Memphis State University

The University of Memphis

Former names	Memphis State University Memphis State College West Tennessee State Teachers College West Tennessee State Normal School
Motto	"Driven By Doing."
Type	Public
Established	September 10, 1912 (1912-09-10)
Academic affiliations	APLU ORAU Urban 13/GCU SURA
Endowment	$199 million
President	M. David Rudd
Academic staff	930
Administrative staff	1,570
Students	20,585
Undergraduates	16,639
Postgraduates	3,946
Location	Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. 35°07′08″N 89°56′13″W / 35.119°N 89.937°W / 35.119; -89.937Coordinates: 35°07′08″N 89°56′13″W / 35.119°N 89.937°W / 35.119; -89.937
Campus	Urban1,160 acres (4.7 km2)
Colors	Blue & Gray
Nickname	Tigers
Mascot	TOM III (Live Tiger) and Pouncer (costume)
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I – American Athletic Conference
Website	www.memphis.edu

The University of Memphis, also called The U of M, is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the University has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students. With twenty-five Chairs of Excellence and five state-approved Centers of Excellence, the school is the flagship institution of The Tennessee Board of Regents system.

The university maintains The Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI), The Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. The former Lambuth University campus (now a branch campus of The University of Memphis). The Loewenberg College of Nursing, The School of Public Health, The College of Communication and Fine Arts, The FedEx Institute of Technology, The Advanced Distributed Learning Workforce Co-Lab, and The Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology.

A faculty of approximately 930 professors serves about 17,000 undergraduate and 4,000 graduate students.

The Daily Helmsman, the independent daily newspaper on the campus, in operation since 1925, remains a prominent student organization. In addition, many other student organizations and academic departments, such as the University of Memphis Institute for Egyptian Art and Archaeology, the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law Moot Court Board, the University of Memphis Advertising Federation and the University of Memphis chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America, play an active and involved role in the community, both nationally and internationally.

The University of Memphis attracts most of its undergraduate students from Memphis and West Tennessee, though many current undergraduate and graduate students have come from public and private schools across the southeastern United States as well as from all the other states and about 100 other nations.

Over its history, the University of Memphis has graduated many famous alumni, including U.S. Congressman Steve Cohen, actor and former U.S. Senator Fred D. Thompson, historian of the American South Joe Gray Taylor, and DeAngelo Williams, former All-American college football running back.