University of Valle

The University of Valle (Spanish: Universidad del Valle), also called Univalle, is a public, departmental, coeducational, research university based primarily in the city of Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. It is the largest higher education institution by student population in the southwest of the country, and the third in Colombia, with more than 30,000 students. The university was established by ordinance No. 12 of 1945, by the Departmental Assembly as the Industrial University of Valle del Cauca (Spanish: Universidad Industrial del Valle del Cauca), under the leadership of Tulio Ramírez Rojas and Severo Reyes Gamboa.

The university has two campuses in Cali. The main one, known as University City of Melendez (Spanish: Ciudad Universitaria Meléndez, CUM), is located in the southern neighborhood of Melendez and hosts the faculties of Engineering, Humanities, Integrated Arts, Sciences, and Social Sciences and Economics, as well as the institutes of Education and Pedagogy, and Psychology. Its second one, located in the centric San Fernando neighborhood, hosts the faculties of Administration Sciences and Health. The university also has several satellite campuses across the department in the cities of Buenaventura, Buga, Caicedonia, Cartago, Palmira, Tuluá, Yumbo, and Zarzal, and one campus in the neighboring Cauca department in the city of Santander de Quilichao. The university offers education at technological, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, with 258 academic programs, which includes 65 master and medical specialties, and 8 doctorates. Also, it hosts an excellence research center, six research centers, three research institutes, and 204 research groups.

The university is member of several university organizations including the Association of Colombian Universities (ASCUN), the Iberoamerican Association of Postgraduate Universities (AUIP), and the Iberoamerican University Network Universia. The Valle, National and Antioquia universities form what is known as the Golden Triangle of higher education in Colombia, being among the most selective and competitive universities in the country. It is one of the 15 universities in the country to have received a high quality institutional accreditation by the Ministry of Education, through resolution 2020 of June 3, 2005. The accreditation was for eight years, making the university one of only a few to be accredited for such a duration. The university is considered a premier school in the country and usually excels in its Health and Engineering programs.

History

Establishment and early years

Since the late 19th century the idea of creating a university in Cali had been an ambition of the people of the city and of the Valle del Cauca Department, and was continuously discussed and mentioned in the local newspapers. At the time, the only further education degrees awarded in the department were awarded by the Santa Librada College in Cali and the Academic College of Buga, which focused on the liberal arts. In the 1940s, the necessity for qualified professionals that could supply the demand of the new industrial sector of Valle del Cauca made it clear that an institution focusing on scientific and technological education was of strategic importance to the development of the region. Despite the idea of its creation being met with some skepticism, the University of Valle was established by the ordinance number 12 of June 11, 1945, by the Departmental Assembly as the Universidad Industrial del Valle del Cauca. The leaders behind the establishment of the university were Tulio Ramírez Rojas, born in La Union Valle, who would become the first rector of the university, and Severo Reyes Gamboa, the departmental secretary of education at the time.

The university began its work in 1945 in a small house located in downtown Cali, with faculties of Agronomy, Business, and Nursing. In 1946 the Faculty of Chemistry was established, followed by the Faculty of Architecture in 1947, and in 1948 the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, which changed its name in 1949 to the Faculty of Electromechanical Engineering. At this early stage, the university faced its first financial crisis, a situation that was preceded by the destitution of the rector Ramírez in 1949 by political reasons, and caused by the diminishing support of the local government. The crisis, which almost ended in the university closure in 1950, would represent one of many chapters of the financial difficulties faced by the university in its history.

After the crisis was overcome, in 1950 the Faculty of Medicine was established, and began its work in 1951 on the campus of the Santa Librada College. Then, in 1954 started the construction of the San Fernando campus for the Faculties of Medicine, Nursing, and Architecture. This same year, by ordinance number 10 of 1954, the university changed its name to Universidad del Valle, established as part of the university government an Academic Council and an Administrative Council, the latter with the participation of representatives of different sectors of the community.

Campus

Melendez campus

The main campus, also known as University City of Melendez, is located in the southern neighborhood of Melendez in the city of Cali, between the Calle 13 or Pasoancho Avenue and the Calle 16, and the Carrera 86 and Carrera 100. It is one of the largest campuses in Colombia, with 1,000,000 m2 (250 acres) of land donated by the Garces Giraldo Brothers. The architectural project, which won the national architecture prize in 1972, was the work of several members of the faculty under the coordination of the architect Jamie Cruz. During its construction it was used as Olympic village for the 1971 Pan American Games.

The campus can be roughly divided in two by the Jaime Garces B. Avenue that runs in an east–west direction. The northern part, which is also the largest, is mostly undeveloped. The developed area is enclosed by the Tulio Ramirez Avenue, and it is composed of more than 30 buildings, including the main administration building, the faculties of Science and of Engineering, part of the faculty of Integrated Arts, and the Mario Carvajal Library, which is the main library of the university.

The southern part includes the University Sports Center, which is composed of a main stadium, with an athletic track and seating for 3020 spectators; eight soccer courts; four basketball/volleyball courts; the Alberto León Betancour Arena; an Olympic size swimming pool; and four tennis courts. It also includes the faculties of Humanities, Social Sciences and Economics, the remaining part of the faculty of Integrated Arts, the institute of Education and Pedagogy, the institute of Psychology, and the main dining hall.

The landscape of the campus, designed by architects Lyda Caldas and Harold Borrero, imitates the savanna environment of the Cauca River valley. The campus contains 4,250 trees from 182 species, some of which are endangered in the country.

San Fernando campus

The San Fernando campus, located in the central neighborhood of the same name in Cali was the main location of the university from its construction in 1954 until 1962. This campus, with an area of 39,960 m2 (9.87 acres), shares grounds with the "Evaristo Garcia" University Hospital of Valle (Spanish: Hospital Universitario del Valle "Evaristo García"), and can be roughly divided in two by the Calle 4B which runs in the south–north direction. The western part is surrounded by the Carrera 36, the Carrera 36B, and the Calle 4 is the largest section contains the Faculty of Administration Sciences, most of the Faculty of Health, and the San Fernando Library. The eastern part, which is adjacent to the hospital, contains the School of Nursing, the San Fernando University Sport Center, and the administrative buildings.

Organization

The university's highest government body is the University Council which is formed of eleven members: the governor of Valle del Cauca, the rector, the general secretary, and representatives for the President of the Republic, the Ministry of Education, deans, professors, alumni, students, former rectors, and the productive sector.

Academic affairs are overseen by the Academic Council, which is formed of seventeen members: The rector, the general secretary, the vice-rectors for Academics, Administrative Affairs, Research, and University Welfare; the deans of the eight faculties; the directors of the two institutes and the offices of Planning and Regionalisation; two representatives for the professors, one representative for academic programs, and two representatives for the students.

The rector is the chief executive officer and is elected for a four-year period with the possibility of reelection. The current rector is Iván Enrique Ramos Calderón, who started his term in 2003 and was reelected for a second term in 2007. The rectory has six dependencies: the Direction of Regionalisation, the offices of Information and Telecommunications, Internal Control, Institutional relationships, Legal Affairs, and Planning and Institutional Development; and the General Secretary.

The Vice-Rector's Office at the university is structured into four main areas, each with distinct responsibilities. The Vice-Rector for Academics oversees the development and coordination of academic programs and policies. Administrative and financial operations fall under the Vice-Rector for Administrative Affairs, who ensures that these processes align with the institution's mission. Research initiatives, both social and scientific, are guided by the Vice-Rector for Research, responsible for formulating and proposing related policies. Finally, the Vice-Rector for University Welfare manages programs that support the well-being of the university community, including health, sports, and recreational activities.

Each academic division, either faculty or institute, has a directive council. These include the dean or director, the vice-deans or sub-directors of academics and research, the academic and administrative coordinators, the director of each school, department, or area; and a representative for the professors and for the students. Also, each division has an extension and communication office. The research centers or institutes affiliated to the academic divisions are independent organizations at the same level as the schools, departments, or areas.

Academics

Student profile

As of 2024, the University of Valle enrolls approximately 35,000 students. Of these, around 30,000 are undergraduate students, while about 3,000 are enrolled in graduate programs, including specializations, master's, and doctoral studies. In that year, the university admitted 5,481 students across two academic periods, resulting in an acceptance rate of about 88.01%.

In 2023, the University of Valle graduated a total of 5,106 individuals, including 3,016 bachelor's degrees, 923 technologists, 551 master's degrees, 510 specialists, and 106 doctoral degrees. This figure represents one of the highest outputs in the country, reflecting the institution's significant impact both regionally and nationally. Notably, the number of female graduates exceeded that of male graduates, indicating a growing trend of female leadership and contribution to the region's skilled workforce. The diversity of the student body is also evident during graduation ceremonies, where members of Colombian indigenous communities proudly display their traditional attire, symbolizing integration and the inclusive processes fostered by the alma mater.

In 2024, the University of Valle was recognized among Colombia's top institutions based on the results of the Saber Pro exams, administered by the ICFES. According to a Ministry of Education resolution issued on December 4, 2024, the university ranked eighth nationally, with 35 students achieving top-tier scores.

University profile

The university has eight faculties and two institutes that between them offer 258 academic programs. 181 of these are undergraduate programs, and 94 are postgraduate, including eight doctoral degrees by research. Of this, 189 programs are offered in the city of Cali, and 69 in the regional campuses. The duration of the programs are three years for an Associate, five years for a Bachelor, one and a half years for a graduate diploma, two years for a Master, and five years for a Doctorate. As of 2009, 30 of the undergraduate programs have received a high quality accreditation from the ministry of education. In 2005, the university received an overall high quality accreditation from the Ministry of National Education, making it one of 15 in the country to have received such an award. The accreditation was for eight years, a period surpassed only by those given to the Antioquia and Andes universities.

By 2008 the faculty consisted of 836 tenured full-time professors, 32.9% female and 67.1% male, and 411 full-time equivalent non-tenured professors. The highest academic degree attained by each member of the faculty broke down as follows:

Research

The university has a long tradition in research that can be traced to its origins. It is home to an excellence research center, six research centers, three research institutes, and 276 groups, of which 164 are recognized by COLCIENCIAS. In 2007 276 research projects were carried out, with an investment totaling $8.84 billion COP provided by fifteen national and international entities.

The Excellence Center for Novel Materials (Spanish: Centro de Excelencia en Nuevos Materiales, CENM) is part of a high-priority national effort, supported primarily by COLCIENCIAS and implemented by 19 recognized multidisciplinary research groups in 10 universities across the nation. Additionally, it gets international support from four world-renowned institutions: The Nanotechnology center from Northwestern University, the Thin Film and Nanoscience Group from the University of California at San Diego, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan, and the Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research on Materials from the University of Chile. Research work at CENM is organized around four Interdisciplinary Research Themes (IRT), which are: Advanced Coatings, Composite Materials, Nano-magnetism, and Solid State Devices, Sensors, and Mesoscopic Systems. The center acquired in 2008 an Atomic force microscope, the first in South America, with a cost of $620 million COP.

Academic publisher

The University of Valle Publishing Program (Spanish: Programa Editorial de la Universidad del Valle), is the publishing arm of the university. While its origins can be traced since 1955, when it started operation under the name University of Valle Library (Spanish: Biblioteca de la Universidad del Valle), the current publisher was established under Agreement 005 of the University Council on the 29 of April 2002, and it is regulated by Agreement 006 of 2004. It is a dependency of the Vice-rectory for Research and its editorial board is comprised by the Vice-rectors for Academics and Research, five tenured Professors, and the manager of the program. The program publishes books and scientific journals, both in print and electronic media with more than 300 titles currently on print.

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