Claim: Northwestern University is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference starting in 1893.
Evidence: Northwestern is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and remains the only private university in the conference.
The Big Ten Conference was established in 1895 when Purdue University president James H. Smart and representatives from the University of Chicago , University of Illinois , University of Michigan , University of Minnesota , Northwestern University , and University of Wisconsin gathered at Chicago 's Palmer House Hotel to set policies aimed at regulating intercollegiate athletics.