Vanderbilt University

Founded in 1873, Vanderbilt University was named in honor of shipping tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt. Although the industrialist never visited the South, he felt that his $1 million endowment would help heal Civil War wounds. The largest private university in Tennessee, the school enrolls students from all 50 states and 90 foreign countries. The university’s 330-acre urban campus is a national arboretum featuring hundreds of different tree and shrub species. The Bicentennial Oak pre-dates the Revolutionary War. Several buildings on the campus are listed on the National Historic Register, including the Alumni Hall, the Old Gymnasium and the Mechanical and Engineering Building.