Jump to content

University of Memphis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Eric Mathews Technology (talk | contribs) at 20:38, 25 October 2006 (→‎External links). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

University of Memphis
The University of Memphis
MottoImaginari. Cogitare. Facere. (Dreamers. Thinkers. Doers.) [1]
TypePublic
EstablishedSeptember 10, 1912
Endowment183 million USD
PresidentDr. Shirley C. Raines
Academic staff
900
Undergraduates15,000
Postgraduates5,000
Location
Memphis
,
Tenn.
,
USA
Campus Urban, 1,160 acres/4.7 km&sup2
Athletics18 varsity teams
NicknameTigers File:Memtigerlogo.gif
MascotTom the Tiger
Websitewww.memphis.edu

The University of Memphis is a public American research university located in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.

The University was founded under the auspices of the General Education Bill, enacted by the Tennessee Legislature in 1909. Known originally as West Tennessee State Normal School, the institution opened its doors September 10, 1912, with Dr. Seymour A. Mynders as president.

In 1941 the name of the university changed, becoming Memphis State University. In 1950 graduate studies were initiated, and in 1954 the school switched from a quarter to a semester system. In 1959 the university admitted its first black students, and the first doctoral programs began in 1966.

The 1990s were characterized by another name change and another building boom. In 1994 MSU became the University of Memphis, and the Ned R. McWherter Library was completed. Moving into the 21st century, the Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management and the FedEx Institute of Technology have made their mark on the University landscape.

Today, the University of Memphis is one of Tennessee's three comprehensive doctoral-extensive institutions of higher learning. Situated in a beautiful park-like setting in the state's largest city, it is the flagship of the Tennessee Board of Regents system. It awards more than 3,000 degrees annually.

With an enrollment of approximately 21,000 students, the University of Memphis has 25 Chairs of Excellence, more than any other Tennessee university, and five state-approved Centers of Excellence.

The university's Journalism and Public Relations department, Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI), Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, Loewenberg School of Nursing, FedEx Institute of Technology and the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology have all garnered national renown for academic achievement and excellence.


Institution

A faculty of approximately 900 professors serves about 15,000 undergraduate and 5,000 graduate students. Students in the first classes selected blue and gray as the school colors and the tiger as the mascot. Tradition holds that the colors, those of the opposing armies during the American Civil War, were chosen in commemoration of the reuniting of the country after that divisive conflict.

The Daily Helmsman, the university's independent daily newspaper in operation since 1925, remains a prominent student organization on campus. In addition, many other student organizations, such as the University of Memphis Institute for Egyptian Art and Architecture, the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law Moot Court Board, the University of Memphis Advertising Federation and the University of Memphis chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America, play an active and involved role in the community, both nationally and internationally.

The University of Memphis has traditionally attracted many of its undergraduate students from the West Tennessee area, though today many current undergraduate students have come from public and private schools across the southeastern United States. Graduate students have traditionally come from a variety of universities across the globe.

Over its history, the University of Memphis has graduated many famous alumni, including Fred D. Thompson, actor and former United States senator, Benjamin Hooks, civil rights leader and former executive director of the NAACP, Anfernee Hardaway, NBA and former University of Memphis basketball player, and DeAngelo Williams, former All-American college football running back.

Among its most famous faculty members are Shelby Foote (dec.), visiting professor of History, Dr. Paul Rydelek, Fulbright Scholar and Professor of Geophysics, Dr. Lorelei Corcoran, Professor of Egyptology, Dr. Otto Schaden, Professor of Egyptology, Rick Bragg, Pulitzer Prize winner and professor of Journalism, Bill Brody, nationally-published author and professor of Journalism and Public Relations and Donald Franceschetti, Professor of Physics.

Organization

The University of Memphis is governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents system, consisting of 18 Board Members. The Board sets Policies and Guidelines that govern all TBR institutions. The Standing Committees of the Board, and some Ad Hoc Committees, meet prior to each Board meeting and include faculty and student representatives. Within this framework, the President of the University of Memphis is the day-to-day administrator of the university.

The University of Memphis today comprises ten different colleges and schools:

As well, the University of Memphis is host to several centers of advanced research:

History

In 1909 the Tennessee Legislature enacted the General Education Bill. This bill stated that three colleges be established within each grand division of the state and one additional school for Colored (African-American) students. After much bidding and campaigning, the state had to choose between two sites to build the new college for West Tennessee: Jackson, Tennessee and Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis beat out Jackson, one of the main reasons being the proximity of the rail line to the site proposed to build the new college for West Tennessee. This would allow professors and students to go home and visit their relatives. The other three schools established through the General Education Act are East Tennessee State University, Middle Tennessee State University and Tennessee State University.

On September 10, 1912, West Tennessee Normal School opened in Memphis; its first president was Seymour A. Mynders. After Mynders' death in 1913, John Willard Brister was chosen to take his place. After Brister's resignation in 1918, Andrew A. Kincannon became president. In 1924, Brister returned to his post as president of the school.

The name changed in 1925 to West Tennessee State Teachers College. In 1931, the campus' first newspaper, The Tiger Rag, was established. In 1939, Richard C. Jones became president of WTSTC In 1941, the school was changed to Memphis State College, when the college expanded its liberal arts curriculum. In 1943, Dr. Jennings B. Sanders succeeded Jones as president. Three years later, the first alumnus to become president, J. Millard (Jack) Smith, was appointed. In 1951 MSC awarded its first B.A. degrees. In 1957 the school received full University status, and changed its name accordingly.

1959 marked the university's admitting its first group of black students, five years after Brown v. Board of Education. Among the restrictions faced by black students at the time were that they had to leave campus by noon each day and that they were not allowed to eat in the cafeteria. Dr. Cecil C. Humphreys became president of MSU, succeeding Smith, in 1960. In 1966, the school began awarding doctoral degrees. Humphreys resigned as MSU president to become the first chancellor of the newly formed State University and Community College System, later renamed the Tennessee Board of Regents. John Richardson was appointed interim president.

In 1973, Dr. Billy Mac Jones became president. Also that year, the Memphis State Tiger men's basketball team reached the finals of the NCAA tournament, only to fall at the hands of a UCLA team led by future NBA star Bill Walton in the championship game in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1980, Dr. Thomas Carpenter became president of MSU; he was succeeded by Dr. V. Lane Rawlins in 1991. On July 1, 1994, after years of research and surveys, Memphis State University changed its name again, to the University of Memphis - a name change inspired by Ms. Christina Trinh, wife of former president Carpenter.

Dr. Rawlins served for slightly over a decade; Dr. Ralph Faudree filled in as interim president for one year after Rawlins' retirement. In 2002, U of M installed its first female president, Dr. Shirley C. Raines, who serves to this day.

Athletics

File:Memphislogo big.gif
The University of Memphis's mascot is the Tiger

The University of Memphis is a Division I member of the NCAA, and a member of Conference USA. Memphis currently features nine women's sports and nine men's sports.

The school is most well known for its basketball program, which maintains a storied history of excellence. The program gained national prominence when it reached the 1973 NCAA Division I basketball championship game against UCLA. The Tigers continued to maintain an era of excellence in the 1980s, 1990s, and on to the present as well under head coach John Calipari. Perennial rivals include the University of Cincinnati, the University of Louisville, and their cross-state rivals, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK). The world record holder for the highest slam dunk (12 feet from floor to rim) is a former University of Memphis basketball forward, Michael Wilson.

In the 2005-2006 season, the Tigers won both the Conference USA men's basketball regular season and tournament championships with the help of senior leader Rodney Carney, and the team reached the Elite Eight of the 2006 NCAA Tournament. At home, the Tigers play in the state-of-the-art FedExForum.

The Memphis football program has emerged as a strong contender amidst its SEC and Conference USA rivals under the guidance of head coach Tommy West. Since 2003-2004, the U of M has been to three consecutive bowl games. In 2005, the Tigers football team was led in the Motor City Bowl by DeAngelo Williams, a then-senior All-American running back and eventual first round draft pick by the Carolina Panthers of the NFL.

Coleman's Weekly Magazine ranks the University of Memphis's atheletic programs in the top 10 in the country except for in baseball, softball, and track & field.

List of presidents

  • Seymour A. Mynders (1912-1913)
  • John Willard Brister (1913-1918)
  • Andrew A. Kincannon (1918-1924)
  • John Willard Brister (1924-1939)
  • Richard C. Jones (1939-1943)
  • Jennings B. Sanders (1943-1946)
  • J. Millard (Jack) Smith (1946-1960)
  • Cecil C(larence) Humphreys (1960-1972)
  • John Richardson (1972-1973) interim
  • Billy Mac Jones (1973-1980)
  • Thomas G. Carpenter (1980-1991)
  • V. Lane Rawlins (1991-2000)
  • Ralph Faudree (2000-2001) interim
  • Shirley C. Raines (2001-present)

Notable Alumni

Government, public service, and public policy

Literature, arts, and media

Business

Athletics

References

  1. ^ The English translation given is the official one. A more literal translation would be To imagine, to think, to do.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=University_of_Memphis&oldid=83706694"