Origins
Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, the University of Dayton started out as the Saint Mary's School for boys. UD, as it is known by its faithful alumni, draws its values from Roman Catholicism. Today, UD claims a 75% Catholic enrollment, with the remaining 25% being Protestant or other.
Education
The University of Dayton provides a wide variety of majors divided up into four main colleges: Arts&Sciences, Business, Engineering, and Education. The University's students frequently find excellent jobs with companies such as TRW, the United States Air Force, Proctor and Gamble, institutions of higher education and successful marketing and business firms.
UD is also home to a highly ranked regional law school that frequently hosts distinguished speakers and whose students find lucrative jobs post-graduation.
Student Life
Perhaps the most famous part of the University is the "Ghetto", which is an approximate 10 block x 10 block series of houses that are owned primarily by the University. The Ghetto was the scene of the St. Patrick's Day riot of 1991, and the Halloween riot of 1993. These incidents are the primary source of the University's party reputation.
UD's sports team is the Dayton Flyers. The football team competes in the Pioneer Football League, and has won the title on a regular basis since the league's inception. The women's volleyball team and soccer team regularly place high in the Atlantic 10 tournament, and have made recent NCAA appearances. The men's basketball team has enjoyed success in the late 1990's and early 21st Century, winning the Atlantic 10 West title twice and earning a 1998 NCAA Tournament berth. They lost in the first round of the 1998 tournament to Purdue.
Nightlife includes trips into to visit the Oregon District, or to take in some theater at the Performing Arts Center. And, there is always Cincinnati, home of the Cincinnati Reds, if professional sports is your cup of tea. To the east is Columbus, home of the Ohio State University, and its associated nightlife.