University of Valencia

The University of Valencia (in Valencian and officially Universitat de València-Estudi General), founded in 1499 under the name of Estudi General, is one of the oldest universities in Spain. It is a public university, oriented towards teaching and research in almost all fields of knowledge.

It is divided into four campuses: Blasco Ibáñez, Tarongers, Onteniente and Burjasot-Paterna, and has numerous extensions, branches, attached centers and exemplary locations, such as the historic building of La "Nau" —acronyms for La Nostra Antiga Universitat, "Our Old University"—, the Botanical Garden or the Cerveró Palace. It has a wireless network in all its facilities, email services for all students, laboratories, a language center, sports facilities and various libraries.

In the 2016/2017 academic year, it had 65,789 students among all its degrees, making it the largest university in number of students of the seven that made up the university system of the Valencian Community (also counting the two private universities of the Autonomous) and the seventh nationally. It also has 1,853 Administration and Services employees and 3,849 teachers and researchers.

The University of Valencia is among the four most prominent in Spain in the field of R+D+i, with 18 University Research Institutes (three of them joint centers with the Higher Council for Scientific Research). It is worth noting the Science Park of the University of Valencia, in which research groups are located together with the incubator of technology-based companies, and spin-off companies from the university itself and other external ones.

In 2012 it won the Ability Awards as the best organization in the Spanish public sector, and in 2013 it won the CERMI.es awards for its inclusive dimension of disability and as the best Erasmus institution in Spain. In 2014, The University of Valencia obtained a UNESCO award for its job placement observatory. In 2021, it has established itself as one of the first Spanish universities in the 2021 ARWU world ranking of universities (Academic Ranking of World Universities), also known as Shanghai ranking. The positioning system of this classification is by sections, so that the institutions of the same are ordered alphabetically like this, worldwide the UV is in the range 301-400; in the state 5-8; and in 1-2 Valencian. The University of Valencia stands out worldwide in areas such as Remote Sensing, in which it occupies position 10; Food Science and Technology, in place 20; Turismo, in 37; Public Health in the range 51-75; and Physics where it is in the world 76-100 interval.

Its current rector is Professor María Vicenta Mestre Escrivá, elected in March 2018 in an electoral process in which she obtained 52.97% of the votes, becoming the first woman elected rector of the University of Valencia.

Its library, with 1,392,793 volumes, is the fourth largest university library in Spain after the Library of the Complutense University of Madrid and the libraries of the University of Barcelona and the University of Seville.

History

Background

Despite the fact that since the XIII century the possibility of taking certain higher education existed in Valencia, these were taught by houses and different entities. For this reason, the Juries of Valencia made an effort to bring together all the studios dependent on the city and the church in a single "Estudi General." The fruit of this work were the statutes published in 1412 and approved by the municipal government and Bishop Hugo de Llupià. Initially, the classrooms were established in premises located next to the Church of San Lorenzo, although the freedom of education granted by the fueros of Valencia allowed schools to be established in other places as well. This first unification of studies lasted only until 1416, although it served as the basis for the future creation of the University.

Foundation

The historic building of the University of Valencia, La Nau.

Cloister of the historic building of the University of Valencia.

The University of Valencia was born thanks to the initiative of the city council. During the XV century, Valencia experienced an economic and cultural flourishing (see Valencian Golden Age), thanks to trade with Italy. It was the most populous city in the Crown of Aragon and, however, it did not have a university. The council wanted the studies taught in their city to reach the rank of university studies, equaling them to those taught in Salamanca, Bologna and other universities of the time. From the logistical point of view, the council agreed to the acquisition of houses and farms that would serve as facilities for the General Study, while from the administrative point of view, the Juries of Valencia were commissioned to draw up some second statutes that provided for the granting of titles university level academics. The result of the first was the purchase from Isabel Saranyó, on April 1, 1493, of a house with orchards and patios that would become the first headquarters of the University: the current Nave Building. The result of the second was the writing of the Constitutions of the General Study on April 30, 1499.

With the logistical and administrative apparatus already prepared, they only needed the corresponding licenses to start their activities. Taking advantage of the fact that Pope Alexander VI was from Valencia, from the House of Borja, the jurors and the Archbishop of Valencia Pedro Luis de Borja, the pope's great-nephew, went to the pontiff to obtain the bull of erection. The bull was Issued on January 22, 1500, recognizing the new university and authorizing the Archbishop of Valencia to grant the titles of Bachelor and Doctor in the name of the pontifical authority. Once the pontifical bull was achieved, to obtain the favor of King Ferdinand the Catholic, an embassy was sent to Seville, where the monarch was, to obtain his approval. The king gave his approval in the confirmatory privilege of February 16, 1502:

In response to the request of the dear and faithful our Jury, Rational and Syndic of our City of Valencia, we understand with the utmost care and with great unveil you understood and understand in the erection of the General Study in this our City so that in it there exists General University [...] and that without our express license and faculty is not valid. A You humbly begged us that for the foretold erection we give our decree and authority and license and plenary faculty with the prerogatives, graces and infrascripted faculties we should be founded. To your pleas benignly inclined and warning how useful it would be to our City of Valencia and to the naturals of it and of the Kingdom and wanting to give this favor and also the ennoblement, increase and usefulness of that City, of our certain science and expressly praise, approve, ratify, decree and authorize and confirm the erection of this study [...] and of our regio that we wish and

In October of that same year, after the feast of San Lucas, the General Study of Valencia was inaugurated and classes began. The university was born with the faculties of Theology, Arts, Philosophy, Medicine and Law.

The new university had as academic referents the University of Salamanca, in theology, and the University of Bologna, in law. However, administratively it did not adopt the democratic government system of those universities. The rector was appointed and could be dismissed by the City Council at will and the students had no power to participate in the government of the center. The Study was financed with public funds from the city and with student fees. The faculties The most favored were Theology and Law, as was the case in Salamanca, and Medicine, whose professors earned 35 pounds a year. Professors in the Faculties of Philosophy and Arts received £25 per year.

Academic information

Organization

Rectorate of the University of Valencia.

University of Valencia. Tarongers Campus.

The Board of Directors, made up of the rector, the general secretary, the vice-rectors, the rector's delegate for students and the current manager are made up of:

Main entrance of the Higher Technical School of Engineering.

Faculty of Geography and History, at Blasco Ibáñez Avenue in Valencia.

Tarongers Campus.

Buildings of Institutes of Research of the Scientific Park of the University of Valencia.

The University of Valencia has 18 faculties and schools located on its four campuses. Each one houses Departments, up to a total of 92, and offer various bachelor's degrees, official master's degrees, and doctoral programs.

Burjassot-Paterna Campus

• Higher Technical School of Engineering
• Faculty of Biological Sciences
• Faculty of Mathematical Sciences
• Faculty of Pharmacy
• Faculty of Physics
• Faculty of Chemistry

Campus of Blasco Ibáñez

• Faculty of Physiotherapy
• Faculty of Nursing and Podology
• Faculty of Physical and Sport Sciences
• Faculty of Philology, Translation and Communication
• Faculty of Philosophy and Education Sciences
• Faculty of Geography and History
• Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry
• Faculty of Psychology

Tarongers Campus

• Faculty of Social Sciences
• Faculty of Economics
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Magisterium

Onteniente Campus

• Faculty of Business Administration and Management
• Faculty of Physical and Sport Sciences
• Faculty of Nursing
• Faculty of Magisterium

It also has several foundations:

• La Fundación General de la Universidad de Valencia (officially) Fundació General de la Universitat de València), facilitates the acquisition and use of elements, documents and advice of students.
  • The UV Tent, acquisition of products and elements of daily use of students and teachers.
  • European Documentation Centre. This center facilitates the documentation offered by the European community.
  • The Patronato Martínez Guerricabeitia was created in 1989 at the initiative of the entrepreneur Jesús Martínez Guerricabeitia and the General Foundation of the University of Valencia, with the aim of promoting and disseminating creative activity in the field of contemporary plastic arts and increasing the artistic heritage of the University of Valencia.
  • Professional Insertion and Labour Advice Observatory. Information on scholarships and access to the world of work.
  • The Board of Musical Activities was born with the will to promote the diffusion and musical creation within the University and its environment.
• La Fundación Universidad-Empresa, manages through its Department of Postgraduate and Specialization Training, postgraduate courses and specialization of the University of Valencia.
• La Fundación Parque Scientific de la Universidad de Valencia, manages the Science Park of the University of Valencia where research groups are located along with the nursery of technology-based companies, both external and offer of the university itself.
• La Fundación Lluís Alcanyís

Undergraduate studies

It teaches 58 undergraduate studies and 11 double degrees.

Postgraduate Studies

It teaches 117 official master's degrees and 59 doctorates adapted to the European Higher Education Area. Master's studies, taught by university professors, with the collaboration of prestigious professionals and researchers, last between one and two years (from 60 to 120 ECTS credits).

Other teachings

The Confucius Institute promotes the Chinese language and culture and supports the teaching of Chinese. It is among the top twenty Confucius institutes in the world and recognized in 2015 as a 'Model Confucius Institute', an award given to only 15 Confucius institutes worldwide out of more than 450 institutions. Its facilities are located in the Faculty of Philology, Translation and Communication (Blasco Ibáñez, 32), as well as in the Tarongers Campus (c/del Serpis, 29).

The International Center of Gandía offers courses, master's degrees and seminars, and develops the Brazilian Cultural Space. During the summer he attends the Summer University (Universitat d'Estiu) of Gandía, one of the oldest of its kind in Spain.

The Language Center offers language teaching to the university community. It is open to all people who wish to improve their knowledge of languages.

Research

The University of Valencia carries out intense research work through its academic departments of each Faculty or School, its University Research Institutes, the Science Park of the University of Valencia, and others.

The University Research Institutes are multidisciplinary research structures. Its purpose is to develop the social demand for research in specific fields and the transfer of knowledge. You can see the detail of each of the institutes shown below.

Research institutes

• Desertification Research Centre (CIDE)
• Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva
• Institute of Materials Science (ICMUV)
• Institute of Molecular Science (ICMOL)
• Institute of Educational Creativity and Innovations
• University Institute of Research in Criminology and Criminal Sciences
• Institute for Human Rights (IUDHUV)
• Institute of International Economics
• Instituto de Economía Social y Cooperativa (IUDESCOOP)
• Institute for Women ' s Studies
• Institute of Corpuscular Physics (IFIC)
• Instituto de Historia de la Medicina y de la Ciencia López Piñero
• Institute for Ethics in Communication and Organizations (IECO)
• Institute of Research in Human Resources Psychology, Organizational Development and Quality of Work Life (IDOCAL)
• Instituto de Robótica y Tecnologías de la Información y las Comunicación (IRTIC).
• Institute of Research in Traffic and Road Safety (INTRAS).
• Inter-university Institute for Local Development (IIDL).
• Instituto Interuniversitario de Filología Valenciana (IIFV).
• Inter-university Institute for Molecular Recognition and Technological Development (IDM).

The Science Park of the University of Valencia (Parc Científic) is conceived as a meeting place between the University of Valencia and companies. With more than 200,000 m², it is located in the municipality of Paterna, near the Burjasot-Paterna university campus, 12 km from the center of the city of Valencia and 5 km from the airport. The Science Park becomes a pole of attraction to encourage the transfer of knowledge.

The University of Valencia disseminates its scientific activity through the Mètode magazine, and the I+D+i+a bulletin.

University Chairs

The following chairs are part of the University of Valencia:

• Alcon Chair
• Chair Alfons Cucó
• ATA-Universitat de València Chair on Autonomous Work
• Chair CAPGEMINI-Universitat de València a la Innovación en el Desarrollo de Software
• City of Valencia Chair
• Banco Cooperativa Caixa Popular del Desarrollo Territorial y Economía Social Valencianos
• Agricultural Cooperative Chair
• DAM Chair for integral management and recovery of waste water resources
• DEBLANC Chair for the application of statistical, economic and automatic learning methodologies for the detection of financial crimes and money-laundering
• Chair of Business Culture
• Chair of Territorial Culture Valencia
• Chair of Valencian Autonomous Law
• Chair of Foral Law Valenciano
• Lecturer in Real Estate Law "Welcome Oliver"
• Notebook Law Chair "Carlos Ros"
• Chair of Family Enterprise
• Chair of Artistic Studies of the IVAM. XX/XXI (IVAM-UV-UPV)
• IECO-UV Chair of Business Ethics
• Chair of the Three Religions
• Chair Demetrio Ribes
• Chair of Citizen Participation and Valencian Landscapes
• Chair of Contemporary Thought
• Microsoft-UV Digital Transformation and Privacy Chair
• Chair DevStat-UV on Quantitative Decision-making
• Divine Shepherd Chair of Adapted Sport
• Chair Economics Well Common
• Chair of Collaborative Economy and Digital Transformation
• Chair of the Feminist Economy
• Chair Company and Humanism
• Chair Healthy, active and participatory ageing
• Chair of the Valencian School of Health Studies EVES
• Chair of Comic Studies
• Cátedra Estudios Territoriales Valencianos ESTEVAL
• Chair of Excellence and Development in Entrepreneurship:
• Chair Philosophy and Citizenship Josep Lluis Blasco Estellés
• International Finance Chair - Banco de Santander
• Chair for the Promotion of Biomedical Research
• Chair Fundación Valenciana de Estudios Avanzados
• Chair Open Government, Participation and Open Data
• Chair Ignacio Pinazo
• Chair INNOVA LABORA-UV
• Chair Jean Monet
• Chair Jean Monnet "European Values"
• Chair Jean Monnet EU Customs Law
• Chair Joan Fuster
• L'Horta de València, Metropolitan Territory
• Chair Luis Amigó
• Chair of Democratic Memory
• Chair Sustainable Economic Model of Valencia and its Environment (MESVAL)
• Valencian Pilot Chair
• Chair Citizen Protection-Local Police of Valencia
• SISTEM Chair for Innovation and Support for Efficient and Sustainable Urban Mobility Management
• Chair Transformation of the Economic Model: Circular Economy in the Water Sector
• UNESCO Chair for Development Studies
• University Chair Ajuntament d'Ontinyent-Caixa Ontinyent-Eset for the innovation and configuration of intelligent territories
• Würth EMC Chair

Facilities

Libraries

The origin of the Library of the University of Valencia goes back to the donation, in 1785, of the books of Francisco Pérez Bayer. It was inaugurated in 1788, with Vicente Blasco García as rector. Currently, the historical library is located in the La Nave building (calle de la Universidad, 2, Valencia). Here are preserved manuscripts, incunabula and prints published between the 16th and 20th centuries. During the War of Independence, a bomb caused a fire in the University building and caused the loss of most of the founding fund.

The university library was, during the Civil War and afterwards, a depository for books confiscated from individuals and institutions, which constitute a very useful collection for the study of social history and graphic arts of this period. The collection of posters from the Spanish Civil War stands out.

The XX century saw the appearance of different colleges and universities, and the creation of their corresponding libraries. Departmental libraries were also born. After the approval of the Statutes of the University of Valencia in 1985, a general service called the Bibliographic Information Service (SIB) was set up, which brings together each and every one of the existing libraries at the University, providing them with cohesion instruments.

In 1990 the "Eduard Boscà" Science Library was inaugurated; the year 1999, the Library of Social Sciences "Gregori Maians"; the year 2002, the Humanities Library "Joan Reglà"; and in 2009, the "Pelegrí Casanova" Health Sciences Library. And in September 2010, the "María Moliner" at the Tarongers Campus. The organizational scheme is completed with other smaller libraries.

Accommodation

It has its own hall of residence: the Colegio Mayor Rector Peset. There are six other residence halls attached to the University: Albalat, Ausiàs March, La Alameda, La Asunción de Nuestra Señora, San Juan de Ribera and Saomar. It also has a student residence: the Damià Bonet Student Residence.

Students and teachers

Portrait of the Rector Juan Bautista peset Aleixandre

Honoris Causa Doctorates

The first person recognized with an Honoris Causa Doctorate was the physicist José María Otero de Navascues in 1967. The first women invested were the Serbian human rights activist Nataša Kandić and the American biologist Lynn Margulis in 2001. Until 2018 they have been 91 men and 9 women were invested with Doctor Honors Causa, among them the philosophers Seyla Benhabid (2010) and Amelia Valcárcel (2016), Ángeles Durán (2012) and Londa Schiebinger (2018).

Campus of Excellence and recent awards

In 2010 the University of Valencia was recognized as a Campus of International Excellence for its joint projects VLC/Campus and CAMPUSHABITAT5U.

In 2012 it won the Ability Awards as the best organization in the Spanish public sector.

During 2013 it was awarded the CERMI.es awards for its inclusive dimension of disability and as the best Erasmus institution in Spain.