Founded in 1948, Brandeis University is a nonsectarian research university that opened as a reaction to the discrimination faced by ethnic and racial minorities, women and Jews in higher education. The University is named after Louis Dembtiz Brandeis who was the first Jewish justice of U.S. Supreme Court, his ideology of free speech, the right to privacy and the rights of ordinary citizens are exemplified in the values of the university that places importance on critical thinking, pursuit of truth and commitment to help others. Brandeis is a private research institute that has a liberal arts focus, it has been focused on undergraduate education while continuously building a pioneering research enterprise. Established in Waltham, Mass., nine miles west of Boston, the 235 acres comprises of more than 100 academic and residential buildings and is recognized as a hub for innovation and higher education globally. The University boasts of having a community rooted in purpose and of having a passionate faculty. The University has one of the best alumni and faculty with various Pulitzer Prize Winners, Nobel Laurette's, producers and innovators to their credit. Some of their notable alumni include- David Crane and Marta Kauffman , the co-creators of the hit sitcom "Friends", Thomas Friedman, foreign affairs columnist of The New York Times (three-time Pulitzer Prize winner), and author ("The World Is Flat," "Flat, Hot and Crowded"), Adam Cheyer , co-founder of Siri voice-activated personal assistant, Susan Band Horowitz, the co-inventor of cancer-fighting drug Taxol, Jeffrey Lurie the owner of Philadelphia Eagles, Tim Morehouse an Olympic medal-winning fencer and Mitch Albom the acclaimed author of "Tuesdays With Morrie," "The Five People You Meet in Heaven."