Universidad San Francisco de Quito

Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Motto Studium, Progressus, Labor (in Latin)
Motto in English
 Study, Progress, Work
Type Private university
Established 1988
Chancellor Santiago Gangotena, Ph.D.
President Carlos Montúfar, Ph.D.
Academic staff
 300 full-time faculty
Administrative staff
 160
Students 5,500
Undergraduates 4,500
Postgraduates 150
Location Quito, Ecuador
Coordinates: 0°11′46″S 78°26′08″W / 0.19611°S 78.43556°W / -0.19611; -78.43556
Campus Three throughout Ecuador, in Cumbayá-Quito, Galápagos Islands, and Tiputini Biodiversity Station, next to the Yasuni National Park
Umbrella organization Corporación de Promoción Universitaria
Colours Red     
Athletics USFQ Fútbol Club
Mascot Dragon
Affiliations Berklee International Network
UNIGIS
Institut Paul Bocuse Worldwide Alliance
Confucius Institute
CLI
Website usfq.edu.ec (in Spanish)

Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ (informally Universidad San Francisco, or simply USFQ) is a liberal-arts, non-profit, private university located in Quito, Ecuador. It was the first totally private self-financed university in Ecuador and the first liberal-arts institution in the Andean region.[1][2]

Academically, USFQ ranks as one of the three-top universities (category A) in the ranking of Ecuadorian universities (being the only totally private university to qualify for the highest category), issued by the Ecuadorian Council of Evaluation and Accreditation of High Education (Consejo Nacional de Evaluación y Acreditación de la Educación Superior CONEA).[3][4] In 2009, it was ranked first in Ecuador in relation to the number of peer-reviewed scientific publications.[5]

The university now enrolls 5,500 students, 4,500 of whom are undergraduates. The university each year has about 100 indigenous students and 1000 international students participate in USFQ academic programs. USFQ has developed a scholarship program for indigenous students, offering full scholarships to the best students of public high schools throughout Ecuador.[6] Although USFQ receives no funding from the government of Ecuador, its faculty comprises one-half of all the people in that nation who hold a doctorate.[1]

USFQ main campus is located in Cumbayá, outside of Quito (capital city of Ecuador), where students use a library, education and research laboratories, classrooms, and seven restaurants. USFQ is the only university in the world that owns a campus in the Galapagos Islands, and a campus in the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve (Tiputini Biodiversity Station), one of Earth's most biodiverse areas.[1][2]

History

Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ was founded in 1988[1] by the Corporación de Promoción Universitaria, its umbrella non-profit foundation. It was the first totally private self-financed university in Ecuador. It was named after the city of Quito: San Francisco de Quito (not after the saint), in response to the need of a private higher-education institution in Ecuador. It was recognized by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Ecuador in October 1995 and accredited by CONESUP in May 2001.[7]

Establishment of the Corporación de Promoción Universitaria

In 1980, a group of Ecuadorian and international intellectuals and businesspeople, under the leadership of Santiago Gangotena González, established the non-profit Corporación de Promoción Universitaria, with the mission to create a private Ecuadorian university. The corporation was legalized by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Ecuador in June 1985 (published in the Official Registry of the Ecuadorian Government in 28 de June 1985).

Foundation of the University

After eight years of planning and promotion, the first class of USFQ students started on September 1, 1988, in a manor located on the 12 de Octubre Ave. 1983 and Salazar St.,in the northern area of Quito, with 130 students. The university was recognized by the Ecuadorian government on October 18, 1995, under Executive Decree 3166, published in the Official Registry 809 on October 25, 1995. The statutes of the university were approved by the National Council of High Education CONESUP on May 18, 2001.

Creation of the colleges

USFQ is divided among academic colleges (faculties). In 1988, students were distributed among three academic colleges: Colegio de Administración para el Desarrollo for business studies, Colegio de Ciencias Aplicadas for applied sciences, and Colegio de Comunicación y Cultura for communication, arts and cultural studies. In 1990, USFQ started the Colegio de Ciencias Ambientales for environmental sciences.

In 1992, six colleges were established: Colegio de Administración para el Desarrollo, Colegio de Comunicación y Artes, Colegio de Ciencias Ambientales, Colegio de Ciencias Aplicadas, Colegio de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, y Colegio de Lenguas. Subsequently in 1993, the Colegio de Arquitectura started, followed in 1994 by the Colegio de Agricultura and the Colegio de Ciencias de la Salud. In 1997, the Colegio de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades changed its name to Colegio de Artes Liberales.

Colleges of the university

In 2011, USFQ is divided in 16 academic colleges and institutes spread across three campuses across Ecuador (Cumbayá-Quito, Tiputini Biodiversity Station, and the Galápagos Islands[1]):

Contributions to the advancement of science and society

Traditions

The university has developed traditions, including:

Degrees

USFQ offers undergraduate degrees (Bachelor of Arts/BA, Bachelor of Science/BS), professional degrees (Architect, Lawyer, Engineer), and postgraduate degrees (Master's and Trainings).

Bachelor's degrees

Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Science

Professional degrees

Postgraduate degrees

Informations

Notable alumni and faculty

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sobre la USFQ .
  2. 1 2 Universidad San Francisco de Quito @QSTopUniversities .
  3. ↑ "Calificación de las universidades según el CONEA". Vistazo.com. Retrieved 2012-05-17.
  4. ↑ CONEA: sólo 11 Universidades tienen calificación "A" y 9 calificación "B"
  5. ↑ Orbe, T. 2009. Ecuador produce pocas publicaciones científicas. Scidev.Net .
  6. ↑ David E. Weaver. 2008. Transforming universities: The expediency of interculturality for indigenous superior education in Ecuador. MS Thesis, Tulane University. http://books.google.com.ec/books?id=e6dkwYIabIYC
  7. ↑ . conesup.net.
  8. ↑ Shermer, Michael. 27 June 2005. The Woodstock of Evolution. Scientific American http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-woodstock-of-evolutio&page=1
  9. ↑ Proyecto Eco Dess http://www.sph.umich.edu/scr/ecodess/home.php?itemID=2&lang=English
  10. ↑
  11. ↑ Cisneros-Heredia and McDiarmid. 2007. Zootaxa http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2007f/z01572p082f.pdf
  12. ↑ by BirdLife International
  13. ↑ "Aves & Conservación/BirdLife en Ecuador - Programa de Áreas Importantes para la Conservación de las Aves (IBAs)". Avesconservacion.org. Retrieved 2012-05-17.
  14. ↑ Bass MS, Finer M, Jenkins CN, Kreft H, Cisneros-Heredia DF, et al. 2010 Global Conservation Significance of Ecuador's Yasuní National Park. PLoS ONE 5(1): e8767. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008767
  15. ↑ Día de la Universidad - Dies Universitatis http://usfq-ecuador.blogspot.com/2010/08/02-septiembre-dia-de-la-universidad.html
  16. ↑ Ceremonia del Mandil Blanco http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfq1/sets/72157622908573822/with/4148527418/

External links

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