The University of Tulsa has its roots in the Presbyterian School for Indian Girls, a small boarding school in Muskogee, Indian Territory, which was founded in 1882. In 1894, at the request of the Synod of Indian Territory, the Board of Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church elevated the academy’s status and chartered it as Henry Kendall College, a name that honored the first general secretary of the Home Missions Board. The first classes in the new college were held on Sept. 12, 1894.

The University of Tulsa today TU is a small, private university with approximately 4000 undergraduate and graduate students.  It is located in midtown Tulsa, approximately 2 miles from downtown.