University of Alcalá
Encyclopedia
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Alcalá de Henares
Alcalá de Henares , meaning Citadel on the river Henares, is a Spanish city, whose historical centre is one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, and one of the first bishoprics founded in Spain...
, a city 35 km northeast of Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Founded in 1499, it was moved in 1836 to Madrid. In 1977, the University was reopened in its same historical buildings. The University of Alcalá is especially renowned in the Spanish-speaking world for its annual presentation of the highly prestigious Cervantes Prize.
History
Although by 1293 King Sancho IV of CastileSancho IV of Castile
Sancho IV the Brave was the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1284 to his death. He was the second son of Alfonso X and Yolanda, daughter of James I of Aragon.-Biography:...
had already given his approval to the establishment of a "Studium Generale", the University of Alcalá was founded by the Regent of Spain, Cardinal Cisneros, in 1499 as a completely new educational project which fused the best of the traditional Paris and Salamanca
Salamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
models with more innovative models, such as those of Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
and Louvain. Cardinal Cisneros's ambition was to create a university for the modern age and to place Spain at the peak of the European Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
movement. Renaissance humanism
Renaissance humanism
Renaissance humanism was an activity of cultural and educational reform engaged by scholars, writers, and civic leaders who are today known as Renaissance humanists. It developed during the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, and was a response to the challenge of Mediæval...
was to be the crucible in which the ordained and lay clergy could be educated to facilitate ecclesiastical regeneration. The university was also designed to train a new and efficient corps of civil servants to serve the increasingly complex Spanish monarchy. The fulfillment of that reforming ambition led to Alcalá's transformation into the seat of an aristocratic university that would prepare the ground for Spain's "Siglo de Oro" ("Golden Century").
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the University of Alcalá became the pre-eminent centre of academic excellence. Its lecture rooms hosted the teachings of such noted figures as Nebrija, Tomás de Villanueva, Ginés de Sepúlveda, Ignatius de Loyola, Domingo de Soto
Domingo de Soto
Domingo de Soto was a Dominican priest and Scholastic theologian born in Segovia, Spain, and died in Salamanca at the age of 66...
, Ambrosio de Morales, Arias Montano, Juan de Mariana
Juan de Mariana
Juan de Mariana, also known as Father Mariana , was a Spanish Jesuit priest, Scholastic, historian, and member of the Monarchomachs....
, Francisco Vallés de Covarrubias, Juan de la Cruz, Lope de Vega
Lope de Vega
Félix Arturo Lope de Vega y Carpio was a Spanish playwright and poet. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Century Baroque literature...
and Quevedo
Quevedo
Quevedo is a Spanish surname. It most frequently refers to:*Francisco de Quevedo, the leading baroque poet of Spain's Siglo de Oro Other uses of Quevedo include:;Places*Quevedo, Ecuador;People...
. At the same time, the prestige of its learning and teaching soon converted it into the model to be followed by the new universities in the Americas.
The eighteenth century, especially the last three decades, was a turning point in Spanish university education, with university teaching methods undergoing root and branch reform. Nevertheless, this period also saw the arrival of Melchor de Jovellanos at the university and the awarding of a doctorate in philosophy for the first time in Spain to a woman, María Isidra de Guzmán y de la Cerda.
In the mid-nineteenth century, the university was moved to Madrid as a consequence of the selling-off of church lands. From that time onwards, the aspiration to one day win back the university was kept alive by the Condueños Society. The fervour of the people of Alcalá, the university's celebrated past, the recovery of the collective memory, and the new boost given to Spanish education by the transition to democracy meant that the University of Alcalá's lecture rooms were opened again in 1977. Ever since then, the teamwork and tenacity of its governors have allowed its intellectual, cultural and architectural heritage to be recovered. Due to its distinctive university model, its contribution to the arts and sciences throughout history, and to the beauty and wealth of its buildings, the University of Alcalá was declared by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
on December 2, 1998.
The University Today
Today's University of Alcalá preserves its traditional humanitiesHumanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
faculties, a testimony to the university's special efforts, past and present, to promote and diffuse the Spanish language through both its studies and the Cervantes Prize, which is awarded annually by the King and Queen of Spain in the Paraninfo (Great Hall). The University has added to its time-honoured education in the humanities and social sciences new degree subjects in scientific fields such as health sciences or engineering, spread out across its different sites (the Alcalá Campus, El Encín, and Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Spain
Guadalajara is a city and municipality in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain, and in the natural region of La Alcarria. It is the capital of the province of Guadalajara. It is located roughly 60 km northeast of Madrid on the Henares River, and has a population of 83,789...
), all of which, together with the Science and Technology Park, are a key factor in its projection abroad, while also acting as a dynamo for activities in its local region.
The University of Spanish Language
Because of its rich tradition in the humanities, the University of Alcalá offers several programs in Spanish language and literature. Alcalingua, a Department of the University of Alcalá, offers Spanish Language and Culture courses to foreigners and develops materials for teaching Spanish as a foreign language. The University of Alcalá, together with EDUESPAÑA, grants the CEELE, Certificado de Calidad en la Enseñanza del Español como Lengua Extranjera (Quality Certificate for Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language).International Agreements
The University of Alcalá is a party to various bilateral agreements with Institutions in non-European countries, above all with universities in Latin America and USA. Some of these agreements stipulate exchanges for first and second stage students. Like Erasmus Programme students, foreign students who take advantage of these exchange schemes are exempt of payment of tuition fees to the University of Alcalá, though they must meet their own costs of travel, accommodation and upkeep.Application to take part in these exchanges should be carried out in the university of origin. Once selected, the university of origin will inform the University of Alcalá.
Historical
- John of St. ThomasJohn of St. ThomasJohn of St. Thomas, , theologian, philosopher, born at Lisbon, 9 June 1589; died at Fraga, Spain, 17 June 1644....
(died 1644), famous philosopher and semioticianSemioticsSemiotics, also called semiotic studies or semiology, is the study of signs and sign processes , indication, designation, likeness, analogy, metaphor, symbolism, signification, and communication...
Present day
- Rodrigo RatoRodrigo RatoRodrigo de Rato y Figaredo is a Spanish political figure who served in the government of Spain as Minister of the Economy from 1996 to 2004; a member of the conservative People's Party , he was also First Deputy Prime Minister from 2003 to 2004...
, former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund. - Manuel MarínManuel MarínManuel Marín González is a Spanish politician, former President of the Congress of Deputies of Spain. He was a long-time member of the European Commission, and President during the interim Marin Commission following the Resignation of the Santer Commission, of which he was a member.-Early life and...
, former speaker of the Spanish Congress of Deputies and long-time member of the European Commission (Responsible for the presentation of the proposal for the Erasmus Programme). - Virgilio Zapatero, former Spanish Minister of Parliamentary Affairs (1986–1993).