The University of Michigan, widely recognized as the first model of a state university in America, was founded in 1817 in Detroit and moved to Ann Arbor in 1837. Today, more than 32,000 resident students attend the University, with a faculty of more than 2,700.

The University is comprised of 17 schools and colleges, including the highly respected schools of Architecture; Business; Dentistry; Engineering; Law; Literature, Science and the Arts; Medicine; Public Health; Music; and Natural Resources. In fact, in 1997, U.S. News and World Report ranked five of the University's graduate schools and colleges within the top 12 nationally, including the College of Engineering.

In addition, the U-M is the nation's leading public research university, with more than $440 million in re-search expenditures.

The Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies is the home of graduate and professional education at the U-M and the central administrative body for most of the graduate programs at the University. More than 7,000 students from all parts of the world are enrolled in master's and doctoral level programs in more than 120 departments and programs.

As a student, you'll enjoy the University's year-round schedule of events that includes concerts, workshops, seminars, poetry readings, lectures by visiting scholars, and speaking engagements by national figures. Each year the U-M hosts orchestras, troupes, touring companies, and individual artists of national and international fame. The School of Music offers recitals and concerts featuring its students and internationally renowned faculty. You'll also find fully staged productions of opera, dance, musical theater, and drama, as well as a host of concerts by student orchestras, bands, and choirs.

The U-M also boasts several outstanding museums devoted to research, graduate instruction, and the care and preservation of objects of permanent interest in the arts and sciences.

If you're a sports enthusiast, you'll go wild over the U-M's central role in Big 10 athletic competition, including football, basketball, ice hockey, swimming, and baseball. Wolverine football is played in the Michigan Stadium, the largest open-air college arena in the country. In addition to varsity sports, there are club teams such as soccer, rugby, judo, crew, and water polo. The University also has an outstanding intramural athletics program that offers team play in a variety of sports.

When you need a break from academics, you'll appreciate the U-M's excellent sports facilities for all students through the Recreational Sports Department. There are tennis courts, running tracks, swimming pools, golf courses, and a wide range of programs, from aerobics to cross-country skiing.

To find out more about the University of Michigan, visit the WWW gateway at: http://www.umich.edu/