The University of Vermont, founded in 1791, is a public, comprehensive institution. Programs are offered through the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Arts and Sciences, Education and Social Services, and Engineering and Mathematics; the Schools of Allied Health Sciences, Business Administration, Natural Resources, and Nursing; and the Environmental Studies Program. It blends the close faculty-student relationships most commonly found at liberal arts colleges with the dynamic exchange of knowledge associated with a major research university. For UVM students, this means 2,500 course offerings representing more than 90 majors, hands-on research opportunities supported by state-of-the-art facilities, a student-faculty ratio that encourages close interaction between students and professors and a vibrant campus community in which 80 percent of its students are involved in athletics, special-interest clubs, and volunteer service. Its 425-acre campus is located Burlington, 100 miles south of Montreal.