University of Rochester

• 1. Founding And Early History

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  The University of Rochester traces its origins to The First Baptist Church of Hamilton, New York, which was founded in 1796. This church established the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York, later renamed the Hamilton Literary and Theological Institution, in 1817. When this institution aspired to grant higher degrees, it created a collegiate division separate from the theological division. The collegiate division received a charter from the State of New York in 1846, after which its name changed to Madison University. John Wilder and the Baptist Education Society urged that the new university be moved to Rochester, New York. Legal action prevented the move. In response, dissenting faculty, students, and trustees defected and departed for Rochester, where they sought a new charter for a new university. Madison University was eventually renamed Colgate University.

  Asahel C. Kendrick, professor of Greek, served as acting president while a national search was conducted. He reprised this role until 1853, when Martin Brewer Anderson of the Andover Newton Theological Seminary in Massachusetts was selected to fill the inaugural posting. The University of Rochester's new charter was awarded by the Regents of the State of New York on the 31st of January 1850. The charter stipulated that the university have $100,000 in endowment within five years, upon which the charter would be reaffirmed. An initial gift of $10,000 was pledged by John Wilder, which helped catalyze significant gifts from individuals and institutions. Classes began that November, with approximately 60 students enrolled, including 28 transfers from Madison.

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• 2. Campus Expansion And Architecture

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  Major growth occurred under the leadership of Benjamin Rush Rhees over his 1900, 1935 tenure. During this period, George Eastman, innovator and entrepreneur who founded the Eastman Kodak Company, became a major donor, giving more than $50 million to the university during his life. Under the patronage of Eastman, the Eastman School of Music was created in 1921. In 1925, at the behest of the General Education Board and with significant support from John D. Rockefeller, George Eastman, and Henry A. Strong's family, medical and dental schools were created. The university awarded its first PhD that same year.

  The River Campus is in a bend of the Genesee River about south of downtown Rochester and covers around 475 acres. It is bounded by Bausch & Lomb Riverside Park, an 18-acre public park along the east bank of the Genesee River formerly known as the Olmstead River Walk, and Mount Hope Cemetery, where the grave sites of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass can be found. The River Campus was acquired in the late 1920s from the Oak Hill Country Club through a land swap deal orchestrated in part by Edwin Sage Hubbell and funded largely by George Eastman. After a period of landscaping, grading, and construction, the original buildings of the campus were dedicated in 1930 when the first class of River Campus was welcomed to the Men's college.

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• 3. Research And Scientific Innovation

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  Rochester is a member of the Association of American Universities and is classified among R1 Doctoral Universities with very high research activity. Rochester had a research expenditure of $481 million in 2023. Some of the major research centers include the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, a laser-based nuclear fusion facility, and the extensive research facilities at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Recently, the university has also engaged in a series of new initiatives to expand its programs in biomedical engineering and optics, including the construction of the new $37 million Robert B. Goergen Hall for Biomedical Engineering and Optics on the River Campus.

  Notable patents include Zoloft and Gardasil. WeBWorK, a web-based system for checking homework and providing immediate feedback for students, was developed by University of Rochester professors Gage and Pizer. The system is now in use at over 800 universities and colleges, as well as several secondary and primary schools. Rochester scientists work in diverse areas. For example, physicists developed a technique for etching metal surfaces, such as platinum, titanium, and brass, with powerful lasers, enabling self-cleaning surfaces that repel water droplets and will not rust if tilted at a 4-degree angle.

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• 4. Controversies And Administrative Changes

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  Between 1946 and 1947, in infamous uranium experiments, researchers at the university injected uranium-234 and uranium-235 into six people to study how much uranium their kidneys could tolerate before becoming damaged. In response, university president Thomas H. Jackson announced the launch of a Renaissance Plan for the college that reduced enrollment from 4,500 to 3,600, creating a more selective admissions process. The plan also revised the undergraduate curriculum significantly, creating the current system with only one required course and only a few distribution requirements, known as clusters.

  On the 1st of September 2017, a complaint was filed by eight current and former faculty members at the University of Rochester with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The complaint includes allegations of sexual misconduct/harassment by a tenure track faculty member, and condemnation of the response of the university administration. A new, independent investigation found the individuals covered in the report had not violated policy; however, significant recommendations were made to push the university towards leadership in policy regarding relationships between faculty, staff, employees, and students. On the same day as the release of the report, university president Joel Seligman publicly announced his previously tendered resignation.

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• 5. Academic Structure And Schools

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  The College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering is the largest school, and it includes the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The Eastman School of Music, founded by and named after George Eastman, is located in Downtown Rochester. The university offers 160 undergraduate and 30 graduate programs across seven schools spread throughout five campuses. With 19 departments, more than a dozen programs, and numerous centers and institutes, Arts & Sciences is the largest school at the university.

  Established in 1958, the Hajim School comprises a variety of programs, departments, and institutes, including Audio and music engineering, Biomedical engineering, Chemical engineering, Computer science, Electrical and computer engineering, the Institute of Optics, and Mechanical engineering. The school has doubled the number of undergraduate students it encompasses since 2008. The school was named after Edmund Hajim, a trustee of the university, in 2009 after a $30-million gift to the university. The Institute of Optics has been regarded among the premier optics programs in the world.

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• 6. Student Life And Traditions

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  The official flower of the university is the dandelion, purportedly prolific on the cow pasture that became the university's second campus. The official mascot of the university is a predatory wasp found throughout Rochester, the yellowjacket. From 1983 to 2008, the mascot was named URBee. However, when the university re-designed the mascot during the 2007, 2008 academic year, a new name was chosen. As of the 1st of February 2008, the school's mascot is now known as Rocky.

  Dandelion Day is one of the university's longest standing traditions that celebrates the last full week of classes in the spring semester. Events usually include food trucks, a concert, and special parties held by fraternities and sororities. In 2008, Dandelion Day lost funding from the school administration but was eventually brought back due to student demand. Dandelion Day is usually held on the Friday of Springfest Weekend. There are over 275 active groups on campus, which range from cultural dance groups to the university's improvisational comedy troupe In Between the Lines.

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