University Of Delaware webcam
The University of Delaware (colloquially “UD” or “UDel”) is the largest university in Delaware. The main campus is in Newark, with satellite campuses in Dover, Wilmington, Lewes and Georgetown. It is medium-sized – approximately 16,000 undergraduate and 3,500 graduate students. Although UD receives public funding for being a land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant and urban-grant state-supported research institution, it is also privately chartered. At present, the school’s endowment is valued at about $1.3975 billion US. The University of Delaware is ranked 68th by US News in the category of “Best National Universities.” In 2009, UD ranked No. 22 in the in-state category of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine’s list of the 100 Best Values in Public Colleges, and No. 18 for out-of-state.
The school from which the university grew was founded in 1743, making it one of the oldest in the nation. However, UD was not chartered as an institution of higher learning until 1833. Its original class of ten students included George Read, Thomas McKean, and James Smith, all three of whom would go on to sign the Declaration of Independence.
The school has renowned engineering, science, business, education, urban affairs and public policy, public administration, agriculture, history, chemical engineering, chemistry and biochemistry programs, among others, drawing from the historically strong presence of the nation’s chemical and pharmaceutical industries in the state of Delaware. In 2006, UD’s engineering program was ranked number 10 in the nation by The Princeton Review. In 2009, US News and World Report, ranked the chemical engineering program 10th among undergraduate programs and 9th among graduate programs. It is one of only four schools in North America with a major in art conservation. UD was the first American university to begin a study abroad program.
The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest of the colleges. Also, on April 3, 2007 the second annual BusinessWeek review of the “Best Undergraduate B-Schools” ranked UD’s Lerner College of Business and Economics 29th among the nation’s top 58 public university programs and 61st among the 500 schools earning international accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
In recent years, the student body has been labeled as one of the most politically apathetic in the nation. Although there are a number of activist student groups on campus, the University was ranked 4th out of 361 schools in the “Election? What Election?” category in the Princeton Review’s 2007 college ratings .
This perception is quickly changing however, and such rankings have not gone unnoticed by university officials. An April 2008 report by the school’s Strategic Planning Committee identified student engagement in the “social, cultural, artistic, and scientific challenges of our age” as one of the university’s primary long-term goals. University students have also responded to the charges of student apathy, and the 2007-2008 academic year saw the creation of a number of student organizations aimed at increasing political dialogue amongst undergraduates .
The 2008 Presidential Election has also brought much attention to the University and has increased student involvement in political activism. In August 2008, the University was hailed as the “epicenter” of the presidential election by Bloomberg News . Joe Biden (D), Delaware, who graduated from the University, was elected Vice President of the United States on November 4, 2008 as Barack Obama’s running mate. In addition, Biden’s wife, Jill, as well as David Plouffe, Obama’s campaign strategist, and Steve Schmidt, McCain’s campaign strategist all graduated from UD. Senator Biden appeared at the University in a campaign rally on October 31, 2008, just days before the election, in front of an estimated crowd of 7,000.
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