| Utrecht University | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Latin: Universitas Rheno-Traiectina or Universitas Ultraiectina | |
| Motto | Sol Iustitiae Illustra Nos |
| Motto in English | Sun of Justice, shine upon us |
| Established | 1636 |
| Type | Public, general |
| Rector | Hans Stoof |
| Staff | 8,614 |
| Students | 29,082 |
| Location | Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Website | www.uu.nl |
Utrecht University (Universiteit Utrecht in Dutch) is a university in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. It is rated as the best university of the Netherlands,[1] 11th best university in Europe,[2] and 52nd best in the world[3] in the Academic Ranking of World Universities. Established March 26, 1636, it had an enrollment of 29,082 students in 2008, and employed 8,614 faculty and staff, 570 of which are full professors. In 2004, 358 Ph.D. degrees were awarded and 7,010 scientific articles were published. The 2008 budget of the university was €715 million.
The university's motto is "Sol Iustitiae Illustra Nos," which means "Sun of Justice, shine upon us." Utrecht University is led by the University Board, consisting of Yvonne van Rooy (President), prof.dr. Hans Stoof (Rector Magnificus) and Hans Amman.
History
- This section incorporates text translated from the Dutch wikipedia article
Utrecht University was opened on March 26th, 1636. The inaugural speech was held by influential professor of theology Gisbertus Voetius. Bernardus Schotanus, professor of law and mathemetics, was the university's first rector magnificus. Initially, a few dozens of students attended classes at the university. Seven professors worked at the four faculties: the philosophical, that offered all students a propaedeutic education, and the three higher faculties, the theological and medical faculties and the faculty of law.
Utrecht University flourished in the seventeenth century, despite of the competition with the older universities of Leiden (1575), Franeker (1585) and Groningen (1614) and the schools of Harderwijk (1599, university since 1648) and Amsterdam (1632). Leiden in particular was an strong competitor. Therefore investments were necessary. A hortus botanicus was build on the stronghold of Sonnenborgh and three years later the Smeetoren received a astronomical observatory.
The university attracted many students from abroad, especially German, English and Scottish. They witnessed the intellectual and theological battle the proponents of the new philosophy (René Descartes lived a for few years in Utrecht) fought with the proponents of the strict reformed theologian Voetius.
The French occupants of the Netherlands in 1806 degraded Utrecht University to 'ecole secondaire' (high school), but after the establishment of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1813, Utrecht University regained its original rights. Leiden, Groningen and Utrecht were the three State Universities ('hoge scholen') of the new state. Leiden received the title of 'eerste hoge school' (First University). Utrecht had a prominent role in the flourishing of Dutch science. Around 1850 the so called 'Utrechtian School' of science was formed with Pieter Harting, Gerardus J. Mulder, Christophorus H. D. Buys Ballot and Franciscus C. Donders being the leading scientists. They introduced the educational laboratory as an practition place for their students.
University is represented in the 'Stichting Academisch Erfgoed', a foundation with the goal of preserving university collections.
Description
The university consists of seven faculties:
- Faculty of Humanities
- Department of Arts & Languages
- Department of Theology
- Department of Philosophy
- Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
- Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance
- Utrecht University School of Economics (USE)
- Utrecht University School of Law
- Utrecht University School of Governance (USG)
- Faculty of Geosciences
- Department of Earth Sciences
- Department of Physical Geography
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Innovation Studies
- Department of Human Geography and Urban Planning
- Faculty of Medicine
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
- Faculty of Science
- Department of Biology
- Department of Chemistry
- Department of Information and Computing Sciences
- Department of Mathematics
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Department of Physics and Astronomy
There are three interfaculty units:
- University College / Roosevelt Academy
- Ethics Institute
- IVLOS Institute of Education
 De Uithof (Utrecht University modern campus) |  University College Utrecht |  University College Utrecht |
The two large faculties of Humanities and Law are situated in the inner city of Utrecht. The other five faculties and most of the administrative services are located in De Uithof, a campus area in the outskirts of the city. University College is situated in the former Kromhout Kazerne, which used to be a Dutch military base.
 Juridische Bibliotheek (Law Library) |  Student life in Utrecht |  Dom van Utrecht |
Specificity
If the old city of Utrecht offers both medieval and contemporary surroundings, the reputation of the university is a growing factor in the decision of its students to enrol. Indeed, prospective students take more into account the academic excellence of the teaching as the highest Research standards. In 2009, 92% of surveyed students said that "Utrecht University has an excellent reputation" against 72% only in 2007. The collaboration between students and academic staff, the excellence in Research and the curriculum play a strong role in the decision to apply for 48% of prospective students against 7% in 2007. Compared to previous surveys, the reputation is of growing importance for the choice of the study programme regarding the attractiveness of the city.
In September 2007, Utrecht University already proposed:
- 46 undergraduate programmes (bachelor), three of which are taught in English (Utrecht University School of Economics, University College Utrecht and Roosevelt Academy).
- 196 graduate programmes (master), of which 89 are taught in English.
- Training programs for teachers (taught in Dutch and English).
In this regard, Utrecht proposes the widest range of English-taught programmes in the Netherlands. Finally, Utrecht reinforces each year its international status. This year, the university welcomes 1900 international students from 125 different countries (6.5% of the total student population).
Notable alumni and faculty
Utrecht University counts a number of distinguished scholars among its alumni and faculty, including several Nobel Prize laureates:
- C.H.D. Buys Ballot (meteorologist)
- Clarence Barlow (composer)
- Nicolaas Bloembergen (physicist, Nobel Prize laureate)
- Arend Jan Boekestijn (Historian, Politician)
- Els Borst (former Dutch minister of Health)
- James Boswell (author, lawyer)
- Pieter Burmann the Younger (philologist)
- Michael Clyne (linguist)
- David Dalrymple, Lord Hailes, (author, lawyer)
- Peter Debye (physicist, Nobel Prize laureate)
- René Descartes (philosopher, mathematician)
- Christiaan Eijkman (physician, pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate)
- Willem Einthoven (physician, physicist, Nobel Prize laureate)
- Johann Georg Graevius (scholar)
- Louis Grondijs (Byzantologist, war correspondent)
- Gerardus 't Hooft (physicist, Nobel Prize laureate)
- J. H. van 't Hoff (chemist, Nobel Prize laureate)
- Jacobus Kapteyn (astronomer)
- Tjalling Charles Koopmans (mathematician, physicist, economist, Nobel Prize laureate)
- Arie A. Kruithof, developed the Kruithof curve, describing the influence of colour temperature on visual perception
- Aristid Lindenmayer (biologist)
- Jack van Lint (mathematician)
- Renate Loll (physicist)
- Rudolf Magnus (pharmacologist and physiologist)
- Maung Maung, (7th President of Burma)
- Marcel Minnaert (astronomer)
- Heiko Oberman (historian)
- Mark Overmars (Computer Scientist)
- Abraham Pais (physicist, science historian)
- Perizonius (scholar)
- Wilhelm Röntgen (physicist, Nobel Prize laureate)
- Lavoslav Ruzicka (chemist, Nobel Prize laureate)
- Johann Jakob Scheuchzer (physician, scientist)
- Jan Hendrik Scholten (theologian)
- Boudewijn Sirks (Roman law specialist)
- J. Slauerhoff (poet, novelist) worked as an assistant at the University's clinic for Dermatology and Venereal Diseases from 1929-1930.
- Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland (statesman)
- Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate (poet)
- Jan Terlouw (politician, novelist)
- Gerard Verschuuren from the former Institute of Human Biology
- Martinus J.G. Veltman (physicist, Nobel Prize laureate)
- Frans de Waal (zoologist and ethologist)
- Hugh Williamson (politician)
International acclaim
On the 2009 THE–QS World University Rankings (known from 2010 onwards as the QS World University Rankings), the University of Utrecht was amongst the top 150 universities for the sixth consecutive year, and amongst the top 100 universities for the fourth consecutive year.
| Year | Rank (Change) |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 120 |
| 2005 | 120 (▬) |
| 2006 | 95 (▲ 25) |
| 2007 | 89 (▲ 6) |
| 2008 | 67 (▲ 22) |
| 2009 | 70 (▼ 3) |
On the 2009 Academic Ranking of World Universities list, the University of Utrecht was amongst the top 100 universities for the seventh consecutive year. It was amongst the top 50 universities for six consecutive years.
| Year | Rank (Change) |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 40 |
| 2004 | 39 (▲ 1) |
| 2005 | 39 (▬) |
| 2006 | 40 (▼ 1) |
| 2007 | 42 (▼ 2) |
| 2008 | 47 (▼ 5) |
| 2009 | 52 (▼ 5) |
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