Syracuse University (also referred to as SU, Syracuse, or 'Cuse) is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College. Following several years of debate over relocating the college to Syracuse, the university was founded independent of the college in 1870. Since 1920, the university has identified itself as nonsectarian, although it still maintains an affiliation with the United Methodist Church. Syracuse was elected to the Association of American Universities in 1966, and withdrew its membership in 2011 after facing potential removal due to differences in evaluating criteria. The campus is located in the University Hill neighborhood of Syracuse, east and southeast of downtown, on one of the larger hills. Its large campus features an eclectic mix of buildings, ranging from nineteenth-century Romanesque structures to contemporary buildings.