Universidad Francisco Marroquín

Universidad Francisco Marroquín ("Francisco Marroquín University") is a private, secular, university in Guatemala City, Guatemala that was founded in 1971. According to the school's website, " [t] he mission of Universidad Francisco Marroquín is to teach and disseminate the ethical, legal and economic principles of a society of free and responsible persons." The website also states that UFM "has the most rigorous entrance requirements in the country."

Started by members of Centro de Estudios Economico-Sociales ("Center for the Study of Socioeconomics") with $40,000 and 125 students, UFM now (as of 2005) boasts almost 1700 undergraduate students, 474 graduate students, 450 medical/dental students, and 130 non-degree-seeking students. [http://www.ufm.edu/atgalance.asp] The university also offers instruction via the distance learning program, referred to by its acronym: "IDEA". In 1998, the distance learning program had more than 10,000 students enrolled. The language of instruction is Spanish, but since many course texts and some lectures are in English, students are expected to be proficient in that tongue as well.

According to Milton Friedman, UFM is "...a first-rate university that is having a significant effect on the climate of opinion in Latin America. I know of hardly any comparable success story..."

General Information

Mission statementThe mission of Universidad Francisco Marroquín is to teach and disseminate the ethical, legal andeconomic principles of a society of free and responsible persons.

CharacteristicsFounded in 1971. Private, secular, coeducational, nonresidential, nonprofit.

Degrees awardedAssociate, profesorado (for secondary school teachers), licenciatura (licentiate), magister (artium and scienciae), M.D., D.D.S, doctorate.

Academic disciplinesArchitecture, business administration, clinical nutrition, dentistry, economics, education, international relations, law, medicine, political studies, public accounting, psychology, social sciences.

Academic calendarThe academic year in Guatemala begins in January and ends in November. Undergraduate programs operate on a semester system; graduate on a quarter system. Most undergraduate programs have a six-week semester break, from the beginning of June to mid-July. Commencements are in May and November.

Admissions policy UFM targets the brightest students for admission and it has the most rigorous entrance requirements in the country. The University is emphatic that selection of students be based solely on academic criteria. No information on ability to pay, ethnic, religious, or other affiliations is requested at any point in the admissions process. Students of all religions are represented, as are members of Guatemala's Maya ethnic community. Women generally comprise between 47% and 50% of the student body.

EnrollmentEnrollment 2007Total degree programs 2,650Undergraduate 1,709Graduate 451Medical/Dental 490

Language of instructionSpanish. Knowledge of English is required of all students at the undergraduate level (acceptable TOEFL or ELASH score is a degree requirement). Students at this level are expected to be able to handle reading assignments and lectures in English. Many key texts used at the University are available only in English and this is often the language of instruction in seminars, courses and lectures given by visiting professors.

Governing boardsBoard of trustees (fifty members) and board of directors (nine members).

Degrees

In Guatemala, as in most of Latin America, the educational system concentrates students in their academic or professional discipline from the time of admission. Following secondary school, students are admitted to a particular school or department and, beginning the first year, follow a prescribed program leading to a degree.

UndergraduateLicenciatura degree (Licentiate)In most of Latin America, the degree that is most commonly awarded to undergraduate students is called licenciatura. Traditionally, it includes several more academic credits than a B.A. or B.S.Disciplines:Architecture; business administration; clinical nutrition; economics; education; international relations;law; political studies; public accounting and auditing; psychology (clinical and industrial).

M.D. / D.D.S.Students are admitted directly into medical and dental schools as high school graduates. They follow athree-year program of basic science studies, upon completion of which they receive a B.S. degree. Thisis followed by four years of medical or three of dental studies, and one year of internship for medicalstudents (none for dental students). Upon completion, graduates receive an M.D. or D.D.S. degree.

Associate degreeDisciplines: Art history; personnel administration.

Profesorado degreeThe profesorado is a specialized degree for secondary school teachers. In many cases, it is required for employment.Disciplines: Art history; computer studies; social sciences and language.

GraduateMaster degreeDisciplines:Business administration (MBA); entrepreneurial economics; international political economy;international relations; finance and taxation; management of human resources; social sciences.The MBA program offers the possibility of online and/or traditional classroom instruction. Theentrepreneurial economics and the international political economy programs are available only throughonline instruction. The former also requires two weeks of traditional classroom instruction at the Schoolof Management in Boston University.

Master degree in the following medical specialties: internal medicine; ophthalmology; pediatrics;radiology.

Doctoral degreeEconomics; law; social sciences

SpecializationThe Department of Psychology offers specialization programs that work as a platform for a master's degree abroad.Disciplines: Psychobiology; learning skills.

Academic Disciplines

Areas of instruction include:
* [architecture] (http://arquitectura.ufm.edu/)]
* [business administration] (http://fce.ufm.edu/)]
*clinical [nutrition] (http://nutricion.ufm.edu)]
* [dentistry] (http://odontologia.ufm.edu)]
* [economics] (http://fce.ufm.edu)]
* [education] (http://educacion.ufm.edu)]
* [international relations] (http://epri.ufm.edu)]
* [journalism] (http://epri.ufm.edu)]
* [law] (http://derecho.ufm.edu)]
* [medicine] (http://medicina.ufm.edu)] (internal medicine; ophthalmology; pediatrics; radiology)
* [nutrition] (http://nutricion.ufm.edu)]
* [political science|political studies] (http://epri.ufm.edu)]
* [accounting] (http://fce.ufm.edu)]
* [psychology] (http://psicologia.ufm.edu)]
* [social sciences] (http://escs.ufm.edu)]

Departments and Projects

Ludwig von Mises LibraryWebpage (in Spanish): [2] (http://www.biblioteca.ufm.edu.gt/quienessomos/default.asp)] The library at UFM has 100,000 visitors annually and is the most extensive collection of works onliberty in Latin America.There is a collection of the private libraries of prominent intellectuals and collectors:Jose Cecilio del Valle, founding father of Central American independence.Carlos Elmenhorst, collector of Central American books and maps.William Hutt, South African author and economist.Gordon Tullock, co-founder of the school of Public ChoiceSir Alan Walters, economic advisor to Margaret Thatcher.

At the beginning of the New Millennium the Library started offering access to digital resources. It is subscribed to other services in this area including EBSCOHost databases, Oxford Scholarship Online, xRefer Plus and UpToDate, MDConsult and others.

The library was chosen amongst all the libraries around the World within the 10 libraries to receive the Elsevier donation of 670 titles.The library site received a Golden Award in Guatemala for the best educational website.

Henry Hazlitt CenterWebpage (in Spanish): [3] (http://chh.ufm.edu/)] The purpose of the Henry Hazlitt Center is to coordinate the courses of Economic Process (I,II and III)and Social Philosophy (Hayek, and the Austrian School) that are offered to all the students at UFM in Pregrad level, in all the schools. It also offers seminars and lectures for professors in order to improve their academic and pedagogic skills.

ArboretumWebpage (in Spanish): [4] (http://arboretum.ufm.edu/)] Awakening and cultivating the love for nature and conservation of plants and animals in the Campus. The land where the University Francisco Marroquin stands, is a remnant of the Montano Forest, pine and Encino trees, that used to cover Guatemala’ssurface. The beautiful gardens that the University has have been carefully designed to integrate native and exotic species that have been admired by students and visitors. Since the beginning preservation of this forest was a priority to the point where theLudwig von Mises Library architectural design of the buildings was done so the trees were kept as intact as possible. We decided totake our effort much further and this is why the Arboretum was created so now we are preserving and studying many species.

New Media DepartmentWebpage (in Spanish): [5] (http://www.newmedia.ufm.edu/)] CREATION, IMPLEMENTATION & EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF DIGITAL RESOURCESThe New Media Department specializes in streaming audio and video conferences in English andSpanish on topics related to classical liberal thought.SamplerMILTON AND ROSE FRIEDMAN’S Free to Choose series (in Spanish)http://www.newmedia.ufm.edu.gt/freetochooseJAMES BUCHANAN conference at UFM for the opening of Latin America’s first Public Choicecenter (2001) http://www.newmedia.ufm.edu.gt/buchananVERNON SMITH honorary doctorate ceremony at UFM (2004)http://www.newmedia.ufm.edu.gt/vsmithInterview in 2002 of MILTON AND ROSE FRIEDMAN for the MPS General Meeting inLondon http://www.newmedia.ufm.edu.gt/miltonrossThe New Media digital library includes 1,500 hours of digitized and indexed educational material, andreceives over 1,000 visitors daily from around the world.

Popol Vuh MuseumWebpage: [6] (http://www.popolvuh.ufm.edu/eng/#)] The Popol Vuh Museum offers its visitors a unique journey through Guatemalan history, illustrated byone of the best collections of prehispanic and colonial art in the country. The museum is a scientific,private, non lucrative organization part of Universidad Francisco Marroquín. The museum’s objectivesinclude: conservation, investigation and the popularization of Guatemala’s cultural and archeologicalheritage.

Lienzo de QuauhquechollanWebpage: [7] http://lienzo.ufm.edu/en/ellienzo.asp] It is a large Nahua painting on cotton cloth (lienzo) that belongs to the pre-Hispanic tradition of documenting stories of migrations and conquests within a geographic context. Considered the first map of Guatemala, it is one of the few sources from the 16th century that tell of the military campaigns of Jorge de Alvarado in 1527. A digitally restored copy and an animated recreation of the story, exhibited at the UFM campus, are based on the research done by Dutch archaeologist Florine Asselbergs.

ITA Scholarship ProgramWebpage: [8] http://ita.ufm.edu/cms/en/home] ITA (in Spanish, an acronym for Impulso al Talento Academico) stands for "promotion of academic talent"; the program grants scholarships for undergraduate degrees at Universidad Francisco Marroquínfor to the poorest, most highly qualified and most motivated students. The scholarship covers full tuition and fees, room and board, medical insurance, and a stipend for public transportation, books and basic personal expenses.

Traditions and Landmarks

Following Manuel AyauIn 1972 the first class of students that entered to Universidad Francisco Marroquín presented a pair ofbronzed shoes to the founding rector, Manuel F. Ayau, as a joke. Since then the shoes are kept at therector´s office; as a way to remember, for the members of UFM, that they follow Manuel F. Ayau´ssteps, and those of the founders of the University, in the road to freedom.

Honoring the champions of freedomUniversidad Francisco Marroquín has awarded honoris causa doctorates to scientists, intellectuals,businessmen, artists and others who have contributed to the sciences, the arts, the world of business and the cause of freedomFour Nobel Prize winners have accepted the honorary degree awarded by UFM: Friedrich A. Hayek;Milton Friedman, James M. Buchanan y Vernon L. Smith. See the entrie list, here(http://www.ufm.edu.gt/dochonorif.asp) (in Spanish).At the House of Freedom, the library is named alter Ludwig von Mises; there are the Friedrich A. HayekAuditorium and the Milton Friedman Auditorium. And the department in charge of the courses of SocialPhilosophy and Economic Process is named after Henry Hazlitt. There is a Freedom Plaza and a terracenamed after Rose Friedman.

Mises’ birthdayLudwig von Mises was born on September 29th. 1881; and to remember his birthday, profesor JosephKeckeissen´s students celebrate a Viennese party by the second semester of every year. It includestheatrical presentations, singing and dancing.Joseph Keckeissen attended Mises´Semminar in New York City and he began the misian theatricaltradition, at UFM in the 80s with the Guttemberg Society.

Homecoming weekEvery year, during the Homecoming week, the students from UFM participate in academic andrecreative activities in which both students and parents are welcome.The Inaugural Lesson is the most solemn of them all. During the week there is also a meeting of parentsand professors after a concert."'Commencement ceremony"'On May and November, UFM celebrates commencementceremonies. During these the graduating students receive theirtitles and diplomas. On that occasion the Board of Directorsaward the honoris causa doctorates.

Honor graduates ceremonyThe night before the Commencement ceremony, at UFM, theycelebrate a ceremony and a cocktail party in praise of thosestudents which graduate with honors, and to celebrate excelence (in Spanish). The honors awarded areCum Laude, for those who obtained grades between 85 and 90: Magna Cum Laude, for those whoobtained grades between 91 and 94; and Summa Cum Laude, for those who accumulated an averagebetween 95 and 100.

Inaugural LessonThe Inaugural Lesson enjoys a long academic tradition. At Universidad Francisco Marroquín it is anCommencement ceremonyUniversidad Francisco Marroquín - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 8 of 10http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universidad_Francisco_Marroquin 23/04/2007opportunity to get together the faculty and the students around the philosophy of freedom presented by alocal or visiting professor.The first Inaugural Lesson, at UFM, was presented by vicerector emeritus Rigoberto Juárez-Paz, and itwas about Plato´s Academy.

Landmarks on campus

Francisco Marroquín’s bustUniversidad Francisco Marroquín has no religious affiliation; but it was named after bishop Marroquínbecause being the first prelate ordained in America, during the colonial times, he had two interest thatare shared by UFM members: respect for the individual rights and the value of education. During histenure as Bishop, Marroquín took care of the right of the indigenous people, and he donated part of hisfortune to fund the first university in Central America.Francisco Marroquín´s bust was donated to the University by the trustee Félix Montes in January, 1975.It´s author is the sculptor José Nicolás."'The bust of Friedrich A. Hayek"'Friedrich A. Hayek is a champion of Freedom. He was awarded Nobel Prize in Economy in 1974 and hevisited UFM in 1977 yo e awarded as a honoris causa doctor in Social Sciences.At the House of Freedom, the auditorium located at the Academic Building is named after Hayek. Hisbust is located at the Ludwig von Mises Library and it was donated by Walter S. Morris, of Little Rock,Arkansas, in 1991.

The bust of Ludwig von MisesLudwig von Mises is a champion of freedom. He was one of the most distinguished members of theAustrian School of Economics. He visited Guatemala when invited by the Centro de EstudiosEconómico-Sociales and he was of great inspiration and support for the foundation of UniversidadFrancisco Marroquín.His bust is at the library that bears his name. It was donated by the class of 1975 from the School ofBusiness.

The Central GardenUniversidad Francisco Marroquín´s campus is beautifully integrated to the environment in which it wasbuilt. It is not a university with a garden, but a university in a garden said professor Donald Livingstonwhen he visited the University. In the Central Garden, which seems a Greek theater, are celebrated thecommencement ceremonies; and the bust of Francisco Marroquin presides the garden.

The Academic Building’s GardenThe garden, at the Academia Building is surrounded by classrooms and the administration´s offices 7stories high. Nevertheless, with an air of a Japanese garden and it´s pond, it is an oasis of tranquility andof contact with the exuberance of the campus´ flora and fauna.

The fountain at the Ludwig von Mises LibraryBetween the Central Garden and the Ludwig von Mises Library, which one reaches through a bridge,there is a fountain. Full of fish and surrounded by vegetation, this fountain offers a peacefulenvironment, ideal for studying, for relaxation and for meditation.

Journals

*"Apuntes de Economía y Política" (Public Choice Newsletter)
*"Arquitemas" (Journal of the School of Architecture)
*"Eleutheria" (Philosophy Department)
*"Laissez-Faire" (Economics Journal)
*"Revista de la Facultad de Derecho" (Law Review)

Notable Recipients of Honorary Degrees from UFM

*José María Aznar (former Prime Minister of Spain)
*James M. Buchanan (Nobel Prize in Economics laureate)
*Michael DeBakey (Heart surgeon)
*Michael Deaver (Reagan Advisor)
*Steve Forbes (Publisher)
*Viktor Frankl (Psychologist)
*Milton Friedman (Nobel Prize in Economics laureate)
*Friedrich Hayek (Nobel Prize in Economics laureate)
*Jeane Kirkpatrick (Ambassador)
*Václav Klaus (former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic)
*Mario Vargas Llosa (Novelist)
*William Middendorf, II (Ambassador)
*Robert Sirico (Clergyman, founder of the Acton Institute)
*John Stossel (Award-winning television news host, writer, and author.)
*Vernon Smith (Nobel Prize in Economics laureate)

ee also

* List of universities in Guatemala

External links

* [http://www.ufm.edu/ Universidad Francisco Marroquín - Francisco Marroquin University]
* [http://www.biblioteca.ufm.edu.gt/ UFM - Biblioteca Ludwig von Mises]
* [http://www.newmedia.ufm.edu/ UFM - New Media Department]
* [http://atlaslibertas.ufm.edu/en/default.asp/ ATLAS LIBERTAS - UFM Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged"]
* [http://www.quebecoislibre.org/001111-3.htm article about the Francisco Marroquin University] "in French"
* [http://newmedia.ufm.edu/pagina.asp?nom=fiestavienesa05 Viennese Party at The Francisco Marroquin University, New Media]
* [http://www.arboretum.ufm.edu/ UFM Arboretum]
* [http://www.libertate.ufm.edu/ Libertate Viam Facere. Objectivism and Ayn Rand]
* [http://www.cadep.ufm.edu.gt/ CADEP (Center for the Analysis of Public Choice Decisions)]
* [http://www.chh.ufm.edu.gt/ Henry Hazlitt Center]