The University of the Andes (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''Universidad de Los Andes'', ULA) is the second-oldest university in Venezuela, whose main campus is located in the city of Mérida,

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

. ULA is the largest public university in the

Venezuelan Andes The Venezuelan Andes (Spanish: ''Andes Venezolanos'') also simply known as the Andes (Spanish: ''Los Andes'') in Venezuela, are a mountain system that form the northernmost extension of the Andes. They are fully identified, both by their geologi ...

, having one of the largest student bodies in the country.

History

ULA was initially established as a Catholic seminary on March 29, 1785 by the Bishop of Mérida, Friar . De Lora called the newly founded house of studies "Real Colegio Seminario de San Buenaventura de Mérida", or Royal Seminary College of San Buenaventura of Mérida. The school was elevated to the status of Royal University of San Buenaventura of Mérida de los Caballeros on September 21, 1810, entitling it to confer junior and senior degrees in Philosophy, Medicine, Civil and Canonical (Catholic) Law, and Theology. Universidad de Los Andes maintained its affiliation with the Catholic Church until 1832, when the president of Venezuela, General

José Antonio Páez José Antonio Páez Herrera (; 13 June 1790 – 6 May 1873) was a Venezuelan politician and military officer who served as the president of Venezuela three times. The first as the 5th president from 1830 to 1835, the second as the 8th president ...

, passed an act making it a secular institution. Currently, Universidad de Los Andes operates two campuses in Mérida, with about a dozen faculties spread throughout the city, as well as two

satellite campuses A satellite campus, 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 country, ...

in the other Venezuelan Andean states of Tachira and Trujillo.

Academics

Universidad de Los Andes offers undergraduate programs in the arts, sciences, literature, and humanities, long and short programs, as well as courses, degrees, post-graduate professional, magisterial and doctoral programs, specializations, diplomas, etc.

Academic units

; Faculty of Architecture and Design * School of Architecture * School of Industrial Design ; Faculty of Arts * School of Performing Arts * School of Visual Arts and Graphic Design * School of Music ; Faculty of Science * School of Physics * School of Mathematics * School of Biology * School of Chemistry ; Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences * School of Business Administration * School of Accounting * School of Economics * School of Statistics ; Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Science * School of Forestry * School of Geography and Renewable Resources * School of Forestry Engineering ; Faculty of Judicial and Political Sciences * School of Political Sciences * School of Criminology * School of Law ; Faculty de Pharmacy and Bioanalysis * School of Bioanalysis * School of Pharmacy ; Faculty of Humanities and Education * School of Education * School of History * School of Modern Languages * School of Letters * School of Media ; Faculty of Engineering * General Engineering School * School of Civil Engineering * School of Electrical Engineering * School of Geological Engineering * School of Mechanic Engineering * School of Chemical Engineering * School of Systems Engineering ; Faculty of Medicine * School of Nursing * School of Medicine * School of Nutrition ; Faculty of Dentistry * School of Dentistry

Admission

Admission to ULA is very competitive and generally mediated through the Venezuela
Oficina de Planeacion del Sector Universitario (OPSU - Office for Higher Education Planning)
which oversees grades and standardized tests for all Venezuelan students enrolled in secondary education institutions. ULA lists some of the highest high school academic index
Indice Academico de la OPSU
requirements in Venezuela.

Research

ULA is one of the universities most actively engaged in research in Venezuela, consistently ranking among the top two or three universities in Venezuela across all disciplines. In 2009, ULA was ranked 37th out of the 437 Latin American universities and research institutes evaluated by the Ranking Iberoamericano de Instituciones de Investigacion. Active graduate research groups include: Kinetics & Catalysis, Polymer Chemistry, Behavioral Physiology, Biotechnology, Enzimology, Parasitology, Cytology, Pharmacology, Toxicology, Analytical and Molecular Spectroscopy, Geophysics, Astrophysics, Condensed Matter Physics, Applied and Theoretical Physics, Magnetism of Solids, Urban Environmental Quality, Finance, Entrepreneurial Development, Agricultural Management, Criminology, Comparative Politics, Environmental Geopolitics, International Politics, Ethnography, Linguistics, Semiolinguistics, Phonetics, Gender Studies, Latin American Arts and Literature, Medieval Studies, etc.

Athletic and cultural activities

ULA also houses numerous varsity athletic teams, including chess, soccer, fencing, rhythmic gymnastics, tennis, basketball, swimming, and track and field and performing arts companies such as Ballet Estable de la ULA, Teatro (Theater) Estable de la ULA, Coral (Choir) Universitaria and Orfeon Universitario. However, ULA's athletic dominance has declined in the past decade. The Orfeon Universitario Choir has toured Colombia, Spain, the Netherlands, France, and Germany. ULA also hosts annual ballet seasons, a chamber orchestra season and numerous theater and music festivals (classical, traditional music, jazz, chant, Christmas) open to the community. ULA operates a local radio station, 107.7 ULA FM. It formerly operated

ULA TV Universidad de Los Andes Televisión, abbreviated ULA TV, was a television station in Mérida, Mérida, Venezuela, that was owned by the Universidad de Los Andes. The station began broadcasting in 1999 and was shuttered by the National Commiss ...

channel 22 before it was ordered closed in June 2017.

Rectors or University Authorities

* Friar Juan Ramos De Lora (1782–1790) * Luis Dionisio Villamizar (1790–1791) * Fray Manuel Cándido De Torrijos (1791–1792) * Hipólito De Elías González (1792–1794) * Francisco Javier Irastorza (1794–1795) * Juan H. Hurtado De Mendoza (1795–1802) * Francisco Javier Irastorza (1802–1803) * Ramón Ignacio Méndez (1806–1810) * Buenaventura Arias (1810–1815) * Rafael Lasso De La Vega (1815–1822) * José De La Cruz Olivares (1822–1826) * Esteban Arias (1826–1830) * Ignacio Fernández Peña (1832–1834) * Sulpicio Frías (1834–1836) * Rafael Alvarado (1836–1838) * Agustín Chipía (1838–1843) * Eloy Paredes (1843) * Rafael Alvarado (1843–1845) * José Francisco Más y Rubí (1843–1852) * Eloy Paredes (1852–1855) * Ciriaco Piñeyro (1855–1858) * Pedro Juan Arellano (1858–1862) * Francisco Jugo (1862–1863) * Caracciolo Parra y Olmedo (1863–1866) * José Francisco Más y Rubí (1866–1869) * Pedro Monsalve (1869–1872) * Foción Febres-Cordero (1872–1875) * José De Jesús Dávila (1875–1881) * Gabriel Picón Febres (1881–1884) * Pedro De Jesús Godoy (1884–1886) * Domingo Hernández Bello (1886–1887) * Caracciolo Parra y Olmedo (1887–1900) * Pedro De Jesús Godoy (1900–1901) * Asisclo Bustamante (1901) * Nepomuceno Pagés Monsant (1902–1909) * Ramón Parra Picón (1909–1917) * Diego Carbonell (1917–1921) * Gonzalo Bernal (1921–1931) * Humberto Ruiz Fonseca (1932–1933) * Cristóbal Beníte (1933–1934) * Roberto Picón Lares (1934–1936) * Víctor Manuel Pérez Perozo (1936–1937) * Manuel Antonio Pulido Méndez (1937–1941) * Gabriel Picón Febres (Hijo) (1941–1942) * Humberto Ruiz Fonseca (1942–1944) * Pedro Pineda León (1944–1945) * Edgar Loynaz Páez (1945–1949) * Eloy Dávila Celis (1949–1951) * Renato Esteva Ríos (1951–1953) * Joaquín Mármol Luzardo (1953–1958) * Pedro Rincón Gutiérrez (1958–1972) * Ramón Vicente Casanova (1972–1976) * Pedro Rincón Gutiérrez (1976–1980) * José Mendoza Angulo (1980–1984) * Pedro Rincón Gutiérrez (1984–1988) * Néstor López Rodríguez (1988–1992) * Miguel Rodríguez Villenave (1992–1996) * Felipe Pachano Rivera (1996–2000) * Genry Vargas (2000–2004) * Léster Rodríguez Herrera (2004–2008) * Mario Bonucci Rossini (2008–)

Notable alumni

Marisol Aguilera Marisol Aguilera Meneses (born in La Asunción, Nueva Esparta, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan biologist whose research involves the ecology of vertebrates. She is the president of the :es:Acta Científica Venezolana, Venezuelan Association for the Ad ...

, researcher, professor

References

External links

* *
ULA TV

Núcleo Universitario "Alberto Adriani", El Vigía

Núcleo Universitario "Rafael Rangel", Trujillo

Núcleo Universitario "Pedro Rincón Gutiérrez", Táchira

Galería de fotos de la Universidad de Los Andes

Portal wiki de la Universidad de Los Andes

Portal del Rectorado

Puerta a la mayoría de enlaces de la ULA

Proyecto Alma-Mater (obras de arte en la ULA)

Agendas del Consejo Universitario de la Universidad de Los Andes

Oficina de Prensa ULA

Centro de Atención al Usuario (CAU)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andes, Venezuela, University of Universities in Venezuela Educational institutions established in 1810 1810 establishments in the Spanish Empire Buildings and structures in Mérida, Mérida Universities and colleges established in the 1810s