University of Chicago

University of Chicago, also known as UChicago, ranked 5th in the United States and is made up of several schools including The College, grad programs, 5 research divisions, six professional schools, and the Graham school. A founding member of the Association of American Universities, today UChicago is a private, not for profit school that focuses on giving back to the community while also connecting local businesses with job seekers.

Founded on July 9th, 1890, UChicago came into being thanks to the efforts of the American Baptist Education Society and a very generous donation from John D. Rockefeller of $600,000 (which today would be $16 million). Marshall Field, the local owner of the historic Chicago department store, provided the land. Although the original intent was for it to be a Baptist school, gender equality and non-sectarianism were fit into an early charter.

UChicago’s maroon coat of arms features a phoenix rising from the flames as well as the motto: Crescat Scientia; vita excolatur. In English, it means “Let knowledge grow from more and more; and so be human life enriched.” In honor of their school color, the athletic teams are known as “The Maroons.”

Over the years, several notable names have graduated from UChicago, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Oracle Corporation founder Larry Ellison, Prohibition agent Eliot Ness, and film critic Roger Ebert. Other recognizable names include Rick Akinson, Vernon Johns, Margaret Thatcher, Carl Sagan, and fictional archeologist, Indiana Jones. Overall, UChicago has produced 50 Rhodes Scholars, 13 billionaire graduates, congress members, and several foreign leaders.

Today, the school has 18,300 students attending which includes both undergraduates and graduates.