Seventeen years before Oklahoma became a state, the University of Oklahoma was founded by the first legislature of the Territory of Oklahoma. The first classes were held in 1892 with 119 students and four faculty members. More than 175,000 degrees later, OU enrolls almost 27,000 students and has approximately 1,830 full-time faculty members. The university's annual operating budget is approximately $800 million. OU ranks in the top 20 public universities in the nation in private endowment.
The campus occupies over a thousand acres of green landscape. Walkways are shaded by over 2000 trees of 40 varieties and are surrounded by colorful floral landscaping. Campus buildings are a pleasant mixture of traditional and contemporary -- 8 of the 82 buildings were built before 1920.
The University community itself offers a multitude of cultural, recreational, and sports activities. Plays, musicals, and dance productions are presented in the striking 700-seat Rupel J. Jones Theatre on campus. The newly constructed Catlett Music Center, hosts internationally known artists as well as the University Symphonic Orchestra, Symphonic Band, and other musical groups. Museum buffs will enjoy the newly finished Oklahoma Museum of National History, the largest associated with any state university, which houses over 5 million items in its collection. The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, established in 1936, has a diverse collection of nearly 6000 objects that includes distinguished works in American painting after 1945, photographs, graphic arts, Oceanic art, ceramics, and Native American painting.
OU is famous for its intercollegiate sports featuring Big XII football in the Fall and basketball in the Winter, and baseball in the Spring. Students receive special rates on all sports tickets. For amateur athletes, OU's intramurals and recreational programs are among the most varied and progressive in the Big Eight. An indoor/outdoor swimming complex, modern physical fitness center, 18-hole golf course, and multiple tennis courts round out the recreational facilities available for student use.