Saint Louis University is a nationally ranked Catholic institution located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is the first institute of higher learning west of the Mississippi River, and the second-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. The 373-acre campus is recognized for excellence in education, research, and health care. The university's history dates back to 1818, when it was founded as St. Louis College in a private residence in St. Louis. The concept of the college was originated with the Reverend Louis William Du Bourg - the Catholic Bishop of Louisiana. In 1829, the college moved to a new site at Washington Avenue and Ninth Street. Today, this location is the site of the St. Louis Convention Center, adjacent to the TWA Dome. The college received formal university status from the State of Missouri, in 1832. Four years later, in 1836, the first M.D. degrees awarded west of the Mississippi were conferred by the university. In November 1843, the law department held its first sessions making it the oldest law school west of the Mississippi. In 1855, the medical department separated from the university and would eventually become the medical school of Washington University. As early as the early 20th century, the university reopened the medical department. African-Americans were first admitted in 1943, after Father Patrick Holloran (the president) secured the reluctant approval of St. Louis Archbishop John J. Glennon. Today, an average of 11,000 students are enrolled on SLU’s three campuses, which include the Frost Campus, at Grand & Lindell boulevards in midtown St. Louis, the Health Sciences Center, one mile south on Grand Blvd, and the campus in Madrid, Spain. The Madrid campus, established in 1969, was the first freestanding campus operated by an American University in Europe. It is recognized by Spain's higher education authority as an official foreign university; the first U.S. institution to hold this approval. Through 13 colleges and schools, the university offers 86 undergraduate majors and more than 50 graduate programs. Most of these programs follow the Jesuit tradition, which includes core classes in philosophy and theology. The holdings at the Pius XII Memorial Library, the university's main library, include more than one million books, more than 6,000 journal subscriptions, and more than 140 electronic databases. Special centers and institutes of the university include the Institute for Bio-Security, Center for Health Law Studies, Boeing Institute of International Business, Emerson Center for Business Ethics, Center for Integrated Emergency Management, Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. In addition to the academic and research programs, Saint Louis University has received national recognition for its thriving sports programs. It competes in the NCAA Division I in 16 sports such as cross country, field hockey, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, softball, baseball, basketball, tennis and volleyball.