'Northwestern University' (officially abbreviated 'NU'; sometimes abbreviated 'NWU') is a
private,
nonsectarian,
coeducational research university with campuses located in
Evanston, Illinois and
downtown Chicago, Illinois. The university is organized into
eleven schools and colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees. The
Kellogg School of Management,
Medill School of Journalism,
Feinberg School of Medicine, and
School of Law are often ranked highly in their respective fields.
[4] Student enrollments include approximately 7,800 undergraduate and 6,300 graduate students.
[5] Northwestern competes in the
NCAA's
Division I and is a founding member of the
Big Ten Conference.
History
Main articles: History of Northwestern University
''The Arch'' at Northwestern's
Evanston campus
Founded in
1851 by
Methodists from Chicago (including
John Evans, after whom Evanston is named), Northwestern opened in
1855 with two faculty members and ten students. The school’s nine founders, all of who were Methodists (three of them
ministers), knelt in
prayer and
worship before launching their first organizational meeting.
[6] The University's name, ''Northwestern'', came from its founders' desire to serve citizens of the states that occupied the area of the former
Northwest Territory:
Ohio,
Indiana,
Illinois,
Michigan,
Wisconsin, and
Minnesota. The original Evanston campus in 1855 consisted of only one building, a temporary structure called "
Old College."
University Hall, the first permanent building, was constructed in 1869. Northwestern created its Chicago campus during the
1920s.
The phrase on Northwestern's seal is ''Quaecumque sunt vera'' -- in
Latin, "Whatsoever things are true" from
Philippians 4:8. Also on Northwestern's seal, a
Greek phrase inscribed on the pages of an open book: ''ho logos pleres charitos kai aletheias,'' which translates as "The Word... full of grace and truth." This phrase comes from the
Gospel of John 1:14: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we behold His glory, and the glory was of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." Both the Latin and Greek phrases express the values of the University's founders, and recall Northwestern's Methodist heritage.
Northwestern's founding charter granted the school a permanent exemption from paying property taxes. For this reason, Northwestern has often endured a difficult relationship with Evanston's government. Tensions have arisen regarding building codes, law enforcement, and politics. Recently, factions of Evanston's government have attempted to divide Northwestern's campus into several different wards, so as to reduce students' voting potency.
In
1873, the
Evanston College for Ladies merged with Northwestern, and legendary suffragist
Frances Willard became the school's first dean of women. Northwestern first became co-educational in 1869 at the insistence of Dean
Erastus Haven, and the first female student graduated in 1874.
[7]
University Hall, the second building constructed on the campus, and the oldest building still standing.
became Northwestern's official school color in
1892, replacing
black and
gold. A university committee thought that too many other universities used those colors. Contrary to popular belief, white is only an unofficial color. The University's Alma Mater mentions white in conjunction with purple ("Hail to purple, hail to white"), but nonetheless, purple is the only official school color.
[8]
During the
1930s, Northwestern nearly merged with its academic rival, the
University of Chicago.
[9] In
1933, Northwestern president Scott and Chicago president Hutchins concluded that in order to secure the future of both universities, it was in the best interest of both to merge as the Universities of Chicago, with Northwestern's Evanston campus serving undergraduates, Northwestern's Chicago campus serving professionals, and Chicago's
Hyde Park campus serving postgraduates. What Scott and Hutchins initially envisioned as the preeminent university in the world was eventually extinguished by Northwestern's boards of trustees, a result that Hutchins called "one of the lost opportunities of American education."
Northwestern hosted the first ever
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship game in
1939. It took place in
Patten Gymnasium, which the school eventually demolished and relocated farther north in order to make room for the
Technological Institute.
In
1948, prominent anthropologist
Melville J. Herskovits founded the Program of
African Studies at Northwestern, the first center of its kind at an American academic institution.
In May
1978, the first
Unabomber attack occurred at Northwestern University. The following year, the second Unabomber attack also occurred at Northwestern.
On
January 11,
2003, in a speech at Northwestern School of Law's Lincoln Hall,
Governor of Illinois George Ryan announced that he would commute the sentences of more than 150
death row inmates. Ryan said, "it is fitting that we are gathered here today at Northwestern University with the students, teachers, lawyers and investigators who first shed light on the sorrowful conditions of Illinois’ death penalty system."
[10] In the late
1990s, Northwestern student journalists uncovered information that exonerated Illinois death row inmate
Anthony Porter two days before his scheduled execution.
Campuses
Evanston
Dearborn Observatory
Lunt Hall
Northwestern's Evanston campus, home to the undergraduate program and the business school, runs north-south along a stretch of Sheridan Road. The north side of campus is home to the campus'
fraternity quads, the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion and other athletic facilities, and the
Technological Institute and all of its adjoining science-related buildings. The south side of campus is home to the University's music buildings, art buildings, and
sorority quads. This division in building location, along with the fact that the south end of campus is closer to the downtown center of
Evanston, creates a cultural difference between the students typically found on either end of the campus.
The university has five libraries on the Evanston campus and three on the Chicago campus. The libraries in total have over 9 million materials.
Notable buildings and places on campus include the
Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Catalysis Center, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall,
Dearborn Observatory, McCormick Tribune Center for use by students in the Medill School of Journalism, The Arthur and Gladys Pancoe-Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Life Sciences Pavillion, Center for Nanofabrication and Molecular Self-Assembly, Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center.
In the 1960s, the Evanston campus expanded its boundaries by constructing a
lakefill in
Lake Michigan. The 74 acres are now home to the
Northwestern University Library, Norris University Center, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, among other facilities.
The
Chicago Transit Authority's
elevated train running through Evanston is called the
Purple Line, taking its name from Northwestern's school color. Although the majority of the campus sits two to four
city blocks from the Purple Line, the
Foster station is within walking distance of the southern end of the campus, while the
Noyes station is close to the northern end of the campus. The
Central station is close to
Ryan Field, Northwestern's football stadium. Northwestern's professional schools and hospital in downtown Chicago are about four blocks east of the
Chicago stop on the CTA
Red Line.
The
Chicago Transit Authority also has several bus routes that run through both campuses. The
Evanston Davis Street Metra station serves the Northwestern campus in downtown Evanston as well.
Chicago
Northwestern's Chicago campus is located in the city's
Streeterville neighborhood, with close proximity to landmarks such as the
John Hancock Center and
Michigan Avenue. Its Ward Building was the first academic skyscraper in the country. The Chicago campus is home to the medical school and hospital, the law school, the part-time business school, and the
School of Continuing Studies.
Academics
Profile
The Montgomery Ward Building at the Feinberg School of Medicine--America's first academic skyscraper.
[11]
As of the 2005-06 academic year, there are 7,826 undergraduates and 5,640 graduate students enrolled full-time.
[2]
In the class of 2009, 6.4% are
black, 17.4% are
Asian, 6.5% are
Hispanic, 1.8% are
multiracial and 67.9% are
White. The class is 52.1% female and 47.9% male. The mean high school rank was the 94th percentile and the combined
SAT score 1402 (out of 1600), marking the highest SAT average of any class in Northwestern history. This made Northwestern the most selective
Big Ten university, as well as one of the most selective universities in the American Midwest. Of those enrolled in the class of 2009, 126 graduated as valedictorian of their high school class.
For the undergraduate class of 2010, there were 18,385 total applicants, with 5,434 students being admitted (about 29%) and 2,062 enrolling as freshmen (about 38%).
[3]
The Class of 2011 is the most talented group of students to ever enroll at Northwestern. Of the 22,000 students that applied for admission this year (an all-time record), about 1,975 students enrolled. The Class of 2011 has an impressive mean SAT score of 1423 (the highest average in NU history), and 86 percent rank in the top ten percent of their high school class.
[12]
Faculty and administration
Northwestern has had fifteen presidents during its history, not including interim presidents. The current president is
Henry Bienen.
Former notable faculty include artist
Ed Paschke and
Nobel Prize-winning chemist
John Pople.
Current notable faculty include sexual psychologist
J. Michael Bailey,
Kyoto Prize-winning philosopher
Jurgen Habermas, military sociologist and "
don't ask, don't tell" author
Charles Moskos,
MacArthur Fellowship recipient
Jennifer Richeson,
Templeton Prize-winner
Charles Taylor, and
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian
Garry Wills.
Rankings
Northwestern University is ranked 14th among national universities by ''
U.S.News & World Report'' (''USNWR''),
[13] 33rd among world universities and 26th among universities in the Americas by
Shanghai Jiao Tong University,
[14] 42nd among world universities and 20th in North America by
The Times Higher Education Supplement,
[15] 42nd among national universities by Washington Monthly,
[16] 35th among world universities and 23rd among American universities by
Newsweek,
[17] and in the 6th tier among national universities by The Center for Measuring University Performance.
[18]
''USNWR'' ranks Northwestern's
School of Law 12th,
[19] Kellogg School of Management 5th,
[20] Feinberg School of Medicine 21st in research and 44th in primary care,
[21] the
McCormick School of Engineering 21st,
[22] and the School of Education and Social Policy 7th.
[23] The
Medill School of Journalism ranks among America's top three journalism, media, and advertising schools
[24][25]
The
Princeton Review ranks NU with the 12th best college newspaper, 3rd best college theater, and 5th worst
town and gown relationship.
[26]
''
Men's Fitness'' magazine named Northwestern the fifth-fittest college in America in
2005.
[27]
Schools and colleges
Northwestern University comprises 11 schools and colleges:
The
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (1853) is also located on the Evanston campus, though it is only affliated with the university.
Campus Life
Traditions
Northwestern University student traditions include:
★ Originally a fountain that was donated by the Class of 1902, painting
The Rock is now a way to advertise Greek organizations, student groups, and on-campus events.
[28]
★ "
Go U Northwestern", the Northwestern fight song, is played after scoring and at the end of games.
★ Northwestern has several traditions for football games. For example, the Wildcat Growl is done when opposing teams control the ball. This works especially well in thwarting audibles on the field as the majority of home fans participate. Also, students jingle their keys at the beginning of each kickoff. Students used to throw marshmallows during football games, but this unusual tradition was discontinued at the behest of former football coach
Gary Barnett.
★ The Clock Tower glows purple after a winning game, alternating sports with the season, announcing the results to a large part of the Evanston community. The Clock Tower remains purple until a loss or the end of the sports season. This is a recent change from the original tradition of lighting the Clock Tower purple only after winning football games, and keeping it purple during the off-season if the football team won its last game of the season.
★
Dance Marathon, a 30-hour philanthropic event, raises several hundred thousand dollars every winter. The 2007 "DM" raised in excess of $708,000.
★ ''Primal Scream'' is held at 9:00 p.m. on the Sunday before finals week every quarter. For the event, students lean out windows or gather in court yards and scream at the top of their lungs.
[29]
★ Armadillo Day, or more commonly
Dillo Day, is held on Northwestern's
Lakefill every Spring on the weekend before
Memorial Day.
[30]
Media
''
The Daily Northwestern'' is the main student newspaper at Northwestern. It is published on weekdays during the academic year. Established in
1881, it is run entirely by undergraduates, many of whom are students at the
Medill School of Journalism. The Daily is widely considered one of the best college newspapers in the country, a frequent winner of the
Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the coveted
Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker award. Although it serves the Northwestern community, the ''Daily'' is unaffiliated with the university and is supported entirely by advertisers. It is owned by the
Students Publishing Company. Current circulation is in excess of 7,500 as The Daily Northwestern is the only daily publication for both Northwestern University and the city of Evanston.
WNUR (89.3
FM) is a 7200 watt
radio station that broadcasts to
Chicago and its northern suburbs. It is the largest student-run radio station in the country. In September 2003, WNUR was named the #1 college radio station in the country by ''
Spin'' magazine. WNUR has also been recognized as a top US station by ''
The Wire'' and is often cited as one of the major centers for the nascent indie music movement during the early 1990s.
The
Northwestern News Network, commonly known as NNN, is the student television news and sports operation at Northwestern. It broadcasts news and sports programming three days of the week during the academic year on
NU Channel 1, online at
nnntv.org and weeknights at 10 p.m. on
Evanston cable access channel 6.
North by Northwestern is a student-run online publication dedicated to campus life. It recently won first place in its region for Best All-Around Independent Online Student Publication from the
Society of Professional Journalists.
Other prominent student publications include the ''Northwestern Business Review'', a business magazine; ''Helicon'', a literary magazine; ''Blackboard'', published by black student alliance For Members Only; ''Mustardseed'', a Christian publication; NUde Magazine, which focuses on student culture and experiencing Chicago and ''The Protest'', which is part of the Peace Project umbrella organization.
Performing arts
Student theater enjoys a highly visible presence on campus. Two annual productions are especially notable: the
Waa-Mu show, and the
Dolphin show. Waa-Mu is an original musical, written and produced almost entirely by students. The Dolphin Show is the nation's largest student produced musical. Children's theater is represented on campus by
Griffin’s Tale and the recently formed
Purple Crayon Players. In addition, Northwestern boasts the largest student-theatre community in the nation. Students produce over sixty independent productions each year. Many Northwestern alumni have used these productions as stepping stones to successful television and film careers. Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre was founded by alum
David Schwimmer and began in the Great Room in
Jones Residential College.
Northwestern also has a variety of improv groups. The improv and sketch comedy group
Mee-Ow lists
Julia Louis-Dreyfus,
Dermot Mulroney,
Ana Gasteyer,
John Cameron Mitchell and
Seth Meyers among its alumni. The Titanic Players are the oldest long-form improv group in the country. Mee-Ow, Titanic, and Out da Box, a multicultural comedy show, along with Northwestern's theatre department, have brought nation-wide attention to Northwestern's improv comedy training and performance.
There are also ten a capella groups and a variety of dance companies on campus.
Service
Northwestern students are also heavily involved in community service. Annual events include
Dance Marathon, a 30-hour event that raised over $708,000 for charity in
2007,(as cited in "Planting Seeds of Growth", the program for the 31st Annual Philanthropy Awards Luncheon hosted ay the Chicago Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals on May 18, 2007) Project Pumpkin, a
Halloween celebration where over 800 local children are invited to campus for an afternoon of games and candy, and Suitcase Party. Many students also assist with
Special Olympics and take
alternative spring break trips. Northwestern students also participate in the
Freshman urban program - a special program for students interested in community service. The Dance Marathon 07 organizers were awarded the Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy Award by the Chicago Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Housing
Northwestern has diverse student housing options, including both regular Residence Halls and specially-themed "Residential Colleges." Some Residential Colleges include
Jones Residential College, dedicated to the arts, multi-themed
Willard Residential College, multi-themed
Shepard Residential College, and the
Communications Residential College (CRC) for students interested in communications.
According to numbers posted by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, 36% of students were affiliated with a
fraternity or a
sorority in Spring 2005. This is the highest percentage of students involved in Greek life among
Big Ten universities.
Athletics
Main articles: Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern University Wildcats
A charter member of the
Big Ten Conference and the only private institution in the conference, Northwestern has 19 intercollegiate athletic teams (8 men's and 11 women's) and numerous club sports. The football team plays at
Ryan Field (formerly known as Dyche Stadium); the basketball and volleyball teams play at
Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Northwestern's athletic teams are nicknamed the Wildcats. Before
1924, they were known as "The Purple" and unofficially as "The Fighting Methodists." The name Wildcats was bestowed upon the university in 1924 by Wallace Abbey, a writer for the
Chicago Daily Tribune who wrote that even in a loss to the
University of Chicago, "Football players had not come down from Evanston; wildcats would be a name better suited to [Coach Glenn]
Thistletwaite's boys."
[31]
The name was so popular that university board members made "wildcats" the official nickname just months later. In 1972 the student body voted to change the official nickname from "Wildcats" to "Purple Haze" but the new name never really stuck.
The Northwestern Athletics' mascot is
Willie the Wildcat. However, the team's first mascot was not Willie, but a live, caged bear cub from the
Lincoln Park Zoo named Furpaw. In fall
1923, Furpaw was driven to the playing field to greet the fans before each game. After a losing season, the team decided that Furpaw was the harbinger of bad luck and banished him from campus. Willie made his debut ten years later in
1933 as a logo, but did not actually come to life until
1947, when members of the Alpha Delta fraternity dressed up as him during the Homecoming parade.
The
Northwestern University Marching Band (NUMB) leads the students in cheers and spirit, providing strong links to the past and preserving Northwestern's oldest traditions.
Northwestern's football team has a history of futility, as it holds the all-time records for Division I-A losses, points allowed, and negative point differential (amount opponents have outscored them by), and is on the losing end of
the greatest comeback in Division I-A history. However, the team has seen success in recent years, including trips to the
1996 Rose Bowl,
1997 Citrus Bowl,
2000 Alamo Bowl,
2003 Motor City Bowl and
2005 Sun Bowl. The current coach is former
All-American Northwestern
linebacker Pat Fitzgerald.
Current successful athletic programs include men's
soccer,
wrestling, men's
swimming, women's
tennis,
softball, and
women's lacrosse. The women's lacrosse team is the defending three-time
NCAA national champion, and went undefeated in
2005.
Notable alumni
Main articles: List of Northwestern alumni
Many Northwestern alumni play or have played important roles in
Chicago and
Illinois, such as current Illinois governor
Rod Blagojevich,
Chicago Bulls and
Chicago White Sox owner
Jerry Reinsdorf, and theater director
Mary Zimmerman.
Northwestern's film and theater programs have also produced a steady stream of talented actors, actresses, and filmmakers. Alumni who have made their mark on film and television include
Academy Award-winner
Charlton Heston,
Ann-Margret,
Warren Beatty,
David Schwimmer,
Zach Braff, and
Stephen Colbert. Alumni such as
Stephanie D'Abruzzo,
Heather Headley,
Lily Rabe, and
Walter Kerr have seen prominence on
Broadway. Amsterdam-based comedy theater
Boom Chicago was founded by Northwestern alumni, and the school has become a training ground for future
The Second City,
I.O.,
ComedySportz,
Mad TV and
Saturday Night Live talent.
The
Medill School of Journalism has produced notable journalists such as
Elisabeth Bumiller,
ESPN personalities
Mike Greenberg and
Michael Wilbon, and
CNN anchor
Nicole Lapin.
Garry Marshall, ''
Happy Days'' producer and movie director, is also a Medill alumnus.
Northwestern alumni involved in music include
Andrew Bird and members of
Arcade Fire,
The Lawrence Arms, and
OK Go.
Northwestern alumni living in
New York City and
Los Angeles, especially those involved in theater and film, are commonly known as the "Northwestern Mafia" due to their high concentration in the area and their willingness to help out fellow Wildcats
[4]. They were referenced in an episode of ''
Joey'', in which
Matt LeBlanc's character pretends to be a Northwestern alumnus in order to improve his industry connections.
References in popular culture
★ Fictional alumni of Northwestern include: Josie Geller (
Drew Barrymore; ''
Never Been Kissed''), Andrea Sachs (
Anne Hathaway; ''
The Devil Wears Prada''), Natalie Hurley (
Sabrina Lloyd; ''
Sports Night''), Augie March (''
The Adventures of Augie March''),
Sara Tancredi (
Sarah Wayne Callies; ''
Prison Break''),
Liz Lemon and
Jenna Maroney (
Tina Fey and
Jane Krakowski; ''
30 Rock''), Danny Tripp (
Bradley Whitford; ''
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip''),
Cheryl (Melanie Nicholls-King; ''
The Wire''), Teri Joseph (
Nicole Ari Parker; ''
Soul Food''), Gomez (''
The Time Traveler's Wife''), Lee (
Jonny Lee Miller; ''
Melinda and Melinda''), Harry's wife (''
When Harry Met Sally''), and
Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan (
Emily Deschanel; ''
Bones'').
★ Fictional Northwestern students include Aaron Samuels (
Jonathan Bennett; ''
Mean Girls''), Catherine Llewellyn (
Gwyneth Paltrow in the
film adaptation; ''
Proof''), Hannah (
Jennifer Garner; ''
Felicity'') and Jim Levenstein (
Jason Biggs; ''
American Pie 2'')
★ Fictional Northwestern faculty include Mrs. Heron (
Ana Gasteyer; ''
Mean Girls'') and Dr. Adani (
Shohreh Aghdashloo; ''
The Exorcism of Emily Rose'').
★ Fictional applicants to Northwestern include:
Buffy Summers (
Sarah Michelle Gellar; ''
Buffy The Vampire Slayer''), Liz Parker (
Shiri Appleby; ''
Roswell''), Carmen (
Masiela Lusha; ''
George Lopez''), and Moesha (
Brandy Norwood, ''
Moesha'').
★
Daniel Cosgrove's character, Richard "Dick" Bagg, in ''
Van Wilder'' interviews with representatives from Northwestern's medical school.
★
Steve Martin's character in ''
Cheaper by the Dozen'' coaches football at a university that is clearly supposed to be Northwestern.
[32] The script originally mentioned Northwestern by name and the filmmakers wanted to use the school specifically, but the university declined.
[33] Nonetheless, several synopses of the movie (for instance, the description on
Netflix) still list the school as Northwestern.
[34]
★
Mena Suvari's character in ''
American Pie'' is thinking of applying to Northwestern, but says that the essays are pretty tough.
★
Meadow Soprano, the daughter in HBO's ''
The Sopranos'', declares her intention to transfer from
Columbia University in New York to Northwestern.
★ Twins Brenda (
Shannen Doherty) and Brandon (
Jason Priestly) Walsh on the popular television show ''
Beverly Hills, 90210'' both considered Northwestern before deciding to attend the fictional California University.
★ ''
Major League's' "library scene" was filmed at Northwestern's
Deering Library.
★
Matt Le Blanc's character in ''
Joey'' lies to a film producer about having graduated from Northwestern to get an audition in a TV show.
★
Jennifer Aniston's character's love interest in ''
The Break Up'' tells her that he graduated from Northwestern.
★
Matthew Perry's character in ''
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip'' mentions that his nephew is applying to Northwestern.
★ In ''
License to Wed'', both Ben Murphy (
John Krasinski) and Sadie Jones (
Mandy Moore) wear Northwestern t-shirts.
External links
References
1. Northwestern Facts, About
2. Hail to Black, Hail to Gold, Hail to thee Northwestern!
3. Northwestern University
4. Choosing the Right College: The Whole Truth about America's Top Schools 2006, , John, Zmirak, Intercollegiate Studies Institute, ,
5. Northwestern Facts
6. Keeping the Faith
7. Records of the Evanston College for Ladies, northwestern University Archives [1]
8. purple
9. The deal that almost was: 'The Universities of Chicago'
10. Death penalty history made at Northwestern Pat Vaughan Tremmel
11. http://www.northwestern.edu/about/history/timeline1949
12. http://www.northwestern.edu/magazine/fall2007/presidentsletter/president.html
13. America's Best Colleges 2007
14. Academic Ranking of World Universities 2006
15.
16. The Washington Monthly College Rankings
17. The World's 100 Most Global Universities, , , , Newsweek,
18. The Top American Research Universities: 2006 Annual Report
19. Top Law Schools
20. Top Business Schools
21. Top Medical Schools
22. Top Engineering Schools
23. Top Education Schools
24. Texas Advertising: Department - Reputation
25. Graduate School Rankings By U.S. News & World Report:ADVERTISING
26. Northwestern University Rankings and Lists
27. America's Fittest and Fattest Colleges in America 2005
28. http://www.northwestern.edu/wildcam/rock-history.html
29. http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/freshman/campuslife/traditions.htm
30. http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/freshman/campuslife/traditions.htm
31. Maroons beat Purple by a Dropkick Wallace Abbey
32. Cheaper by the Dozen
33. On Location
34. http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Cheaper_by_the_Dozen/60031288
Further reading
★
Northwestern University: Celebrating 150 Years, , Jay, Pridmore, Northwestern University Press, 2000,
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