Indiana Universities: Butler, Purdue, IUB
Butler University, located on 290 acres in the Butler-Tarkington area of Indianapolis, opened in 1855 with five teachers and 113 students. Founded by Ovid Butler, an attorney and abolitionist, it was originally named North Western Christian University. Several important milestones were reached in its history including the first in Indiana to admit women, first to establish an elective system for students, and the first to appoint a female professor of English. As enrollment grew and colleges were added, it moved from 13th Street and College Avenue to 4600 Sunset Avenue and was renamed Butler University in 1877. Further advancements were made with evening courses offered in 1899, a summer session in 1905, and graduate instruction in 1932. The campus of this co-educational private university includes five colleges, four professional and one for liberal arts, as well as a nature preserve and the Holcomb botanical gardens.
Butler University offers undergraduate degrees in Fine Arts, Music, Art, and Science. In addition to Master’s degrees in Arts, Pharmaceutical Science, Music, Public Accounting, and Business Administration, the College of Arts & Sciences offers an MA in English and an MA in History. Butler had an estimated enrollment for the 2004 – 2005 school year of 4,415, of which 3,907 were undergraduates and 927 entering freshmen. Over 155 international students from 61 countries were enrolled, as well. There are 280 faculty members, providing a student teacher ratio of approximately 13 to 1 and averaging 21 students in each class. The University supports over 100 student groups, with eight national sororities and eight fraternities, theater, yearbook, academic and honor societies, and a television station run by the students. Athletic teams at Butler compete in the 19 NCAA Division I, as well as in intramural sports such as baseball, cross country, equestrian, golf, soccer, tennis, and track. The Hinkle Fieldhouse, built in 1928, was renamed in 1966 in honor of athletic coach Paul Hinkle. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it has a seating capacity for 10,000 spectators. In addition to various sporting events, it has been used as a movie set and by presidential candidates.
In 1988, Butler announced integrated educational opportunities for students to study in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Recently, it has also approved international study in Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica, and Cuba. Visits to foreign countries by Admissions Office representatives are conducted each year; last year’s schedule included China, Malaysia, Central America, Indonesia, and Thailand. Other academic programs offered include pre-law, honors, internships, and exploratory studies, a unique opportunity for students to research and learn how to make suitable career making decisions. Financial aid, on campus employment, peer tutoring, and a writers’ studio are also available.
Butler University upholds excellence in education, leadership, interaction with the community, and an appreciation of the world around us. Emphasis is placed on both academic and non-academic aspects of university life. The University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Ph: 317-940-9930 or 800-368-6852. Designated visitor parking on campus.
Purdue University, founded in 1869 by John Purdue, began classes in 1874 with 39 students and six instructors, oriented primarily toward agriculture and mechanics. The first degree, a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, was given in 1875, the same year as the first female student was admitted. As the largest public university in Indiana in terms of enrollment, it is recognized for its doctoral-grant programs, and as Indiana’s land, sea, and space grant university. Today, this statewide university system has eight colleges and fourteen schools, with five campuses and numerous teaching and research centers. The main campus of Purdue is located 65 miles north of Indianapolis in West Lafayette, and supports an enrollment of 38,712 students (2005 figures), from 50 states and 130 countries. It is one of the top two public universities in the U.S. in terms of international enrollment. The Engineering quadrangle is still the main focus of the campus, with the $53 million Neil Armstrong Hall scheduled to open this year.
Purdue offers more than 200 majors, with an average class size of 24 students, and over 1800 faculty members. It has earned the nickname Cradle of Astronauts because of its outstanding aeronautical program and the prestige of graduating 22 astronauts, including Neil Armstrong, 1st man on the moon, and Eugene Cernan, the last. The first to award a degree in aviation engineering, the flight-training program here is highly selective, admitting approximately 60 each year. The University promotes study abroad programs, research projects, co-operative education, on the job training, and internships. The Honors Program is by invitation only, based on specific criteria, and offering research opportunities and specially designed honors courses in various departments, schools, and colleges of the University including Health Sciences, Liberal Arts, Engineering, Nursing, and Economics.
As a member of the Big Ten Conference, it has nine men and nine women’s teams competing in Division I/I-A of the NCAA. Purdue has the Mackey arena for basketball, the Ross-Ade football stadium, Lambert baseball field, its own golf complex, Aquatic Center, and the Rankin track and field facility. In addition, the wrestling team is one of the best in the country. Like any other large university, Purdue has mascots, legends, and traditions. The term Boilermakers, originating in 1890’s as an athletic term, now applies to almost anything associated with Purdue, official and unofficial.
There are numerous options for residential housing, with more than 85% of first year students living at the University. Students have a choice of low or high-rise halls, apartments, and single or coed dorms, with separate areas for men and women, and shared public space. Cooperative, married, family, and off-campus housing is also available, in addition to 47 fraternities and 27 sororities.
Purdue features a wide diversity of student life with over 200 clubs, cultural groups, and professional societies, performing arts and music productions, computer labs, and numerous social events. Its mission is to expand and exchange the world of knowledge and communication through research and development, creativity and academics. It promotes leadership and interaction and contributes to the opportunity and advancement of cultures around the world.
Office of Admissions: 765-494-1776
Campus visits: 4 a day, Monday through Friday. One on Saturday during the school year. 45-minute presentation and 90-minute walking tour.
Prospective students visits: September at Purdue. Other states throughout the year.
Parking: Complimentary in the Grant Street Parking Garage.
Indiana University at Bloomington (IUB), located on over 1900 acres in the center of the city, was founded as the all-male Indiana State Seminary in 1820. The first professor was hired in 1823 and classes opened the following year with 10 men enrolled. Officially renamed to Indiana University in 1838, enrollment changed in 1867 to co-educational. The IU residential campus, rebuilt from 1884 – 1908, with its historic buildings and lush landscaping, is considered one of the five most beautiful in the country, and has been described as a public institution offering an Ivy League experience. Enrollment at IUB for 2006-2007 was 38,247, with 33,707 full-time and 4,540 part time students, and over 9% international.
Over 1800 faculty members teach at this traditional Arts & Sciences University, where there are over 16 schools and colleges including Nursing, Journalism, Law, Education, Labor, Business, and Fine Arts. The Jacob School of Music has won international acclaim, and ranks in the top three along with Juilliard and Eastman. Excelling in voice, opera, orchestra conducting, and jazz, it presents more than 1,100 performances and eight operas each year. Culture and the performing arts are of primary interest at IUB with the African American Art Institute and Museum, ballet, art festivals, and recitals. In addition, it is the only university to offer a formal degree in Human-Computer Interaction and Computer Security. IUB is a leader in research, one of 60 members in the Association of American Universities, and has some of the most advanced medical care in the country at its eye, speech, and hearing centers
The University is a member of the Big Ten Conference, with a strong intercollegiate athletic program, having won numerous national championships in swimming, basketball, soccer, and track and field. The University also promotes many non-varsity sports such as rugby and ice hockey; its martial arts program is considered the best in the country.
Campus life centers around the 500,000 square foot Memorial Union, the largest student union in the U.S. The Union has a hotel, stores, restaurants, a theater, and study and meeting space. Over 400 extracurricular activities and groups at IUB include everything from social and political to recreational and cultural. The Lilly Library, founded in 1960 with J.K. Lilly’s collection, houses over 400,000 items of interest including rare books, manuscripts, sheet music, and 30,000 mechanical puzzles from Jerry Slocum. The Lilly Library also features the first printed works of Shakespeare, the letter from George Washington accepting the presidency, Abraham Lincoln’s desk, and the treasured papers of Orson Welles, Ezra Pound, and Edith Wharton. Currently on exhibit at the Library is Mustard Gas and Roses: The Life and Works of Kurt Vonnegut. In addition, the Herman B. Wells Library, named for the former chancellor, is the 13th largest university library in North America. Other cultural sites at IUB include the Mathers Museum of World Cultures, the Neil Marshall Black Culture Center, and the Lee Norvelle Theater and Drama Center.
Indiana University at Bloomington strives to increase awareness and set standards for understanding the diversity of culture in the world through education, research, and communication.
Admissions Office: 812-855-3512. Visitor Information Center: 812-856-4648