University of Ghent

Ghent University (in Dutch, Universiteit Gent, abbreviated UGent) is one of the three large Flemish universities. It is located in the historic town of Ghent in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking (northern) part of Belgium. It has 30,000 students and 6,400 Staff members.

Ghent University, abbreviated to UGent, is one of the major universities in the Dutch-speaking region. Over 130 faculty departments, divided over 11 faculties, offer high-quality courses in every one of their scientific disciplines, each inspired by innovative research.

Ghent University distinguishes itself as a socially committed and pluralistic university in a broad international perspective.


History

In comparison with other European universities, the Ghent Alma Mater is relatively young. The institution was inaugurated on October 9, 1817, after King William I in the preceding year had proclaimed the establishment of three universities in the Southern Netherlands. Lectures started on November 3rd.

Two events had a decisive influence on the University's history: the political separation from the Netherlands in 1830 and the introduction of Dutch as the official language in 1930. Both events represented at the same time a break with the past and a new beginning. They also coincided with changes in the University's language statut.

The language of instruction from its establishment by William I of Orange till the separation from the Netherlands was Latin, from 1830 till 1930 it was first French and then a bilingual system, and after 1930 it was Dutch.

The first professorial staff had sixteen members, including nine foreigners, mainly Northern Dutch and Germans. In 1817 a total of 190 students registered in the four faculties: Arts, Law, Medecine and Sciences.

The revolution of 1830 had disastrous consequences for education in Ghent as two faculties were abolished- Sciences and Arts. Although the Law on Higher Education of 1835 returned the two faculties to Ghent University and also added the Technical Schools, the recovery proceeded very slowly. Thirty-five years would pass before the student population level of 1830 was once again attained. Nevertheless, during this period Ghent University won the greatest number of prizes in the university competitions.
A systematic and thorough modernization of higher education in Ghent took place after the Laws of 1876 and 1890 were passed, which granted universities the power to award academic degrees and enabled the scientific development. Due to the relaxed entrance requirements for university studies, female students also gained access to higher education. The first woman came to study in Ghent in 1882. She opted to study Sciences. Laboratory exercices and laboratory research work got their start in this period and research assistants were also appointed.
Over the years the professorial staff has included a number of eminent figures: the jurists Jean-Jacques Haus, and François Laurent, the physicist Joseph Plateau, the mathematician Paul Mansion, the physiologist and psychiatrist Joseph Guislain, the historians Henri Pirenne and Paul Fredercq, the Germanic scholars Joseph Vercoullie and Henri Logeman, and the zoologist and botanist Julius Mac Leod, who was also the spiritual father of the Flemish-speaking Ghent University.

Dutch became the official language of Ghent University in 1930, the year Belgium celebrated its first centennial. This made it the first institution in the country to offer its educationnal programmes in Dutch. In 1938 Prof. Corneel Heymans of Ghent was the only Fleming to receive the Nobel Prize for his discoveries in the field of respiratory regulation. The pulling down of the language barrier in 1930 constituted an important step towards the democratization and scientific development of recent decades.
A university stands or falls on the basis of the scientific research it produces. In the past, the university's fame was in the hands of individual scholars who taught and carried on research. In the last decades, because of the explosion in the growth and range of scientific research, this is no longer feasible. Research is increasingly becoming a matter of teamwork and interdisciplinary collaboration.
As a consequence of the reform of the State, regional communities enjoyed wide powers of decision, for instance on education.

The decree of 1991, who assigned great autonomy to the University provided new challenges on education and research in an international perspective.
Today, after decades of uninterrupted growth, Ghent University is one of the leading institutions of higher education and research in the Low Countries. With 26,000 students and 5,450 staff members, Ghent University is an open, committed and pluralistic university with a broad international perspective.

Courses offered

• Philosophy and Moral Sciences
  
• Linguistics and Literature
  
• History
  
• Archaeology and Art Sciences
  
• Law, Notary's practice and Criminological Sciences
  
• Psychology and Educational Sciences
  
• Economics and Business Engineering
  
• Political and Social Sciences
  
• Social Health Science
  
• Physical Education, Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy
  
• Science
  
• Engineering Sciences
  
• Applied Biological Sciences
  
• Medicine
  
• Dentistry
  
• Veterinary Medicine
  
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
  
• Biomedical Sciences
  
• Combined Study Field
  

Faculties

• Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
  
• Faculty of Law
  
• Faculty of Science
  
• Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
  
• Faculty of Engineering
  
• Faculty of Economics and Business Administration
  
• Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
  
• Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences
  
• Faculty of Bioscience Engineering
  
• Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
  
• Faculty of Political and Social Sciences
  

After more than twenty years of uninterrupted growth, Ghent University is now one of the most important institutions of higher education and research in the Low Countries.

Ghent University yearly attracts over 30,000 students, with a foreign student population of over 2,200 EU and non-EU citizens.

Ghent University offers a broad range of study programmes in all academic and scientific branches.

With a view to cooperation in research and community service, numerous research groups, centres and institutes have been founded over the

University of Ghent, Belgium ranked:

124th in the 2007 THES-QS World University Ranking

136th in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking
136th in the 2009 THES-QS World University Ranking
192nd in the 2010 QS World University Ranking

165th in the 2011 QS World University Ranking

Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) Belgium

The Université catholique de Louvain, sometimes known as UCL, is Belgium's largest French-speaking university, and a successor institution to the oldest university in the Low Countries. It is located in Louvain-la-Neuve and in Brussels. It has full university status.

The creation of Universities as an institution was one of the best things to come out of the Middle Ages. The institution's commitment to extending the boundaries of human knowledge, transmitting this knowledge, and thereby increasing the humanity of the human race has kept it at the forefront of civilization in the 21st century. The Université catholique de Louvain has played a part in this process with pride since 1425.

But above all, UCL's mission to be a great European university is directed towards the future. It takes in teachers, researchers and students from far and wide and the need for strict quality control has never been higher. The internationalization of tertiary education brings new challenges. Inspired by a long history of welcoming others, the university campuses are developing into living communities.

UCL is a microcosm of the world it serves. It is a centre of knowledge and innovation, a place of cultural celebration and invention, of achievement and extending the limits of human accomplishment.

History

The Catholic University of Leuven, based in Leuven ("Louvain" in French), 30 km east of Brussels, provided lectures in French from 1835, and in Dutch from 1930. In 1968 the Dutch-language section became an independent Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, which remained in Leuven, while the French-speaking university was moved to a greenfield campus, Louvain-la-Neuve, 20 km south-east of Brussels, in a part of the country where French is the official language. This separation also entailed dividing existing library holdings between the two new universities.

With the democratization of university education already stretching existing structures, plans to expand the French-speaking part of the university at a campus in Brussels or Wallonia had been quietly discussed from the early 1960s, but it had not been anticipated that the French-speaking section would become an entirely independent university and lose all its buildings and infrastructure in Leuven. The first stone of the new campus at Louvain-la-Neuve was laid in 1971, and the transfer of faculties to the new site was completed in 1979.

Faculties

• Faculty of Theology (theology)
  
• Faculty of Philosophy (also known as the Institute of Philosophy, ISP)(philosophy)
  
• Faculty of Law (law)
  
• Faculty of Economical, Social and Political Sciences.(economics, management , sociology, anthropology, political sciences, communication, journalism, demography, development studies).
  
• Faculty of Philosophy and Literature (Arts and Humanities)(languages and literature, history, history of art, theatre, archeology)
  
• Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (psychology, education)
  
• Faculty of Science (biology, chemistry, physics, geography, mathematics, computer science)
  
• Faculty of Engineering (engineering)
  
• Faculty of Applied Bioscience and Engineering (bio-engineering, agronomy, environmental studies)
  
• Faculty of Medicine (medicine)
  
• Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (pharmacology)
  
• Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences (kinesiology, physical education)
  

Since its foundation in 1425, "openness to the world" has been at the core of the UCL's missions in teaching and research. This means today:
high percentage of international students at UCL: on fifth of our students come from the five continents representing more than 120 nationalities;
many students exchanges, teachers and researchers through European networks (Erasmus programmes) and International networks (Erasmus Mundus, CEMS, TIME, Cluster, etc.), one fourth of UCL graduate students benefit from an experience abroad and UCL welcome as many students through our partnerships;
A volontarist politic of partnerships with Higher Education Institutions from the South AND from more developed countries;
An active participation in many networks in Teaching (CUD, Coimbra, AUF, CINDA, FUCE, FIUC, etc.) as well as in Research (6th European framework, etc.).

The International action of UCL works because of the participation of all members of the university, dynamically coordinated by the Council of the International relations (CRI) with the support of its administration (ADRI ) under the responsability of the Prorector of the International Relations.

University Catholique de Louvain ranked 123th in the 2007 THES-QS World University ranking

University Catholique de Louvain ranked 116th in the 2008 THES-QS World University ranking

University Catholique de Louvain ranked 126th in the 2009 THES-QS World University ranking

University Catholique de Louvain ranked 124th in the 2010 QS World University ranking

University Catholique de Louvain ranked 125th in the 2011 QS World University ranking

Texas A & M University

Texas A&M University, often called A&M or TAMU, is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas. It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. It opened in 1876 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, the first public institution of higher education in that state. In 1963, the Texas Legislature renamed the school to Texas A&M University to reflect the institution's expanded roles and academic offerings. The letters "A&M" no longer have any explicit meaning but are retained as a link to the university's past. The nickname "Aggie" refers to students, alumni, and sports teams of Texas A&M.

Texas A&M's designation as a land, sea, and space grant institution reflects a broad range of research with ongoing projects funded by agencies such as NASA, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Office of Naval Research. Working with agencies such as the Texas AgriLife Research and Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M has a direct presence in each of the 254 counties in Texas. The university offers degrees in over 150 courses of study through ten colleges and houses 18 research institutes. Texas A&M has awarded over 320,000 degrees, including 70,000 graduate and professional degrees.

As a Senior Military College, Texas A&M is one of three public universities with a full-time, volunteer Corps of Cadets. It provides more commissioned officers to the United States Armed Forces than any other school outside of the service academies.

Here is what it says in its website:

From humble beginnings in 1876 as Texas' first public institution of higher learning, to a bustling 5,000-acre campus with 46,000-plus students and a nationally recognized faculty, Texas A&M University is one of a select few universities with land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant designations. With an enrollment of about half men and half women, 25 percent of the freshman class are the first in their family to attend college and 8,500 are graduate students. Texas A&M has two branch campuses, one in Galveston, Texas, and one in the Middle Eastern country of Qatar.

This research-intensive flagship university with 10 colleges was recently ranked first in the nation by The Washington Monthly for "tangible contributions to the public interest." U.S. News and World Report ranked Texas A&M third nationally as a "best value" among public universities. Many degree programs are ranked among the top 10 in the country.

Opened in 1876 as Texas' first public institution of higher learning, Texas A&M University is a research-intensive flagship university with 46,000-plus undergraduate and 8,500 graduate students studying in over 250 degree programs in 10 colleges. Students can join any of 800 student organizations and countless activities ranging from athletics and recreation to professional and community service events.

But there's more than just numbers that make up the Aggie experience. There's access to world-class research programs and award-winning faculty. There are opportunities to learn in and out of the classroom whether through technology or through one of our branch campuses or international study centers.

Academics

At Texas A&M, students have a wealth of opportunity to pursue their lifelong career goals. Many of Texas A&M’s degree programs are ranked in the top 10 nationally. With a comprehensive selection of majors and numerous extracurricular activities to hone their skills in academics, leadership and public service, a college experience at Texas A&M results in highly sought-after graduates and solid world citizens.

With more than 120 undergraduate degree programs and more than 240 master's and Ph.D. programs to choose from, the university enrolls one of the 10 largest student bodies in the nation—and the largest outside a major metropolitan area. Fall 2007 enrollment is a record 46,542, with a record 8,085 entering freshmen.

The average SAT score for freshmen is 1208, almost 200 points above the national average. Texas A&M consistently ranks among the country's top universities in attracting National Merit Scholars. The university is home to one of the largest chapters of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and largest academic honor society.

Texas A&M ranks at the top statewide in student retention and graduation, making it the university of choice for students from all walks of life.

The Dwight Look College of Engineering has the largest enrollment of 20.5%.
The College of Liberal Arts and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences follow, enrolling 15% and 14% of the student body, respectively.
The College of Education and Human Development enrolls 12%, and
Mays Business School enrolls about 11%.
Colleges with less than 10% enrollment include the College of Architecture,
the College of Science,
the George Bush School of Government and Public Service,
the College of Geosciences, and
the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.
Approximately 8% of the student body has not declared a major.

Ranking

The 2008 U.S. News and World Report ranks Texas A&M 62nd, tied with Worcester Polytechnic Institute, among all American universities and 23rd among public universities. The Washington Monthly ranks the school 1st nationally with criteria based on research, community service, and social mobility.

Newsweek International ranks Texas A&M as the 77th university globally based on "openness and diversity" as well as "distinction in research".Shanghai Jiao Tong University ranks the university 50th nationally and 88th internationally based on educational quality, faculty quality, and research output. The Times Higher Education Supplement ranks Texas A&M 60th among the world's top 100 technology universities, 24th among America's top biomedicine universities, and 50th among North America's top 50 universities.

The 2008 Kiplinger's Personal Finance ranks the school as the 25th best value public university based on in-state tuition, and the 9th best value public university based on out-of-state tuition.In addition, Hispanic Magazine ranks Texas A&M as 23rd nationally for Latinos, while New Mobility magazine ranks the university as one of the top ten "disability-friendly" colleges.

The John Templeton Foundation listed Texas A&M as one of the thirty-five American college programs that "communicate[s] the values of honesty, trust, respect, responsibility, integrity, and fairness in the classroom"

Texas A & M University ranked 122th in the 2007 THES-QS World University Ranking

Texas A & M University ranked 137th in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking

Texas A & M University ranked 198th in the 2010 QS World University Ranking

Texas A & M University ranked 158th in the 2011 QS World University Ranking

University of Sussex

The University of Sussex is a British campus university which is situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, and is 4 miles (6.4 km) from Brighton. It is the only university in England to be located entirely within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, that of the South Downs.

The University of Sussex was the first of the new wave of British universities founded in the 1960s, receiving its Royal Charter in August 1961, and came to be identified not only with postwar social change, but a groundbreaking interdisciplinary approach, and later social engagement. The University is ranked within the top 30 in the UK, with The Guardian University Rankings of 2005 placing Sussex 16th, whilst the 2007 "Good University Guide" places Sussex in 27th position and the latest 2008 ranking sees Sussex move up to 24th. According to the 2008 Guardian University Rankings, Sussex has the number one ranked chemistry department among British universities, with its Professor Geoff Cloke recently being elected a Fellow of The Royal Society.

History

The University of Sussex initially began as an idea for the construction of a university to serve Brighton. In December 1911 there was a public meeting at the Royal Pavilion in order to discover ways in which to fund the construction of a university. However, the project was halted by the First World War and the money raised was instead used for books for the Municipal Technical College. However, the idea was revived in the 1950s, and in June 1958, the government approved the corporation's scheme for a university at Brighton, the first of a new generation of red brick universities. The University was established as a company in 1959, with a Royal Charter being granted on 16 August 1961.

Many of the universities founded in the 1960s take their name from the county in which they are located. The University of Sussex is unusual in that it is in the county of East Sussex and yet uses only the "Sussex" part of the name (alluding to the historic county of Sussex); there was no corresponding university in the county of West Sussex.

The University of Sussex rapidly gained a reputation of radicalism and liberalism, which endures today, with the university's student union committed to political causes. Currently the University has a "no platform for fascists" stance, disallowing fascist parties such as the BNP the right to speak and debate at the University.

In 2004, the University started using a new corporate-style logo in place of its coat of arms. Former vice-chancellor, Professor Alasdair Smith, said: "Our new visual identity is the starting point for what will be a fresh look and feel for Sussex. It is based on the university's vision and values, themselves a statement of what it aspires to be: pioneering, creative, international, excellent, engaging and challenging". The new logo is also meant to reflect the large changes that are occurring at Sussex, such as the opening of the new Brighton and Sussex Medical School, new degree programmes, and the largest amount of building work on campus since the university opened. The University retains the right to resume use of its coat of arms.

Here's what the website talked about Sussex:

There’s a unique flavour to Sussex that makes studying here a great experience. Our strong reputation for research attracts outstanding academic staff from around the world and provides firm foundations for our teaching excellence. Add to this our proud history for innovative learning approaches and inclusiveness, where everyone is encouraged to make the most of all their talents, and you have a recipe for outstanding success.

Schools

The main parent departments are:

• Humanities (HUMS)
  
• Life Sciences (LIFESCI)
  
• Science and Technology (SCITECH)
  
• Social Sciences and Cultural Studies (SOCCUL)
  
• Science and Technology Policy Research (SPRU)
  
• Sussex Institute (SI)
  
• Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS)
  

Notable faculty

In the sciences Sussex counts among its faculty two Nobel Prize winners, Sir John Cornforth and Professor Harry Kroto. Sir Harry, the first Briton to win the chemistry prize in over ten years, received the prize in 1996 for the discovery of a new class of carbon compounds known as the fullerenes. The University has 15 Fellows of the Royal Society - the highest number per science student of any British university other than Cambridge. In the arts, there are six members of faculty - an unusually high proportion - who have the distinction of being Fellows of the British Academy. Faculty publish around 3,000 papers, journal articles and books each year, as well as being involved in consultative work across the world. Sussex has counted two Nobel Prize winners, 13 Fellows of the Royal Society, six fellows of the British Academy and a winner of the prestigious Crafoord Prize in its faculty.

University of Sussex ranked:

121th in the 2007 THES-QS World University Ranking

130th in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking
166th in the 2009 THES-QS World University Ranking
156th in the 2010 QS World University Ranking

197th in the 2011 QS World University Ranking

Ohio State University

The Ohio State University (OSU) is a coeducational public research university in the state of Ohio. The university was founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the largest university in the United States.

Ohio State is currently ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the best public university in Ohio, among the top 60 universities in the United States, and among the top 20 public universities in the United States. Ohio State has been officially designated as the flagship institution of the state's public system of higher educationby the newly centralized University System of Ohio.

History

The Ohio State University was founded in 1870 as a land-grant university in accordance with the Morrill Act of 1862 under the name of the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College. The school was originally situated within a farming community located on the northern edge of Columbus. While some interests in the state had hoped that the new university would focus on matriculating students of various agricultural and mechanical disciplines, Governor Rutherford B. Hayes foresaw a more classic, comprehensive university and manipulated both the university's location and its initial board of trustees towards that end. Later that year, the university welcomed its first class of twenty-four students. In 1878, and in light of its expanded focus, the college permanently changed its name to the now-familiar "The Ohio State University" (with the article "The" as part of its official name).

Ohio State began accepting graduate students in the 1880s, and, in 1891, the school saw the founding of its law school. It would later acquire colleges of medicine, dentistry, commerce and journalism in subsequent years.

Although development had been hindered in the 1870s by hostility from the state's agricultural interests and competition for resources from Miami University and Ohio University, both issues were eventually resolved. In 1906, Ohio State's status as the state's flagship campus was written into law by the Ohio legislature through the Eagleson Bill. In 1916, Ohio State was elected into membership in the Association of American Universities.

Schools

The Ohio State University comprises the following colleges and schools:

• College of Dentistry
  
• College of Education and Human Ecology
  
• College of Engineering
  
• Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture
  
• College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences
  
• School of Environment and Natural Resources
  
• College of Medicine
  
• College of Nursing
  
• College of Optometry
  
• College of Pharmacy
  
• College of Public Health
  
• College of Social Work
  
• College of Veterinary Medicine
  
• Colleges of the Arts and Sciences
  
• School of Communication
  
• School of Music
  
• Graduate School
  
• John Glenn School of Public Affairs
  
• Max M. Fisher College of Business
  
• Michael E. Moritz College of Law
  

Ranking

Ohio State was the first university in Ohio to be extended membership into the Association of American Universities in 1916 and remains the only public university in Ohio among the organization's sixty members. The Public Ivies: America's Flagship Public Universities (2000) by Howard and Matthew Greene listed Ohio State as one of a select number of public universities offering the highest educational quality.

U.S. News & World Report’s widely read rankings of undergraduate colleges in America currently places Ohio State as the 19th best public university and 57th overall ranked university in America as well as the highest ranked public university in Ohio. China's Shanghai Jiao Tong University placed Ohio State as the 61st ranked university in the world in their 2007 Academic Ranking of World Universities.

The Lombardi Program on Measuring University Performance at Arizona State University detailed analysis and rankings of American universities currently places Ohio State as the 24th ranked university in America, the 10th ranked public university in America and the top overall university in Ohio. Of their nine ranking criteria, Ohio State ranked in the top-25 in four categories and between 26-50 in an additional four categories. The Washington Monthly college rankings which seek to evaluate colleges' contributions to American society based on factors of social mobility, cutting edge research and service to the country by their graduates currently places Ohio State as 12th in the nation and 10th among public universities.

Ohio State is also the only public university in Ohio to which the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has given both its highest overall classification of Doctoral/Very High Research Activity and highest undergraduate admissions classification of more selective.

The Ohio State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA).

Ohio State University Ranked 120th in the 2007 THES-QS World University Ranking

Ohio State University Ranked 121st in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking

Ohio State University Ranked 129th in the 2009 THES-QS World University Ranking

Ohio State University Ranked 125th in the 2010 QS World University Ranking