Widely regarded as one of the most prestigious institutions in the world, Cornell is well known for its prominent research
efforts as well as both its undergraduate and graduate education programs. Cornell's students hail from all corners of the globe,
and represent over 120 countries and all fifty United States.The University has seven undergraduate and seven graduate level academic units, as well as three intercollege divisions, the School of Continuing Education and Summer
Sessions, and the Cornell University Library.
Cornell's main campus is situated on a rolling site
of 745 acres (3 km²) overlooking Cayuga Lake, largest of the Finger Lakes, and the central portion is bounded to its north and south by
picturesque gorges and waterfalls.Two units, the Weill Cornell Medical College and Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences are located at the
New York City campus. In addition, the
university operates a medical school campus in Education
City, Qatar, the New York Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York, the Arecibo
Observatory in Puerto Rico, the Shoals Marine Laboratory off the coast of
Maine (in cooperation with the University of New Hampshire), the New York State Cooperative Extension system, and several other teaching or research facilities around the world.Founded in the aftermath of the industrial revolution
and the U.S. Civil War as a university where the classics and
more practical subjects, such as engineering and agriculture, were taught with equal fervor, Cornell is a pioneer in American education—educational
historian Frederick Rudolph once called it "the first American university." It was the first major institution in the eastern
United States to admit women along with men, when the first women
enrolled in 1872. Among other firsts, it awarded the first university degrees in veterinary medicine and journalism, taught the first course in American history, formed the first university publishing company, and awarded the nation's
first doctorates in electrical engineering and industrial engineering. The School of
Hotel Administration and New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations are the
first four-year schools devoted to those fields.The school colors are carnelian red and white, a
play on "Cornellian" and Andrew Dickson White. Cornell does not have an official mascot, as the school is officially known as the "Big Red," but a bear is commonly seen as a mascot, which dates
back to the introduction of the mascot "Touchdown" in 1915. The sports teams participate in the Ivy League and the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). People associated with the University are called
"Cornellians"; "Cornellian" may also be used as an adjective and is the name
of the university's annual (yearbook).