The University of Dayton is an American private Roman Catholic national research university in Ohio's sixth-largest city, Dayton. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary , it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The university's campus is located in the city's southern portion and spans 388 acres on both sides of the Great Miami River. The campus is noted for the Immaculate Conception Chapel and the University of Dayton Arena. The University also operates, in China's Suzhou Industrial Park, the University of Dayton China Institute.The University has about 8,000 undergraduate and 2,200 post-graduate students from a variety of religious, ethnic and geographic backgrounds, drawn from across the United States and more than 40 countries. It offers more than 80 academic programs in arts and sciences, business administration, education and health sciences, engineering, law and, in 1988, was first in the country to offer an undergraduate degree program in human rights.The University's notable alumni include: humorist Erma Bombeck; engineer David Bradley ; architect Bruce Graham; Super Bowl-winning coaches Jon Gruden and Chuck Noll; first female Premier of New South Wales Kristina Keneally; sportscaster Dan Patrick; and the 1987 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, Charles J. Pedersen.
