The 2010 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship is being hosted by Johns Hopkins University, Loyola University (Maryland), University of Maryland - Baltimore County, and Towson University.

Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins University was founded in 1876 as part of a $7 million bequest left by Baltimore merchant Johns Hopkins to establish a research university and teaching hospital. It soon became the first modern university in America: a graduate institution offering collegiate preparation where knowledge would be assembled and created and taught. Today, the school continues to reflect the ideals upon which the university was founded. Hopkins students learn, above all, how to think for themselves in an environment that fosters independence and creativity.

Located just north of downtown Baltimore, the Homewood campus combines the best of urban and suburban surroundings. The campus encompasses 140 acres of parks, lawns and gardens, bounded on all sides by residential areas of the city. The campus was originally the Homewood estate, built for Charles Carroll, Jr., son of the signer of the Declaration of Independence. Today, the Homewood campus serves as the university's center for undergraduate studies, housing both the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Whiting School of Engineering.

Johns Hopkins is the nation's smallest major research university has nearly 4.600 full-time undergraduates and 1,600 full-time graduate students. Today, part-time students - primarily master's degree candidates - account for more than 40 percent of Johns Hopkins enrollment.

Campus activities offer numerous ways for students to become involved at Hopkins. More than 150 clubs and organizations provide a wide range of social opportunities on the Homewood campus, from student publications to community service. There is an active Greek system with 14 fraternities and sororities playing an important role in campus life.

Hopkins sponsors 26 intercollegiate sports, with men's and women's lacrosse competing at the NCAA Division I level and the other varsity teams competing at the NCAA Division III level. The university also has a varied program of intramural sports, organized by student members of the board of intramural athletics.

Student housing is provided for freshmen and sophomores in residence halls on the upper campus or across from the library on Charles Street. Juniors and seniors choose between university-owned or off-campus apartments.

Since its establishment, Johns Hopkins has been committed to educating its students to become tomorrow's leaders. That commitment carries over to the student-athletes who give their time and energy to athletics at the university.

Hopkins athletes regularly achieve the proper balance between athletics and academics, as evidenced by the numerous All-America honors, Academic All- America honors, and NCAA postgraduate scholarships that have been earned in recent years.

Success both on the field and in the classroom is not only possible, it is expected. The competing demands of academics, social life and athletics present the student-athlete with a constant challenge. However, it is through this process that student-athletes grow and mature into individuals with the experience and knowledge needed to succeed in any walk of life.

For further information about Johns Hopkins University visit http://www.jhu.edu/.

Loyola University (Maryland)

Since its founding, Loyola University has challenged itself to remain grounded in a centuries-old tradition of Jesuit, liberal arts education, while continually seeking to adapt to changing circumstances. In this balance between values and the desire to serve the greater community, the college has managed to create itself anew, time and again.

Loyola University in Maryland rose from humble beginnings in 1852. The first college in the United States to bear the name of Saint Ignatius Loyola, the college was initially headquartered in a house on Holliday Street in downtown Baltimore - a site marked by a commemorative plaque in what is now Baltimore's War Memorial Plaza.

Due to its increasing enrollment, the college moved in 1855 to a new facility at Calvert and Madison Streets - now the home of Center Stage, Baltimore's intimate theatre for professional drama groups, and the St. Ignatius Loyola Academy, a Catholic high school. The college moved to its present home on the Baltimore Campus in 1921.

Today, Loyola University is a Catholic comprehensive university with approximately 3,500 undergraduate and 2,600 graduate students representing two-thirds of the United States and 20 countries. The college adheres to its Jesuit, liberal arts tradition through its modern studies programs. Designed to give the student greater expertise in his or her own field, the program blends tradition with innovation.

A loyal alumni population, strong corporate and civic support, a diverse body of undergraduate and graduate programs, and the dedication and expertise of the faculty, have all helped make Loyola University in Maryland the institution it is today and assure that the education received at the college will remain relevant in an ever-changing world.

Loyola is committed to the educational and spiritual traditions of the Society of Jesus and to the ideals of liberal education and the development of the whole person.

Accordingly, the college will inspire to learn, and serve in a diverse and constantly changing environment.

For further information about Loyola University visit http://www.loyola.edu/.

University of Maryland, Baltimore County

UMBC is a place that values excellence and achievement. We are an exciting campus with a bold vision and entrepreneurial spirit. It is an amazing story that we have come so far so fast, in 45 years.