Ghent University

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Ghent University Universiteit Gent
Latin: Academia Gandavensis
Motto	Inter Utrumque
Established	1817
Type	Public
Rector	Paul Van Cauwenberge
Staff	6,400
Students	28,077
Location	Ghent, Flanders, Belgium
Colours	blue and yellow
Mascot	the Roman goddess Minerva
Affiliations	Associatie Universiteit Gent (AUGent)
Website	http://www.ugent.be

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 28,000 students and 6,400 Staff members.

It is a relatively young university, founded 9 October 1817. The year before, king William I of the Netherlands had proclaimed the establishment of three universities in the Southern Netherlands. The language of teaching from 1817 till Belgium's autonomy and separation from the Netherlands (1830) was Latin; from 1830 till 1930 it was first French and then later a bilingual French/Dutch system. In 1930, Ghent University became the first Belgian university to teach in the Dutch language.

On March 22, 2005, Paul Van Cauwenberge succeeded Andreas De Leenheer as rector.

[edit] Characteristics

In contrast to the Catholic University of Leuven, Ghent University is a pluralist university (i.e. not connected to any kind of religion, hence its motto 'Inter Utrumque', 'In Between Both <Extremes>').

[edit] Eminent alumni

The Boekentoren, designed by Henry van de Velde, is one of the most famous university buildings

• Leo Apostel, philosopher
• Leo Baekeland, chemist
• Wim Blockmans, historian
• Thierry Bogaert, founder of DevGen
• Marc Bossuyt, judge, professor
• Robert Cailliau, inventor of the World Wide Web
• Marc Coucke, co-founder of Omega Pharma
• Franz Cumont, historian
• Jean Daskalidès, (1922-1992), gynecologist, founder of Leonidas chocolates
• Els De Bens, philologist, media specialist
• Paul Fredericq, historian
• Walter Fiers, molecular biologist
• Dirk Frimout, physicist, astronaut
• Joseph Guislain, physiologist and psychiatrist
• Paul Janssen, pharmacologist
• Jacques-Joseph Haus, jurist
• Philippe Herreweghe, doctor, psychiatrist, orchestra conductor
• Corneille Heymans, physiologist (Nobel prize winner)
• François Laurent, jurist
• Yves Leterme, statesman
• Herman Liebaers, literature, former Marschal of the Royal Household.
• Julius Mac Leod, botanist
• Paul Mansion, mathematician
• Gerard Mortier, artistical director
• Peter Piot, doctor, assistant secretary-general of the United Nations
• Henri Pirenne, historian
• Joseph Plateau, physicist
• Karel Poma, chemist and politician
• Adolphe Quetelet , statistician
• Godfried-Willem Raes, composer, performer and instrument maker
• Jacques Rogge, doctor, president of the International Olympic Committee
• Johan Rudolf Thorbecke, statesman
• Jozef Schell, molecular biologist
• Ferdinand Augustijn Snellaert, (1809-1872), physician and writer
• Herman Vanderpoorten, (1922-1984), politician
• Karel van de Woestijne, (1878-1929), writer
• Prudens van Duyse, (1804-1859), writer
• Henry van de Velde, architect
• Marc Van Montagu, biotech pioneer
• Désiré van Monckhoven, physicist
• Jules Van Praet, statesman
• Guy Verhofstadt, prime minister of Belgium
• Etienne Vermeersch, philosopher
• August Vermeylen, author, art historian, statesman

[edit] See also

• List of universities in Belgium
• Catholic University of Leuven
• Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Flemish Interuniversity Institute of Biotechnology (VIB)
• Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC)

[edit] External link

• Official website of Ghent University
• More information about higher education in Flanders/Belgium (in English)
• Find an officially recognised programme of this institution in the Higher Education Register