Welcome to Rochwarts

More than 166 years ago, four of the most powerful witches and wizards of their day convened to establish an institution of learning in Rochester, New York. Garek Goergendor, Hella Hubbellpuff, Killian Kilbournclaw, and Swillburg Schlegelin founded the University of Rochester, known lovingly to its students and alumni as Rochwarts. The official motto, Meliorare, dum non aliquod praemium translates loosely to mean, “Better yourself, as long as you don’t explode something.”

At long last, Rochester’s magical history and qualities—shrouded in secrecy for more than a century and a half—are being revealed.

What House Do You Belong In?

Sorting Hat quiz by Euakarn Liengtipaphan '17, Goergendor

The UR Sorting Hat Song

Oh you may not think I’m pretty,
But don’t judge on what you see,
Good luck finding a smarter hat
Along the River Genesee.

Keep your dandelions yellow,
Your furnace fiery and bright,
For I’m Rochester’s Sorting Hat
And I can steer you right.

There’s nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can’t see
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Goergendor,
Where engineers get their start.
Applying science and technology
Is what sets Goergendors apart;

You might be best in Hubbellpuff,
Where arts and sciences meet,
Those creative, clever Hubbellpuffs
Are pretty hard to beat;

Or yet in musical Kilbournclaw,
If you can hold a tune,
You’ll hear melody and harmony,
Morning, night, and noon.

Or perhaps in Schlegelin,
You’ll meet your many peers,
Here entrepreneurship rules the day,
Sidestepping business fears.

So put me on to be ever better!
But don’t get in a flap!
You’re in safe hands (though I have none)
For I’m UR’s Thinking Cap!

student wearing Harry Potter sorting hat

Quidditch at Rochester:
Fantastic Athletes and Where to Find Them

Quidditch has come a long way from the early Muggle days of brooms and capes. The Thestrals, Rochester's own quidditch team, show us that the modern game is athletic, hard-charging, and fast-paced—plus a lot of fun.

Rochwarts Researchers Invent Cloaking Device

Inspired by Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak, Rochwarts scientists embarked on a quest to render visible objects unseeable.

Their latest effort uses inexpensive, readily available Muggle-made materials in a novel configuration. Unlike invisibility cloaks made from the hair of Demiguise or using a bedazzling hex, this cloaking device is available to witches, wizards, and non-magical folks alike.

left: Institute of Optics PhD student Joseph Choi is pictured cloaking his Rochwarts wand with a multidirectional 'perfect paraxial' cloak using four lenses Choi designed with Professor of Physics John C. Howell.

Rochwarts Curriculum

At Rochwarts, we recognize that no two students are alike. That’s why the Rochester Curriculum—unique in higher education—has no required subjects. Witches and wizards choose one focus area—humanities/arts, natural sciences, or social sciences—and then take clusters in the other two.

Sample Natural Sciences Cluster

Astronomy 106: Cosmic Origins of Life*
Biology 245: Evolutionary Biology of Magical Creatures
Chemistry 394: Chemical Properties of Polyjuice and Other Potions

Sample Social Sciences Cluster

Economics 199: Political Economy of the Magical Black Market
Anthropology 203: Ritual, Myth, and Cosmology*
Linguistics 311: Mermish Phonetics and Phonology (labs require swimsuits)

Sample Humanities/Arts Cluster

History 187: Science, Magic, and the Occult from Antiquity to Newton*
Studio Art 275: Advanced Moving Photography
English 330: Representations of Magical Identities in No-Maj Literature

*Actual courses offered at Rochester

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about the magical University of Rochester

Introduction to Magic

Professor Laura Smoller "spells out" the details of the new class required of all incoming freshmen starting with the Class of 2020: Introduction to Magic.

Did You Know

Rep. Pete Sessions (R) has introduced a resolution "recognizing magic as a rare and valuable art form and national treasure?" Among the resolution statements:

"Whereas futurist Arthur C. Clarke claimed that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic;"

"Whereas one of the greatest artists of all time, Leonardo da Vinci, was inspired by magic and co-wrote one of the very first books on magic in the late 15th century;" and

"Whereas modern cinema would not exist today without the innovative work of the accomplished magician Georges Méliès..."

And that's no fooling...