On September 12, 1866, three faculty members greeted 55 students as the University of Kansas opened its doors, becoming the first state university on the Great Plains. The legislation that established and organized the university stated:
"The object of the University should be to provide the inhabitants of this state with the means of acquiring a thorough knowledge of the various branches of literature, science and the arts."
The University of Kansas has striven to meet that goal and in the process, has attracted outstanding teachers and students from all over the world. At present, over 28,000 students pursue educational goals in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and 14 other schools on campuses in Lawrence, Kansas City, and Wichita.
The University of Kansas belongs to the Association of American Universities, a select group of leading higher education institutions in the United States and Canada. Member institutions are chosen on the basis of their national significance in graduate studies and research.
The University has its main campus at Lawrence, Kansas, 40 miles from Kansas City. The Medical Center in Kansas City houses the University of Kansas College of Health Sciences, which includes School of Allied Health, School of Medicine, School of Nursing, as well as divisions of the Graduate School. The University is governed by the State Board of Regents and the Chancellor. The Executive Vice Chancellor is the chief administrative officer at the Kansas City campus.
Dykes Library includes over 159,000 biomedical volumes and serials, while the renowned Clendening History of Medicine Library has 21,000 first or early edition volumes. Contents of the libraries can be searched via the KU Medical Center's computer network and the internet. Medline and other searchable research publication databases are also accessible. The Instructional Technology Center and Educational Resource Center provides over 100 networked computers for student use. Students are provided e-mail addresses and access. The 460-bed KU Hospital serves more than 13,600 inpatients annually, while over 371,000 outpatient visits occur at KU clinics each year. KU Medical Center provides kidney, liver, cornea, and bone marrow transplant services. The centers specialized equipment includes kidney stone lithotriptors, computerized diagnostic imaging, including helical CT, MRI and lasers, and specialized units for burns, microsurgery, neonatal intensive care, and radiation oncology.
Approximately 2,500 students attend KU Schools of Allied Health, Medicine, Nursing, and Graduate Studies at the Medical Center, which has over 30 graduate and professional degree programs. Of these, over 600 students are in Graduate School and approximately 150 of these are in PhD programs in the basic sciences in the School of Medicine. There are about 600 medical students in the basic and the clinical science curricula on the Medical School campus in Kansas City, while another 100 complete their clinical training on the Wichita campus
©
The University of Kansas Medical Center