Shiraz University

Shiraz University (Persian: دانشگاه شیراز Dāneshgāh-e-Shirāz, formerly known as Pahlavi University دانشگاه پهلوی Dāneshgāh-e Pahlavi) is a public university located in Shiraz, Fars, Iran, established in 1946. Being one of the oldest and most prestigious modern universities in Iran, Shiraz University is listed among the top three research-oriented schools in the nation according to a ranking of Iranian universities based on scientific output. In the first report of state universities ranking and among almost 70 universities and higher education institutes, Shiraz University is regarded as a tier-one university.

Shiraz University has pioneered the establishment of doctoral programs in Iran. Currently and after the separation of medical universities from universities under Ministry of Science, Research and Technology the university has over 20,000 students, with 200 bachelor's degree programs (BA, BSc), 300 master's degree programs (MA, MSc), one professional degree program (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine or DVM), and 150 PhD programs.

History

Foundation

Shiraz University traces its roots to 1946, with the establishment of a technical college aimed at training specialists in the medical sciences with a four-year program. Initially called the High Institute of Health, it developed into a medical school in 1950. In 1953, the Namazi School of Nursing and the Colleges of Agriculture and Arts and Sciences were established. With the addition of the College of Engineering and College of Veterinary Medicine in 1954, the school was elevated to university-status and named after the reigning Pahlavi dynasty. Other units that were subsequently added were the Dental School in 1969, the Graduate School and College of Electronics in 1969, Dentistry in 1970, and the Colleges of Law and Education in 1977.

Pahlavi University

In 1960, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran invited the atomic physicist Gaylord P. Harnwell, president of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), to come to Iran and examine Iran's higher education institutions. At the Shah's request, Harnwell prepared a report entitled A Pattern for a New University in Iran, and the Shah subsequently decided that Penn would assist the Iranian government in transforming Pahlavi University into the only institution in Iran based on American-style higher education. The University of Pennsylvania thus became highly influential in shaping many of Pahlavi University's departments and institutions. Harnwell and Penn assisted the Iranian government in establishing American-style higher education by supervising the new university's academic and administrative system in its early years. Many faculty members from Penn were sent to Pahlavi University to teach and carry out research, and a widespread exchange program was established. The president of the University of Pennsylvania was awarded an honorary degree in Shiraz, in recognition of the help of Penn to Pahlavi University.

The development of Pahlavi University, as it then was, was directly under the supervision and management of this renowned American university, to the point that the scientific and cultural relations between the two universities became one of the strongest scientific and cultural relationships between Iran and the United States. This continued until the last days of the Shah. In 1962, Isa Sedigh became responsible for implementing the Ivy League's models at Pahlavi University. The development of many courses, the design and development of university campuses, the training of professors, and the establishment of many research institutes at Pahlavi University were all assigned to this Ivy League university. Later, during the administration of Houshang Nahavandi (fa), the famous Kent State University also participated in the formation and development of Pahlavi University.

Campus

Eram Paradise Campus (main campus)

Shiraz University has the second-biggest campus in Iran. The Eram Hill lands mostly owned by Shirazi tycoons Mohammad Namazi and Zabihollah Ghorban dedicated to university and was initially designed by American architect Minoru Yamasaki, who also designed the World Trade Center. Later in 1968 during the further constructing of the university campus and while Shiraz was getting ready to host its first Shiraz Arts Festival, many Iranian visual artists including Parviz Tanavoli, Sohrab Sepehri, Abolghasem Saeedi, Bahman Mohasses and Hossein Zenderoudi got involved designing artistic elements and wall paintings for the amphitheater, self-service dining and outside the campus.

In 1969, during the first Shiraz art festival, with the suggestion and invitation of Farah Pahlavi, then Queen of Iran a complex was designed by renowned contemporary architect, Alvar Aalto, for Shiraz Museum of Arts. The project halted due to the sudden death of Aalto in 1976. In 2016 Aalto University and Finnish embassy in Iran contacted Shiraz University regarding full documentation of design drafts by Aalto himself. In 2018, Shiraz Municipality and a two Iranian and Finnish investing partners got involved in project although the project halted once again because of new sanctions and lack of budget.

After more than 70 years, the university campus originally designed plan for central dormitory and school buildings is still not completed and is under construction under multi-year planning. After the 1979 revolution, many lands owned by the university divided due to different causes such as separation of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, insufficiency of maintenance costs, lack of budget, urban planning, or other reasons.

The Asia Institute

In 1966, the New York based Asia Institute under Arthur Upham Pope re-established itself under the university supervision at Narenjestan Museum.

With the death of Pope, the management of the institute was entrusted to Richard Nelson Frye. Before that, due to the Pope's close relationship with the Iranian royal family, the institute had autonomy, but after him, it went completely under the supervision of the Pahlavi University of Shiraz. This caused tensions in the institution. Among them, Houshang Nahavandi, then chancellor of Pahlavi University, claimed that Gluck, a member of the institute, was involved in smuggling Iranian antiques to Japan and demanded his removal. On the other hand, after receiving the title of professorship from Harvard University, Frye had less time to attend the institute. Despite all this, the research and educational activities of the institute continued. In 1971, on the eve of the celebrations of the 2,500-year celebration of the Persian Empire, the Asian Institute held a large seminar entitled "Iranian Studies" in Shiraz. In 1975, the institute's contract with Dr. Frye ended and Mahyar Navabi, who had previously been the executive director of the institute, was appointed president of the institute. He was the first Iranian president of the Asian Institute of Pahlavi University. At this time, the institute moved from Narenjestan to a larger building on the university campus and became a part of the university's linguistics department.

Academic profile

Reputation

The university is known to be strict and usually, the grade point average (GPA) of students is lower than their peers in other Iranian universities. Shiraz University is well known as a tough university with a low GPA especially in Civil, Electrical and Mechanical engineering. As such, many students of Shiraz University believe their grades do not reflect their academic performance.

Ranking

According to a report by the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology (Iran) published in 2010 and 2011, Shiraz University ranked 6th respectively between 64 and 68 non-medical universities and institutions in Iran. It was also one of the top three non-technical and non-medical universities along with the University of Tehran and Tarbiat Modares University in a 2012 ranking.

According to the 2017 rankings of the best universities given by the Times Higher Education, Shiraz University has been ranked in the top 3 universities in Iran. In 2016 only eight universities from Iran were included in this ranking, whereas in 2017, fourteen universities from Iran were among the top universities rankings. Based on these rankings, Shiraz University became the best comprehensive university in Iran.

Besides, regarding the 2019 rankings of the best universities given by the Times Higher Education (THE), Shiraz University's Computer discipline has been ranked in the top 3 universities in Iran. Also, based on the teaching criterion of the ranking in Computer Science, Shiraz University has achieved the first rank in Iran.

Iranian Science and Culture Hall of Fame members

Iranian Science and Culture Hall of Fame is a formal ceremony to honor influential contemporary scientific and cultural eminence. Many faculty and alumni have been receiving the award. Among them are:

Athletics

The first university horse manege was opened at Shiraz University in 2011.

Championship and public sports, dormitory, boys

The General Department of Physical Education under the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology allocates substantial funds to enhance the sports landscape, focusing on the construction of stadiums, complexes, sports clubs, and the provision of sports equipment. It assumes a crucial role in catering to the diverse needs of affiliated entities, emphasizing sports and related activities.

The Department of Championship and General Sports, housed within the Boys' Dormitory of Shiraz University's Physical Education Management, is dedicated to planning and executing comprehensive sports programs. These initiatives aim to promote healthy recreation among male students and encompass various tasks:

Provision of public sports services, including daily sports activities, free access to university sports facilities, and organizing public sports festivals.

Offering championship sports services by recruiting and forming select student sports teams for regional competitions and Olympiads.

Fostering continuous student participation in diverse sports activities.

Implementation of educational programs across various disciplines.

Organization and oversight of sports competitions to ensure their smooth execution.

Supplying necessary sports equipment at the university level.

Support for talented sports students.

Delegating executive responsibilities to students and encouraging volunteerism to strengthen associations.

These efforts collectively contribute to the development and promotion of sports culture within the university community.

Notable people

Notable faculty and alumni

• Bizhan Aarabi, neurosurgeon
• Asadollah Alam, former chancellor, a close advisor of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
• Masoud Alimohammadi, assassinated professor of quantum and elementary-particle physics
• Ali Babachahi. poet, writer, researcher, and literary critic
• Iraj Bashiri, professor of history, University of Minnesota
• Hossein Baharvand, stem cell and developmental biologist and director of Royan Institute
• Seifollah Dad, screenwriter and filmmaker and former Administrator of Iranian Organization of Cinema and Audiovisual Affairs
• Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, Iranian politician and former chairman of the Iranian parliament

Sattar Hashemi, faculty, current Minister of Information and Communications Technology of Iran as of 2024.

• Mansoor Hekmat, Iranian Marxist theorist and leader of the worker-communist movement
• Saleh Hosseini, retired professor of literature, translator, and critic
• Ahmad Jalali, Iranian scholar and philosopher
• Mohsen Kadivar, philosopher
• Fatemeh Keshavarz, academic, Rumi and Persian studies scholar, poet
• Maryam Keshavarz, filmmaker

Эх сурвалж: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)