University of Sydney, Australia

The University of Sydney is the oldest university in Australia, established in Sydney in 1850. It is a member of Australia's "Group of Eight" Australian universities that are highly ranked in terms of their research performance. In 2007, the University had 45,182 students and 3,018 (full-time equivalent) academic staff making it the second largest in Australia.

Rankings of the University:
The University of Sydney has been ranked amongst the top 40 universities in the world by various sources. The UK’s Times Higher Education Supplement World University Rankings published in October 2006 ranked the University fifth best in the world for the Arts and Humanities, nineteenth for the social sciences and twentieth for biomedicine. The University as a whole was ranked 37th in the world in 2008 in that same publication's league table, ranking second among Australian universities. In the Newsweek global 100 for 2006, the University of Sydney (together with the Australian National University) was one of two Australian universities placed in the top 50 in the world.

In the most recent THES worldwide rankings of universities released in November 2008, the University was ranked 37th overall, gaining its position as the second highest ranked Australian university behind ANU (16th).

Alumni:
Throughout its history, University of Sydney alumni have made significant contributions to Australia and beyond. Australian leaders who have graduated from the University include two Governors-General, five Prime Ministers, four Chief Justices of the High Court of Australia, and 20 other Justices of the High Court. One graduate, Dr H.V. Evatt, served as President of the United Nations General Assembly.

Sydney has produced three Nobel laureates and numerous renowned scientists. A number of notable artists, writers, and entertainers have also graduated from the University.

Facilities and Services:
The University of Sydney Library consists of numerous individual libraries across its many campuses. Fisher Library was named after an early benefactor. The University library is the largest in the southern hemisphere, with a collection of more than 5.25 million items. It possesses many rare items such as one of the two extant copies of the Gospel of Barnabas, and a first edition of Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Sir Isaac Newton.

Museums and Galleries:
Nicholson Museum of Antiquities contains the largest and most prestigious collection of antiquities in Australia, featuring ancient artefacts from Egypt, the Middle East, Greece, Rome, Cyprus and Mesopotamia, collected by the University over many years and added to by recent archaeological expeditions.

The Macleay Museum is named after Alexander Macleay, whose collection of insects begun in the late eighteenth century was the basis upon which the museum was founded. It has developed into an extraordinary collection of natural history specimens, ethnographic artifacts, scientific instruments and historic photographs.

The University Art Collection was founded in the 1860s and contains more than 2,500 pieces, constantly growing through donation, bequests, and acquisition. It is housed in several different places, including the Sir Hermann Black Gallery and the War Memorial Art Gallery.

The Rare Books Library is a part of the Fisher Library and holds 185,000 books and manuscripts which are rare, valuable or fragile, including eighty medieval manuscripts, works by Galileo, Halley and Copernicus and an extensive collection of Australiana. The copy of the Gospel of Barnabas, and a first edition of Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Sir Isaac Newton are held here. Regular exhibitions of rare books are held in the exhibition room.

Student Organizations:
Student Representatives: Politically and academically, undergraduate students are represented by the Students Representative Council (SRC) and postgraduate students by the Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association (SUPRA).

University of Sydney Union: It is the oldest and largest university union in Australia that provides a range of activities, programs, services and facilities geared at giving students the university experience. This involves delivering a huge Clubs and Societies program, a varied entertainment program, student opportunities, a range of catering and retail services plus buildings and recreational spaces for the University community and its students, staff and visitors.

Sydney University Sport: Formerly known as the Sydney University Sports Union and Sydney University Woman's Sports Association, Sydney University Sport is one of Australia's largest tertiary sporting bodies. It currently manages and administers 42 sport and recreation clubs, organizes sporting and recreation events, and offers student and non-student members a comprehensive range of sporting facilities.