Hayley Fletcher

The school from which the university grew was founded in 1743, making it one of the oldest in the nation. However, UD was not chartered as an institution of higher learning until 1833. Its original class of ten students included George Read, Thomas McKean, and James Smith, all three of whom would go on to sign the Declaration of Independence.
The school has renowned engineering, science, business, education, urban affairs and public policy, public administration, agriculture, history, chemical engineering, chemistry and biochemistry programs, among others, drawing from the historically strong presence of the nation's chemical and pharmaceutical industries in the state of Delaware. In 2006, UD's engineering program was ranked number 10 in the nation by The Princeton Review. In 2009, US News and World Report ranked the chemical engineering program 10th among undergraduate programs and 9th among graduate programs. It is one of only four schools in North America with a major in art conservation. UD was the first American university to begin a study abroad program.