Vanderbilt

In the Spring of 1873, seventy-nine year old Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt gave one million dollars to endow and build the university. The original Vanderbilt campus was seventy-five acres. The campus grew to about 260 acres by 1960. In 1979 about 53 more acres were added when George Peabody College for Teachers merged with Vanderbilt. The assumption seemed to be that Vanderbilt would be an all-male institution, yet the board never actually enacted rules prohibiting women. So from 1875 on, at least one woman attended Vanderbilt classes every year. Women at Vanderbilt gained full legal equality from 1892 to 1901 except access to the dorms. In 1963, the University's 90th anniversary, Vanderbilt was ranked in the top 20 private universities in the United States.

Under the leadership of its seventh chancellor, the university grew and changed significantly. Vanderbilt led the country led the country in the rate of growth for academic research funding. Admission applications grew to more than 13,000 in 2007 from only 8,000 in 2000. It was at this time Vanderbilt became one of the most selective institutions in the country. Today, Vanderbilt University is a private research university of 5,300 graduate and professional students and about 6,500 undergraduates.