Free University of Colombia ( es, Universidad Libre), also called Unilibre, is a
nonsectarian
Nonsectarian institutions are secular institutions or other organizations not affiliated with or restricted to a particular religious group.
Academic sphere
Examples of US universities that identify themselves as being nonsectarian include Adel ...
,
coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
al,
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...
and
nonprofit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
satellite campus
A satellite campus or branch campus or regional campus is a campus of a university or college that is physically at a distance from the original university or college area. This branch campus may be located in a different city, state, or count ...
es located in
Cali
Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...
,
Barranquilla
Barranquilla () is the capital district of Atlántico Department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean Coast region; as of 2018 it had a population of 1,206,319, making it Col ...
Cúcuta
Cúcuta (), officially San José de Cúcuta, is a Colombian municipality, capital of the department of Norte de Santander and nucleus of the Metropolitan Area of Cúcuta. The city is located in the homonymous valley, at the foot of the Eastern ...
, and Socorro. It is considered one of Colombia's most comprehensive universities, receiving a high quality accreditation from the
Ministry of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pu ...
for 4 years, and offers sixty-seven degree programs at the undergraduate level and one hundred sixty-three graduate level programs.
Since the original intention of this institution of higher education was to offer the space for unbiased learning during a radical political period in the country, the proper translation would be "Freedom University," given it promotes freedom of speech and political thought.
The university is a member of the Association of Colombian Universities (
ASCUN
The Association of Colombian Universities ( es, Asociación Colombiana de Universidades), also known as ASCUN, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, that congregates the public and private Colombian universities. Its primary objectives ...
) and the Iberoamerican University Network
Universia
Universia is a network that consists of 1,401 universities in 20 countries: Andorra, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Spain, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, ...
.
History
The Universidad Libre was established in 1890 as Universidad Republicana (Republican University of Colombia) by the Colegio Académico. In 1910, Universidad Republicana went through terrible economic mishaps. A group of investors determined to save the institution led by Don Eugenio Lopez, proceeded to try to amass the necessary funds to keep the institution alive. On April 13, 1912, Universidad Republicana S.A. was constituted as a society but its commercial name was Universidad libre. In 1913 after many legal battles, Universidad Libre became an independent entity from Universidad Republicana.
Now constituted as a separate entity, Universidad Libre once again faced economic issues with many of the contributors withdrawing their funds. Cesar J. Rodriguez was in charge of the daunting task of yet again raising capital for the institution. Mr. Rodriguez hired the seasoned and charismatic leader Benjamin Herrera as head of the project.
Mr. Herrera was in charge of Universidad Libre until 1921, when he ran an unsuccessful presidential campaign against Pedro Nel Ospina. The defeated Mr. Herrera finally raised the desired amount of capital in 1922 and Julio Cesar Rodriguez announced on March 29, 1922, the beginning of activities.
It was not until February 13, 1923, that Universidad Libre actually started classes, in the first faculty dedicated to Law and Science.
Alumni
Libre's alumni include a vast range of prominent individuals in the history of the country and the region, with the following list representative:
* Alejandro Galvis Galvis (1891-1981), founder the newspaper '' Vanguardia Liberal'' and Minister of War.
* Dilian Francisca Toro, physician and politician.
* Domingo Esguerra Plata (1875-1965), lawyer and politician.
*
Enrique Olaya Herrera
Enrique Alfredo Olaya Herrera (12 November 1880 – 18 February 1937) was a Colombian journalist and politician. He served as President of Colombia from 7 August 1930 until 7 August 1934 representing the Colombian Liberal Party.
Early year ...
(1880–1937), journalist and President of Colombia.
* German Zea (1905-1989), lawyer, politician and occupied the Ministries of Government, Justice, and
Foreign Affairs
''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy ...