Northwestern University is a founding leader of the Big Ten Conference.
Big Ten Conference . The Big Ten Conference was established in 1895 when Purdue University president James H. Smart and representatives from the University of Chicago , University of Illinois , University of Michigan , University of Minnesota , Northwestern University , and University of Wisconsin gathered at Chicago 's Palmer House Hotel to set policies aimed at regulating intercollegiate athletics . Northwestern University . Northwestern is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and remains the only private university in the conference . The Northwestern Wildcats compete in 19 intercollegiate sports in the NCAA 's Division I Big Ten Conference .