University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at Austin, full official name, UT or Texas for short, is the flagship institution of The University of Texas System, the largest public university system in Texas, established in 1883. Consistently ranked as one of the top public schools in the nation, it has a student population of around 50,000 -- the largest in the nation. The school has many notable academic programs, particularly in physics, Latin American studies, computer science, engineering, business and public affairs, among others.

The University has been crucial for driving the high tech growth of the Austin, Texas area, the capital city located in the heart of Central Texas.

The University's colors are burnt orange and white, and its official song is "The Eyes of Texas". [1] (http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/print/EE/xee1) Its sports teams are called the Longhorns. The mascot is a Longhorn named Bevo. They compete in the Big Twelve Conference.

One of the University's most visible features is its Main Building [2] (http://www.utexas.edu/tours/mainbuilding/), a 307 foot tower located in the middle of campus that graces Austin's downtown skyline. It was completed in 1937 and is traditionally lit burnt orange for various occasions [3] (http://www.utexas.edu/admin/opa/news/02newsreleases/nr_200201/nr_tower020128), such as winning football games and graduation. It also currently houses a carillon of 56 bells, which happens to be the largest in Texas. Songs are played every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 12:50pm local time in addition to the usual pealing of the bells every quarter hour.

The University is also home to the LBJ Library and Museum as well as the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center. The Ransom Center's holdings include one of only 21 remaining complete copies of the Gutenberg Bible[?] [4] (http://www.utexas.edu/tours/mainbuilding/) worldwide.

Research facilities of the University include the Perry Castañeda Library [5] (http://www.lib.utexas.edu/pcl/about), the McDonald Observatory [6] (http://www.as.utexas.edu/mcdonald/mcdonald), the Marine Science Institute at Port Aransas, the J. J. Pickle Research Center and Applied Research Laboratories [7] (http://www.arlut.utexas.edu/), and the Program in Aegean Scripts and Prehistory [8] (http://www.utexas.edu/research/pasp/).

External Links

• Main Website: http://www.utexas.edu/
• Athletics Website: http://www.texassports.com/
• http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/permanent/gutenberg/
• http://www.utexas.edu/tours/mainbuilding/