Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campus in Newbury, Vermont, before moving to Boston in 1867. The university is a member of the Boston Consortium for Higher Education and the Association of American Universities. BU is classified among the “R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity”. In 1876, its professor Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in a BU lab. Among its alumni and current or past faculty, the university counts: eight Nobel Laureates, 23 Pulitzer Prize winners, 10 Rhodes Scholars, six Marshall Scholars, 48 Sloan Fellows, nine Academy Award winners, and several Emmy and Tony Award winners. BU is ranked among the 100 best universities in the world according to all the major rankings.