In 1749， eager to create a college to educate future generations， Benjamin Franklin wrote and circulated a pamphletpamphlet n.小册子 titled “Proposals for the Education of Youth in Pensilvania.” Unlike the other four American Colonial colleges that existed at the time - Harvard， William and Mary， the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University)， and Yale - Franklin，s new school would not focus on education for the clergy. He advocatedadvocate n.提倡者， 鼓吹者 vt.提倡， 鼓吹 an innovative concept of higher education， one which would teach both the ornamental knowledge of the arts and the practical skills necessary for making a living and doing public service. The proposed program of study became the nation，s first modern liberal artsliberal arts n.文科 curriculum.
Ben Franklin assembled a board of trustees from among the leading citizens of the city， the first such nonsectarian board in America， and looked about for the least costly way to build a campus.
In 1740， a group of working class Philadelphians had decided to erect a great preaching hall for the evangelistevangelist n.圣经新约福音书的作者， 福音传道者 George Whitefield. It was the largest building in the city， and it was also planned to serve as a charity school for “the instruction of poor children.” The fundraising， however， for both the building and the school had fallen short and the plans for both chapel and school were suspended. Franklin saw an opportunity to open his Academy quickly and inexpensively and in 1751 the Academy， using the great hall at 4th and Arch Streets， took in its first students. A charity school also was opened in accordance with the intentions of the original “New Building” donors.
The University cites the earlier date as its founding， which enables it to claim to be older than its athletic archrival Princeton. Elsewhere， it is reckoned the fiftholdest college in the United States.
Penn has continued that innovative tradition with the founding of the first university teaching hospital in 1874； the creation of the Wharton School， the world，s first collegiate school of business， in 1881； the construction of Houston Hall， the first American student union building， in 1896； and the building of ENIAC， the world，s first electronic， largescale， generalpurpose digital computerdigital computer 数字计算机 in 1946.
Penn Traditions
Toast Throwing
As a sign of school pride， crowds of Quaker fans perform a unique ritual. After the third quarter of football games， spirited onlookersonlooker n.旁观者 unite in the singing of “Drink a Highball.” In years long past， students would literally make a toast to the success of Penn，s athletic teams. During Prohibition， stubborn students insisted on keeping their tradition - since they could not use alcohol， they had no choice but to literally “toast” Penn. As the last line， “Here，s a toast to dear old Penn” is sung， the fans send toast hurling through the air onto the sidelines. Also， in more recent years， some students have become more creative in their choice of projectiles， and it is not rare to see a hail of bagels or donuts， or even a loaf of French bread come flying down from the stands. The Penn athletic department even owns a toast “Zamboni” which looks like a miniature version of the ice shaver of the same name. It is used to clean up all the toast， of which there is often quite a lot.
Class Day and Hey Day
In April， several class traditions are celebrated. Class Day， which began in 1865 to supplement the final graduation exercises， celebrates the progression of all classes and the departure of the seniors. In 1916， this day merged with Straw Hat Day and became the “day of two events”. In 1931， Hey Day arose from these two celebrationscelebration n.庆祝， 庆典. On this day， the juniors gather on Hill Field for a picnic， don straw “skimmers” and canes， and march triumphantly through campus. The procession tradition began in 1949. When the procession reaches College Hall， the students make an arch with their canes to greet the President of the University. The outgoing and incoming senior class presidents then give speeches， and the juniors are “officially” declared seniors. In recent years， the current senior class pelts the juniors with shaving cream， chocolate sauce， flour， painfulpainful adj.疼痛的， 使痛苦的 vinegar， and other condimentscondiments n.调味品.
Ivy Day
One of the oldest Penn traditions is Ivy Day， when the graduating class plants ivy by a building， and an “Ivy Stone” is placed on the building to commemoratecommemorate vt.纪念 the occasion. In 1981， the day was officially moved to the Saturday before Commencement. Also on this day， the prestigious Spoon， Bowl， Cane， and Spade awards are given， honoring four senior men； and the Hottel， Harnwell， Goddard， and Brownlee awards are presented to honor four senior women. During the celebration， a noted individual who is chosen by the class gives an address. Recent Ivy Day addresses have been presented by Penn Parent Joan Rivers， former Philadelphia Mayor and current Governor of Pennsylvania Ed Rendell， and basketball player Julius Erving (Dr. J).
Stanford University斯坦福大学
斯坦福大学位于加利福尼亚州的斯坦福市，是由参议员利兰·斯坦福和夫人为了纪念他们正值青春年少时去世的儿子小利兰而于1885年创立的，原名利兰·斯坦福初级大学。该校效仿欧洲名牌大学的教育模式，立足于使学生获得广泛的自由人应受的教育和实用教育，注重开发学生的想象力和发展他们的个性，使学生的智力和个性都得到良好的发展。
斯坦福大学的一大教学特色是小班教学，本科生部每班平均16名学生，从而保证每个学生都有较多的机会与教授进行交流。而且，校方安排知名的教授在带博士生的同时给本科生上课。
斯坦福大学拥有一批顶尖的科研机构和实验室，如：斯坦福电子实验室、霍普金斯海洋研究站、斯坦佛线形加速实验室、汉森物理实验室、能源研究所、同步加速器辐射研究室、胡佛战争研究中心、国际问题研究中心等。先进的科技、雄厚的师资、良好的实验环境、卓越的教育特色和奋发钻研的科学精神造就了一批卓有成就的科学家和知名学者。
作为一所独具特色的私立大学，斯坦福大学在美国乃至全世界都享有极高的声誉，在1999年美国大学最新综合排名中与MIT并列第四位，2000年在《美国新闻与世界报道》最新综合排名中与宾夕法尼亚大学并列第6位。