# Has a public university ever spun out a department or institute? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 28, 2021, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-public-university-ever-spun-out-a-department-or-institute/956751 "2021-12-28T00:23:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-public-university-ever-spun-out-a-department-or-institute/956751/21 "2021-12-28T21:54:58Z")
You know, it may not be obvious to everyone what you’re referring to when you say, “U of L”. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-public-university-ever-spun-out-a-department-or-institute/956751/22 "2021-12-28T21:56:36Z")
That would be the University of Louisville. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-public-university-ever-spun-out-a-department-or-institute/956751/23 "2021-12-28T21:57:20Z")
Would it kill you to spell that out the first time? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-public-university-ever-spun-out-a-department-or-institute/956751/24 "2021-12-28T21:59:11Z")
It didn’t occur to me that it might be necessary, any more than spelling out UC Berkeley, Cal-tech, MIT, or UPenn. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-public-university-ever-spun-out-a-department-or-institute/956751/25 "2021-12-28T22:03:43Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > It didn’t occur to me that it might be necessary, any more than spelling out UC Berkely, Cal-tech, MIT, or UPenn. MIT is so broadly known by its acronym that, for most people, it wouldn’t be necessary (and I’m unaware of any other US schools which use that acronym). The other examples you give have portions of their state name, or city name, included. “U of L” is probably not in need of clarification in Kentucky, but is less than clear elsewhere (and, of course, most members of this board don’t live in the Louisville area). I attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison; within the state, if you say “UW”, people know what you mean (and if you’re talking about one of the other campuses in the UW system, it’s a longer acronym, like UWGB (Green Bay), UWM (Milwaukee), etc.). But, as the same acronym is also used for the University of Washington (and, could well be used for other schools, too), I don’t use the acronym unless I’m back in Wisconsin, or context is such that there won’t be any confusion. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-public-university-ever-spun-out-a-department-or-institute/956751/26 "2021-12-28T22:16:30Z")
I apologize, I had assumed UofL was just as well known. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-public-university-ever-spun-out-a-department-or-institute/956751/27 "2021-12-28T22:31:41Z")
I assumed the “L” was “Louisiana”, until I saw a reference to Kentucky later in the post. It can be easy to take for granted what others will take for granted. It took me a while to stop referring to the grad school I went to as MSU, even though that’s what everyone there called it. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-public-university-ever-spun-out-a-department-or-institute/956751/28 "2021-12-28T23:43:07Z")
I’ve never been to Kentucky, and have no friends or relatives who went to Louisville (to my knowledge). Same with Michigan State, if that’s the MSU you attended. I guess it’s just from sports. Again, sorry to anybody who I confused. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-public-university-ever-spun-out-a-department-or-institute/956751/29 "2021-12-28T23:43:09Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It took me a while to stop referring to the grad school I went to as MSU, even though that’s what everyone there called it. And how did you like East Lansing? I kid, of course. Long time Dopers all know you went to Micronesia State. 🙂 I went to WSU, but there’s 4 universities that use that acronym. Mine is the only one where the W actually stands for a state name. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-public-university-ever-spun-out-a-department-or-institute/956751/30 "2021-12-28T23:49:39Z")
Speaking of Michigan State, unless I’m misreading, Oakland University was spun off into its own independent institution in 1970. That seems like a clear cut example of a public institution (Michigan State University) severing a department (Michigan State University–Oakland). ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Tabco](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tabco/32/7644_2.png) [@Tabco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabco)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-public-university-ever-spun-out-a-department-or-institute/956751/31 "2021-12-28T23:53:36Z")
I remember the first time I tried visiting Oregon State University’s website. I tried typing in osu.edu and was spirited off to some other, lesser university’s homepage. I had to use orst.edu instead. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-public-university-ever-spun-out-a-department-or-institute/956751/32 "2021-12-28T23:57:58Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > There are numerous public universities that began life as a branch campus or extension of an existing university. I don’t know if these really get at what you’re going for, though, because both entities continue to be “owned” by the state. As an example, UC Davis started as the University Farm for Berkeley, back when Berkeley was the University of California. I was once told that the location was chosen because it was where the main California north/south railroad line met a major US east/west railroad line. That made it easy for large agricultural machinery to be delivered there for testing or educational use. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-public-university-ever-spun-out-a-department-or-institute/956751.md?page=1)