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University of Minnesota is a large university with several campuses spread throughout the state of Minnesota, USA. There are four primary campuses: Twin Cities, Duluth, Crookston, and Morris. In addition, University services are available in Rochester, and a campus was open in Waseca for a time.
The University is referred to locally as The U or The U of M. The phrase U of M is also used to refer to any of several other universities; the article titled U of M is a disambiguation page.
The University of Minnesota was founded in Minneapolis in 1851 as a college preparatory school, seven years prior to Minnesota's statehood. As such, the U is not officially a unit of state government. The school was closed during the American Civil War, but reopened in 1867. Minneapolis businessman John Sargent Pillsbury is known today as the "Father of the University", and aided the campus through financial troubles as a regent, state senator, and governor. The Morrill Land Grant Colleges Act also helped provide funding for the U.
In 1869 the school reorganized and became an institution of higher education. William Watts Folwell served as the first president of the University.
The colors of the University are Maroon and Gold.
Holidays are not observed at the University as often as they are at most other schools, and it is not common for classes to be cancelled on account of weather. During the traditional autumn through spring year, classes are not held on Thanksgiving Day or the Friday after, and the school traditionally has an extended break covering Christmas and New Year's Day. Classes often don't resume in January until after Martin Luther King Day. A week-long spring break sometimes coincides with Easter. Evening classes are cancelled once a year to allow students, faculty, and staff to attend the Minnesota caucuses.
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