Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala

The Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC, University of San Carlos of Guatemala) is the largest and oldest university of Guatemala; it is also the fourth founded in the Americas. Established in the Kingdom of Guatemala during the Spanish colony, it was the only university in Guatemala until 1954, although it continues to hold distinction as the only public university in the entire country.

The university grew out of the Colegio de Santo Tomás de Aquino (Saint Thomas Aquinas High School), founded in 1562 by Bishop Francisco Marroquín. After a series of major earthquakes in 1773, which destroyed many parts of the city of Santiago de los Caballeros, the crown authorities ordered the evacuation of the city and the relocation of its government, religious and university functions to the new capital La Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción, the university's present location. In the early years, from the 16th to 19th centuries, it offered studies in civil and liturgical law, theology, philosophy, medicine and indigenous languages.

History

First era: Royal and Pontifical University of San Carlos Borromeo

The university tradition in Guatemala and Central America goes back to the 17th century, when the University of San Carlos was founded on 31 January 1676 by Royal Decree of Carlos II in the colonial capital of Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala. The Royal University of San Carlos became the third Royal College founded in Spanish America and it was consecrated by Pope Innocent XI on June 18, 1687.

Colonization by the Spaniards implied a new formation of society, with its brand new civil and ecclesiastical institutions. As time went by, residents demanded a place in the royal institutions for their descendants, in return for the heroics of their ancestors during the battles of conquest. However, there were no schools to teach youth to become public servants.

It was not until the second half of the 16th century that the first initiatives to found schools that covered more than religious indoctrination and reading and writing took place. The first bishop of Guatemala, Francisco Marroquín, requested the approval of the Spanish crown to set up a grammar class, in which Latin was to be taught, as it was the intellectual language of the time. This single fact has been the basis to perpetuate the myth that links bishop Marroquin to the early stages of the University of San Carlos.

Towards the end of his life, in 1562, Marroquin left in his will some funds to set up a school, the Santo Tomás de Aquino, where Grammar, Arts, Philosophy and Theology would be taught. The beneficiaries of this enterprise would be the children of poor Spaniards, given that they could not travel to cities (like Mexico) where the Royal Universities were. This will has been also interpreted by scholars as the origin of the University of San Carlos. However, the late priest had a clear idea of the difference between a school (i.e., a home for students, with or without classes) and a university (or General Study) where the students earned degrees. About this, historian John Tate Lanning wrote that "his will is so well known that there are some scholars that have not even seen it and have already read a lot of things that are not there at all. Nowhere in his will Marroquín talks about any university, much less talk about his intentions to establish one..." On the other hand, what is documented is that major Pedro Crespo Suárez left in his will twenty thousand pesos to set up the classes for the university that is "in the works with the authorities".

In 1598, the third bishop of Guatemala Gómez Fernández de Córdoba y Santillán, O.S.H., following ecclesiastical directions from the Council of Trent and on the basis of the royal decrees issued after that council, authorized the foundation of the "Nuestra Señora de la Asunción" School and Seminary, which was the first higher educational institution in the Kingdom of Guatemala. The Jesuits, who already had their Colegio de San Borja and wanted to run the seminary themselves, opposed its foundation, as they did not like other regular orders – Mercedarians, Franciscans and Dominicans or the leader of the secular clergy took an initiative in religious and educational matters.

University presidents

"Real y Pontificia Universidad de San Carlos Borromeo" presidents

• Dr. José de Baños y Soto Mayor, arcediano de la Catedral, Predicador del Rey de España y Doctor de la Universidad de Osuna
• Antonio de Larrazábal y Arrivillaga(1813, 1820–1825)
• Dr. Juan José de Aycinena y Piñol (1825–1829)

"Academia de Ciencias" presidents

Dr. Pedro Molina Mazariegos (1836–1840).

"Pontificia Universidad de San Carlos Borromeo" Presidents

Bishop Juan José de Aycinena y Piñol, (1840–1865)

National University presidents

Dr. Agustín Gómez

Dr. Carlos Federico Mora (1944)

University of San Carlos presidents

• Dr. Carlos Federico Mora (1944–1945)
• Dr. Carlos Martínez Durán
• Dr. Mario Dary Rivera
• Dr. Edmundo Vásquez Martínez (1966–1970)
• Rafael Cuevas
• Saúl Osorio Paz (-14 de julio 1980)
• Roberto Molina Mejía (14 July 1980 – 31 July 1980)
• Dr. Eduardo Meyer Maldonado

Colleges

University of San Carlos colleges are structured as follows:

Board of directors

Each college board of directors is structure with a dean, who runs it, a secretary and five trustees, of whom two are professor representatives, one is a representative of the professional association and two are student representatives.

Dean

The deans are the directors and representative of their colleges and work on four-year terms. To be reelected a dean needs 3/5 parts of the electors, a new dean needs half +1.

Academic units

The university has 40 academic units:

• 10 colleges;
• 10 schools;
• 19 regional centers
• 1 Technical Institute

Sports

The school's football club USAC of the Segunda División de Ascenso plays at Estadio Revolución located on campus grounds.

Notable alumni

A list of notable faculty and alumni can be found in List of notable students and faculty of University of San Carlos of Guatemala.

Эх сурвалж: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)