Pennsylvania, University of, in Philadelphia, is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the United States. It is a private school, but it receives a small portion of its operating budget from the state. The University of Pennsylvania was started in 1740, when a trust was formed to create the Charity School of Philadelphia, intended to educate members of the clergy. A building was erected, but funding problems prevented the school from opening. In 1749, one of the university’s eventual founders, Benjamin Franklin, proposed that the planned school offer instruction in the liberal arts in addition to religious education. Franklin’s plan was accepted, and the school opened in 1751—the first liberal arts academy in colonial America. The name the College and Academy of Philadelphia was adopted in 1756. The school was renamed the University of Pennsylvania in 1791, making it the first in the United States to be called a university.
The university offers undergraduate courses in liberal arts and sciences and in engineering and nursing. The Wharton School, established by the university in 1881, was the first collegiate business school in the United States. The Annenberg School for Communication, founded by publisher Walter Annenberg, offers undergraduate and graduate degrees covering many aspects of communications and media. The University of Pennsylvania also has many research institutes.
The university’s extensive libraries house many special collections. The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has noted collections of Chinese sculpture and Middle American, Pacific, and African art. The museum conducts research and archaeological expeditions. The University of Pennsylvania athletic teams are nicknamed the Quakers. The university’s website at https://www.upenn.edu/ offers more information.
