Founded in 1851, The University of Minnesota is the second largest institution of higher education in the Midwest of the US in terms of enrolment. It is a public research university owned by the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, a Midwest membership group of higher education institutions. Notable University of Minnesota alumni include eight Nobel Prize laureates, two Pulitzer Prize winners, and two vice-presidents of the United States — Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale.