Britt R. Berrett

The University of Texas at Austin is one of the largest public universities in the United States and is the largest institution of The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, the university has grown from a single building, eight teachers, two departments and 221 students to a 350-acre main campus with 17 colleges and schools, about 24,000 faculty and staff, and more than 50,000 students.

The mission of Washington University in St. Louis is the promotion of learning — learning by students and by faculty. Teaching, the transmission of knowledge, is central to our mission, as is research, the creation of new knowledge. Faculty — composed of scholars, scientists, artists and members of the learned professions — serve society by teaching; by adding to the store of human art, creativity, understanding, and wisdom; and by providing direct services, such as health care. The university offers more than 90 programs and almost 1,500 courses leading to bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in a broad spectrum of traditional and interdisciplinary fields, with additional opportunities for minor concentrations and individualized programs.

Brigham Young University (often referred to as BYU or, colloquially, The Y) is a private university located in Provo, Utah, United States. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and is the largest religious university and third-largest private university in the U.S.

A leader in medical research, teaching and patient care, Washington University School of Medicine is currently ranked fourth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The School’s 2,100 employed and volunteer faculty physicians and clinicians -- known as Washington University Physicians -- are also medical staff members of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals. The clinical practice group provides care to more than 430,000 children and adults at 49 clinical sites annually. Together, the institutions located on the Washington University Medical Center campus employ more than 21,000 clinicians, scientists, residents, fellows, administrators and support staff.

The University of Texas at Dallas (also referred to as UT Dallas or UTD) is a public research university in the University of Texas System. The main campus is in Richardson, Texas, Telecom Corridor, 18 miles (29 km) north of downtown Dallas. The institution, established in 1961 as the Graduate Research Center of the Southwest and later renamed the Southwest Center for Advanced Studies (SCAS), began as a research arm of Texas Instruments. In 1969 the founders bequeathed SCAS to the state of Texas and Governor Preston Smith signed the bill officially creating the University of Texas at Dallas. UTD offers over 133 academic programs across its seven schools and hosts more than 50 research centers and institutes. With a number of interdisciplinary degree programs, its curriculum is designed to allow study that crosses traditional disciplinary lines and to enable students to participate in collaborative research labs. Entering freshmen average math and critical reading SAT scores are among the highest of the public universities in Texas and 1270 for 2012. The Carnegie Foundation classifies UT Dallas as a "comprehensive doctoral research university" and a "high research activity institution". Research projects include the areas of space science, bioengineering, cybersecurity, nanotechnology, and behavioral and brain sciences.