Gnu York University

Gnu York University (commonly GYU) is Zootopia's premier urban university, located in Savanna Central. It serves as a major recurring setting in Season 4, where Pawbert re-enrolls to pursue a degree in Social Work.

GYU is a "campus without walls"—an open urban campus with no gates, just university buildings woven into the city fabric. Purple GYU banners hang from lampposts to mark the academic district. The campus consists of converted warehouses and purpose-built structures spread across what was formerly a warehouse district.

Campus Locations

Pawsington Square

The central plaza and heart of campus. A white marble arch marks the north entrance, and a fountain sits at its center—water cascading over geometric shapes, with benches of varying sizes arranged around the perimeter. Mouse-scale seating near the edges, elephant-scale benches along the main paths. A falafel cart with a red umbrella and hand-painted sign is a campus fixture—Pawbert's "Thursday indulgence."

Pawbst Library

A massive, reddish-brown brutalist block dominating the campus skyline. The building is imposing and geometric—no spires or ornament, just sheer walls of brick and stone rising in stark rectangular form. Inside, multiple levels of study space spiral around a dramatic central atrium. Traditional carrels for large mammals, mezzanine platforms for smaller species, and 24-hour study space in the lower levels. This is where Pawbert meets Etta and writes his personal statement (S04E07).

Kibble Center

Modern and glassy, the Kibble Center stands in contrast to the converted warehouses around it. Big windows dominate every floor, the lobby visible from outside—a soaring space of glass and steel where students congregate between classes. Dining halls occupy the ground floor, club offices stack on upper floors. Houses UNDSWUS 31 (Social Work Practice) classroom.

Silvermane Center

One of the campus's more classic buildings, Silvermane Center wears its age with dignity. Ornate stonework decorates the façade—carved arches above the entrance, decorative cornices, the architectural language of an earlier era. Inside, high ceilings and wood-paneled hallways lead to lecture halls and faculty offices. Houses Student Services, the Registrar's Office, classrooms for UNDSWUS 55 and UNDSWUS 41, and Dr. Hornridge's office.

GYU Brightpaws

The university's learning management system (LMS), where students access course materials, submit assignments, and communicate with their cohort.

Architecture

Building	Style	Key Visual
Pawsington Square	Open plaza	White marble arch, fountain, size-diverse seating
Pawbst Library	Brutalist	Massive reddish-brown block, central atrium
Kibble Center	Modern	Glassy, transparent, big windows
Silvermane Center	Classic	Ornate stonework, carved arches

Notable Faculty and Staff

Character	Species	Role
Dr. Dillamond	Goat	UNDSWUS 55 professor (Diversity, Speciesism, Oppression and Privilege)
Dr. Nara Halestone	Ibex	Field Placement Coordinator, School of Social Work
Ms. Herdler	Wildebeest	Academic Advisor
Professor Clawberg	Wolverine	UNDSWUS 31 professor (Social Work Practice)
Professor Muriel	(Mentioned)	COART-UT 300 professor; uses Pawbert's pre-arrest paper as model essay
Dr. Hornridge	Kudu	Reentry Advisor
Ayo	Gazelle	Student Services coordinator
Mr. Hedger	Gnu	Registrar

Notable Students

Character	Species	Role
Pawbert Pawthorne	Lynx	Social Work major; formerly Business
Etta	Otter	Social Work student; peer contact for Pawbert
Maya Chen-Reyes	Ocelot	Group project lead
Hector Vidal	Capybara	Group project member
Jun Tanaka	Tanuki	Group project member

Courses Referenced

Code	Title	Professor
UNDSWUS 55	Diversity, Speciesism, Oppression and Privilege	Dr. Dillamond
UNDSWUS 31	Social Work Practice	Professor Clawberg
UNDSWUS 41	Practicum Instruction	Dr. Nara Halestone
COART-UT 300	(Pre-arrest course)	Professor Muriel

History

Season 4

GYU is introduced in S04E04 ("Open Enrollment") when Pawbert and Luther visit the campus to explore re-enrollment. Pawbert's former enrollment has three holds---academic (incomplete courses from mid-semester arrest), financial ($1,263.16 in unpaid fees), and administrative (coursework referencing Lynxley Holdings flagged for review).

In S04E07 ("Transfer Credit"), Pawbert's re-enrollment is approved. Ms. Herdler confirms several Business courses transfer to Social Work requirements. Pawbert writes his personal statement with Etta's advice and Luther's coaching.

In S04E08 ("The Letter"), Pawbert's acceptance into the School of Social Work arrives. His cohort recognizes him positively---both for stopping Clawrence and as the author of a COART-UT 300 paper still used as a model essay.

In S04E09 ("First Day"), Dr. Dillamond's opening case study on Reptile Ravine forces Pawbert to confront his family's legacy publicly. He joins a group project team (Maya, Hector, Jun) focused on Rainforest District service accessibility.

In S04E14 ("Case Study"), Pawbert speaks up during a class discussion on speciesism, defending Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps and introducing the Snarlbucks accommodation-vs-segregation framework.

In S04E22 ("Full Circle"), the group project achieves a sixty-six percent referral completion rate versus the district average of twenty-two percent. Professor Clawberg acknowledges that Pawbert's insight "can't come from textbooks."

Trivia

• GYU is based on New York University (NYU), with location names adapted for the mammal world:
  • Pawsington Square → Washington Square
  • Pawbst Library → Bobst Library
  • Kibble Center → Kimmel Center
  • Silvermane Center → Silver Center
  • Tusk School of the Arts → Tisch School of the Arts
• The "campus without walls" design mirrors NYU's open urban campus, integrated into the surrounding neighborhood rather than enclosed.
• GYU Brightpaws (the learning management system) is named after NYU Brightspace.
• The School of Business library formerly bore the Lynxley name until assets were seized.
• Dr. Dillamond is a Wicked Easter egg, referencing the goat professor from the musical who faces discrimination and persecution for being an Animal in a world increasingly hostile to his kind. Having a Dr. Dillamond teach a course on speciesism and oppression is thematically resonant—the character's namesake was silenced for speaking truth about prejudice.
• All course codes are named after their real-world NYU counterparts, with "Racism" substituted for "Speciesism" (e.g., UNDSWUS 55 "Diversity, Speciesism, Oppression and Privilege").
• COART-UT 300 is a meta easter egg: the real NYU course is titled "Abrupt Climate Change." In-universe, this makes Pawbert's model essay particularly fitting—his family were the stewards of Zootopia's weather walls, giving him unique insight into climate systems.
• Pawbert was a Business major before his arrest; his pivot to Social Work is one of Season 4's central arcs.
• The Reptile Ravine case study was prepared three years before Pawbert enrolled—not because of his presence.