University of Oklahoma, abbreviated OU, is a coeducational public research university
located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma
Territory near Indian Territory 17 years before the two became the state of
Oklahoma.
As
of 2006, the university has 29,721 students enrolled,[4]
most located at its main campus in Norman. Employing over 2,000 faculty members,[2]
the school offers 152 baccalaureate programs, 160 master's programs, 75
doctorate programs, and 20 majors at the first professional level.[6][7] David
Boren, a former U.S. Senator and Oklahoma Governor, has served as President of
the University of Oklahoma since 1994.
In 2007, The Princeton Review
named the University of Oklahoma one of its "Best Value" colleges.[8] The school
is ranked first per capita among public universities in enrollment of National
Merit Scholars and among the top five in the graduation of Rhodes Scholars.[6]
PC Magazine and the Princeton Review rated it of the "20 Most Wired Colleges"
in 2006,[9] while the Carnegie Foundation classifies it as a research university
with "high research activity."[10] Located on its Norman campus are two prominent
museums, the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, specializing in French Impressionism
and Native American artwork, and the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural
History, specializing in the natural history of Oklahoma.
The school,
well-known for its athletic programs, has won 7 NCAA Division I National
Football Championships.[11] Its baseball team has won 2 NCAA national championships
and the women's softball team won the national championship in 2000. The
gymnastics teams have won four national championships since 2002 and its football
program has the best winning percentage of any Division I-FBS team since the
introduction of the AP Poll in 1936,[12] playing in three BCS national championship
games since the inception of the BCS system in 1998.
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