SYR.edu
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a privately owned research university located in Syracuse, New York. It has a main campus overlooking the city’s economic center, also known as the North Campus. A smaller South Campus houses a number of research and student centers, and about 12 buildings in Downtown Syracuse (including The Warehouse, an art gallery) are being developed for visual arts facilities. As of fall 2006, it has close to 20,000 students and about 1,500 faculty members.
SU is highly regarded for its undergraduate and graduate programs, particularly in communications, creative writing, public affairs, entrepreneurship, information studies, architecture, and geography. It also takes pride in its role in promoting student diversity and equal education for men and women.
History
SU was founded in 1870, although its forerunner, the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, dates back to 1832. The seminary was located in Lima, New York, and wished to establish a college somewhere less remote. Syracuse was chosen as the site in 1869, and a charter was granted March 24 the following year.
The university expanded rapidly in its first few years, establishing a medical school in 1872, the Hall of Languages in 1873, and the College of Visual and Performing Arts – the first degree-granting unit – in the same year. Soon, however, expansion costs built up and left the university with growing debt. SU’s financial situation got so bad that, 1881, exiting Chancellor Erastus O. Haven said to his successor Charles N. Sims: “You cannot save the university. It must go.” Sims had inherited a university debt of $173,000.
But SU continued to grow over the next decades, with help from the state and private donations. Notable additions include the Carnegie and Von Ranke libraries, the School of Education, and the Archbold Stadium and gymnasium. By 1942, under Chancellor William Pearson Tolley, university enrollment tripled, 20 buildings are added, and the university had over $200 million in assets.
Today, Syracuse University is internationally recognized as a premier research and educational institution. It has close ties with other prestigious universities in several research and development programs, and is one of the only eight universities who have produced a Rhodes Scholar, Goldwater Scholar, and Truman Scholar in a single year.
Schools and Colleges
SU currently has 13 schools and colleges and over 130 departments. More than 40 centers and programs are administered by the academic units, some of which also offer off-campus opportunities.
- School of Architecture
- The College of Arts & Sciences
- School of Education
- L.C. Smith College of Engineering & Computer Science
- Graduate School
- College of Human Services and Health Professions
- School of Information Studies
- College of Law
- The Martin J. Whitman School of Management
- Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs
- S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
- College of Visual & Performing Arts
- University College (continuing education)
Campuses and Facilities
Most of the academic, administrative, and residence buildings are located in the North (main) Campus. At the center of the campus is The Quad, a sprawling park surrounded by academic buildings, mostly those under the College of Arts and Sciences. It also contains sixteen residence halls housing about 5,000 students per term. The Hall of Languages, the oldest building on campus, features a monument dedicated to the 35 students who died in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.
The “South Campus” is home to about 2,500 SU students. It was originally built as a housing facility for graduate students and families, but now also includes the headquarters for the Syracuse Orange athletes. There are also three detached-style residence halls for freshmen. Other facilities include the Goldstein Student Center, Tennity Ice Pavilion, and the Institute for Sensory Research. Frequent bus services connect the two campuses together.
SU facilities in Downtown Syracuse include the College of Visual Arts and Sciences and the College of Architecture. Art classes and exhibits are held The Warehouse, which was recently renovated to include classrooms, an art gallery, and a workshop. The Architecture facility, Slocum Hall, was also moved to the area. Computer engineering laboratories are also located in Rome, New York.
The Ernest S. Bird Library replaced the Carnegie as SU’s main library in 1971. There are also several smaller libraries run by specific departments, such as the Architecture Reading Room, the Physics Library, Geology Library, the H. Douglas Barclay Law Library, and the Martin Luther King Library for African American studies. The SU website includes comprehensive information on admissions, student life, campus maps, and university news.
The university also offers international programs in foreign cities, including London, Strasbourg, Madrid, Florence, Beijing, and Hong Kong. SU Florence is located in the Villa Rossa, a historic three-story building composed of 11 classrooms, administrative offices, a computer lab, study areas, a student lounge, and a separate library called the Villino. SU London, on the other hand, is hosted in the Faraday House and offers the city’s most prestigious foreign study program.
Student Body
SU has students from all 50 U.S. states and more than 90 different countries. As of fall 2006, it has 12,144 full-time and 1,012 part-time undergraduates, 3,927 full-time and 1,999 part-time graduate students, and 762 law students. Almost a fifth of the students are of Native American, Asian American, African American, or Latino origin, and 27% of the current freshman class are from under-represented groups.
Athletics and the 44 Legacy
SU’s athletic teams are called the Syracuse Orange, after the school’s official color. Syracuse Orange is famous for the “44 legacy,” a reverence for the number 44 based on the fact that its finest athletes have worn the number since 1954. Football greats Ernie Davis, Floyd Little, and Jim Brown, and basketball players John Wallace and Derrick Coleman, all wore “44” jerseys while playing for SU. However, the men’s lacrosse team is by far the most successful team – it has made the semifinals for 22 straight years and won 13 championships. SU has incorporated the number into all on-campus phone numbers and its administrative ZIP code (13244). It adapted orange as its official color in 1890, replacing rose pink and pea green.
Sources
Languages
English
Address
- Rm 200 Machinery Hall
- Syracuse NY 13244 US
Additional Information
Related Domains
External Links
- Alexa: Syr.edu
