The Department of Chemistry consists of 28 faculty and about 100 graduate students and postdoctorals housed in a large, 9-floor building, Hamilton Hall, dedicated to Chemistry. The University of Nebraska was established in 1869, and had the first organized graduate school in any public university west of the Mississippi. Total enrollment at the flagship Lincoln campus is now approximately 25,000. Historically, the Department of Chemistry has been one of the strongest academic units at UN-L, granting Ph.D. degrees since 1899. The city of Lincoln, with a population 225,000 is the state capital and a comfortable place to live. Many cultural and recreational opportunities are available to UNL students in this attractive community, which is also relatively free of serious crime. Cultural opportunities include the Lincoln Symphony, community concerts, Lied Center for the Performing Arts, various chamber music and jazz offerings, several theater groups, and an active art association. Within and around Lincoln, there is an extensive network of bicycle paths, including the placid MoPac Trail. Lincoln is among the leading U.S. cities in city park land per square mile. Parks offer such activities as volleyball, softball, tennis, golf, frisbee-golf, fishing and sail-boarding. A wide variety of restaurants located in Downtown Lincoln and the historic Haymarket District are only a short walk from the Chemistry Department.