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New York University (NYU) is a large university in New York City, with its primary campus located in the city's Greenwich Village neighborhood. With a total enrollment of 51,901 (as of the fall of 2000), 18,628 of which are undergraduates and 18,522 of which are graduate or professional students, NYU is one of the largest private universities in the United States. The University is comprised of 14 schools, colleges, and divisions, which occupy six major centers across Manhattan.
Originally called the University of the City of New York, it was founded by a group of prominent New Yorkers in 1831 as an alternative to the Episcopalian-dominated and "aristocratic" Columbia College (now Columbia University). Notable among NYU's founding fathers is Albert Gallatin, after whom one of the University's schools is named.
NYU's aggressive recruitment of renowned professors and Ivy League graduates has been a large factor in the University's growing prestige. It has often been involved in bidding wars to lure top faculty in an attempt to boost its academic reputation. NYU is remarkable in that it went from being a near-bankrupt commuter school to becoming one of the best universities in the United States, in large part due to the fact that, instead of building its endowment, the University spent its money on building new facilities and hiring more faculty.
NYU's Stern School of Business ranks among the top 15 business schools in the country, while its School of Law regularly ranks in the top five of US law schools in education and research.
NYU's campus is fractured and decentralized, with buildings spread over much of the neighborhood. There is often tension between the university and other neighborhood residents and businesses over real estate issues.
NYU's sports teams are called the Violets. They participate in the NCAA's Division III and the University Athletic Association. The school's official color is violet. Its mascot is called Bobcat.
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