Paul Valéry University of Montpellier (french: link=no, Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier III), also known as or UPVM (official acronym) or Montpellier III (UM3, until early 2015), is a

French university This List of universities and colleges in France includes universities and other higher education institutes that provide both education curricula and related degrees up to doctoral degree and also contribute to research activities. They are the b ...

in the Academy of Montpellier. It is one of the three successor universities to the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier (french: Université de Montpellier) is a public university, public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest univ ...

, specialising in the arts, languages and social sciences. The university is a member of the

Coimbra Group The Coimbra Group (CG) is an international association of 41 universities in Europe. It was established in 1985. It works for the benefit of its members by promoting "internationalization, academic collaboration, excellence in learning and resear ...

, an association of long-established European multidisciplinary universities of high international standard.

History

Origins

The University of Montpellier, founded on 26 October 1289 through a

bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, includin ...

issued by

Pope Nicholas IV Pope Nicholas IV ( la, Nicolaus IV; 30 September 1227 – 4 April 1292), born Girolamo Masci, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 February 1288 to his death on 4 April 1292. He was the first Franciscan to be ele ...

combining the schools of Medicine, Arts and Law, is the third university founded in France, following those of Paris and

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

. In 1939, the new Faculty of Humanities was built in the city centre, facing Saint Pierre's Cathedral on the ''rue du Cardinal de Cabrières'' (currently home to part of the University of Montpellier 1's Law Faculty), and inaugurated by the then Dean

Augustin Fliche Augustin Fliche (19 November 1884, in Montpellier – 19 November 1951) was a 20th-century French historian who mainly dealt with the history of the Church in the Middle Ages. He was a professor at the University of Montpellier and also visiting p ...

. In 1970, the former faculties formed three separate universities (Montpellier I, II and III). The Faculty of Arts, Languages, Social Sciences and Humanities becoming the "University of Montpellier III", whilst also taking on the name of

Paul Valéry Ambroise Paul Toussaint Jules Valéry (; 30 October 1871 – 20 July 1945) was a French poet, essayist, and philosopher. In addition to his poetry and fiction (drama and dialogues), his interests included aphorisms on art, history, letters, mus ...

as a homage to the

Sète Sète (; oc, Seta, ), also historically spelt ''Cette'' (official until 1928) and ''Sette'', is a commune in the Hérault department, in the region of Occitania, southern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Sétois'' (male) and ''Sétoises' ...

-born writer who studied in Montpellier. In 2015, the Universities of Montpellier I and II merged to be the University of Montpellier. Therefore, the University Paul Valéry of Montpellier III became University Paul-Valéry of Montpellier (UPVM). Since 2002, all Nîmes students have been included in the University of Nîmes and are no longer part of the University of Montpellier III.

Presidents

Campus

Having become too cramped, the university moved in 1966 to a campus of over 10 hectares in the north of the city (route de Mende), close to the

University of Montpellier II Montpellier 2 University (Université Montpellier 2) was a French university in the '' académie'' of Montpellier. It was one of the three universities formed in 1970 from the original University of Montpellier. Its main campus neighbors the Mon ...

's new campus. In order to avoid confusion with the University of Montpellier 2, the architectural aesthetic was very carefully selected and large green spaces created. In 1986 a new building comprising three lecture theatres (one seating 800 students) was built. In 1998, a second University campus was built in

Béziers Béziers (; oc, Besièrs) is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hérault Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Every August Béziers hos ...

on the site of the former Duguesclin barracks. A move of the university's UFR 5 (psychology and sociology department) is currently being planned to the Saint-Charles site in

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

city centre.

Organisation

The university is organised into six teaching and research units: * Letters, Arts, Philosophy and Psychoanalysis * Languages and Cultures * Human and Environmental Sciences * Social and Organisational Sciences * Subject and Societal Sciences - Psychology, sociology and anthropology * Education - education, physical and sports education, mathematics. It also has an Institute of Information Technoscience.

Student life

Student life is coordinated through the ''Maison des Étudiants'', a place for students' activities, freedom of expression, clubs and societies. Its aim is to help students realise their own ambitions, allowing them to open up and develop a place for creation, as well as cultural and campus activities. The ''Maison des Étudiants'' and its "Jean Moulin" function room are an important centre for student life on campus, playing host to: dance, music, theatre and first aid classes, as well as conferences, film screenings, debates, exhibitions, solidarity and cultural days, concerts and student evenings, amongst others.

Representative student organisations

Following the student elections of 30 and 31 May 2006 (postponed due to the anti-CPE blockades in March) marked by a low level of participation of around 5% (but a strong one from the Béziers campus of nearly 20%), the representative student organisations are as follows: * ''Tribune Étudiante, Confédération étudiante, Avis Culturel'' : ''4 elected to the CA, 4 elected to the CEVU'' * ''

UNEF UNEF may refer to: * United Nations Emergency Force, a UN force deployed in the Middle East in 1956 * UNEF, a designation for Extra-Fine thread series of Standard Unified Screw Threads (ANSI B1.1) * Union Nationale des Étudiants de France (Natio ...

'' : ''3 elected to the CA, 3 elected to the CEVU'' * '' Sud étudiant'' : ''3 elected to the CA, 3 elected to the CEVU'' * ''Melting-Pot'' : ''2 elected to the CA, 2 elected to the CEVU, 1 elected to the CS'' * ''Caraïbe Afrique Solidarité Étudiante'' (The CASE) : ''1 elected to the CA, 1 elected to the CEVU'' * ''Corpo Lettres Epsylone'' : ''1 elected to the CA, 1 elected to the CEVU'' * ''

UNI Uni or UNI may refer to: Entertainment *Uni Records, a division of MCA, formally called Universal City Records *"U.N.I.", a song by Ed Sheeran from ''+'' (''Plus'') *Uni, a species in the Neopets Trading Card Game *Uni, a character in the anim ...

'' : ''1 elected to the CA, 1 elected to the CEVU'' * ''La liste Culturelle étudiante'' : ''1 elected to the CEVU'' * ''Association Contact'' : ''1 elected to the CS'' * ''Étudiants solidaires'' : ''1 elected to the CS'' * ''Réseau doctorant UPV'' : ''1 elected to the CS''

Other active associations

All student associations do not inevitably participate in representative student elections but are not less active. Numerous cultural associations, such as ''Asso7'', ''ECUME'' or ''l'Écran et son Double'', actively participate in campus activities. The associations and student unions are housed in the "Maison des Etudiants", found on the north side of campus near the ''Vert Bois'' university restaurant.

Notable people

Faculty

François Doumenge François André Jean Marie Doumenge (9 October 1926 – 14 July 2008) was a French geographer who specialized in marine and island geography. His work focused on oceanography, the socio-economics of tuna fisheries, fisheries and Japanese aquacult ...

(1926, Viane, Tarn - 2008) - geographer who specialized in marine and island geography *

Jean Joubert Jean Joubert (27 February 1928 – 28 November 2015) was a French novelist, short story writer, and poet. He won the 1978 Prix Mallarmé for ''Poems: 1955–1975''. He won the 1975 Prix Renaudot for ''L'Homme de sable''. Life Joubert was born in ...

(1928

Châlette-sur-Loing Châlette-sur-Loing () is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. Geography The commune is crossed by two rivers, the Loing and the Solin, and three canals, the Canal du Loing, the Canal de Briare and the Canal d'Orléans. ...

Loiret Loiret (; ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It takes its name from the river Loiret, which is contained wholly within the department. In 2019, Loiret had a population of 680,434.

- 2015) - novelist, short story writer, and poet *

Larry Portis Larry Lee Portis (July 3, 1943 in Bremerton, Washington – June 4, 2011 in Soudorgues, France) was a politically progressive historian and university professor. He was the author or co-author of a dozen books and editor or co-editor of others ...

(1943 in

Bremerton, Washington Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington. The population was 37,729 at the 2010 census and an estimated 41,405 in 2019, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerto ...

– 2011 in Soudorgues,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

) - historian * Marlene Zarader (born 1949) - philosopher *

Marc Gabolde Marc Gabolde (born 30 May 1957 in Nantes) is a French Egyptologist, specialist of the Eighteenth Dynasty and the Amarna period. After obtaining a Ph.D. in Egyptology at the University Lumière Lyon 2 in 1992, he joined Scientific IFAO (1993-1997) ...

(born 1957

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

) - Egyptologist *

Burghart Schmidt Burghart Schmidt (30 November 1942 – 13 February 2022) was a German Philosophy, philosopher. He was professor at Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach and the University of Applied Arts Vienna. Education He was born in Wildeshausen, Free State o ...

(born 1962,

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) - historian; university president *

Jean-Christophe Valtat Jean-Christophe Valtat (born 1968) is a French writer and teacher. He was educated at École Normale Supérieure and the University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle. He has taught Comparative Literature at Blaise Pascal University in Clermont- ...

(born 1968) - Modern literature

Alumni

Ahmad Kamyabi Mask Ahmad Kamyabi Mask ( fa, احمد کامیابی مَسْک; born 1944) is a writer, translator, publisher and current Professor Emeritus of Modern Drama and Theater of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Tehran. He is a prominent schola ...

(born 1944) - professor emeritus of comparative literature and theatrical studies *

Élisabeth Guigou Élisabeth Guigou (; born Élisabeth Vallier; 6 August 1946) is a French politician of the Socialist Party who served as a member of the National Assembly from 2002 until 2017, representing Seine-Saint-Denis' 9th constituency. Early life and ...

(born 1946,

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

) - politician SP * Colette Mélot (born 1947,

) - teacher, politician TR *

Henry Fourès Henry Fourès (born 17 May 1948) is a French historian of music and musician. Life Born in Coursan, Fourès first followed lessons of art history at the Paul Valéry University Montpellier 3 and musical studies at the Conservatoire de Paris where ...

(born 1948,

Coursan Coursan (; oc, Corçan) is a commune in the Aude department in southern France. Coursan station has rail connections to Narbonne, Béziers and Montpellier. It is 7 km from Narbonne on the river Aude. There is a bridge built in the fifteen ...

) - historian of music and musician * Sonia Marta Mora Escalante (born 1953) - education administrator

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

Tahar Rahim Tahar Rahim (born 4 July 1981) is a Franco-Algerian actor. He is known for his starring role as Malik El Djebena in the 2009 award-winning French movie ''A Prophet'' by Jacques Audiard, FBI Agent Ali Soufan in ''The Looming Tower'', Judas in the ...

(born 1981) - Franco-Algerian actor * Étienne Leenhardt (born

) - journalist and editor *

Thierry Ardisson Thierry Ardisson (; born 6 January 1949, Bourganeuf, Creuse), is a French television producer and host and a movie producer. Many of his shows have some of the longest run times on French television, such as ''Paris Dernière'', ''Tout le mo ...

(born 1949,

Bourganeuf Bourganeuf (; Limousin: ''Borgon Nuòu'') is a commune in the Creuse department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in central France. Geography An area of farming and forestry, comprising the village and several hamlets situated in the valley of t ...

Creuse Creuse (; oc, Cruesa or ) is a department in central France named after the river Creuse. After Lozère, it is the second least populated department in France. It is bordered by Indre and Cher to the north, Allier and Puy-de-Dôme to the eas ...

) - television host and movie producer * Emigdio Flores Calpiñeiro (born 1950, Cobija) - politician and sociologist

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* Rollie Cook (born 1952,

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

) - politician PC *

Brenda Marie Osbey Brenda Marie Osbey (born December 12, 1957 in New Orleans) is an American poet. She served as the Poet Laureate of Louisiana from 2005 to 2007. Life She graduated from Dillard University, Paul Valéry University, Montpellier III, and from the Un ...