, logo = CSA_Cochabamba_Logo.png , logo_size = 140px , image = , image_size = 270px , alt = , caption = , motto = , location = 1359 América Ave. , city =

Cochabamba Cochabamba ( ay, Quchapampa; qu, Quchapampa) is a city and municipality in central Bolivia in a valley in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and the fourth largest city in Bolivia, with a population of 630 ...

, state =

, country = Bolivia , type = Private secondary school , religion =

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, patron = Augustine of Hippo , established = , principal = Lic. René Cardozo (2015–present) , faculty = , mascot = , enrollment = 942 , enrollment_as_of = July 2017 , campus =

Urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

, colors = Red and blue , homepage = St Augustine College ( es, Colegio San Agustín) is a private

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

secondary school, located in

, Bolivia.

Overview

Augustinians settled in Cochabamba in the 1950s to contribute to the education in Bolivia. They founded the high school in 1954 and it started its activities in 1955. Since its inception, St Augustine College has focused on providing a strong technical background to its students. Most of them have obtained a degree in

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

or sciences, as critical thinking has been mainly promoted among its students. There have been students who obtained higher education and professional recognition in the social sciences as well. This high school is regarded as Bolivia's 1st ranked high school due to the performance of its students in science contests as well as the performance shown by its graduates in both the public and the private sectors within Bolivia and abroad. 2005 marked the school's 50th anniversary. On that occasion, it was awarded the

Order of the Condor of the Andes The Order of the Condor of the Andes ( es, links=no, La Orden del Cóndor de los Andes) is a state decoration of the Plurinational State of Bolivia instituted on 12 April 1925. The Order is awarded for exceptional merit, either civil or military, ...

, which is the Bolivian government's highest distinction, and also it was the first women promotion. In 2016, the school began the first Bolivian technologic school project. It included a project to obtain the

ISO 9001 The ISO 9000 family is a set of five quality management systems (QMS) standards that help organizations ensure they meet customer and other stakeholder needs within statutory and regulatory requirements related to a product or service. ISO ...

academic quality management system for education and will last until 2020. This College has been managed by the San Agustin Educational Foundation (''Fundación Educacional San Agustín (FESA)'') since 28 August 1992. Previously, it was managed by the Augustinians in the name of the same school. Nicolas Beumer, the last Augustinian who participated in this educational endeavour, died in 2015.

History

The

Order of Saint Augustine The Order of Saint Augustine, ( la, Ordo Fratrum Sancti Augustini) abbreviated OSA, is a religious mendicant order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1244 by bringing together several eremitical groups in the Tuscany region who were fo ...

was founded in 1244. The first Augustinians arrived in Bolivia in the 16th century. In December 1949, the

was established in Cochabamba by the Augustinians from

The Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. On 25 July 1951, they received a permit, given by the local ecclesiastical authorities, to found an Industrial School, a

Convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglic ...

, and a church. In the same year, they acquire about 4 hectares of land to build their projects. The College is still in the original location: Tupuraya, which was at that time on the outskirts of the city of

. In 1949, the provincial chapter in Holland sent Frs. Marcos Meyer (Meijer) and Andres Van Meegeren to Cochabamba to prepare the foundation of the school, whereas three young fathers were sent to

Villanova University Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Penns ...

to obtain engineering degrees (amongst them William Saelman who spent 4 years in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

before moving to Cochabamba), later on some more young priests were sent to

for the same purpose. Four Augustinians arrived in

on the 27 of February 1952: Enrique Ebbing, Jaime Van Maanen, Nicolás Beumer and Germán de Beer, who were accompanied by a priest, Juan Teuben, who was in charge of the convent of augustinians in

La Paz, Bolivia La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the third-most populous city in Bol ...

. They have set the foundational aspects of the College. On the 21 of October 1954, a

decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used ...

(number 64314) was issued authorising the College operations. The first student was enrolled on the 22 of December 1954 for the first level of secondary school. In 1955, the first academic year started under the supervision of Mr. Teuben (principal until December 1958). 25 students and their families gathered on Friday 4 February 1955 in a mass in the convent's chapel. On Monday 7 February, the Bolivian teacher Guillermo Rodrigo Mercado inaugurated the academic activities with the first class about 'Bolivian Geography'. Most of the first teachers were Dutch although were there were Bolivians too: * Raimundo Grigoriú (Bolivian),

Civics Civics is the study of the rights and obligations of citizens in society. The term derives from the Latin word ''civicus'', meaning "relating to a citizen". The term relates to behavior affecting other citizens, particularly in the context of ur ...

* Antonio Cabrerizo (Bolivian),

Literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

* Julio Foronda (Bolivian),

Gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

* Pedro Diepstraten (Priest, Dutch) * Edmundo (Gerrit) Hamerlinck (Priest, Dutch) - died in La Paz in 1979 (56 years old) * Liborio Groen (Priest, Dutch) * Andrés van Meegeren (Priest, Dutch) * Juan Pedro Smeters (Priest, Dutch) * Jaime (Joannes Jacobus) Van Maanen (Priest, Dutch) - born in Haarlem (7 Feb 1926) * Nicolás Beumer (Priest, Dutch) - religion teacher * Juan Swinkels (Brother, Dutch) * Armando Thyssen (Brother, Dutch) * Emmy Amesz-Holstege (Brother, Dutch) Chemistry The first physics and chemistry labs started in 1957. At that time, the college had 145 registered students (divided in 5 groups), 6 Augustinian priests, a bolivian full-time teacher as well as other 5 bolivian teachers working part-time. The schedule ran from 8 A.M. until 3 P.M. The priest Guillermo Saelman was the college's principal from 1957 until 1962. On 26 November 1960, 14 students completed their 6-year secondary education in the college—there were 221 students registered in the college on that year who were in 9 different groups/classes. On 29 August 1961, the first issue of “La Kantuta”, a college newspaper completely edited by the students, was published (The Kantuta, a.k.a. qantuta, is one of Bolivia's national flowers). Later on, a debate club (“Casiciaco” ) is started in remembrance to the

finca In English usage, a ''finca'' (; ) refers to a piece of rural or agricultural land, typically with a cottage, farmhouse or estate building present, and often adjacent to a woodland or plantation. Overview Especially in tourism, the term has r ...

, located in the north of Italy, where between 386 and 387 A.D., Saint Augustine — the founder of the order — used to study and reflect. In 1963, the priest Lucas Hoogveld became principal. In 1991, the college starts an important transition of its administration towards the a newly created foundation ("Fundación Educacional San Agustin"
FESA
. FESA assumes the management of the college on the 28 of August 1992. In 1998, 206 new potential students applied for becoming students in the college—50 women thereof. Out of all the applicants, 60 male students and 30 females students were admitted, these girls were the first ones in the history of the college. In 2004, the first 13 female students accomplished their secondary studies (along with 35 male students). In 2005, the college celebrated 50 years of successful educational activities. Up to that year, 1620 students completed their secondary education, 95% of them pursued higher education studies. On the same year, the college was awarded with the

—a few days after the condecoration, Jaime Van Maanem, who was present in the award ceremony, passed away.

Principals

* Juan Teuben: Feb 1955 - Dec 1958 * J. Guillermo (William) Saelman: Feb 1959 - Dec 1964 * Lucas Hoogveld: Feb 1965 - Dec 1971 * Antonio Cabrerizo: Feb 1972 - Dec 1987 * Beatriz Escalera Vásquez: Feb 1988 - Dec 1998 * Jorge Escalera Vásquez: 1999 - 2004 * Gustavo Deheza Ugarte: 2004 - 2008 * Jorge Escalera Vásquez: 2009 - 2012 * Juan Carlos Rodriguez: 2013 - 2014 * Rene Cardozo: Feb 2015 - today

Notable alumni

Álvaro García Linera Álvaro Marcelo García Linera (; born 19 October 1962) is a Bolivian politician, sociologist, marxist theoretician, and former guerilla who served as the 38th vice president of Bolivia from 2006 to 2019. A member of the Movement for Socia ...

: Vice President of Bolivia (2006–2019) * Eduardo Rodríguez Veltzé: lawyer and former president of Bolivia (2005) * Roberto Laserna: economist * Sergio Óliver Rodríguez Mercado (known as "Vikingo"): politician * Marco Sandy: football manager, former professional football player

References

External links