Lund University

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Lund University
Lunds universitet
Latin: Universitas Lundensis or Universitas Gothorum Carolina. Also the older Regia Academia Carolina lundensis, or Academia Carolina conciliatrix.
Motto Ad utrumque (Prepared for both)[1]
Established 1666
Type Public
Endowment SEK 5.7 billion (2009)[2]
Rector magnificus and Vice Chancellor Prof. Per Eriksson
Academic staff 3,005[3]
Admin. staff 2,169[3]
Undergraduates 21,022 (FTE, 2010)[3]
Postgraduates 6,711 (FTE, 2010)[3]
Doctoral students 2,855 (total, 2010)[3]
Location Sweden Lund, Scania, Sweden
Campus Urban
Colors Dark blue and bronze
         
Affiliations Universitas 21
LERU
EUA
ASAIHL
Website http://www.lunduniversity.lu.se
Lund logotype2.JPG

Lund University (Swedish: Lunds universitet) is one of Europe's most prestigious universities[4][5][6][7][8] and Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research,[9][10][11] frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities.[12][13][14][15] The university, located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, traces its roots back to 1425, when a Franciscan studium generale was founded in Lund next to the Lund Cathedral, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Scandinavia followed by studium generales in Uppsala in 1477 and Copenhagen in 1479. The current university was founded in 1666 after Sweden had won Scania in the 1658 peace agreement with Denmark.[16]

Lund University has eight faculties,[17] with additional campuses in the cities of Malmö and Helsingborg, with 47,266 students[18] in more than 274 different programmes and 2000 separate courses. It belongs to the League of European Research Universities as well as the global Universitas 21 network.[19]

The university traditionally centers on the Lundagård park adjacent to the Lund Cathedral, with various departments spread in different locations in town, but mostly concentrated in a belt stretching north from the park connecting to the university hospital area and continuing out to the northeastern periphery of the town, where one finds the large campus of the Faculty of Engineering.

Contents

[edit] History

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Lund University main building, built in 1882, drawn by Helgo Zettervall.

[edit] Medieval origins

The city of Lund has a long history as a center for learning and was the ecclesiastical centre and seat of the archbishop of Denmark. A cathedral school (the Katedralskolan) for the training of clergy was established in 1085 and is today Scandinavia's oldest school.

A studium generale (a medieval university education) was founded in 1425, although it was not until 1438 that education was started by the Franciscan order for a baccalaureus degree.[20].

[edit] 17th-19th century

After the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658, the Scanian lands came under the possession of the Swedish Crown, which quickly founded the Lund University in 1666 as a means of Swedification. It was the fifth university under the Swedish king, after Uppsala University (1477), the University of Tartu (1632, now in Estonia), the Academy of Åbo (1640, now in Finland), and the University of Greifswald (founded 1456; Swedish 1648–1815, now in Germany). It is the second-oldest university on Swedish ground today.

The university was named Academia Carolina after Charles X Gustav of Sweden. The name was in some formal use until the late 19th century, when Lund University became the widespread denomination.

The University Square in the turn of the 1800s

The university was at its founding granted four faculties: law, theological, medicine and philosophy. They were the cornerstones, and for more than 200 years this system was in effect. Towards the end of the 17th century, the number of students hovered around 100. Some notable professors in the early days were Samuel Pufendorf, a juridical historian; and Canutus Hahn and Kristian Papke in philosophy.

The Scanian War in 1676 led to a shut-down, which lasted until 1682. The university was re-opened largely due to regional patriots, but the university was not to enjoy a high status until well into the 19th century. Lecturing rooms were few, and lectures were held in the Lund Cathedral and its adjacent chapel. The professors were underpaid.

In 1713, Charles XII of Sweden entered Lund. He stayed in Lund for three years, in between his warlike expeditions. The town of Lund and the university attracted a temporary attention boost. The most notable lecturer during this time was Andreas Rydelius.

Peace was finally restored with the death of Charles XII in 1718, and during the first half of the 18th century the university was granted added funds. The number of students was now well around 500. Despite not being on par with Uppsala University, it had still built a solid reputation and managed to attract prominent professors.

Around 1760 the university reputation dropped as the number of students fell below 200, most of whom hailed from around the province. However, by 1780 its reputation was largely restored, and continued to rise through the 1820s. This was largely owing to popular and well-educated lecturers particularly in philology; the prominent professor Esaias Tegnér was a particularly notable character with widespread authority. He, in turn, attracted others towards Lund. One of these was the young theological student C. G. Brunius, who studied ancient languages under Tegnér and were later to become professor of Greek. With time he was to devote himself to architectures and he redesigned several of Lund's buildings, as well as churches of the province.

[edit] 20th century-present

In the early 1900s, the university had a student population as small as one thousand, consisting largely of upper-class pupils training to become civil servants, lawyers and doctors. In the coming decades it started to grow significantly, until it became one of the country's largest. In 1964 the social sciences were split from the Faculty of Humanities. Lund Institute of Technology was established in 1961 but was merged with Lund University eight years later.

In recent years, Lund University has been very popular among applicants to Swedish higher education institutions, both nationally[21] and internationally.[22][23] For studies starting in autumn 2012, Lund received 11,160 foreign master's applications from 152 countries, which was roughly one third of all international applications to Swedish universities.[22]

[edit] Women at the university

The first woman to study in Lund was the medical student Hedda Andersson who entered the university in 1880 (two years before the next woman to do so).[24] Hilma Borelius was the first woman who finished a doctorate in Lund, in 1910. The first woman to be appointed to a professor's chair was the historian Birgitta Odén (1965). In 1992 Boel Flodgren, Professor of Business Law, was appointed rector magnificus (or, strictly speaking, rectrix magnifica) of Lund University. As such, she was the first woman to be the head of a European university.[citation needed]

[edit] Campus

Kungshuset, the oldest university building (completed 1584), currently houses the Department of Philosophy.

The university's facilities are mainly located in the small city of Lund in Scania, about 15 km away from central Malmö and 50 km from Copenhagen. The university's prominence and large student population have much impact on the city, effectively making it a university town. Over a hundred university buildings[25] scatter around town, most of them in an area covering more than 1 km², stretching towards the north-east from Lundagård park in the very centre of town. Buildings in and around Lundagård include the main building, Kungshuset, the Historical Museum and the Academic Society's headquarters. The main library building is located in a park 400 meters to the north, followed by the large hospital complex.

Lund University has a satellite campus in nearby Malmö, Sweden's third largest city. The Faculty of Fine and Perforning Arts' three academies: Malmö Art Academy, Malmö Academy of Music and Malmö Theatre Academy, are all located in Malmö. The city is also the location of Skåne University Hospital, where Lund University performs a considerable amount of research and medical training.

Campus Helsingborg is, as the name suggests, located in the city of Helsingborg, almost 50 km from Lund. Opened in 2000, it consists of a building in the city centre, right next to the central train station and the harbour. Nearly 3,000 students are based on the campus.[26] The Department of Service Management and the Department of Communication and Media are among those located at the campus in Helsingborg.

Teaching and training at the School of Aviation (LUSA) takes place at an airfield next to the town of Ljungbyhed, about 40 km away from Lund.

[edit] Library

University Library

Lund University library was established in 1666 at the same time as the university and is one of Sweden's oldest and largest. Since 1698 it has received legal deposit copies of everything printed in the country. Today six Swedish libraries receive legal deposit copies, but only Lund and the Royal Library in Stockholm are required to keep everything for posterity. Swedish imprints make up half of the collections, which amount to 170,000 linear metres of shelving (2006). The library serves 620,000 loans per year, the staff is 200 full-time equivalents, and the 33 branch libraries house 2600 reading room desks.[27]

The current main building at Helgonabacken opened in 1907. Before that, the old building was Liberiet close to the city's cathedral. Liberiet was built as a library in the 15th century, but now serves as a cafe.

[edit] Hospital

Education and research in the health sciences at the university is operated in cooperation with Skåne University Hospital, located in both Lund and Malmö. Medical education takes place in the Biomedical Centre, next to the hospital in lund. Nursing and occupational therapy are taught in the Health Sciences Centre nearby. The university also operates the Clinical Research Centre in Malmö, featuring many specialized laboratories.

[edit] Organization

[edit] Administration

The University Board is the University's highest decision-making body. The Board comprises the Vice-Chancellor, representatives of the teaching staff and students, and representatives of the community and business sector.[28] Executive power lies with the Vice-Chancellor and the University Management Group, to which most other administrative bodies are subordinate.[29]

[edit] Faculties

Lund University is divided into eight faculties[29]:

[edit] Research centres

The university is also organised into more than 20 institutes and research centres,[30] such as:

Esaias Tegnér statue near the towering Lund Cathedral.

[edit] Academics

[edit] Education

Approximately 27,700 students study within one of the 274 educational programs, the eightyfive international master's programmes or the 2000 free-standing courses. Around five hundred courses are, or can be, held in English for the benefit of international exchange students. There are several programmes allowing foreign students to study abroad at the University. Notable exchangees include United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who spent time at Lund University in the 1960s conducting research.[31] The university offers 9 out of the 20 most sought after programmes in Sweden.[22] The master's programme in International Marketing is the most popular choice in the country, with almost a thousand applications yearly.

[edit] Research

Lund University is well known as one of Scandinavia's largest research universities.[9] It ranks among top performers in the European Union in terms of papers accepted for publication in scientific journals.[32] It is one of Sweden's top receiver of research grants, most of which come from government-funded bodies.[33] The EU is the univerity's second largest external research funder and Lund is the 23rd largest receiver of funding within the union's Seventh Framework Programme.[34] The university is active many internationally important research areas such as nanotechnology, climate change and stem cell biology.[33]

[edit] Rankings

University rankings
ARWU World[35] 101-150
ARWU National[36] 4
THE World[37] 80
THE Europe[38] 23
QS World[39] 86

Lund University is among the most renowned institutions of higher learning in the Nordic countries and is rarely ranked below 100 in the world by the most influential ranking agencies. In 2011, it ranked 1st among comprehensive universities in Scandinavia and 80th in the world by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and in the Academic Ranking of World Universities, compiled by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, it was in the 101-150 category. Lund was ranked 86th in the world in the 2011 QS World University Rankings[40] and the University Ranking by Academic Performance Research Laboratory ranked Lund 60th in the world and second in Sweden in 2010.[41]

In 2011, Times Higher Education compiled a special world ranking based exclusively on reputation for teaching and research, where Lund University appeared in the 71-80 category.[42] In the same year, QS issued world university rankings by subject,[43] placing Lund within the top 50 in environmental sciences, geography and area studies, physical sciences and civil and structural engineering.

[edit] Student life

AF-Borgen, the student-run complex at the heart of student life in Lund, May 2002.

Lund student life is based on three central structures: the student nations, the Academic Society (AF) and the student unions. Before July 1, 2010, students were required to enroll in a student union, nation or AF in order to receive grades at the university, but this is no longer compulsory.[44] Students may still enroll in these organizations if they wish.

[edit] Student Nations

Main article: List of Lund University Nations

The nations in Lund are a central part of the university's history, initially serving as residential colleges for students, organized by geographic origin. Östgöta Nation, the oldest nation, was established in 1668, two years after the university was founded. While the nations still offer limited housing, today they are best described as student societies.

Today students may enroll in any nation, although the nations still preserve their geographic names. In most cases it does not matter what nation one enrolls in, but different nations offer different activities for interested students.

Each nation has student housing, but the accommodations in no way meet demand, and they are usually appointed according to a queue system. Each nation has at least one pub evening per week, with a following night club. The solemn peak event in the course of an activity year is the organization of student balls once a year. Most well known of the nation balls (as opposed to balls organized by student unions) is the ball hosted by Göteborgs Nation - called the "Gustaf II Adolf Ball" (also known as the "GA-Ball"). Most nations also host at least one banquet per week, where a three course dinner is served. Each nation also has different activities for students interested in sports, arts, or partying. All activities within the nations are voluntary.

[edit] The Academic Society

Another view of AF-Borgen

In 1830, Professor Carl Adolph Agardh formed Akademiska Föreningen (The Academic Society), commonly referred to as AF, with the goal of "developing and cultivating the academic life" by bringing students and faculty from all departments and student nations together in one organization. Prince Oscar I, then Sweden's Chancellor of Education, donated 2000 Kronor to help found the society. In 1848, construction began on AF-Borgen (the AF Fortress), which is located opposite the Main Building in Lundagård. To this day, AF is the center of student life in Lund, featuring many theater companies, a prize-winning student radio (Radio AF), and organizing the enormous Lundakarnevalen (the Lund Carnival) every four years. "AF Bostäder", an independent foundation with close ties to Akademiska Föreningen, maintains over 5,700 student residences in Lund.[45]

[edit] Student unions

The Delphi residential area, located in the northern part of Lund, is one of the large student housing complexes run by AF Bostäder.

The student unions represent students in various decision-making boards within the university and council students regarding their rights, housing and career options. There are nine student unions, one for each faculty and an additional union for doctoral students. Lund's Doctoral Student Union is further divided into councils, one for each faculty except for the faculties of engineering and fine and performing arts.[46]

The unions are incorporated into the Association of Lund University Student Unions (LUS). It has two full-time representatives who go to weakly meetings with the vice-chancellor and other organizational university bodies. The student union association runs services such as loan institute, a day-care centre and a website with housing information. It also publishes the monthly Lundagård magazine.

[edit] Notable people connected to Lund University

Main article: List of Lund University people

The following is a select list of some of the most notable people who have been affiliated with Lund University as students or academics, please refer to the main article for more information.

Ingvar Carlsson, former Prime Minister of Sweden.
Karl Manne Siegbahn, Nobel Prize in Physics.

[edit] Partner universities

LTH's Design Centre.
Main article: List of Lund University partners

Lund University cooperates with universities on all continents, both in areas of research and student exchange. Apart from being a meber of the prestigious LERU and Universitas 21 networks, the university participates in the European Erasmus and Nordplus programmes. It also coordinates several intercontinental projects, mostly through the Erasmus Mundus programme.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Prepared for both the book and the sword - to study and to defend the country in times of war. The lion in Lund University's seal holds a book in one hand, and a sword in the other.
  2. ^ Swedish Higher Education Authority (Högskoleverket) – Annual report 2010 (Swedish), page 104
  3. ^ a b c d e Lund University - Facts and Figures 2011
  4. ^ Ranking by Alumni of Nobel Laureates and Fields Medalists
  5. ^ TOP EUROPEAN UNIVERSITIES 2011-2012
  6. ^ World's Best Universities
  7. ^ University Ranking by Academic Performance
  8. ^ RANKINGS, FACTS AND FIGURES
  9. ^ a b Lund University, Sweden, Euro Scholars Website
  10. ^ Lund University, The Solander Program Website
  11. ^ About Lund University
  12. ^ Top 200 Universities, Website of QS Top Universities
  13. ^ Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Academic Ranking of World Universities - 2007, 2006, 2005
  14. ^ The Complete List: The Top 100 Global Universities
  15. ^ [1]
  16. ^ A Brief History of Lund University
  17. ^ Organisation
  18. ^ http://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/about-lund-university/rankings-facts-and-figures/facts-and-figures
  19. ^ http://www.lu.se/lund-university/about-lund-university
  20. ^ A Brief History of Lund University
  21. ^ Utbildning Gymnasieungdomars studieintresse läsåret 2009/2010
  22. ^ a b c Lund University most popular for new master's students
  23. ^ Study in Sweden blog
  24. ^ Lund University Medical Faculty Hedda Andersson (1861-1950)
  25. ^ - Campus map
  26. ^ Campus Helsingborg - about
  27. ^ Lund University library website, statistics for 2006, http://www.lub.lu.se/om-lub/organisation/lub-i-siffror-2006.html
  28. ^ Lund University - Who Runs the University?
  29. ^ a b Lund University - Organisational Structure
  30. ^ Institutes and Research Centres
  31. ^ Linda, Bayer "Ruth Bader Ginsburg" (Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2000), 46.
  32. ^ The University Model for the 21st Century
  33. ^ a b Lu - Research Excellence Areas
  34. ^ Interim Evaluation of the Seventh Framework Programme
  35. ^ "Academic Ranking of World Universities". Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. 2010. http://www.arwu.org/ARWU2010.jsp. Retrieved May 31, 2010. 
  36. ^ "Sweden Universities in Top 500". Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. 2010. http://www.arwu.org/Country2010Main.jsp?param=Sweden. Retrieved August 8, 2011. 
  37. ^ "Top 200 - The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2010-2011". The Times Higher Education. 2010. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2010-2011/top-200.html. Retrieved September 16, 2010. 
  38. ^ "Top European Universities 2010 2010-2011". The Times Higher Education. 2010. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2010-2011/europe.html. Retrieved September 16, 2010. 
  39. ^ "QS World University Rankings". QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited. 2010. http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2010/results. Retrieved September 7, 2010. 
  40. ^ http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2011?page=1
  41. ^ URAP, University Ranking by Academic Performance
  42. ^ Top Universities by Reputation 2011
  43. ^ QS World University Rankings by Subject
  44. ^ [2]
  45. ^ AF Bostäder History
  46. ^ Studentlund, International Guide 2010
  • Lunds universitet from Nordisk familjebok, in Swedish.
  • Lunds universitets historia : utgiven av universitetet till dess 300-årsjubileum. 4 volumes. Lund: Lunds universitet 1968-1983. (The standard work on the history of the university.)
  • Magnus Laurentius Ståhl, Biographiske underrättelser om professorer vid Kongl. universitetet i Lund, ifrån dess inrättning till närvarande tid. ("Biographical notes on professors at the Royal University of Lund from its foundation until the current time") Christianstad: L. Littorin, 1834. (public domain book available on Google Print, [3])

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Coordinates: 55°42′21″N 13°11′36″E / 55.70583°N 13.19333°E / 55.70583; 13.19333

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