The University of Chicago is a private, coeducational research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by oil magnate and benefactor John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890; William Rainey Harper became its first president in 1891 and the first classes were held in 1892. The University of Chicago has been committed to open, rigorous, and intense inquiry with a shared understanding that this must be the defining feature of the University. The University recognize that most important contributions to discovery, education, and society rest on our focus, the power of our ideas, and the openness of our environment to the development and testing of these ideas.
The University of Chicago has defined academic disciplines, schools, and modes of thought and has had a transformative impact on fields including economics, science, energy production, mathematics, medicine, law, business, religion, policy, sociology, archeology, and historical, cultural and literary analysis.
At Chicago, campus and community are interconnected in partnerships that serve both to support the community and train future policymakers, social workers, artists, and social and political leaders. The University of Chicago Charter School, run by the Center for Urban School Improvement, serves Chicago public school students with four campuses for students in pre-kindergarten through high school.
The University of Chicago also maintains facilities apart from its main campus. The University's Booth School of Business maintains campuses in Singapore, London, and the downtown Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago. The Center in Paris, a campus located on the left bank of the Seine in Paris, hosts various undergraduate and graduate study programs.
The University of Chicago operates two major national laboratories, an internationally renowned hospital, an outstanding pre-K-12 private school, a charter school with four distinct campuses, our own professional theatre, museums, and the nation's largest academic press. We also have a strong global presence with our own facilities in London, Paris, and Singapore, active educational programs in the College in locations throughout the world, and the ongoing interaction of scholars and students at work with colleagues from around the globe.
