The University of Kansas is the state’s oldest and largest university. The school was founded in 1865 by a group of citizens who wanted to create a higher education institution in the Kansas Territory. The university began with one building and a dozen students, but has since grown into one of the largest public research universities in the United States.
The first classes were held at what was known as Franklin College, which was named after John Franklin, one of the founders. In 1869, the school moved to Lawrence and became known as Kansas State Agricultural College and Model Farm. This was due to a lack of funds and not because it was struggling academically — it actually had high enrollment numbers.
It wasn’t until 1890 that the name changed again, this time to its current form: The University of Kansas. It would go on to become one of the nation’s largest universities with more than 300 undergraduate majors and graduate programs along with its elite top-ranked law school.
Nowadays, the campus is spread across 200 acres and includes several notable buildings and monuments. Among them are Strong Hall, which was completed in 1895 as KU’s first building; Allen Fieldhouse, an iconic basketball arena; and Jayhawker Towers, a complex that houses upperclassmen residential rooms.
