University of Wisconsin-Madison
History
The University of Wisconsin–Madison was first established in 1848, the same year that Wisconsin achieved statehood. The university's first class, consisting of 17 students, met at the Madison Female Academy in 1849. A permanent campus site was soon selected: an area of 50 acres "bounded north by Fourth lake, east by a street to be opened at right angles with King street", [south by Mineral Point Road, and west by a carriage-way from said road to the lake]." Over the next two decades, the university experienced many changes and challenges, including an 1866 decision to admit women.
Academics
The University of Wisconsin–Madison offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. It is organized into 20 schools and colleges, which enrolled 30,361 undergraduate and 14,052 graduate students in 2018. The university employs over 21,600 faculty and staff. Its comprehensive academic program offers 136 undergraduate majors, along with 148 master's degree programs and 120 doctoral programs.
Research
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is one of America's Public Ivy universities, which refers to top public universities in the United States capable of providing a collegiate experience comparable with the Ivy League. The university is categorized as an R1 Doctoral Research University in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, indicating the highest research activity. In 2012, it spent more than $1.1 billion on research, behind only the University of Michigan and the University of Washington among U.S. public universities.
Campus
The University of Wisconsin–Madison's campus is located in Madison, the capital of Wisconsin, and stretches along the shores of Lake Mendota. The campus includes many buildings of historical significance, including the iconic Bascom Hall, which sits atop Bascom Hill and is the oldest building on campus.
Student life
Student life at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is vibrant and diverse, with more than 800 student organizations. The university's athletic teams, known as the Wisconsin Badgers, compete in the Big Ten Conference. The student newspaper, The Daily Cardinal, has been published since 1892.