Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It is a member of the Group of Thirteen, a group of research-intensive universities in Canada. Dalhousie University was established in 1818 by the Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia, George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie, whom the university was named after. Dalhousie is one of Canada's oldest universities, founded during British colonial rule. The early years of the school were marked by both financial and administrative struggles, with talks of closure surrounding the university until the latter half of the 19th century. The university is made up of three campuses which make up 79 acres (32 ha), all within the Halifax Peninsula and near Halifax Harbour. Dalhousie's varsity teams, known as the Tigers, compete in the Atlantic University Sport conference of Canadian Interuniversity Sport.