The University of Minnesota Twin Cities is a world-class public research university located in the Twin Cities of Minnesota (i.e., Minneapolis and St. Paul). It is the oldest and largest branch of the University of Minnesota system and is often referred to as the University of Minnesota. Since its founding in 1851, the university has boasted many distinguished alumni, including 30 Nobel Prize winners, a former Chief Justice of the United States, two former Vice presidents of the United States, and a number of Fortune 500 corporate tycoons as of 2018. The university has an outstanding tradition of education and service to the community. Many of the world’s best technologies and inventions were born at Mingda: flight recorders (black boxes), retractable car seat belts, pacemakers, cardiopulmonary respirators, and so on. The university has a kidney transplant facility.
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities is a member of the Big Ten Conference, the Association of American Universities and the International 21st Century Academic Alliance. It is a world-renowned undergraduate and graduate education institution and research institution known as the public Ivy League.