For other universities that use the
TU
initialism, see
TU.
The University of Tulsa
 |
|
Former names
|
Henry Kendall College
(1894–1920) |
| Motto |
Wisdom, Faith, Service |
| Type |
Private |
| Established |
1894 |
|
Religious
affiliation
|
Presbyterian
Church |
| Endowment |
$885 million[1] |
| President |
Steadman Upham |
|
Academic
staff
|
306 (full-time) |
| Students |
4,352 |
| Undergraduates |
3,174 |
| Postgraduates |
1,178 |
| Location |
Tulsa, Oklahoma, US |
| Campus |
Urban, 230 acres (930,000
m²) |
| Colors |
Royal blue, Old gold, & Crimson[2]
|
| Athletics |
NCAA Division I (FBS)
The American |
| Nickname |
Golden Hurricane |
| Mascot |
Captain Cane |
| Affiliations |
APCU
ORAU
NAICU[3] |
| Website |
www.utulsa.edu |
 |
The University of Tulsa (TU) is a private university located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States. The
university is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. The university offers
programs in law, English, computer science, natural sciences,
Clinical and Industrial/Organizational
Psychology, and engineering disciplines. Its faculty includes the
Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko, psychologist
Robert Hogan, political scientist
Robert Donaldson. The campus's design is
predominantly English Gothic, and the university manages the
Gilcrease Museum, which includes one of the
largest collections of American Western art in the world.
TU's athletic teams are collectively known as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and
compete in Division I of the
NCAA as
members of the American Athletic Conference
(The American).
History
Precursor and formation of
university
The Presbyterian School for Girls (also known as "Minerva
Home")[4]
was founded in Muskogee, Indian Territory to offer a primary
education to Creek girls. In 1894, it was expanded to become Henry
Kendall College, named in honor of Reverend Henry Kendall,
secretary of the Presbyterian Board of Home Missions.[5][6][7]
The first president was William A. Caldwell, who served until
1896. He was succeeded by
William Robert King. Kendall College, while still in Muskogee,
granted the first post-secondary degree in Oklahoma in June
1898.[8]
Under King, the college was moved from its original location in
downtown Muskogee to a larger campus on lands donated by Pleasant Porter. The opening of the new
campus coincided with the start of the tenure of the third
president, A. Grant Evans. Over the next ten years, Evans
oversaw the struggling school. In most years, class sizes remained
small and although the Academy, the attached elementary, middle,
and high school was more successful; by the end of the 1906/07 year
Kendall College had had only 27 collegiate graduates. At the
request of the administration, the Synod of Indian Territory
assumed control as trustees and began to look at alternatives for
the future of the school. When the administration was approached by
the comparatively smaller town of Tulsa and offered a chance to
move, the decision was made to relocate.[6][7][9][10]
The Tulsa Commercial Club (a forerunner of the Tulsa Chamber of
Commerce) decided to bid for the college. Club members who packaged
a bid in 1907 to move the college to Tulsa included: B. Betters, H.
O. McClure, L. N. Butts, W. L. North, James
H. Hall (sic), Grant C. Stebbins, Rev. Charles W. Kerr, C. H. Nicholson. The
offer included $100,000, 20 acres of real estate and a guarantee
for utilities and street car service.[11]
The school opened to thirty-five students in September 1907, two
months before Oklahoma became a state. These first students
attended classes at the First Presbyterian
Church until permanent buildings could be erected on the new
campus. This became the start of higher education in Tulsa. Kendall
Hall, the first building of the new school, was completed in
1908[6][7][9]
and was quickly followed by two other buildings. All three
buildings have since been demolished, with Kendall the last to be
razed in 1972.[12]
The bell that once hung in the Kendall Building tower was saved and
displayed in Bayless Plaza.
The Kendall College presidents during 1907–1919 were:
Arthur Grant Evans,
Levi
Harrison Beeler, Seth
Reed Gordon, Frederick William
Hawley, Ralph J.
Lamb, Charles Evans,
James
G. McMurtry and Arthur L.
Odell.[13]
In 1918, the Methodist Church proposed building a college in
Tulsa, using money donated by Tulsa oilman Robert M. McFarlin. The proposed college
was to be named McFarlin College. However, it was soon apparent
that Tulsa could not support two such schools. In 1920, Henry
Kendall College merged with the proposed McFarlin College to become
The University of Tulsa. The McFarlin Library of TU was named for
the principal donor of the proposed college. The name of Henry
Kendall has lived on to the present as the Henry Kendall College of
Arts and Sciences.
Survival in the Great
Depression to present
The University of Tulsa opened its School of Petroleum
Engineering in 1928.[14]
The Great Depression hit the university hard. By
1935, the school was about to close because of its poor financial
condition. It had a debt of $250,000, enrollment had fallen to 300
students (including many who could not pay their own tuition), the
faculty was poorly paid and morale was low. It was then that
Waite Phillips offered the school
presidency to Clarence Isaiah ("Cy") Pontius, a former investment
banker. His primary focus would be to rescue the school's finances.
A deans' council would take charge of academic issues.[15]
However, Pontius' accomplishments went beyond raising money.
During his tenure the following events occurred:
- In 1935, the university opened the College of Business
Administration, which it renamed as the Collins College of Business
Administration in 2008.[14]
- The Tulsa Law School, located in downtown Tulsa, became part of
the university in 1943.[14]
Skelly House, Official residence for the President of the
University of Tulsa.
After William G. Skelly died, his widow donated the Skelly
Mansion, at the corner of 21st Street and Madison Avenue, to the
University of Tulsa. The school sold the mansion and its
furnishings to private owners in 1959. On July 5, 2012, the
university announced that would repurchase the house as a residence
for its president, who would live on the second floor. The ground
floor will be used by the university for special events. After
closing the purchase on July 13, 2012, the structure will be
officially known as Skelly House.[16]
Academics
The University of Tulsa has programs in petroleum engineering, and programs in
English, computer science, natural sciences,
Clinical and Industrial/Organizational
Psychology, and several engineering disciplines. The university also
maintains a school of law, which
is one of the few to specialize in Native American
legal issues. The University of Tulsa College of Law Review ranks
in the top 15% of most cited legal periodicals as ranked by
Washington and Lee
University.[17]
In its focus on energy, the University of Tulsa maintains both the
National Energy Policy Institute and the National
Energy-Environment Law and Policy Institute.[18]
The University has an undergraduate research program, evidenced
by 44 students receiving Goldwater Scholarships since 1995.[19]
The Tulsa Undergraduate Research Challenge (TURC) allows
undergraduates to conduct advanced research with the guidance of
top TU professors.[20]
Currently, there are six colleges, programs, and departments at
the University of Tulsa:
- Henry Kendall College of Arts & Sciences
- Collins College of Business (formerly College of Business
Administration)
- College of Engineering and Natural Sciences
- College of Law
- College of Health Sciences (opening January 2015)
- Graduate School
- Division of Continuing Education
Admission to TU is highly competitive; The 2014 incoming
freshman class boast an average ACT score of 29 and an incoming
average GPA of 3.9, the highest ever in the University of Tulsa's
history.[21]
The Tulsa Institute for Trauma, Abuse and Neglect (TITAN)
is an interdisciplinary institute committed to evidence-based
education, scholarship, research, and service that reduce the
incidence and impact of trauma and adversity. This group is
composed of students and professors primarily in Psychology,
Sociology, and Nursing. The group is contributing to the fields
through presentations at local and major conferences and
publications.
Rankings
U.S. News & World Report’s 2013 edition of Best
Colleges ranked The University of Tulsa as 83rd. This 2013 ranking
was the 10th consecutive year that TU has been listed in the Top
100 national universities, and TU is the only Oklahoma university
to be included within the top 100.[25]
In 2011, Tulsa's Collins College of Business was ranked 33rd in
the country among undergraduate business schools by Bloomberg
Businessweek based on a student survey. It was ranked 20th by a
survey of recruiters.[26]
The most recent Bloomberg BusinessWeek financial aid ranking placed
TU at No. 1 in terms of providing meaningful student aid for
business students.[27]
The University of Tulsa is known for the large number of
National Merit
Scholarship winners in attendance, approximately one in every
ten undergraduate students. According to The Chronicle of Higher
Education, for 2004 The University of Tulsa's freshman class
ranked 9th nationally among research universities in the number of
National Merit Scholars per capita.[28]
The University of Tulsa does not, however, appear on any of the
significant global academic rankings including the ARWU (Shanghai
Ranking) and THE (Times Higher Education).[29][30]
Campus
The campus of the University of Tulsa centers on a wide, grassy,
quad-like space known as Dietler Commons, formerly called "The U."
The predominant architectural style is English Gothic. Most of the
buildings are constructed from tan and rose-colored Crab Orchard
sandstone from Tennessee interspersed with stone quarried in
Arkansas. Other materials include Bedford
limestone from Indiana
and slate quarried in Vermont.
University of Tulsa has participated in efforts towards
sustainability including RecycleMania and Adopt a Recycle Bin. Many
campus efforts have been led by student groups like the
Sustainability Committee, the Student Association, TU Earth
Matters, and the TU Food Garden. The Food Garden is a student-run
organic garden that is able to provide food to dining services. The
University is also striving to have its buildings meet LEED
Standards in order to reduce the school’s overall carbon
footprint. The university achieved a D+ on the Sustainable College
Report Card in 2009, which is up from a D in 2008.[31][32]
Tulsa is one of the first universities in the United States to
have a mosque located on campus.[33]
"The Old U" as seen from S Delaware Ave.
Bayless
Plaza
Completed in 2006, Bayless Plaza houses the Kendall Bell,
hanging in the cupola of the former Kendall Hall. The plaza lies
directly south of Tyrrell Hall, longtime home of the School of
Music, and serves as the apex of Tucker Drive, the University's
main entrance.
H. A.
Chapman Stadium
TU football has played at Skelly Field at H. A.
Chapman Stadium since 1930. It was renamed from Skelly Stadium
following renovations in 2007. The Case Athletic Complex in the
north end of the field provides office facilities for the football
staff, a new locker room and trainer facility, a letterman's lounge
and box seating on the top level, and meeting rooms, a computer
lab, and study spaces for student-athletes. Renovations are
completed and provide renovated seating throughout the stadium, new
turf, an updated score board and Jumbotron, and an expanded press
box. The changes also include the addition of an extensive plaza
area (Thomas Plaza) on the west side of the stadium to accommodate
restrooms, food and drink stands, and souvenir shops.
Donald
W. Reynolds Center
Home to women's volleyball along with the men's and women's
basketball programs, the Donald W. Reynolds Center houses office and
meeting space, practice and weights facilities, as well as the main
basketball arena. Commencement exercises are held in the Reynolds
Center in December and May.
Sharp
Chapel
Named for its principal donors, Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Sharp,
Sharp Chapel was completed on November 27, 1959. It replaced the
university's original chapel that was located in Kendall Hall
before its destruction and replacement by the current Kendall Hall
theater building. Sharp Chapel houses the Offices of University
Chaplain and serves the religious needs of multiple denominations
present on campus as well as hosting many awards ceremonies and
weddings.
Additions to Sharp Chapel were completed in the spring of 2004,
including the Westminster Room, an atrium, kitchen, and a second
floor including administrative offices and a conference room.
Housing
On-campus housing consists of six residence halls, six sorority
houses, and six university-owned apartment complexes, including
eight apartments designed like townhouses.
Residence halls:
- John Mabee Hall – All male residence hall located at the
Northwest end of Dietler Commons. It is known on-campus as "The
John".
- Lottie Jane Mabee Hall – All female residence hall
located at the Southwest end of Deitler Commons. It is known
on-campus as "Lottie."
- LaFortune Hall – Coed residence hall close to the
athletics areas. Home to the university's International Living
Community.
- William F. Fisher Hall – Coed freshman residence hall
immediately adjacent to the facility formerly known as Twin Towers,
first opened to students in the fall of 1984. It was known as Twin
South from 1984 to 2009.[citation
needed] It is now known on campus as "South"
or "Fisher South"
- Fisher West Suites - Coed residence hall immediately adjacent
to the Dining Hall and part of the building formerly known as Twin
Towers. Known on campus as "West" or "Fisher West"
- Hardesty Hall - Coed residence hall close to Allen Chapman
Student Union.
Apartment complexes include Brown Village, Lorton Village
(includes townhouses), Mayo Village, Norman Village, University
Square South, and University Square West.
Museums
and libraries
At the top of Deitler Commons sits one of the campus' most
notable landmarks, the McFarlin Library, which is named after
Robert and Ida McFarlin, the library's primary benefactors. The
McFarlins had only one stipulation with their gift, the view of
Downtown Tulsa from McFarlin can never be blocked. Ground breaking
ceremonies took place on May 3, 1929 and the edifice was dedicated
on June 1, 1930. The library continued to grow over the years,
adding two five-story additions by 1979. Currently, the library
houses over three million items and is noted for its collections of
20th-century British, Irish, and American literature, including the
world's second largest collection of materials by James Joyce. It also houses the papers of
Nobel Prize winner V.S. Naipaul. The library also contains a
vast collection of books on Native American
history.[34]
Renovations began in the spring of 2007 on a 12,000-square-foot
(1,100 m2) addition that consolidated the library's
computing and technology resources into one location. The library's
reading rooms were restored to provide quiet areas for student and
faculty study. Construction was completed in 2009.
Beginning in July 2008, the University of Tulsa has taken over
management of the Gilcrease Museum in a public-private
partnership with the City of Tulsa. The museum has one of the
largest collections of American Western art in the world and houses
growing collections in artifacts from Central and South America.
The museum sits on 460 acres (1.9 km2) of ground in
northwest Tulsa a considerable distance from the main university
campus.[35]
Student
life
Students at the University of Tulsa represent 30 states and 21
foreign countries, out of which 39% are Oklahoma residents.[21]
The University of Tulsa is home to more than 200 student
organizations, registered with and partially funded by the Student
Association.
Student
Association
The Student Association is the University of Tulsa student
government body. It is organized into three branches: the Executive
Branch, which includes Cabinet and is in charge of organizing large
campus wide events and activities; the Judicial Branch; and the
Legislative Branch, or Student Senate, which coordinates funding,
oversees student organizations, and addresses general issues
impacting student life on campus. Its budget is provided partially
by the university and partially by a fee paid by students each
semester.
Traditionally, the Student Association coordinates Homecoming
activities, including cross campus competitions and the homecoming
game tailgate. Another traditional event is Springfest, a week-long
series of events including food, various on campus activities, and
a concert bringing in such names as Ben Folds, Panic! At the Disco,
and Imagine Dragons. Activities organized by Student Association
are free to all TU students.
Greek
presence
There are 5 IFC fraternities and 6 NPC sororities on campus. The
living quarters in the back of the sorority houses are university
owned residence halls, but, traditionally, only current members of
the sororities live there.
|
Fraternities:
|
Sororities:
|
There are also a number of historically black sororities and
fraternities on campus that fall under the National Pan-Hellenic Council.
Currently, there are five active organizations:
|
Fraternities:
|
Sororities:
|
Other fraternities on campus that do not fall under the various
councils include:
Traditions
- Kendall Bell: The Kendall Bell, now housed in Bayless
Plaza, is traditionally rung by graduating seniors upon completion
of their last final exam at the university. The bell was broken by
a group of students in May 2008. They were trying to steal it, and
dropped it in the escape.
- Homecoming Bonfire: Traditionally held the Friday
evening prior to the Homecoming football game. The Homecoming court
is honored and the Homecoming King is named, the Queen is not named
until halftime of the football game on Saturday.
- Alma Mater: "Hail to Tulsa U" is sung by alumni and
current students prior to major sporting events and at the end of
all commencement ceremonies. Alumni and students remain standing as
a sign of respect. The melody is played by the Sharp Chapel
carillon daily at 5 pm.
Athletics
Tulsa Golden Hurricane Athletic Logo
Tulsa's sports teams participate in NCAA
Division I as a member
of the