Université libre de Bruxelles
 | |
| Latin: Universitas Bruxellensis | |
| Motto | Scientia vincere tenebras (Latin) Conquering darkness with knowledge |
|---|---|
| Type | Independent/Partly state funded |
| Established | 1834 |
| Rector | Didier Viviers |
| Students | 21,000 |
| Location | , |
| Campus | Solbosch, Plaine, Erasme, Gosselies |
| Affiliations | EUA, AUF, ENTREE, IMCC, T.I.M.E., UNICA, Atomium Culture |
| Website | http://www.ulb.ac.be/ |
The Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) is a French-speaking university in Brussels, Belgium. It has 21,000 students, 29% of whom come from abroad, and an equally cosmopolitan staff.
Name
There are two universities called the Free University of Brussels, the French-speaking ULB, and the Dutch-speaking Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), so the English name is ambiguous and not commonly used. Some facilities shared by both universities use the name "Brussels Free Universities", abbreviated BFU (e.g. the Brussels Free Universities Computing Center, BFUCC [1]).
History
The history of the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) is closely linked with that of Belgium itself. When the nine provinces that broke away from the Kingdom of the Netherlands formed the Belgian State in 1830, there were three state universities in the country: Ghent, Liege and Leuven. Even though Brussels had been promoted to the rank of capital, it still had no university.
For this reason, in 1831 a group of leading Brussels Masonic figures in the fields of the arts, science and education set themselves the objective of creating a university for the city. They had the choice between a state university and, failing that, a private institution, since the Belgian Constitution, the most liberal in Europe, allowed for this possibility.
Finding the financial burden of the three existing universities too onerous, the Belgian government showed little enthusiasm for yet another state university. However, when in 1834 the episcopate decided to found the Catholic University of Mechlin, things began to happen very quickly. The liberal professions and Freemasons, led by Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen and Auguste Baron, who were promoting the Brussels university project, stepped up their efforts, with the result that the Free University of Belgium, as it was originally known, inaugurated its first academic year on 20 November 1834.
From 1836 it was to be called the Université libre de Bruxelles, but although the geographical term may have changed, the adjective "free" remained. This was a key point. [1]
The school's football (soccer) team won the bronze medal at the 1900 Summer Olympics.
Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen, who helped make the university, is the symbol of the creation of the university. November 20, called 'St V', is a holiday for students of both the Université libre de Bruxelles and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
Since 1935 some courses have been taught in both French and Dutch, but it was only in 1963 that all faculties held courses in both languages. Shortly after the language dispute at the Catholic University of Leuven, in October 1969 the French and Dutch entities of the ULB separated into two distinct universities. With the act of 28 May 1970, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the Université libre de Bruxelles officially became two separate legal, administrative and scientific entities.
In 2010 ULB, for its excellence in co-operation projects with the corporate world in Belgium, was chosen to be a part of the BBNM Group. Today, they are represented among the BBNM Member schools[2].
Campuses
The ULB comprises three main campuses: the Campus de la Plaine with faculties such as the faculty of pharmacy in Ixelles, the Campus du Solbosch,which is the main and biggest campus of the university, on the territories of Brussels and Ixelles municipalities, in the Brussels-Capital Region and the Campus Erasme (faculty of medicine) in Anderlecht beside the Erasmus Hospital but the university also has buildings and activities in Charleroi on the Aéropole Science Park, Parentville, Treignes and Nivelles.
Faculties, schools and institutes
- Interfacultary School of Bio-Engineering
- School of Public Health
- High institute of Physical Education, and Kinesitherapy
- Institute of Work Sciences
- Institute of Statistics and Operational Research
- Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics
| Faculty or Institute | Bachelor degrees | Master degrees | Complementary Master degrees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faculty of Architecture | Architecture | Architecture | |
| Faculty of Philosophy and Letters | Ancient Languages and Literature: 1. Classic orientation; 2. Oriental orientation |
Ancient Languages and Literature: 1. Classic orientation (1 or 2 years) 2. Oriental orientation (1 or 2 years) |
African Languages and Cultures |
| Pedagogy in Higher Education | |||
| Language Sciences | |||
| Art History and Archaeology | Art History and Archaeology (1 or 2 years) | ||
| Art History and Archaeology: Musicology | Art History and Archaeology: Musicology (1 or 2 years) | ||
| French and Roman Languages and Literature | Cultural Management | ||
| History | Ethics | ||
| Information and Communication | French and Roman Languages and Literature (1 or 2 years) | ||
| Modern Languages and Literature | French and Roman Languages and Literature: French Foreign Language | ||
| Modern Languages and Literature: 1. Arab orientation 2. Germanic orientation 3. Oriental orientation 4. Slavic orientation |
History (1 or 2 years) | ||
| Philosophy | Information and Communication (1 or 2 years) | ||
| Religious and Secular Studies | Information and Communication Sciences and Technologies | ||
| Linguistics | |||
| Modern Languages and Literature (1 or 2 years) | |||
| Modern Languages and Literature: 1. Arab orientation 2. Germanic orientation (1 or 2 years) 3. Oriental orientation (1 or 2 years) 4. Slavic orientation (1 or 2 years) |
|||
| Multilingual Communication | |||
| Performing Arts | |||
| Philosophy (1 or 2 years) | |||
| Religious and Secular Studies | |||
| Faculty of Law and Criminological Science | Law | Criminology | Economic Law |
| Law | International Law | ||
| Notaries | |||
| Public and Administrative Law | |||
| Social Law | |||
| Tax Law | |||
| Faculty of Psychological Science, and of Education | Psychology and Educational Sciences | Educational Sciences | Pedagogy in Higher Education |
| Psychology and Educational Sciences: Speech Therapy | Psychology | Psychoanalytic Theories | |
| Speech Therapy | Risk Management and Well-being at Work | ||
| Faculty of Sciences (recently absorbed the Institute of Environment Gestion (IGEAT)) |
Biology | Actuarial Science | Nanotechnology |
| Chemistry | Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology | ||
| Computer Sciences | Bioengineering: Agricultural Sciences | ||
| Engineering: Bioengineering | Bioengineering: Chemistry and Bio-industries | ||
| Geography | Bioengineering: Environmental Sciences and Technologies | ||
| Geology | Bioinformatics and Modeling | ||
| Mathematics | Biology (1 year) | ||
| Physics | Chemistry (1 or 2 years) | ||
| Sciences (Polyvalent first year) | Computer Sciences (1 or 2 years) | ||
| Environmental Sciences and Management (1 or 2 years) | |||
| Geography (1 or 2 years) | |||
| Geology (1 or 2 years) | |||
| Mathematics (1 or 2 years) | |||
| Organismal Biology and Ecology | |||
| Physics (1 or 2 years) | |||
| Statistics | |||
| Tourism Sciences and Management (1 or 2 years) | |||
| Faculty of Applied Sciences/Polytechnic School | Engineering: Bioengineering | Bioengineering: Agricultural Sciences | Conservation and Restoration of Immovable Cultural Heritage |
| Engineering: Civil | Bioengineering: Chemistry and Bio-industries | Nanotechnology | |
| Engineering: Civil Architect | Bioengineering: Environmental Sciences and Technologies | Nuclear Engineering | |
| Civil Engineering: Architectural | Transportation Management | ||
| Civil Engineering: Biomedical | Urban and Regional Planning | ||
| Civil Engineering: Chemistry and Material Science | |||
| Civil Engineering: Computer | |||
| Civil Engineering: Constructions | |||
| Civil Engineering: Electrical | |||
| Civil Engineering: Electro-mechanical | |||
| Civil Engineering: Mechanical | |||
| Civil Engineering: Physicist | |||
| Faculty of Medicine | Biomedical Sciences | Biomedical Sciences | |
| Dentistry | Dentistry | ||
| Medicine | Medicine | ||
| Veterinary Medicine | |||
| Institute of Pharmacy | Pharmaceutical Sciences | Biomedical Sciences | Clinical Biology (for pharmacists) |
| Pharmaceutical Sciences | Hospital Pharmacy | ||
| Industrial Pharmacy | |||
| Faculty of Social and Political Sciences | Human and Social Science | Anthropology | |
| Political Science | Human Resources Management | ||
| Sociology and Anthropology | Political Science (1 or 2 years) | ||
| Political Science: International Relations | |||
| Population and Development | |||
| Public Administration | |||
| Sociology | |||
| Sociology and Anthropology (1 year) | |||
| Work Science (1 or 2 years) | |||
| Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management | Business Engineering | Business Engineering | Industrial Management and Technology |
| Economics | Economics (1 or 2 years) | Microfinance | |
| Institute of European Studies | European Studies | European Law | |
| Interdisciplinary Analysis of European Construction |
Notable alumni
- Amer Husni Lutfi (b. 1956), economics, politician, Syrian minister of economy and trade.
- Jules Anspach (1829–1879), law, politician, Mayor of Brussels.
- Amir Abbas Hoveida, Iranian Prime Minister
- Count Richard Goblet d'Alviella, Belgian businessman
- Philippe Autier, epidemiologist and clinical oncologist
- Zénon-M. Bacq, radiobiologist, laureate of the 1948 Francqui Prize
- Radu Bălescu, Romanian and Belgian physicist, laureate of the 1970 Francqui Prize
- Didier Bellens, economics, CEO of Belgacom
- Jules Bordet, physician, laureate of the 1919 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- Jean Brachet (1909–1998), medicine, biochemist
- Robert Brout, Belgian physicist, laureate of the 2004 Wolf Prize
- Jean Bourgain, Belgian mathematician, laureate of the 1994 Fields Medal
- Herman De Croo, law, politician
- Pierre Deligne, Belgian mathematician, laureate of the 1978 Fields Medal
- Henri De Page, (1984-1969) law, professor in law, generally seen as the most important Belgian lawyer ever.
- Antoine Depage, Belgian surgeon
- Lodewijk De Raet, Belgian economist and politician.
- Mathias Dewatripont, Belgian economist, laureate of the 1998 Francqui Prize
- François Englert, Belgian physicist, laureate of the 2004 Wolf Prize
- Jacques Errera, Belgian physicochemist, laureate of the 1938 Francqui Prize
- Louis Franck, Belgian lawyer, liberal politician and statesman
- Matyla Ghyka, Romanian poet, novelist, mathematician, historian, and diplomat
- Nico Gunzburg (1882–1984), lawyer and criminologist.
- Camille Gutt (1884–1971), law, first Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
- Marc Henneaux, Belgian physicist, laureate of the 2000 Francqui Prize
- Enver Hoxha, Albanian politician, leader of Communist Albania
- Jeton Kelmendi, Albanian writer, translator and politician Grand Prix Solenzara
- Julius Hoste Jr., Belgian businessman and leading Flemish liberal politician
- Paul Janson (1840–1913), liberal politician.
- Daniel Janssen, engineer, businessman
- Henri La Fontaine, Belgian lawyer, laureate of the 1913 Nobel Prize for Peace
- Jacques-François Lai, Belgian Nuclear Physicist
- Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur, Belgian painter residing in Bali, Indonesia
- Maurice Lippens, Belgian businessman
- Lucien Lison, Belgian and Brazilian physician and biochemist, the father of histochemistry.
- Paul Magnette, Belgian political scientist, laureate of the 2000 Exceptional Francqui Prize for European Research
- Adolphe Max (1869–1939), law, politician, Mayor of Brussels from 1909 until his death.
- Françoise Meunier, medicine, Director General of the EORTC.
- Constantin Mille, Romanian socialist militant and journalist
- Axel Miller, Belgian businessman, CEO of Dexia
- Roland Mortier, Belgian philologist, laureate of the 1965 Francqui Prize
- François Narmon, economist, businessman
- Amélie Nothomb (b.1967), Belgian writer, laureate of the 1999 Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française
- Paul Otlet (1868–1944), law, founding father of documentation
- Marc Parmentier, medicine, laureate of the 1999 Francqui Prize
- Etienne Pays (b. 1948), molecular biologist, laureate of the 1996 Francqui Prize and Carlos J. Finlay Prize for Microbiology
- Robert Peston, BBC Business Editor
- Martine Piccart, medicine, President of the EORTC.
- Marie Popelin (1846–1913), law, feminist
- Ilya Prigogine, Belgian physicist and chemist, laureate of the 1955 Francqui Prize, and laureate of the 1977 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- Eric Remacle, Belgian economist, laureate of the 2000 Exceptional Francqui Prize for European Research
- David Ruelle, Belgian and French mathematical physicist
- Jean Auguste Ulric Scheler, Belgian philologist
- Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian politician and one of the Founding fathers of the European Union
- Isabelle Stengers, chemistry, philosophy
- Jean Stengers (1922–2002), historian
- Jacques Tits, Belgian mathematician, laureate of the 1993 Wolf Prize and of the 2008 Abel Prize
- Michel Vanden Abeele, economics, diplomat
- Raoul Vaneigem, Situationist theorist
- Léon Van Hove (1924–1990), physics, laureate of the 1958 Francqui Prize, Director General of the CERN (1976–1980)
- Jan Van Rijswijck (1853–1906), law, mayor of Antwerp
- Emile Vandervelde (1866–1938) Belgian statesman and socialist leader,lawyer and sociologist
- August Vermeylen, Belgian writer and literature critic
- Raoul Warocqué, Belgian industrialist
- Charles Woeste (1837–1922), lawyer and politician
- Adamantios Vassilakis (b.1942), former Greek ambassador to the United Nations
- Fradique de Menezes (b.1942), President of São Tomé and Príncipe since 2001
- Roberto Lavagna (b.1942), former Argentine minister of economy ( 2002–2005)
Notable faculty
- Eugene Goblet d'Alviella (1846–1925), historian and politician
- Jules Bordet (1870–1961), physician, laureate of the 1919 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- Albert Claude, biologist, laureate of the 1974 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- Paul Hymans (1865–1941), law, first President of the League of Nations
- Ilya Prigogine, (1917–2003), physicist and chemist, laureate of the 1955 Francqui Prize, and laureate of the 1977 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- Théophile de Donder, (1872–1957), physicist and mathematician, and father of irreversible thermodynamics
- Jacques Tits, Belgian mathematician, laureate of the 1993 Wolf Prize and of the 2008 Abel Prize
- Emile Vandervelde (1866–1938),statesman, professor of law and sociology
See also
- Brussels Faculty of Engineering (Bruface)
- Science and technology in Brussels
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel
- Solvay Business School
- University Foundation
- BioVallée
- Aéropole Science Park
- Institut Jules Bordet
- Top Industrial Managers for Europe
- Atomium Culture
References
- Despy, A., 150 Ans De L‘Ulb Universite Libre De Bruxelles, Brussels, 1984
- Noel, F, 1894 Universite Libre De Bruxelles En Crise, Brussels, 1994
- The ULB, a university born of an idea
- ULB, at a glance