Yale University is considered one of the most prestigious higher education institutions in the world, and Oxford, Cambridge and Stanford often become its neighbors in international rankings. The University is part of the Ivy League along with seven of the most prestigious US universities, as well as the Big Three, which, in addition to it, includes Harvard and Princeton universities.
History of University
Yale University is one of America's oldest educational institutions. It is one of eight private universities that make up the Ivy League, which got its name from the shoots of a climbing plant that encircles the walls of most colleges.
The predecessor of Yale University was the Collegiate School, and even earlier the Encyclopedic School, founded in 1701. It was this school that was sponsored by entrepreneur and philanthropist Eliyahu Yale, whose name was given to the college, organized on the basis of the school in 1718.
However, some historians are inclined to build the genealogy of the university by 1640, when the first activity in terms of founding the university began to show the priests, the colonists. Thus, the traditions of the university are similar to those that prevailed in medieval European universities, which were also created with the direct participation of clergy.
However, Yale University was created not by Catholic, but by Puritan priests, professing the principle of collegiality, which will become the basis of all American education.
University growth
In the first hundred years of its existence, Yale University has been actively growing and developing. Even the War of Independence from Great Britain did not prevent the rapid development. It was in the first hundred years that specialized faculties and post-graduate councils were created, which made it possible to talk about the actual creation of a prestigious university. In 1810, the Faculty of Medicine was established at the University, theological after twelve years, and in 1824 the Faculty of Law was formed.
The city of New Haven, where Yale University is located, was very tiny during colonial America, but it was there that the local elite lived, whose children studied in Yale. Already at an early stage of the university's existence, its differences from Harvard became noticeable. While Harvard was famous for its orthodox and strict professorship, a vibrant and vibrant youth atmosphere reigned in Yale.
University structure
A recognizable feature are the buildings of Yale University faculties, which are arranged in the image of medieval universities. In the early 1930s, a system of college dormitories was introduced in Yale, in each of which students can simultaneously study, live, dine and socialize.
Such a system made it possible to achieve a harmonious combination of the informal environment and the opportunities offered by a large educational institution. In total, fourteen such hostels were created at the university, each of which is a complex of buildings, equal in area to the city block, with a cozy courtyard.
Each hostel has its own dean, as well as representatives of the university administration, which allows you to resolve any conflicts arising in a short time with the participation of all interested parties. It is believed that it is on campuses such as Yale that all social innovations are tested, and students studying in them bring to life the rules learned during study and life in such hostels. Thus, universities are crucial to the American model of democracy.
University campus
The university campus covers large areas from the very center of New Haven to its outskirts and wooded area. In total, the university owns more than 230 buildings for various purposes, many of which were built by famous architects. Today, the university administration is closely monitoring the state of its real estate, as many buildings are architectural monuments and have historical and artistic value.
The real estate fund has been constantly updated since the 1930s: new dormitories, a complex of buildings of the Faculty of Arts, a sports complex, and research laboratories, which are constantly equipped with the latest equipment, were built.
The university library deserves special mention, the fund of which totals about fifteen million copies of various publications. In addition, the repositories contain significant archives, collections and documents of importance for both local and state history. By the number of storage units, the library ranks seventh in the United States and third among the libraries of all universities in the world.
Museums and Collections
An important component of the university’s curriculum and research plan is artistic life, which allows educating harmonious people with not only research skills, but also aesthetic intuition.
In 1832, the Yale Art Gallery was founded, which became not only a place for demonstrating medieval, Renaissance and ancient art, but also a location for studying contemporary art.
Also at the university is the largest collection of British illustrated books and art samples of the former metropolis outside the UK, which are stored in the Yale Center for British Art, specially built for these purposes.
Scientific exhibits are exhibited at the Peabody Museum of Natural History, which was founded in 1866. Today, his collection is considered one of the best in North America. Among the most famous exhibits are the second largest collection of dinosaur remains and the largest surviving skeleton of a brontosaurus.
The Peabody Museum is not so much a place of storage of antiquities as a multifunctional complex specializing in the collection, preservation and study of incoming exhibits. In addition, museum staff are actively engaged in educational activities, which is very important in connection with the creationist sentiments prevalent in America.
Faculties and research areas
The humanitarian faculties of Yale University are primarily known. However, despite the fact that it is humanitarian studies that constitute the true glory of the university, the university also does not lag behind its competitors in the technical research race.
The specialties of Yale University in chemistry, molecular biology, biochemistry, physics, astronomy, mathematics and programming are also highly respected and internationally recognized. The interdisciplinary areas associated with the study of artificial intelligence are gaining more and more popularity.
There are three observatories at the disposal of students and university staff, one of which was created directly on the territory of the university, the second in South Africa and the third in Argentina.
Recently, the leadership of the educational institution announced its intention to invest up to five hundred million dollars of its own funds in research on medicine and biotechnology. Laboratories are constantly updated to meet the most stringent requirements of modern science.
Humanitarian Studies
However, first of all, the university has the glory of a forge of the country's political cadres. Since the 1970s, graduates who studied in different faculties and specialties of Yale University were represented in each important election campaign of the country.
Most Yale graduates, who are today the country's political elite, studied for the humanities, because the university is famous for its cultural, philological and legal departments. In numerous photos of Yale University, you can find five American presidents, many senators and a large number of scientists of all directions.
International relations
The university is popular not only among US citizens, but also among representatives of the intellectual and political elite from around the world. Despite the fact that studying in Yale is quite expensive, gifted students can count on financial support from their own fund of the university and its trustees.
Scholarships for short internships and a full course of study are provided annually. There are separate programs for representatives of developing democracies. According to one of these programs, having passed a strict preliminary selection, Alexey Navalny studied. Yale University pays a lot of attention to ethical issues in all areas of scientific knowledge and seeks to make a greater contribution to building an open and safe society around the world.