Universitat de València

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The University of Valencia (Valenciano: Universitat de València) is a Spanish university, located in the city of Valencia.

The Universitat de València is one of the oldest and largest universities in Spain, having been founded in 1499 and currently having around 60,000 students.

There are four campuses: The Burjassot Campus houses the colleges of Biology, Pharmacy, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and the School of Engineering. On the Blasco Ibañez Campus the Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Philosophy and Educational Sciences, Psychology, Geography and History, Languages, Physical Education, Physiotherapy, Nursing and, nearby, the School of Elementary Teacher Training. The third campus, Tarongers, houses the Schools of Law, Economics and Business, as well as Social Sciences.

The University is committed to keeping and establishing links with universities world-wide, either through bilateral agreements or by taking part in international programmes and networks. Thanks to international exchanges, students from different nationalities and cultures live and work together at the Universitat de València.

The current chancellor is Francisco Tomas.

[edit] History

At the request of Jaime I the Conqueror, Pope Innocent IV in 1246, authorized by a Bull the establishment of estudios generales in Valencia. The University Statutes were passed by the municipal magistrates of Valencia on 30th April 1499; this is considered to be the 'founding' of the University. In 1501, Pope Alejandro VI signed the bill of approval and one year later Fernando II "el Católico" proclaimed the Royal Mandatory Concession.

Its foundation was due to the zeal of St. Vincent Ferrer and to the donation of a building by Mosen Pedro Vilaragut. Only very meagre accounts have been preserved of the practical workings of the university. From the time of its foundation the courses included Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, philosophy, mathematics, and physics, theology, Canon law, and medicine.

The closing years of the seventeenth, and the whole of the eighteenth century, witnessed the most prosperous era of the university, Greek, Latin, mathematics, and medicine being specially cultivated. Among the names of illustrious students that of Tosca, Evangelista Torricelli's friend, noted physicist and author of important mathematical works, stands out prominently. Escolano says that it was the leading university in mathematics, the humanities, philosophy, and medicine. Large anatomical drawings were made by the students. Valencia was the first university of Spain to found a course for the study of herbs. Many of the Valencian graduates of medicine became famous. Pedro Ximeno discovered the third small bone of the ear. He was professor at Alcalá and had for a pupil the celebrated Vallés. Luis Collado, professor of botany, made some valuable discoveries and carried on exhaustive studies of the plants of the Levant; Vicente Alonzo Lorente wrote works on botany; and the famous botanist Cavanilles was also a student of this university.

In the seventeenth century the university divided into two factions, the Thomists and the anti-Thomists. The discussions were heated and aroused partisan feelings throughout the entire Kingdom of Valencia. The university possessed a library of 27,000 volumes which was destroyed by the soldiers under the command of General Suchet. Among the most noted professors of the university was D. Francisco Peréz Bayer, a man of wide culture and great influence in the reign of Charles III of Spain. Around the university several colleges for poor students sprang up: the first was founded by St. Thomas of Villanova in 1561 and then followed those founded by Doña Angela Alonsar, and Mosen Pedro Martín. The most famous, called Corpus Christi, was founded by Blessed Juan de Ribera; Philip II founded that of San Jorge; and Melchor de Villena founded the last in 1643.