Of the professional schools of the university. that of medicine is best known and has always been one of the strong departments. The Dental School especially has a wide reputation in Aus tralia and in Spanish American countries. The Flower Astronomical Observatory is situated two miles beyond the city limits. and there is a small working observatory in the college grounds. The university buildings. 29 in number, stand on Woodland Avenue. on covering over 56 acres in the city proper. and provide dormitory ac commodations for about 500 students. They in clude a University Hospital. with a training school and home for nurses, and the Howard Houston Hall, a students' club.
The university confers the degrees of Bachelor of Arts. Laws. Sfusic, and Science, Master of Arts and Science, Doctor of Philosophy, Medicine, Den tal Surgery, and Veterinary :Medicine, and the technical degrees of Civil, Mechanical, Electrical. and Chemical Engineer. In 1002 the faculty numbered 281. and the student body 2578. dis tributed as follows: School of Arts, 476: Scien tific School, 431; Teachers' 206; Gradu ates, 192: Law. 339: Medicine. 475: Dentistry,
403; Veterinary Medicine. 62. The library con tained 212.861 volumes. The university grounds and buildings were valued at about 84.500.000 and extensive plans were undertaken in the early part of 1903 for a group of new to be erected outside the present limits of the uni versity grounds. The first step toward this end was the announcement of a new• building for the Wharton Scientific School, to cost $200.000. the gift of Joseph Wharton. the founder. The en dowment of the university in 1902 was $9,000,000 and its income was $1,490,000. The heads of the university, since its beginning as a collegiate institution in 1753, have been: William Smith 11755-80); John Ewing (1;80-1802) ; John Mc Dowell (1807-10) ; John Andrews ( 1810-13) ; Frederick Beasley (1813-28) ; William Beath cote de Lances- (1828-33) : John Ludlow (1834 53) ; Henry Vethake (1854-50) ; Daniel Haynes Goodwin (1860-68) ; Charles Janeway Stillb ( 1868-S0 ) ; William Pepper ( 1881-94) ; Charles Custis Harrison (1894—).