of American Universities and was one of the original eight "Public Ivy" schools. In 2021, the federal funding for campus research and development exceeded $1 billion. Thirty-two libraries also compose the Berkeley library system which is the sixth largest research library by number of volumes held in the United States.
Berkeley students compete in thirty varsity athletic sports, and the university is one of eighteen full-member institutions in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Berkeley's athletic teams, the California Golden Bears, have also won 107 national championships, 196 individual national titles, and 223 Olympic medals (including 121 gold). Berkeley's alumni, faculty, and researchers include 59 Nobel laureates and 19 Academy Award winners, and the university is also a producer of Rhodes Scholars, Marshall Scholars, and Fulbright Scholars.
== History ==
=== Founding ===
Made possible by President Lincoln's signing of the Morrill Act in 1862, the University of California was founded in 1868 as the …
