Université Libre de Bruxelles

Infobox_University
name=Université Libre de Bruxelles
latin_name = Universitas Bruxellensis
motto="Scientia vincere tenebras" (Latin)
mottoeng = Conquering darkness by science
established=1834
type=Independent/Partly state funded
rector=Philippe Vincke
staff=4,400
students=20,000
city=Brussels
country=Belgiumflagicon|Belgium
affiliations = EUA, AUF, ENTREE, IMCC, T.I.M.E., UNICA
website=http://www.ulb.ac.be/
campus=Solbosch, Plaine, Erasme

The "Université Libre de Bruxelles" (or ULB) is a French-speaking university in Brussels, Belgium. It has about 20,000 students.

Name

"Université Libre de Bruxelles" means in English: "Free University of Brussels" or written alternatively "Non-Denominational University of Brussels", but this translation is rarely used (university names are rarely used as translated) all the more since its Dutch-speaking counterpart, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, has the same meaning.Some facilities, shared by both universities, do use the name "Brussels Free Universities", abbreviated BFU. For example theComputing Center, BFUCC ( [http://www.vub.ac.be/BFUCC/] ).

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 at Mechelen, things began to happen very quickly. The liberal professions and Freemasons, lead 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. [http://www.ulb.ac.be/docs/ulb-prestige/histuk.html]

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 20th, called 'St V', is a holiday for students of both the Université Libre de Belgique 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.

Campuses

The ULB comprises three main campuses: the "Campus de la Plaine" in Ixelles, the "Campus du Solbosch", on the territories of Brussels and Ixelles municipalities, in the Brussels-Capital Region and the "Campus Erasme" (faculty of medicine) in Anderlecht beside the Erasme Hospital but the university has also buildings and activities in Charleroi, Parentville, Treignes and Nivelles.

Faculties, schools and institutes

# Faculty of Philosophy, and Letters
# Faculty of Law, and Criminological Science
# Faculty of Social, Political, Economic Science & Solvay Business School
# Faculty of Psychological Science, and of Education
# Faculty of Sciences (recently absorbed the Institute of Environment Gestion (IGEAT))
# Interfacultary School of Bio-Engineering
# Faculty of Medicine
# [http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecole_de_sant%C3%A9_publique_de_l%27Universit%C3%A9_libre_de_Bruxelles School of Public Health]
# High institute of Physical Education, and Kinesitherapy
# [http://www.ulb.ac.be/facs/pharma/index.html Institute of Pharmacy]
# [http://www.ulb.ac.be/facs/polytech/ Faculty of Applied Sciences/Polytechnic School]
# Institute of Work Sciences
# Institute of European Studies
# Institute of Statistics and Operational Research

Notable Alumni

*Jules Anspach (1829–1879), law, politician, Mayor of Brussels.
*Amir Abbas Hoveida, Iranian Prime Minister
*Count Richard Goblet d'Alviella, Belgian businessman
*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
*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
*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
*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 Exceptionnal 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), Beligian 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
*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 Exceptionnal 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
*August Vermeylen, Belgian writer and literature critic
*Raoul Warocqué, Belgian industrialist
*Charles Woeste (1837-1922), lawyer and politician

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

ee also

* Vrije Universiteit Brussel
* Solvay Business School
* University Foundation
* BioVallée
* Aéropole Science Park
* Institut Jules Bordet
* Top Industrial Managers for Europe

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
* [http://www.ulb.ac.be/docs/ulb-prestige/histuk.html The ULB, a university born of an idea]

External links

* [http://www.ulb.ac.be/ Official home page]