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University of Texas at Austin

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The University of Texas at Austin (full official name), often UT or Texas for short, is the flagship institution of The University of Texas System, the largest public university system in Texas, established in 1883. Consistently ranked as one of the top public schools in the nation, it has a student population around 54,000 -- the largest at a single campus in the nation. The school has many notable academic programs, including national top ten programs in engineering, computer science, business, Law and public affairs, among others. Its astronomy department administrates the McDonald Observatory located in the Davis Mountains of West Texas.

About the University

The University of Texas was originally conceived in 1839, when the Congress of the Republic of Texas set aside land for a "university of the first class" in the new state capital, Austin. At first located on the legendary 40 acres (160,000 m&sup2) then known as College Hill, the University has since expanded to about 350 acres (1.4 km&sup2) on the main campus and about 850 acres (3.4 km&sup2) overall, although the term 40 Acres is still used to refer to the campus. The University's colors are burnt orange and white, and its official song is "The Eyes of Texas". [1]. The mascot is a Texas longhorn named Bevo.

Facilities

The University is home to the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum [2] and the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center [3]. The Ransom Center's holdings include one of only 21 remaining complete copies of the Gutenberg Bible worldwide.

Other research facilities of the University include:

  • Perry-Castañeda Library [4]
  • McDonald Observatory [5]
  • Marine Science Institute at Port Aransas [6]
  • J. J. Pickle Research Center and Applied Research Laboratories [7]
  • Innovation, Creativity & Capital (IC²) Institute [8]
  • Program in Aegean Scripts and Prehistory [9].

The University operates a public radio station, KUT [10]. KUT provides local FM broadcasts as well as live streaming audio over the internet.

The University is currently involved in a bid to operate the Los Alamos National Laboratory for the US Department of Energy.

Endowment

The University receives income from an endowment known as the Permanent University Fund. With $6.95 billion (US) in assets as of May 31, 2003, some might regard UT as a wealthy university, as its endowment is larger than any other U.S. university save Harvard or Yale. However, this money is spread throughout the University of Texas system and one third of the income goes to the Texas A&M system. Other Texas universities outside these two systems are prohibited by law from sharing in the income from this endowment. Even the portion left for UT Austin is much smaller on a per student basis, since UT has many more students than most universites.

The Main Building Tower

One of the University's most visible features is its Main Building [11], a 307-foot tower completed in 1937, located in the middle of campus and gracing Austin's downtown skyline. Although city law prohibits buildings to be taller than the Texas State Capitol, Main Building is on higher ground and is taller than the Capitol.

The tower is normally lit in white light, but is lit orange for various occasions, including athletic victories and academic accomplishments, such as commencement. Also, the Tower is darkened for solemn occasions. [12]

At the top of the tower is a carillon of 56 bells, the largest in Texas. Songs are played every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 12:50 pm local time in addition to the usual pealing of the bells every quarter hour.

On August 1, 1966, Charles Whitman barricaded himself in the observation deck of the tower with a sniper rifle and other weapons, killed 14 Austin residents, and wounded more. The observation deck was closed until 1968, and then closed again in 1975 following a series of suicide jumps during the 1970s.

In 1998, after installation of security and safety precautions, the Tower observation deck reopened to the public. It is surrounded by a protective metal grid to impede jumpers, and is only open on the weekends when the offices in the tower are not open. Visitors must pass through a metal detector and are accompanied by police while on the observation deck.

High tech growth in Austin

The University has been helpful in providing people for the high tech growth of Austin, the capital city located in the heart of Central Texas.

Sports

The men's sports teams are called the Longhorns, and the women are the Lady Longhorns. A charter member of the Southwest Conference until its dissolution in 1996, Texas now competes in the Big 12 Conference (South Division) of the NCAA's Division I-A.

The University has traditionally been considered a football powerhouse; the football team frequently ranks in the top 10. In recent years the basketball team has gained prominence. In 2003, the basketball team advanced to the NCAA Tournament Final Four round, and in 2004 advanced to the Sweet Sixteen round.

The University's major rival in almost every sport is the University of Oklahoma (phrase heard at football games: "What time is it?" "I don't know, but OU still sucks!"). The football game between University of Texas and Oklahoma is known as "The Red River Shootout" and is held annually in Dallas, Texas at the Cotton Bowl. There is also a longstanding rivalry with Texas A&M University, and these two universities are mentioned in each other's fight songs. University of Texas fans are renowned throughout the conference for their class and good sportsmanship.

The University's baseball team has more years of participation in the College World Series than any other school, extending their record in 2004 year to 31 appearances.

Distinguished alumni

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