university's central buildings. The presidents of the University of Chicago have been:
# [[William Rainey Harper]], 1891-1906
# [[Harry Pratt Judson]], 1906-1923
# [[Ernest DeWitt Burton]], 1923-1925
# [[Max Mason]], 1925-1928
# [[Robert Maynard Hutchins]], 1929-1951
# [[Lawrence A. Kimpton]], 1951-1960
# [[George W. Beadle]], 1961-1968
# [[Edward H. Levi]], 1968-1975
# [[John T. Wilson]], 1975-1978
# [[Hanna Holborn Gray]], 1978-1993
# [[Hugo F. Sonnenschein]], 1993-2000
# [[Don Michael Randel]], 2000-2006
# [[Robert J. Zimmer]], 2006-present
===Notable faculty and alumni===
{{main|List of University of Chicago people}}
According to the [[Nobel Foundation]], there have been 16 Nobel Prizes awarded to persons pursuing research or on faculty at the university at the time of the award announcement, placing the university behind only [[Harvard]](31), [[Stanford]](18) and [[MIT]](17) [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/lists/universities.html]. A total of 65 other Nobel Laureates have once been affiliated with the university as students, faculty, visiting professors, or researchers (or some combination of these). Together, the total of 81 laureates is the fourth highest claimed amongst all universities worldwide. For details, see [[Nobel Prize laureates by university affiliation]].
In addition, many Chicago alumni and scholars have won the [[Fulbright Program|Fulbright awards]][http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/060608/fulbright.shtml], see the [http://www-news.uchicago.edu/resources/facts.html University’s news service report] and, since its inception in [[1904]], [[44]] have matriculated as [[Rhodes Scholarship|Rhodes Scholars]]. [http://beta.uchicago.edu/about/accolades/rhodes.shtml]
[[Image:Harper Midway.JPG|thumb|left|450px|A view of Harper Memorial Library from the [[Midway Plaisance]].]]
'''Notable faculty and alumni of the University of Chicago''' include: political theorist [[Hannah Arendt]]; former U.S. Attorneys General [[John Ashcroft]], [[Ramsey Clark]], and [[Edward H. Levi]]; current U.S. Senator [[Barack Obama]] (D-IL); former Vice President of Taiwan and the [[Kuomintang]] [[Lien Chan]]; current Governor of New Jersey and former U.S. Senator [[Jon Corzine]] (D-NJ); current judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals [[Richard Posner]], [[Frank Easterbrook]], and [[Douglas Ginsberg]]; current U.S. Supreme Court justices [[Antonin Scalia]] and [[John Paul Stevens]]; former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and former head of the World Bank [[Paul Wolfowitz]]; Nobel Prize-winning economists [[Gary Becker]], [[Milton Friedman]], [[Friedrich Hayek]], and [[Robert Lucas, Jr.|Robert Lucas]]; acclaimed Nobel Prize-winning writers [[Saul Bellow]] and [[J.M. Coetzee]]; novelists [[Kurt Vonnegut]], [[Ralph Ellison]], [[Philip Roth]], and [[Thornton Wilder]]; Nobel Prize-winning modernist poet and dramatist [[T. S. Eliot]]; essayist, award-winning novelist, film maker, poet, and activist [[Susan Sontag]]; Nobel Prize-winning physicists [[Albert Michelson]], [[Robert Millikan]], [[Arthur Compton]], and [[Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar]]; Nobel Prize-winning physicist and developer of the first nuclear reactor [[Enrico Fermi]]; astronomer and pioneer of physical cosmology [[Edwin Hubble]]; astronomer and highly successful science popularizer [[Carl Sagan]]; prominent philosophers [[Allan Bloom]], [[Martha Nussbaum]], [[Robert Pippin]], [[Rudolph Carnap]], [[Leszek Kolakowski]], [[Paul Ricoeur]], [[Jean-Luc Marion]], and [[Leo Strauss]]; internet celebrity [[Tucker Max]]; influential philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer [[John Dewey]]; philosopher, mathematician, and Nobel Prize-winning writer [[Bertrand Russell]]; mathematician [[André Weil]]; Nobel-prize winning molecular biologist and co-discoverer of the structure of DNA [[James Watson]]; dancer and choreographer [[Katherine Dunham]]; composer [[Philip Glass]]; historian [[Francois Furet]]; Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist [[Seymour Hersh]]; ''New York Times'' columnist [[David Brooks (journalist)|David Brooks]]; Academy Award-winning film director [[Mike Nichols]]; Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic [[Roger Ebert]]; balloonist and priest [[Jeannette Piccard]]; banker and internationalist [[David Rockefeller]]; influential anthropologist [[Marshall Sahlins]].<ref name="nobel">{{cite web | title=University of Chicago Nobel Laureates | publisher=The University of Chicago | url=http://www-news.uchicago.edu/resources/nobel/ | accessdate=2006-04-30}}</ref><ref name="alumni">{{cite web | title=University of Chicago Alumni | publisher=The University of Chicago | url=http://www-news.uchicago.edu/resources/alumni/ | accessdate=2006-09-23}}</ref>
'''Notable fictional faculty and alumni of the University of Chicago''' include: Dr. Richard Kimble ([[Harrison Ford]]) and Dr. Charles Nichols ([[Jeroen Krabbe]]), 1973 medical graduates, in the 1993 film [[The Fugitive]]; Harry Burns and Sally Albright (played by [[Billy Crystal]] and [[Meg Ryan]]) of the 1989 film ''[[When Harry Met Sally...]]''(which begins at the University of Chicago); [[Indiana Jones]] (played by [[Harrison Ford]]) of the [[Indiana Jones|''Indiana Jones'' series]] as well as his professor [[Abner Ravenwood]]; Robert and Hal (played by [[Anthony Hopkins]] and [[Jake Gyllenhaal]]) of the 2005 film ''[[Proof (2005 film)|Proof]]'', which takes place at the University of Chicago; [[Jack McCoy]] (played by [[Sam Waterston]]), one of the two main characters in the long-running television series ''[[Law & Order]]''; [[Nathan Zuckerman]], Pulitzer-prize winner [[Philip Roth]]'s literary alter ego; Dr. Josh Keyes (played by [[Aaron Eckhart]]) of the 2003 film ''[[The Core]]''; Eddie Kasalivich (played by [[Keanu Reeves]]) of the 1996 film ''[[Chain Reaction (film)|Chain Reaction]]''; and Brandon Shaw and Philip Morgan (played by [[John Dall]] and [[Farley Granger]]) of [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s 1948 film ''[[Rope (film)|Rope]]'', based on the infamous University of Chicago duo [[Leopold and Loeb]]; Michael Armstrong, played by [[Paul Newman]] in the 1966 Hitchcock film "Torn Curtain." Dr. Lawrence Green (played by [[Jeremy Piven]]) of the 2003 film "[[Runaway Jury]]"; Bryan Woodman (played by [[Matt Damon]]) of the 2005 film ''[[Syriana]]''; Kate Forster (played by [[Sandra Bullock]]) of the 2006 film "[[The Lake House]];" and [[Gil Grissom]] (played by William Peterson), the lead forensic scientist in the CBS television series ''CSI''. In ''Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance'', a book by [[Robert Pirsig]], Phaedrus pursues a graduate degree in philosophy, as Pirsig did in actuality; Chicago student Ann Varrick played by Lara Harris in No Man's Land; Chicago student Dan Lynch played by George Newbern who states that Elizabeth Shue is the best looking girl on campus in Adventures in Babysitting.
{|style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
<gallery>
Image:Enrico_Fermi_1943-49.jpg|<center>[[Enrico Fermi]]</center>
Image:MiltonFriedman2.JPG|<center>[[Milton Friedman]]</center>
Image:Barack_Obama.jpg|<center>[[Barack Obama]]</center>
Image:John Paul Stevens, SCOTUS photo portrait.jpg|<center> [[John Paul Stevens]]</center>
</center>
</gallery>
|}
==Athletics==
[[Image:UChicago Maroons.svg|right|200px|frame|The "Wishbone C" logo used by the university.]]
Chicago's sports teams are called the '''[[Chicago Maroons|Maroons]]''', and their colors are [[Maroon (color)|maroon]] and white. They participate in the [[NCAA]]'s [[Division III]] as members of the [[University Athletic Association]] (UAA). At one point, the University of Chicago's [[college football|football]] teams (nicknamed the ''Monsters of the Midway'' at the time) were among the best in the country, winning seven [[Big Ten Conference]] titles from 1899 to 1924, including a national championship in 1905 while playing at the old [[Stagg Field]].<ref name="monsters">{{cite web | title=Athletics at Chicago: An Overview | publisher=The University of Chicago | url=http://athletics.uchicago.edu/history-overview.htm | accessdate=2006-04-30}}</ref> The University is also one of only a few schools to be undefeated in football against [[University of Notre Dame|Notre Dame]].<ref name="ndfootball">{{cite web | title=Notre Dame Opponents | year=2006 | publisher=College Football Data Warehouse | url=http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/independents/notre_dame/opponents.php | accessdate=2006-06-08}}</ref> In 1935, Chicago's [[Jay Berwanger]] was the winner of the first-ever [[Heisman Trophy]], now on display in Ratner Athletic Facility. Reportedly the trophy had been used as a door stop until installation at Ratner. The following year, Berwanger also became the first player to be drafted by the [[National Football League]], although he decided not to play professional football.
However, the university, a founding member of the [[Big Ten Conference]], de-emphasized varsity athletics in 1939 when it dropped football and withdrew from the league in 1946.<ref>McNeill, William Hardy (1991). ''Hutchins' University: A Memoir of the University of Chicago, 1929–1950''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226561704</ref> The University maintains an academic affiliation with the Big Ten schools through the [[Committee on Institutional Cooperation]], a consortium of one Northeastern and eleven [[Midwest (United States)|Midwestern]] research universities. In 1969 it reinstated football as a Division III team, continuing to play its home games at the new Stagg Field. The Maroon football team has won the University Athletic Association (UAA) championship in 1998, 2000, and 2005. Having founded the UAA with [[Washington University in St. Louis]], the Chicago football team has an intense rivalry with the [[Washington University in St. Louis Football|Wash U football]] team for the traveling trophy known as the "Founder's Cup". There are several other prominent athletic teams at the University, among them swimming and track have preformed excellently.
The school's mascot is the '''[[Phoenix (mythology)|Phoenix]]''', chosen in honor of the city of Chicago's rebirth after the [[Great Chicago Fire]], and also in honor of the [[Old University of Chicago]], which dissolved due to financial reasons (making the current University of Chicago the second university to carry the name). The [[gargoyle]] has become an unofficial mascot of the university, owing to the ubiquitous statues of gargoyles that adorn many of the buildings on campus. Chicago's fight song is [[Wave the Flag]], which was written in 1929.
==Student organizations==
Notable extracurricular groups include the University's Model United Nations Team, one of the top two teams on the college circuit and the most successful of the University's academic teams. In addition to competing, the team also hosts its own college-level conference, ChoMUN, and a high school level conference, MUNUC. University of Chicago [[Quizbowl|College Bowl]] Team, which has won 118 tournaments and 15 national championships, leading both categories internationally. The [http://debate.uchicago.edu/ Chicago Debate Society] has had a top four team at the [[American Parliamentary Debate Association]]'s National Championship tournament for four out of the past five years. In addition, the college [http://mock-trial.uchicago.edu/ Mock Trial Team] has placed in the top ten nationally five out of the past six years and is currently ranked 7th among all programs nationally by the [http://www.collegemocktrial.org/ American Mock Trial Association].
The [[Chicago Society]], an undergraduate student organization that brings world leaders to speak on campus, is the University's spearhead organization in bringing major speakers to campus. Chicago Society's most famous event titled "China and the Future of the World" held in the spring of 2006 consisted of a two-day symposium on China's rapid political, economic, and social development and its impact on the world. For the symposium, Chicago Society brought in numerous high-ranking American and Chinese government officials including [[Wang Guangya]], the Chinese ambassador to the UN; [[Christopher R. Hill|Christopher Hill]], head of the American delegation in the North Korea six-way talks; and [[Peter Rodman]], U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs.
The university's independent [[student newspaper]] is the ''[[Chicago Maroon]]''. Founded in 1892, the same year the university was founded, the newspaper is published every Tuesday and Friday.<ref name="maroon">{{cite web | title=About the Chicago Maroon | year=2006 | publisher=The Chicago Maroon | url=http://maroon.uchicago.edu/about/ | accessdate=2006-09-09}}</ref> An independent arts-and-features alt-weekly, the ''[[Chicago Weekly]]'', is published every Thursday and profiles events in [[Hyde Park, Chicago|Hyde Park]] and surrounding South Side communities. ''Chicago Business'', published by students in the [[University of Chicago Graduate School of Business|Graduate School of Business]], was founded in 1978.
[[Image:Reynoldsclub.JPG|thumb|left|300px|The University's Reynolds Club, the student center.]]
The University of Chicago's [http://ut.uchicago.edu University Theater] is one of the oldest student-run theatre organizations in the country, involving as many as 500 members of the university community, producing 30 to 35 shows a year, and selling on the order of 10,000 tickets. It also operates Off-Off Campus, one of the University's [[improv comedy]] troupes, started in 1986 by Bernard Sahlins, one of the founders of [[The Second City|Second City]].<ref name="offoffcampus">{{cite web | title=Off-Off Campus: Legendary Improv and Sketch at the University of Chicago | year=2006 | publisher=Off-Off Campus | url=http://off-off.uchicago.edu/aboutus.html | accessdate=2006-09-09}}</ref>
About 8-10% of the undergraduate student body participates in Greek life.[http://magazine.uchicago.edu/0210/features/geeks.html] There are many [[fraternities and sororities]] that have established histories with Chicago, including [[Alpha Delta Phi]], [[Alpha Epsilon Pi]], [[Delta Kappa Epsilon]], [[Delta Upsilon]], [[Lambda Phi Epsilon]], [[Lambda Upsilon Lambda]], [[Phi Delta Theta]], [[Phi Gamma Delta]], [[Psi Upsilon]], and [[Sigma Phi Epsilon]] ('''fraternities'''), as well as [[Alpha Omicron Pi]], [[Delta Gamma]], and [[Kappa Alpha Theta]] ('''sororities''').<ref name="Greek">{{cite web | title=Greek Life On Campus | year=2007 | publisher=University of Chicago Office of Registered Clubs and Student Activities | url=http://studentactivities.uchicago.edu/involved/greek.shtml | accessdate=2007-03-08}}</ref> In addition, [[Alpha Phi Omega]], a co-ed national community service fraternity, exists on campus.<ref>{{cite web | title=Fraternies and Sororities | year=2007 | Publisher=University of Chicago Admissions| url=http://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/level3.asp?id=364|url=https://studentactivities.uchicago.edu/php/public/search.phtml| accessdate=2007-03-12}}</ref>
During the school year, Greek organizations usually throw house parties every weekend, and [[Alpha Delta Phi]] hosts "Bar Night" every Wednesday. Along with large parties held off-campus by such groups as the ultimate frisbee team, the Greek organizations are an important part of the school's party scene.
[[WHPK]], a student-run and University-owned [[radio station]], broadcasts out of the Reynolds Club on the university campus. [[DJ]] "JP Chill" has had a [[rapper|rap]] and [[hip hop music|hip hop]] show on WHPK since 1986. It was one of the earliest rap shows in the country and the first in [[Chicago]].<ref name="jpchill">{{cite web | title=The Radio Show: Broadcasting to you for three years | year=2004 | publisher=Lime Entertainment | url=http://www.limentertainment.com/contactus.html | accessdate=2006-09-09}}</ref>
The University of Chicago also features a vibrant a cappella community consisting of 10 groups including [[Voices In Your Head]], The Ransom Notes, Men In Drag, Unaccompanied Women, Make a Joyful Noise, Rhythm & Jews, and the recently established glee club, Chicago Men's A Cappella. Many of the professional schools on campus also feature their own a cappella groups including Say Ahh! from the [[Pritzker School of Medicine]], The Scales of Justice from the [[University of Chicago Law School|Law School]], and The Gross Prophets from the [[University of Chicago Graduate School of Business|Graduate School of Business]].
The [[University of Chicago Folklore Society]] has sponsored an annual Folk Festival each February featuring traditional music since 1960. They also run a weekly radio show of traditional music on the campus radio station ([[WHPK ]]at fm 88.5), sponsor contra dances and put on a fiddlers festival in the spring.[http://www.uofcfolk.org/2008/home.html Folklore Society]
The [[University of Chicago Law School|Law School]] is home to one of the three founding chapters of the conservative Federalist Society, and to the 'Antient and Honourable Edmund Burke Society', a conservative debating organization. It is also home to the Edwin F. Mandel Legal Aid Clinic and a large chapter of the progressive [[American Constitution Society for Law and Policy]].
===Traditions===
* '''[[Summer Breeze (concert)|Summer Breeze]]''' - The university's annual summer carnival and concert. Past musicians who have performed at Summer Breeze include [[The Roots]], [[Spoon]], [[Wilco]], [[Eminem]], [[Kanye West]], [[Run DMC]], [[They Might Be Giants]], [[Method Man]], [[Moby]], [[Fuel]], [[Nas]], [[Jurassic 5]], [[U2]], [[Sonic Youth]], [[Talib Kweli]], [[The Violent Femmes]], [[OK Go]], [[Mos Def]], and [[George Clinton (funk musician)|George Clinton]].<ref name="trad1">{{cite web|url=http://maroon.uchicago.edu/o-issue/2005/traditions_like_it_or_not_weve_got_plenty_of_them.php|title=Traditions: like it or not, we’ve got plenty of them|publisher=The Chicago Maroon |year=2005|accessdate=2006-06-08}}</ref>
* '''Shake Day''' - Milkshakes sell for only one dollar every Wednesday at the Reynolds Club.<ref name="trad1">{{cite web|url=http://maroon.uchicago.edu/o-issue/2005/traditions_like_it_or_not_weve_got_plenty_of_them.php|title=Traditions: like it or not, we’ve got plenty of them|publisher=The Chicago Maroon |year=2005|accessdate=2006-06-08}}</ref> The [[Einstein Bros. Bagels]] franchise was allowed to open on campus only after agreeing to adhere to this tradition.
* '''Midnight Breakfast''' - A midnight breakfast is held during every "finals week" of the academic year, attracting students and faculty members alike.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://classof2008.uchicago.edu/insiders_guide/campus_life.cfm|publisher=The University of Chicago|accessdate=2005-06-08|title=The Insider's Guide}}</ref>
*'''Track Team Streak''' - At 10:00 p.m. on the Sunday night before "finals week" of the winter quarter, the University of Chicago track team streaks through the Regenstein Library.
* '''O-Week''' - Every year since 1934, the University of Chicago has set time aside before classes begin to provide an introduction to the University for all new students.<ref name="oweek">{{cite web|url=https://classof2010.uchicago.edu/obook06.pdf|title=University of Chicago: New Student Orientation 2006|publisher=The University of Chicago |year=2006|accessdate=2006-09-03}}</ref>
* '''Kuviasungnerk/Kangeiko''' - A festival celebrating Chicago in the winter. Often referred to as Kuvia, it entails a variety of events, including ice sculpting, hot chocolate get-togethers, musical performances, faculty fireside discussions, and a rigorous program of early morning exercise (kangeiko, a Japanese tradition of winter training) that culminates in a yoga-influenced "salute to the sun", performed outdoors in freezing temperatures just before the sun rises. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://maroon.uchicago.edu/online_edition/news/2008/01/15/students-rise-to-call-of-kuvia-festival/|title=Students rise to call of Kuvia festival}}</ref>
* '''[[The Great Latke-Hamantash Debate]]''' - Annually since 1946, a debate is held, mainly between faculty members, not (but nearly) all of whom are Jewish, about the relative merits of [[latkes]] and [[homentash]]n, the Jewish delicacies associated with [[Hanukkah]] and [[Purim]], respectively. The lectures are a great opportunity for ordinarily serious scholars to crack jokes in a mock-serious tone. The best were collected in a book edited by Ruth Fredman Cernea.<ref name = "The Great Latke-Hamantash Debate"> {{cite web | title=The Great Latke-Hamantash Debate| year=2005 | publisher=The University of Chicago | url=http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/100235.html}}</ref>
* '''Virginio Ferrari's ''Dialogo'' and May Day'''. On May Day, students and residents of Hyde Park assemble near Pick Hall to watch the shadow cast by [[Virginio Ferrari (artist)|Virginio Ferrari]]'s sculpture. Student legend holds that a hammer and sickle, like that of the flag of the former [[Soviet Union]] will be cast on the sidewalk at noon on this date. In fact, the shadow produces a sickle very much like that of the flag and also an object in the position of the hammer but whose shape is not quite so loyal a copy of the flag. [http://www.hydepark.org/communityorganizations/culture/subm11.htm] <ref>[http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/Content.aspx?audioID=21700 City Room™ - Metro - Secret May Day Message in U of C Sculpture?<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* '''Polar Bear Run''' - Every year a group of students select the coldest day of the winter quarter and volunteers run, preferably naked, from one end of the college campus (Harper building) to the gates in front of the Regenstein Library.
* '''Campus folklore''' - According to a common superstition among university students, stepping on University Seal (located in the main lobby of the Reynolds Club) as an undergraduate will prevent the student from graduating in four years.<ref name="traditions">{{cite web | title=Chicago Traditions | year=2003 | publisher=The University of Chicago | url=https://classof2007.uchicago.edu/uc_traditions/traditions2.cfm | accessdate=2006-04-30}}</ref> Another common myth about the university is that nearly 50% of its students marry each other. Finally, if two students kiss on the bridge over the pond inside the main gates of the campus, it is said they will be destined to be wed to each other.
===Doc Films===
{{main|Doc Films}}
[[Image:Robie House.jpg|thumb|400px|left|[[Robie House]], designed by [[Frank Lloyd Wright]].]]
Doc Films, founded in 1932 (originally the Documentary Film Group), is the oldest student film society in the country. In ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'''s "Film Snob's Dictionary", Doc Films is described as: "Hard-core beyond words and lay comprehension, the society is populated by 19-year olds who have already seen every film ever made, and boasts its own Dolby Digital-equipped cinema and an impressive roster of alumni that includes snob-revered critic Dave Kehr."<ref>"The Film Snob's Dictionary", ''Vanity Fair'', March 2004, p 332</ref>
During the school year, Doc Films screens a different film on every night of the week. [[Foreign film]]s and [[Documentary film|documentaries]] are typically screened on weekdays, while recent, mainstream selections are shown on weekends. Occasionally, Doc Films screens works that have not yet been released to the general public, such as ''[[American Gangster (film)|American Gangster]]'', ''[[Corpse Bride]]'' and ''[[Brokeback Mountain]]''.
Doc Films has hosted many [[Hollywood]] luminaries as guests, including [[Alfred Hitchcock]] (''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]'', ''[[Vertigo (film)|Vertigo]]'', ''[[The Birds (film)|The Birds]]''), [[Fritz Lang]] (''[[Metropolis (film)|Metropolis]]''), and [[Woody Allen]] (''[[Annie Hall]]'', ''[[Manhattan (film)|Manhattan]]''). In November 2005, director [[Ang Lee]] and producer [[James Schamus]] visited the University of Chicago to screen the film ''[[Brokeback Mountain]]'' a month before its American debut, and to participate in a question-and-answer session with students.<ref name="brokeback">{{cite web | title=James Schamus, Ang Lee, and ''Brokeback Mountain'' visit U of C | year=2005 | publisher=The Chicago Maroon | url=http://maroon.uchicago.edu/news/articles/2005/11/18/james_schamus_ang_le.php | accessdate=2006-06-11}}</ref> In January 2007, film director [[Darren Aronofsky]] (''[[Requiem for a Dream]]'', ''[[Pi (film)|Pi]]'') presented a screening of his film ''[[The Fountain (film)|The Fountain]]'' to students and afterwards, likewise, participated in a question-and-answer session. Most recently, [[Robert Redford]] screened ''[[Lions for Lambs]]'' and held a question and answer session after the screening.
===Scavenger Hunt===
{{main|University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt}}
The annual [[University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt]] is a multi-day event in which large teams compete to obtain all of the notoriously esoteric items on a list. Held every May since 1987, it is considered to be the largest [[scavenger hunt]] in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/05/050505.scavhunt.shtml|publisher=The University of Chicago News Office|accessdate=2005-06-13|title=World’s largest Scavenger Hunt begins in Chicago}}</ref> Established by student Chris Straus, the "Scav Hunt", as it is known among University students, has become one of the university's most popular traditions and has typically pushed the boundaries of absurdity.
Each year, the scavenger hunt list includes roughly 300 items, each with an assigned point value. The items vary widely and may involve performances, large-scale constructions, and long-distance travel. Teams are generally expected to fall well short of completing half of the list and instead compete for total points earned. The more difficult and time-consuming items earn more points. Notable past items include: a [[passport]] stamped by all members of the [[axis of evil]], a [[nuclear reactor]], a [[Calvinball]] tournament, a [[ninja|ninja muffin]] and a [[cell phone]] [[marching band]]. For more information regarding the Scavenger Hunt, see its [http://scavhunt1.uchicago.edu/ official website].
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Uofcikenny.jpg
Image:Chicago_sunset.jpg
Image:Chicagobuilding2.jpg
Image:ChicagoTrees.jpg
Image:ChicagoNew3.JPG
Image:Harper_Library.jpg
Image:Harper Towers.jpg
Image:ChicagoSchool.jpg
</gallery>
==External links==
===Official pages===
{{commonscat|University of Chicago}}
{{portalpar|Chicago}}
* [http://www.uchicago.edu Official website]
* [http://maps.uchicago.edu/pdfs/campus.pdf Map of the university campus]
* [http://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/lifeofthemind/ ''A Student Prospectus''] – A viewbook for prospective students of the College.
* [http://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/legendsmyths/University/index.html Legends, Myths, and Facts] – A student primer describing the university.
* [https://experiencechicago.uchicago.edu/ Experience Chicago] – A student guide to the city of Chicago.
* [http://phoenix.uchicago.edu/htmlvirtualtour/ The University of Chicago Virtual Tour] – A virtual tour of the campus.
* [http://marketplace.uchicago.edu/ The University of Chicago Marketplace] – An online marketplace for students and faculty, similar to [[Craig's List]].
* [http://psac.uchicago.edu/ Prospective Students Advisory Committee website] – FAQ about the school and information on overnight visits.
* [http://rh.uchicago.edu/hds/home/ University of Chicago Housing & Dining System] – Discusses on-campus housing and dining options.
*[http://cas.uchicago.edu/ Council on Advanced Studies]
*[http://sg.uchicago.edu/ University of Chicago Student Government]
===Student publications===
* [http://maroon.uchicago.edu/ ''Chicago Maroon''] – Independent student newspaper.
* [http://www.chicagoweekly.net ''Chicago Weekly''] – Independent student [[alternative weekly]].
* [http://humanities.uchicago.edu/orgs/review/ ''Chicago Review''] – Literary magazine published through the Humanities Division.
* [http://midwayreview.org/ ''The Midway Review''] – Independent student journal of political and cultural thought.
* [http://shadydealer.uchicago.edu/ ''Chicago Shady Dealer''] – Student humor newspaper.
===Notable articles===
* [http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/122898educ-chicago.html ''New York Times'' Article: "University of Chicago Comes to a Fork in the Road"] – Article about proposed changes in the undergraduate core curriculum. First published in the [[December 28]], [[1998]] edition of the ''[[New York Times]]''.
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/05/AR2006070501535.html ''Washington Post'' Article: "The Question Can Be a Revelation"] – Article about the unique essay questions posed by the University of Chicago, in addition to several other schools. First published in the [[July 6]], [[2006]] edition of the ''[[Washington Post]]''.
* [http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-0607130262jul13,1,7465353.story?coll=chi-leisuretempo-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true ''Chicago Tribune'' Article: "Rated X on campus"] – Article about ''Vita Excolatur'', the sex magazine published by University of Chicago undergraduate students. First published in the [[July 13]], [[2006]] edition of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''.
* [http://www.freakonomics.com/blog/2006/07/16/all-roads-really-do-lead-to-the-university-of-chicago/ ''Freakonomics'' Blog Entry: "All Roads Really Do Lead to the University of Chicago"] – Short entry about one of many unrecorded contributions the University of Chicago has made to daily life.
===Other resources===
* [http://the-editors.blogspot.com/ ''Chicago Maroon'' blog] – From the editors of the ''Chicago Maroon''.
* [http://uchiblogo.uchicago.edu/ ''The University of Chicago Magazine'' blog] – From ''The University of Chicago Magazine''.
{{Mapit-US-cityscale|41.789611|-87.599639}}
{{UChicago}}
{{University Athletic Association}}
{{Colleges and universities in metropolitan Chicago}}
{{Association of American Universities}}
{{Chicago}}
[[Category:Associated Colleges of the Midwest]]
[[Category:Association of American Universities]]
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[[Category:North Central Association of Colleges and Schools]]
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