The University of Michigan (commonly referred to as Michigan, U-M, UMich, or U of M) is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan. It is one of the original eight Public Ivy universities and is one of the founding members of the Association of American Universities. It has been ranked among the top five research universities in the US, and among the top 20 universities in the world, including one ranking, as high as the 4th best university in the world. U-M also has satellite campuses in Flint and Dearborn.
The university was founded in 1817 in Detroit as the Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania, about 20 years before the Michigan Territory officially became a state. What would become the university moved to Ann Arbor in 1837 onto 40 acres (16 ha) of what is now known as Central Campus. Since its establishment in Ann Arbor, the university has physically expanded to include more than 584 major buildings with a combined area of more than 31 million gross square feet (712 acres or 2.38 km²), and transformed its academic program from a strictly classical curriculum to one that includes science and research. U-M was the site of much student activism in the 1960s. When presidential candidate John F. Kennedy visited the University on October 14, 1960, he gave an impromptu speech on the steps of the Michigan Union that led to a University of Michigan student movement which contributed to the establishment of the Peace Corps. The University was also a focal point in the controversy over affirmative action within higher education admissions.
Michigan has one of the world's largest living alumni groups at more than 500,000 in 2012. U-M owns the University of Michigan Health System and has one of the largest research expenditures of any American university, passing the $1.24 billion mark during the 2010-2011 academic year. The university has very high research activity and its comprehensive graduate program offers doctoral degrees in the humanities, social sciences, and STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) as well as professional degrees in medicine, law, and dentistry.
Its athletic teams, called the Wolverines, are members of the Big Ten Conference and the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The athletic program is known for its success in ice hockey and football. The football team plays in Michigan Stadium, also known as "The Big House," the largest football stadium in the world, with a capacity exceeding 111,000.
Read more about University Of Michigan: History, Campus, Organization and Administration, Academics, Athletics, Notable People and Alumni
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