The University of Georgia

Founded in 1785, the University of Georgia is a public co-educational institution located in Athens, Georgia. The school opened in the year 1801 and was open until the American Civil War of 1861. As the war broke, many of the students and members of the faculty had joined the army of the Confederate States of America.

The University then reopened in 1866. The University then received the proceeds of the sale of lands that was received by the state under the Land Grant Act (1862) in 1872.

The University of Georgia is a part of Georgia's University System. The University confers associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, doctoral degrees, and professional degrees via the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication the Terry College of Business, the D.B. Warnell School of Forest Resources and also through the colleges of agriculture & environmental sciences, veterinary medicine, education, and the schools of law, social work, pharmacy, and environmental design, family and consumer services. There is also a joint engineering degree is being on offer in cooperation with Georgia Institute of Technology.

The University of Georgia is organized into 16 colleges and schools. The U.S. News & World Report 2011 edition ranked the undergraduate program of the university as 56th among the national universities. The graduate programs for public affairs, law, education, business and journalism as high as 4th and 59th.

The student athletes of the UGA compete in the inter collegiate athletics as the Bulldogs. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference has managed to win 37 national championships and 130 in the conference championships.

Aside from the academics, athletics and research, it is also known for the campus. The campus has architectural themes. The older buildings reflect the Federal theme, the rest are in the Classical and Antebellum. The entire campus is spread across 615 acres.

The University of Georgia had its first Greek letter fraternity to have been chartered at the campus in 1865 as Sigma Alpha Epsilon. The first sorority was Phi Mu and it was started in 1921. There are about 17 or so sororities and 26 fraternities. Perhaps the most prominent features of the Greek Life at the university are the Greek Revival mansions that are maintained by the national sororities and fraternities as their chapter houses.

The University of Georgia features a Suburban setting with a Small city  and a Commuter campus. The University of Goergia also has many unique facilities such as an art museum, botanical gardens, a theater, and even a golf course.

UGA is a land-grant and sea-grant university that has state wide commitments and responsibilities. It is also the state's flagship institution for higher education and is also the state's oldest and most diversified institution. UGA's motto is, "to teach, to serve and to inquire into the nature of things," and it reflects the university's integral and unique role when it comes to the conservation and the enhancement of Georgia's and the nation's intellectual and also the cultural, as well as, environmental heritage.