The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) is a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university claims a founding date of 1740 and is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered prior to the US Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin, Penn’s founder and first president, advocated an educational program that trained leaders in commerce, government, and public service, similar to a modern liberal arts curriculum. Among its graduate and professional schools are the first school of medicine in North America (Perelman School of Medicine, 1765) and the first collegiate business school (Wharton School, 1881). Penn is ranked among the 20 best universities in the world according to the most prominent university rankings, such as the ones made by: ARWU, U.S. News & World Report, QS, and Times Higher Education.