University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

"This article is about the flagship campus. For other uses and locations of University of Illinois, see University of Illinois (disambiguation)infobox University
name= University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign


motto= Learning and Labor
endowment= US $2.197 billion [ [http://www.uif.uillinois.edu/storydetail.aspx?id=80 University of Illinois Foundation | University of Illinois Foundation – Financials – Endowment Market Value Details ] ] (systemwide)
president= B. Joseph White
chancellor= Richard Herman
established= 1867
type= Flagship, Land-grant, Sea-grant, Space-grant
calendar = Semester
faculty= 2,971
staff= 8,085
students= 42,326
undergrad= 30,895
postgrad= 11,431
colors= Orange and Navy Blue
city= flag icon|USA Urbana and Champaign
state= IL
country= USA
campus= Urban, 1,468 acres (6 km²)
free_label= Sports
free= Fighting Illini
affiliations= WUN, Big Ten, CIC
website= [http://www.illinois.edu/ http://www.illinois.edu/] [http://media.www.dailyillini.com/media/storage/paper736/news/2007/08/23/News/University.Will.Alter.Web.Address.As.Part.Of.Global.Marketing.Plan-2935148.shtml]

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (U of I, UIUC, or simply Illinois) is a coeducational public research university in the state of Illinois, USA. It is the oldest and largest campus in the University of Illinois system.

The university comprises 18 Colleges that offer more than 150 programs of study. Additionally, the university operates an extension [ [http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/state/whatwedo.html What we do] ] that serves 2.7 million registrants per year around the state of Illinois and beyond. The campus holds over 286 buildings on 1,468 acres (6 km²) in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana, and has an annual budget of nearly $1.5 billion.cite web| title=Facts 2008: Illinois by the numbers |publisher=UIUC Public Affairs |url=http://www.publicaffairs.uiuc.edu/facts/facts.html |accessmonthday=June 22 |accessyear=2008 ] As of 30 June 2007, the University of Illinois Foundation—a systemwide endowment—totals at $2.197 billion. [ [http://www.uif.uillinois.edu/storydetail.aspx?id=80 Story at U of Illinois website] ] The undergraduate program was ranked 40th among national universities and tenth-best among public universities by "U.S. News & World Report" in 2009. [cite web|url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/national-search|title=America's Best Colleges 2009 |publisher=U.S. News & World Report |year=2007 |accessdate=2009-10-01]

Enrollment in the fall of 2007 was 42,326, which included students from all 50 states and more than 127 nations. Of these, 30,895 were undergraduates and 11,431 were graduate students. As of Fall 2007, Illinois was the ninth largest university by undergraduate enrollment in the United States. [ [http://ope.ed.gov/athletics/InstList.asp Institution List] ]

History

Rankings

In its 2009 listings, "US News and World Report" ranked the undergraduate program 40th overall out of nationally accredited universities and 10th out of nationally accredited public universities. [cite web|url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/national-search|title=America's Best Colleges 2009 |publisher=U.S. News & World Report |year=2007 |accessdate=2009-10-01] The graduate program has 60 disciplines ranked in the top 30 nationwide, including 23 in the top 5 overall. US News and World Report ranked the Undergraduate and Graduate Accounting programs #2 and #4 respectively in the United States in their 2008 rankings; both programs had been ranked #1 at the same time in previous years. The College of Business as a whole was ranked 12th best nationally. The College of Engineering was ranked 4th, with 14 graduate disciplines ranked in the top 10. The College of Education has six programs ranked in the top 10. The Graduate School of Library and Information Science is top 1, with five programs ranked in the top 10. Chemistry and Physics are also in top 10. Of note is many arts programs are in the first quartile, such as Architecture and Fine Arts. However, Computer Science, Actuarial Science and Psychology are the university's most visibly distinguished departments among others. The School of Labor and Employment Relations is recognized consistently as top 2 or 3 in the nation, only behind Cornell University.

It is also considered a "Public Ivy" and is comprehensively measured as one of the Top 20 major research universities in America by a Graham-Diamond Report [http://www.physics.northwestern.edu/graduate/Graham_Diamond.html] .

International rankings by The Institute of Higher Education at Shanghai Jiao Tong University suggest that Illinois is the 20th best university in North America, and 26th best university in the world.cite web
url = http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/rank/2007/ARWU2007_Top100.htm
title = Academic Ranking of World Universities 2007
accessdate = 2007-11-20|date= 2007-07-31
publisher = Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University] The Academic Ranking of World Universities by Broad Subject Fields from the same research center in 2008 positions Illinois as the 3rd best in Engineering/Technology and Computer Sciences in the world, only after MIT and Stanford. It is 19th in Life and Agriculture Sciences, 20th in Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and 51st (tied) in Social Sciences.cite web
url = http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/ARWU-FIELD.htm
title = Academic Rankings of World Universities by Broad Subject Fields - 2007
accessdate = 2007-11-20 |date= 2007-01-31
publisher = Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University] Notably, the ranking is recognized for its ruthless objectiveness and emphasis on research productivity/scholastic achievement.

Illinois was ranked as the 77th best in the world, by "The Times Higher Education Supplement’s" list of the top 200 universities in the world in the latest release. However, Illinois had ranked in the top 30s for a few years past. This ranking is often criticized due to its volatility: It stresses international popularity and ranks may change tens of places from one year to the next.cite web
url = http://www.geocities.com/universities06/ajueart.pdf
title = The THES University Rankings: Are They Really World Class?
accessdate = 2007-11-20
last = Holmes | first = Richard
format = PDF
work = Asian Journal of University Education (volume 1, issue 1)
publisher = Geocities.com "Note: Existence of the journal has not been verified as of November 2007"] The WSJ ranking of business schools also has this inherited anomaly, attributed to its survey method.

The Institute for Labor and Industrial Relations has been recognized consistently as one of the top three programs for HR and Labor Relations studies in the United States [ [http://www.ilir.uiuc.edu/aboutilir/index.htm ILIR : About the Institute, University of Illinois ] ] Verify credibility|date=July 2008. The Gourman Reports has ranked the program as #2 and #3 in various years.Fact|date=July 2008

In the 2008 release of Webometrics Ranking of World Universities by Cybermetrics Lab, which is a research unit of National Research Council of Spain, the University was ranked 9th.cite web
url = http://www.webometrics.info/premierleague.asp |title = Premier League
accessdate = 2007-11-20 |year = 2007 |month = January
work = World Universities' ranking on the Web
publisher = Cybermetrics Lab, "Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas"] In 2006, G-Factor, another academic list trying to measure social network efficacy of universities, has ranked Illinois in the top 8. [cite web
url = http://www.universitymetrics.com/tiki-index.php?page=Top+20+Universities+2006
title = Top 20 Universities 2006 |accessdate = 2007-11-20 |year = 2006 |author = Peter Hirst
work = Global University Rankings|publisher = University Metrics.com] "Gourman Report" also ranks Illinois as 17th best university in the nation.Fact|date=November 2007

As of 2007, Washington Monthly ranks Illinois as the 11th best university in the nation, and ranks 9th among public universities.The methodology of the ranking includes "how well it performs as an engine of social mobility," "how well it does in fostering scientific and humanistic research," and "how well it promotes an ethic of service to country."cite web
url = http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2007/0709.natlrankings.pdf
title = College Rankings |work=National Universities
accessdate = 2007-11-20 |date= 2007-09-08
author = Nick Baumann |coauthors = David Freedlander, Oliver Haydock, and Zachary Roth
format = PDF |publisher = "The Washington Monthly"]

Newsweek International listed Illinois as one of Top 100 Global Universities [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14321230/site/newsweek/] Failed verification|date=July 2008, which "takes into account openness and diversity, as well as distinction in research." Kiplinger's Personal Finance also listed Illinois in its 100 Best Values in Public Colleges [http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/colleges/] , which "measures academic quality, cost and financial aid."

The Princeton Review has elected Urbana-Champaign campus as one of the 366 best colleges out of nearly 5,000 degree-granting institutions of higher education in the United States [http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d06/tables/dt06_249.asp] . Nonetheless, the university has come under criticism for its use of graduate teaching assistants in teaching undergraduate courses, including upper-level undergraduate courses. For two consecutive years, the Urbana-Champaign campus topped this review'scite web| title=University tops one list on Princeton Review |publisher=Daily Illini|url=http://media.www.dailyillini.com/media/storage/paper736/news/2004/08/24/News/University.Tops.One.List.On.Princeton.Review-704496.shtml
date=August 24, 2004 |accessmonthday=May 23 |accessyear=2007 ] category of "teaching assistants teach too many upper level courses." Yet The Review's ranking itself is attacked with its category lists which are claimed to be lacking accountability, mainly from student random sampling.

Points of interest

* Alma Mater * Allerton Park * Arboretum * The Beckman Institute * Boneyard Creek * Conservatory and Plant Collection * Engineering Quads * Grainger Engineering Library

* Illini Union * Krannert Center for the Performing Arts * Main Quad * Morrow Plots- National Historic Landmark * National Center for Supercomputing Applications * Spurlock Museum * Krannert Art Museum *University of Illinois Observatory- National Historic Landmark

=

ee also

*Daily Illini - independent student newspaper
*WPGU - student-run commercial radio station
*Illinois Loyalty - school song
*Fighting Illini - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign sports
*Marching Illini - marching band of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

References

External links

* [http://www.illinois.edu The University's Official Website]
* [http://www.oar.uiuc.edu/ Office of Admissions & Records]
* [http://www.fightingillini.com/ The Official Site of University of Illinois Athletics]
* [http://webtools.uiuc.edu/ricker/CampusMap Campus Map]
* [http://www.guidetocampus.com Unofficial University Guide]
* [http://www.dailyillini.com/ Daily Illini Online]
* [http://www.eotu.uiuc.edu/ Ethnography of the University]
* [http://www.brilliantfutures.uiuc.edu/ Brilliant Futures: The Campaign for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]
* [http://uihistories.ncsa.uiuc.edu/ UIHistories Project: History of the University] / [http://uitours.ncsa.uiuc.edu/ UITours Project: Virtual Tour of UIUC Campus] / [http://uiphotos.ncsa.uiuc.edu/ UIPhotos Project: Photo Galleries of Campus]
* [http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ Main Library Homepage]
** [http://ideals.uiuc.edu IDEALS] - Electronic Research and Scholarship of U of I
* University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is at coordinates coord|40|6|37.94|N|88|13|42.28|W|display=inline,title