page_title: Miami University
section_title: New Miami
hierarchical_section_title: Miami University / History / New Miami
caption_attribution_description: English: Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. c.1909. Panoramic photograph.
context_page_description: Miami University is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio and the 10th oldest public university in the United States. The school's system comprises the main campus in Oxford, as well as regional campuses in nearby Hamilton, Middletown, and West Chester. Miami also maintains an international boarding campus, the Dolibois European Center in Differdange, Luxembourg. The Carnegie Foundation classifies Miami University as a research university with a high research activity. It is affiliated with the University System of Ohio.
  Miami University is well known for its liberal arts education; it offers more than 120 undergraduate degree programs and over 60 graduate degree programs within its 8 schools and colleges in architecture, business, engineering, humanities and the sciences. In its 2019 edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked the university 96th among national universities and the 42nd top public university in the United States. Miami University is ranked 3rd best national university for undergraduate teaching.
context_section_description: The university reopened in 1885, having paid all of its debts and repaired many of its buildings; there were 40 students in its first year. Enrollment remained under 100 students throughout the 1800s. Miami focused on aspects outside of the classics, including botany, physics, and geology departments. In 1888, Miami began inter-collegiate football play in a game against the University of Cincinnati. By the early 1900s, the state of Ohio pledged regular financial support for Miami University. Enrollment reached 207 students in 1902. The Ohio General Assembly passed the Sesse Bill in 1902, which mandated coeducation for all Ohio public schools. Miami lacked the rooms to fit all of the students expected the next year, and Miami made an arrangement with Oxford College, a women's college in the town, to rent rooms. Miami's first African-American student, Nelly Craig, graduated in 1905. Hepburn Hall, built in 1905, was the first women's dorm at the college. By 1907, the enrollment at the University passed 700 students and women made up about a third of the student body. Andrew Carnegie pledged $40,000 to help build a new library for the University.
  Enrollment in 1923 was at 1,500 students. The Oxford College for Women merged with Miami University in 1928. By the early 1930s, enrollment had reached 2,200 students. The conservative environment found on campus called for little change during the problems of the Great Depression, and only about 10 percent of students in the 1930s were on government subsidies. During World War II, Miami changed its curriculum to include "war emergency courses" and a Navy Training School took up residence on campus. During wartime in 1943, the population of the University became majority women. Due to the G.I. Bill, tuition for veterans decreased; the enrollment at Miami jumped from 2,200 to 4,100 students. Temporary lodges were constructed to accommodate the number of students. By 1952, the student body had grown to 5,000.
  In 1954, Miami created a common curriculum for all students to complete to have a base for their other subjects. By 1964, enrollment reached nearly 15,000. To accommodate the growing number of students, Miami University started a regional branch of the University at Middletown, Ohio, in 1966 and Hamilton, Ohio, in 1968. Miami founded a Luxembourg branch, today called the Miami University Dolibois European Center, in 1968; students live with Luxembourgian families, and study under Miami professors. Miami experimented with a trimester plan in 1965, but it ultimately failed and the university reverted to a quarter system. In 1974, The Western College for Women in Oxford, was sold to Miami; and President Shriver oversaw the creation of the well-respected and innovative Interdisciplinary Studies Program known as the Western College Program. The program was merged into the College of Arts & Science in 2007. The newest regional campus, the Miami University Voice of America Learning Center opened in 2009.
caption: Miami University in 1909
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