Vrije Universiteit Brussel
T.I.M.E. | |
Website | www.vub.be/en |
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The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Dutch:
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel was formed in 1970 by the splitting of the Free University of Brussels, which was founded in 1834 by the lawyer and liberal politician Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen. The founder aimed to establish a university independent from state and church, where academic freedom would be prevalent.[10] This is today still reflected in the university's motto Scientia vincere tenebras, or "Conquering darkness by science", and in its more recent slogan Redelijk eigenzinnig, or "A reasonable mind of its own". Accordingly, the university is pluralistic – it is open to all students on the basis of equality regardless of their ideological, political, cultural or social background – and it is managed using democratic structures, which means that all members – from students to faculty – participate in the decision-making processes.[11]
The university's research articles are on average more cited than articles by any other
History
Establishment of a university in Brussels
The history of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel is closely linked with that of Belgium itself. When the Belgian State was formed in 1830 by nine breakaway provinces from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, three state universities existed in the cities of Ghent, Leuven and Liège, but none in the new capital, Brussels. Since the government was reluctant to fund another state university, a group of leading intellectuals in the fields of arts, science, and education — amongst whom the study prefect of the Royal Athenaeum of Brussels, Auguste Baron, as well as the astronomer and mathematician Adolphe Quetelet — planned to create a private university, which was permitted under the Belgian Constitution.[14][10]
In 1834, the Belgian
After sufficient funding was collected among advocates, the Université libre de Belgique ("Free University of Belgium") was inaugurated on 20 November 1834, in the Gothic Room of Brussels Town Hall. The date of its establishment is still commemorated annually, by students of its successor institutions, as a holiday called Saint-Verhaegen/Sint-Verhaegen (often shortened to St V) for Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen.[16] In 1836, the university was renamed the Université libre de Bruxelles ("Free University of Brussels").[14]
After its establishment, the Free University faced difficult times, since it received no subsidies or grants from the government; yearly fundraising events and tuition fees provided the only financial means. Verhaegen, who became a professor and later head of the new university, gave it a mission statement which he summarised in a speech to King Leopold I: "the principle of free inquiry and academic freedom uninfluenced by any political or religious authority."[10] In 1858, the Catholic Church established the Saint-Louis Institute in the city, which subsequently expanded into a university in its own right.
Growth, internal tensions and move
The Free University grew significantly over the following decades. In 1842, it moved to the
In
The German occupation during World War I led to the suspension of classes for four years in 1914–1918. In the aftermath of the war, the Free University moved its principle activities to the Solbosch in the southern suburb of Ixelles and a purpose-built university campus was created, funded by the Belgian American Educational Foundation. The university was again closed by the German occupiers during World War II on 25 November 1941. Students from the university were involved in the Belgian Resistance, establishing Groupe G which focused on sabotage.
Splitting of the university
Until the early 20th century, courses at the Free University were taught exclusively in French, the language of the
On 1 October 1969, the French and Dutch entities of the Free University separated into two distinct sister universities. This splitting became official with the act of 28 May 1970, of the Belgian Parliament, by which the Dutch-speaking Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and the French-speaking Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) officially became two separate legal, administrative and scientific entities.[23][24]
Organisation
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is an independent institution. The members of all its governing entities are elected by the entire academic community – including
The main organisational structure of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel is its division into faculties:[25]
- Faculty of Law and Criminology
- Faculty of Social Sciences & Solvay Business School
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences
- Faculty of Sciences and Bio-engineering Sciences
- Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy
- Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy
These faculties benefit a wide autonomy over how they structure their educational programmes and research efforts, although their decisions need to comply with the university's statutes and must be approved by the central administration.
The
As of 2022 the rector of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel is Jan Danckaert,[26] who succeeded Caroline Pauwels (1964-2022), who resigned in 2022 due to health reasons.[27]
Education
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel offers
The
The university has implemented several
Research
Notable faculty:
- Diederik Aerts
- Kris Deschouwer
- Paul Devroey
- Mark Elchardus
- Francis Heylighen
- Jonathan Holslag
- Dave Sinardet
- Hugo Soly
- Luc Steels
- Jean-Paul Van Bendegem
- Willy van Ryckeghem
- Andre Van Steirteghem
- Irina Veretennicoff
- Els Witte
- Lode Wyns
Basic principles
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel considers itself an open-minded and tolerant university.[30] Its central principles are the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in particular the principle of free inquiry for the progress of humanity. The latter includes the dismissal of any argument of authority and the right of free opinion.[11] The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is the only Flemish university that has incorporated such principle in its statutes. The principle of free inquiry is often described by a quotation of the French mathematician and philosopher Henri Poincaré:
Thinking must never submit itself,
neither to a dogma,
nor to a party,
nor to a passion,
nor to an interest,
nor to a preconceived idea,
nor to anything whatsoever,
except to the facts themselves,
because for it to submit to anything else would be the end of its existence.
This principle is also reflected in the university's motto Scientia vincere tenebras, or Conquering darkness by science, and in its seal. The seal of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel displays a beggar's wallet and joined hands on the orange-white-blue (the colours of the Prince of Orange) escutcheon in the emblem, referring to the struggle of the Protestant Geuzen and the Prince of Orange against the oppressive Spanish rule and the Inquisition in the sixteenth century.
Another basic principle of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel – also incorporated in the university's statutes – is that the institution must be managed according to the model of democracy.[11] Practically, this means that all members of the academic community — faculty staff, researchers, personnel, and students – are represented in all governing bodies. In this way, the university ensures that everyone has a voice in its decision-making processes and participates in its management. This principle must also guarantee the independence of the university and the academic freedom.
Campus and facilities
Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus
Most of the faculties are located on the
Brussels Health Campus
The campus in
Brussels Technology Campus
The campus Kaai in
Brussels Photonics Campus in Gooik.
Faculties
- Languages and Humanities
- Social Sciences and Solvay Business School
- Engineering
- Medicine and Pharmacy
- Psychology and Educational Sciences
- Sciences and Biomedical Sciences
- Law and Criminology
- Physical Education and Physiotherapy
Institutional cooperation
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel cooperates with several institutions of higher education. They are:
- Brussels Chamber of Commerce
- Erasmushogeschool Brussel(together with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel they make up the Brussels University Association)
- UCLouvain Higher Institute for Re-adaptation Sciences
- Top Industrial Managers for Europe
- UCOS, the University Development Cooperation Centre
- UNICA, the Institutional Network of the UNIversities from the CApitals of Europe
- Université libre de Bruxelles
- University of Kent (Brussels School of International Studies)
- Vesalius College, an anglophone institution sharing the VUB campus
- XIOS Hogeschool Limburg and Provinciale Hogeschool Limburg
- Royal Military Academy
- Worldwide, on the international level the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has concluded institutional collaboration agreements with 38 universities all over the world, and student exchange agreements with 160 universities.
Academic profiles
University rankings | |
---|---|
Global – Overall | |
ARWU World[34] | 301–400 (2023) |
CWUR World[35] | 359 (2020-21) |
CWTS World[36] | 412 (2020) |
QS World[37] | 259 (2024) |
THE World[38] | 201–250 (2024) |
USNWR Global[39] | =292 (2023) |
The university is included in major world university rankings such as Times Higher Education World University Rankings, QS World University Rankings and Academic Ranking of World Universities.
Student life
The BSG is the umbrella organisation for all other student organizations and acts as the defender of the moral interests of the students. Together with their French-speaking counterparts ACE at the
These are some of the student organizations at the VUB:
- Studiekring vrij onderzoek: a collective of students from various faculties, promoting free inquiry through the organisation of debates, lectures and more
- Letteren-en Wijsbegeertekring (LWK): for students studying at the Arts and Philosophy faculty
- Perskring (PERS): for students studying Communication Sciences and Social Sciences [40]
- Geneeskundige Kring (GK) and Farmaceutische Kring (FK): for students studying at the Medicine and Pharmacy faculty
- Polytechnische Kring (PK) for students studying at the Engineering faculty
- Psycho-Ped'Agogische Kring (PPK): for students studying at the Psychology and Educational Sciences faculty
- Kring der Politieke Economische en Sociale Wetenschappen (KEPS) and Solvay ($); for students studying at the Economics and Political faculty
- Wetenschappelijke Kring (WK) : for students studying at the faculty of Sciences and Bio-engineering Sciences
- Mens Sana in Corpore Sano (Mesacosa or MC): for students studying at the Physical Education and Physiotherapy faculty
- Vlaams Rechtsgenootschap (VRG): for students studying at the Law and Criminology faculty
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel Model United Nations (VUBMUN): for all students of the VUB.[41]
- We Decolonize VUB: for ethnic minority students at the VUB.[42]
Members of these organizations (except VUBMUN) wear a klak (Dutch) or penne (French).
Furthermore, the VUB has student organizations for students with a specific regional background. They are: Antverpia (
Notable alumni
Scientists and academics
- Antoon Van den Braembussche (1946-).
- Patrick Baert (1961–)
- Willy Gepts (1922–1991)
- Leo Apostel (1925–1995)
- Clement Hiel (1952–)
- Christine Van Den Wyngaert (1952–), former Judge of the International Criminal Court.
- Jean Bourgain (1954–2018)
- Ingrid Daubechies (1954–), Belgian physicist and mathematician and Professor at Duke University.
- Peter Rousseeuw (1956-), Belgian statistician and professor at KU Leuven.
- Sophie de Schaepdrijver (1961–)
- Pattie Maes (1961-), Professor of Media Technology at Media Lab MIT
- Sathyabhama Das Biju (1963-), Indian amphibian biologist and wildlife conservationist.
- Frank Pattyn (1966-), Belgian glaciologist and professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles.
- Bob Coecke (1968-), Belgian theoretical physicist and logician and professor of Quantum Foundations, Logics and Structures at Oxford University.
- Kris Deschouwer
- Raymond Hamers, Discoverer of 'single-chain antibodies' or nanobodies.
- Steven Laureys
- Francis Heylighen
- Wim Leemans
- Helena Van Swygenhoven
- Els Witte
- Guido Geerts
- Johan Schoukens
- Ram Lakhan Ray (1968-)
- Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health of Ontario Canada.
Artists
- André Delvaux (1926–2002), Belgian film director.
- Jef Geeraerts (1930–), Belgian writer.
- Claude Coppens (1936-), Belgian pianist and composer.
- Erik Pevernagie (1939), Belgian painter and writer.
- Marcel Vanthilt (1957-), Belgian singer and television presenter.
- Fabienne Demal (Axelle Red) (1968–), Belgian singer and songwriter.
- Stéphane Ginsburgh (1969-), Belgian pianist.
- Sapiyossi, singer, composer, dancer, fashion designer, and choreographer.
Businesspeople
- Pieter De Leenheer
- Tony Mary (1950–)
- Felix Van de Maele
Politicians
- Amir-Abbas Hoveyda (1919 -1979), former Prime Minister - Iran.
- Marco Formentini (1930-2021), Italian Politician & former mayor of Milan.
- Willy Claes (1938–), former Minister of Foreign Affair and former Secretary General of NATO.
- Louis Tobback (1938–), former mayor of Leuven and former Minister of the Interior - Belgium.
- Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck (1944-)
- Norbert De Batselier (1947–),
- Marc Verwilghen (1952-), former Minister of Justice - Belgium.
- Karel De Gucht (1954–), former Minister of Foreign Affair - Belgium.
- Christian Leysen (1954–)
- Patrick Dewael (1955–), former Minister of the interior - Belgium.
- Frank Vanhecke (1959–)
- Bert Anciaux (1959–)
- Gunther Sleeuwagen (1958–)
- Jan Jambon (1960–)
- Maggie De Block (1962–), former Minister of Health - Belgium.
- Hans Bonte (1962-)
- Florika Fink-Hooijer (1962-)
- Zoran Milanović (1966–), President of Croatia.
- Bruno Tobback (1969-)
- Wouter Beke (1974-)
- Alexander De Croo (1975–), Prime Minister of Belgium
- Tinne Van der Straeten (1978-), Minister of Energy - Belgium.
- Zuhal Demir (1980-)
- Nadia Sminate (1981-)
- Sammy Mahdi (1988-)
Athletes
- Sébastien Godefroid (1971–), Olympic sailor.
- Emma Meesseman, Belgian professional basketball player.
- Dirk Van Tichelt, Olympic judoka.
- Jürgen Roelandts, Belgian professional road bicycle racer.
- Kathleen Smet, Olympic triathlon.
Journalists
- Yves Desmet
- Jean Mentens
- Danira Boukhriss, Flemish television presenter and newscaster.
- Tim Trachet, Belgian writer, publicist and journalist.
Honorary doctorates
Notable recipients of honorary doctorates (doctor honoris causa) at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel include:
- Nelson Mandela
- Václav Havel
- Jacques Cousteau
- Hans Blix
- Julia Gillard
- Noam Chomsky
- Dario Fo, Sonia Gandhi
- Natan Ramet
- Richard Stallman
- Johann Olav Koss
- Herman van Veen
- Richard Dawkins
- Kim Clijsters
- Rom Harré
- Daniel Barenboim
See also
- Flanders Interuniversity Institute of Biotechnology(VIB)
- Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre(IMEC)
- Science and technology in Brussels
- Science and technology in Flanders
- Top Industrial Managers for Europe
- Université libre de Bruxelles
- University Foundation
- List of split up universities
Notes and references
- ^ "Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium". Thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk.
- ^ "Vrije Universiteit Brussel". Studyinflanders.be.
- ^ "VUB celebrates 50 years". Vub.ac.be.
- ^ "Van Gelder nieuwe voorzitter raad van bestuur VUB". Standaard.be. 20 December 2002.
- ^ "Jan Danckaert named new rector of Vrije Universiteit Brussel". VUB Today. 22 June 2022.
- ^ "De Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) telt dit jaar 8 procent meer studenten dan het jaar voordien. Dit academiejaar zijn 19.245 studenten ingeschreven". Nieuwsblad.be. 23 October 2020.
- ^ Basic VUB house style colours – website of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel
- ^ The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is one of the five universities officially recognised by the Flemish government. A list of all official institutes of higher education in Flanders is maintained by the Flemish government.
- ^ "Campuses". Vub.ac.be. 2016.
- ^ ISBN 90-5487-140-7.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - ^ a b c d According to the statutes of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel: "Organiek Statuut" (PDF) (in Dutch). Brussels: Vrije Universiteit Brussel. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 November 2007. Retrieved 23 November 2007.
- University of Leiden
- ^ Figures from the 2011–2012 Yearly Report of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel: "Activiteitenverslag 2011–2012" (PDF) (in Dutch). Brussels: Vrije Universiteit Brussel. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ^ a b "A University born of an idea". Université libre de Bruxelles. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ISBN 90-6186-418-6.
- ^ "Pierre Théodore Verhaegen and St V". Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-7190-8883-4.
- ^ Great Britain's first home Olympic football adventure by Jon Carter, ESPN, 26 Jun 2012
- ^ Before the World Cup: Who were football’s earliest world champions? by Paul Brown on Medium Sports, 6 Jun 2018
- ^ Games of the II. Olympiad - Football Tournament by Søren Elbech and Karel Stokkermans on the RSSSF
- Belgian official journal. p. 4846. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ "About the University: Culture and History". Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Retrieved 25 November 2007.
- ^ "Chambre des Représen tant" (PDF).
- ^ "Law of 28 May 1970, concerning the splitting of the universities in Brussels and Leuven" (in Dutch). Belgisch Staatsblad/Flemish Government. Retrieved 25 November 2007.
- ^ See the "Faculties of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel". Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ^ "Jan Danckaert named new rector of Vrije Universiteit Brussel". VUB Today. 22 June 2022.
- ^ See the "Organogram of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel" (PDF). Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 April 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ^ According to the "official list of educational programmes at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel". Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ^ Accreditation details can be consulted at "the website of NVAO". NVAO—Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ^ "Welcoming the World" (PDF) (in Dutch). Brussels: Vrije Universiteit Brussel. 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ^ "Het Rectoraatsgebouw van de Vrije Universiteit Brussel" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2022.
- ^ "KultuurKaffee van VUB sluit na dit weekend de deuren" (in Dutch). DeMorgen. 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- ^ "Fablab Brussels".
- ^ "Academic Ranking of World Universities 2023". ShanghaiRanking. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ "World University Rankings 2020-2021". Center for World University Rankingsg. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- ^ "CWTS Leiden Ranking 2020 - P(top 10%)". CWTS Leiden Ranking. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- ^ "QS World University Rankings 2024". Top Universities. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ "World University Rankings 2024 – Vrije Universiteit Brussel". Times Higher Education (THE). 23 March 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ "Best Global Universities 2022-23: Vrije Universiteit Brussel". U.S. News Education (USNWR). ). Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ PERS. "About PERSkring – PERSkring VUB". Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
- ^ VUBMUN. "Vrije Universiteit Brussel Model United Nations".
- ^ We Decolonize VUB. "We Decolonize VUB - Project the world Needs You | Vrije Universiteit Brussel".
External links
- Official website of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel
- (in Dutch) Official website of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel
- More complete list of famous alumni (in Dutch)
- Find an officially recognised programme of this institution in the Higher Education Register
- V.Ir.Br. – VUB Engineering Alumni Association
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