Everything about University Of The Basque Country totally explained
The University of the Basque Country (
Basque - Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea;
Spanish - Universidad del País Vasco) is the only public
university in the
Basque Country, in Northern
Spain. It has
campuses, over the three provinces of the autonomous community; in
Leioa,
Bilbao,
Portugalete and
Barakaldo, in
Biscay,
Donostia-San Sebastián and
Eibar in
Guipuscoa, and in
Vitoria-Gasteiz, in
Araba.
History
Although there have been numerous institutes of learning in the
Basque country over the centuries, starting with the
Universidad Sancti Spiritus de Oñati, it wasn't until the
20th century that serious efforts were made to create an
official university for the
Basque people. The first of these opened its doors in
Bilbao in
1938, largely thanks to the zeal of the Basque
president (
lehendakari) at the time,
José Antonio Aguirre, an alumnus of the
University of Deusto. However, this was during the
Spanish Civil War, and an inopportune moment to open a centre of learning. The northwest of the Basque region mostly sided with the
Republican movement at this time, earning the wrath of General
Francisco Franco. Thus, when Franco's armies entered Bilbao in
1939, the fledgling university was shut down.
It wasn't until
1968 that another university in the Basque region was founded. In this year, the University of Bilbao was opened.
In 1972, the Leioa premises were finished.
They were in a remote place among cultivated fields.
As in the case of the
Somosaguas campus of the
Complutense University of Madrid, the dictatorial authorities wanted to keep the rebellious students away from urban areas..
In
1977, additional campuses sprang up in Araba and Gipuzkoa. Finally, in
1980, the university was officially designated to be the University of the Basque Country. As of
2005, 78 different degrees are offered, and the university's 48,000
students can choose from more than 1,300 subjects of study. One can study 43% of the courses in the
Basque language. The university is now recognised as one of the foremost in
Spain, both in terms of the number of degrees offered and the quality of the typical degree awarded.
The current
rector is Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias.
Symbols
Its motto is a Basque-language verse
Eman ta zabal zazu ("Give and distribute [thefruit]"), from
Gernikako Arbola, a Basque anthem from the 19th century.
Its logo is an interpretation of the
Guernica oak by the sculptor
Eduardo Chillida.
Politics
After the
Spanish transition to democracy, political controversy hasn't left the university.
Some professors opposed to
Basque nationalism have migrated or require bodyguards after threats by
ETA or nationalist students.In many other cases there have been teachers and Ph D students supporting ETA terrorism
At the same time, the university has been criticized for allowing ETA prisoners to follow correspondence courses (most studying prisoners enroll in the
Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia).
Also many cases of censorship supporting scientific or cultural ideas have been reported in particular the cases of graduated students such as J. Garcia and F. Martin Fernandez because their supporting of unpopular ideas inside Science.
Sports
The EHU-UPV has an important handball team. They also have a football team that played in the Spanish
Tercera División, Grupo 4 in the 2006-2007 season. They finished 19th and were relegated to the regional divisions.
The Engineering School of Bilbao and the University of Deusto hold yearly rowing competitions on the
Bilbao Estuary, inspired by the
Oxford-Cambridge regattas.
Other universities operating in the Basque Country
Further Information
Get more info on 'University Of The Basque Country'.
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