Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University
Former name
Northern Arizona Normal School (1899–1925)
Northern Arizona State Teachers College (1925–1929)
Arizona State Teachers College at Flagstaff (1929–1945)
Arizona State College at Flagstaff (1945–1958)
Arizona State College (1958–1966)
TypePublic research university
EstablishedSeptember 11, 1899; 125 years ago (September 11, 1899)[1]
Parent institution
Arizona Board of Regents
AccreditationHLC
Academic affiliation
Space-grant
Endowment$198.2 million[2]
PresidentJosé Luis Cruz Rivera [3]
ProvostKaren Pugliesi [4]
Academic staff
1,115 (full-time)[5]
Students28,194[6]
Undergraduates23,134[7]
Postgraduates5,060[7]
Location
Flagstaff
,
Arizona
,
United States

35°11′15″N 111°39′18″W / 35.18750°N 111.65500°W / 35.18750; -111.65500
CampusSmall City, 707.62 acres (2.8636 km2)
NewspaperThe Lumberjack
Colors  Blue
  Gold[8]
NicknameLumberjacks
Sporting affiliations
MascotLouie the Lumberjack
Websitenau.edu

Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a public research university based in Flagstaff, Arizona.[9] Founded in 1899, it was the final university established in the Arizona Territory.[10]

NAU is one of the three universities governed by the Arizona Board of Regents and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.[11] As of fall 2023, 28,194 students were enrolled at NAU with 21,550 at the Flagstaff campus.[12] The university is divided into seven academic colleges offering about 130 undergraduate and graduate programs, and various academic certificates. Students can take classes and conduct research in Flagstaff, online, and at more than 20 statewide locations, including the Phoenix Biomedical Core research campus.

The university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and ranked No. 187 in the National Science Foundation (NSF) national research rankings for fiscal year 2022.[13] NAU's astronomy faculty led the observations of the NASA DART mission,[14] co-discovered several astronomical bodies such as Eris and Sedna, and are major participants in the search for the hypothetical Planet Nine.[15] The university is a primary institution of the Lowell Observatory.[16] Alumni include 4 Truman Scholars, 11 Goldwater Scholars, and 3 Udall Scholars.[17][18]

The NAU Lumberjacks compete in the NCAA Division I primarily as part of the Big Sky Conference, and have won several national championships in cross country running. At an elevation of 6,950 ft (2,120 m) above sea level, the school's athletic facilities are used by Olympic and professional athletes worldwide for prestige high altitude training.[19]

  1. ^ "NAU – History". library.nau.edu. Nau.edu. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  2. ^ "NAU Foundation Annual Report" (PDF).
  3. ^ "Facts & statistics". nau.edu. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  4. ^ "Karen Pugliesi". directory.nau.edu. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  5. ^ https://in.nau.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/129/2024/04/CDS-2023-2024.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ^ text of the citation"Facts & statistics". nau.edu. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  7. ^ a b text of the citation
  8. ^ "NAU Color Palette" (PDF). Nau.edu. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 29, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  9. ^ "Arizona Locations – Locations". nau.edu. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  10. ^ Christine Ogren, The American State Normal School: 'An Instrument of Great Good' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005) pp. 1-5, 213-235; online.
  11. ^ "Members". www.aplu.org. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  12. ^ "Institutional Research and Analysis". .nau.edu. Archived from the original on October 19, 2018. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  13. ^ "National Science Foundation".
  14. ^ "Rising star in astronomy: Cristina Thomas". Astronomy.com. January 18, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  15. ^ Ashley Strickland (December 17, 2018). "'Farout,' the most-distant solar system object discovered". CNN. Archived from the original on March 14, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  16. ^ "Flagstaff, Arizona (U.S.)". International Dark-Sky Association. 2001.
  17. ^ "Scholar Listing - Northern Arizona University | The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation". www.truman.gov. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  18. ^ "Meet our Scholars & Mentors". The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.
  19. ^ "From Flagstaff to Rio: High-altitude training pays off for Olympic athletes – NAU News". Archived from the original on December 5, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.