NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SAN MARCOS

'National University of San Marcos' or 'University of Saint Mark' [1] (Spanish: 'Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM)', or simply ''San Marcos'') is a public university in Lima, Peru. It was chartered on May 12, 1551 by a Royal Decree signed by Charles I of Spain, which makes it the oldest officially established university in the Americas, and as such, one of the oldest universities in the world. (See below the section ''The Oldest University'' for a discussion.)
Due to the its prestigious faculty and renowned alumni, the quality of the curricular contents and the very competitive admission process, San Marcos is considered by many as the most respected institution of higher education in the country, as well as a leading center of scientific research ^[1].

History

San Marcos was founded in 1551 by an order of Dominican friars headed by fr. Tomas de San Martin. It was subsequently officially recognized by a Royal Decree of Charles I of Spain and a papal bull of Pius V in 1571. Classes commenced on January 2, 1553, in the Dominican Convent of Our Lady of the Rosary. The opening lecture was performed by Andres Cianca and Cosme Carrillo, under the supervision of fr. Juan Bautista de La Roca.
Later, the university was moved to a location adjacent to the Augustinian Convent of St. Marcellus. In 1575, it was moved again to the ''Plaza del Estanque'', later called ''Plaza de la Inquisición'', where the Congress of Peru is currently located. The city's rapid growth as consequence of the 19th century industrial revolution and of president Manuel Pardo's efforts to develop and improve Lima's urban planning during the 1870s moved San Marcos' campus to a new location contiguous to an old Jesuit monastery called ''Convictorio de San Carlos''; this campus is now referred to as ''La Casona''. Finally in the 1960s, it was moved to its present location, the modern ''University City'' campus.
The Faculty of Medicine, also known as ''Faculty of San Fernando'' (named after Ferdinand VII of Spain), was established during the Viceroy Francisco de Toledo, Count of Oropesa's administration in 1573; and is the second largest campus of San Marcos. Originally it was located at the ''Plaza del Estanque'' until the 1860s when it moved to ''Grau Avenue'', still in downtown Lima.

Shield

Main articles: History of the National University of San Marcos seal

Since its founding in 1550s, San Marcos's identifying symbols changed over the years, although the main pattern has been consistently maintained.
From its founding until 1574, the university's first official shield featured an icon of the ''Virgin of the Rosary'', patron saint of the Dominican friars; at the right was a representation of the Pacific Ocean and on the bottom a lime (fruit) (that is, the fruit, which in Spanish is a ''lima'', hence Lima, Peru). The shield was approved by King Charles I of Spain in 1551. By the late 1570s and after a papal bull of Pope Pius V, the shield was modified, replacing the icon of the Virgin of the Rosary with Saint Mark. It is uncertain which colors were used on this shield, because documents in the 16th century were only black and white paper prints. It wasn't until 1929 when the colors—blue for the ocean, black or brown for the saint's icon, a light blue background, and silver for columns—became popular.
This shield was the longest-enduring symbol of the university: it was used for almost four and a half centuries, until the late 1980s, when it was improved for the second generation shield, where major changes were made to the angel's shape and its wings. The third generation shield used today, was introduced in May 12 2001 along a special anniversary seal, which was used throughout 2001 and 2002. The third emblem added light computer-generated imagery effects; the RGB color model was used and golden effects were added for shield's frame and shade in background.

Oldest University in the Americas

San Marcos' clock tower on its historical campus.

There is some controversy regarding the claim that San Marcos is the oldest university in the Americas, although it is certainly the oldest on the continental mainland.
San Marcos is known as the 'Dean of America' ("dean" in the sense of "oldest member"). There are other universities that claim similar titles, including the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, founded in 1538, which regards itself as ''Primada de América''.
UNMSM's claims are based on the fact that it was the first institution in the Americas established by a royal decree (signed by Charles I of Spain), and also on the fact that it is the only American institution of higher education from the sixteenth century to operate without interruption from the time of its founding. This last claim has been accepted by many historians, since many universities in the Americas were closed during the wars of independence or other conflicts or political turmoil.
San Marcos also says that according to the Archivo General de Indias, a famous Spanish repository of documents on the former colonies in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, there were no official records authorizing any university or higher educational institution before UNMSM in 1551. [2]
Other interpretations claim that while UNMSM is certainly the oldest university in Continental America, in the Americas as a whole the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, in what is now the Dominican Republic, predates it by 14 years. The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) was chartered the same year as UNMSM (by a royal decree of September 21, 1551), as the Royal University of the New Spain.

Organization

Department of Chemistry at San Marcos.

The university was originally headed by members of the clergy; during the Enlightenment, Bourbon reforms transformed it into a secular institution.
The university is governed by:

★ A Rector (President)

★ Two Vice-Rectors

★ The University Assembly (composed of professors and students, with the latter holding a third of the seats).
The original faculties at San Marcos were Theology, Arts and Law; Jurisprudence, and Medicine were added later in the colonial period. The Faculty of Natural Sciences and the Faculty of Economics and Commerce were created in the mid-19th century. The Faculty of Science was subdivided by specialities in the 20th century. The Faculty of Theology was closed in 1935.
In the mid-1990s San Marcos' departments were grouped into four academic blocks, as shown below.

Peruvian postal service made a commemorative stamp in 2001 for San Marcos' University, it features the third generation logo.

San Marcos' Faculty of Systems Engineering.

Famous alumni

Class of Jurisprudence and Law of 1896 posing in front of department's water fountain.

★ Jorge Basadre, historian.

★ Alfredo Bryce Echenique, novelist.

★ Daniel Alcides Carrión, medical student and pioneer in medical research.

★ Antonio Cornejo-Polar, literary critic.

★ Cayetano Heredia, physician.

★ Armando Huaringa, physician.

★ Victor Li Carrillo, philosopher.

★ Pablo Macera, historian.

★ Francisco Miro Quesada Cantuarias, philosopher and logician.

★ Bernardo O'Higgins, military officer and first President of Chile.

★ Valentín Paniagua Corazao, former President of Peru

★ Javier Pulgar Vidal, geographer.

★ Alberto Sabogal, painter.

★ Augusto Salazar Bondy, philosopher.

★ Luis Alberto Sánchez, writer and statesman.

★ José Santos Chocano, poet.

★ Manuel Scorza, novelist.

★ Julio C. Tello, historian.

★ Abraham Valdelomar, poet and short-story writer.

★ Mario Vargas Llosa, novelist.

★ Federico Villarreal, scientist and mathematician.

★ G.E. Berrios , neuroscientist and epistemologist of psychiatry.

★ Rosa Pinto, chemical Engineer, corrosion Specialist

References

★ Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos -History and general reference

★ Admission Publication, UNMSM-Admission Entrance Test commission, , , Admission, January, 2004

Notes

1. Ranking and reseach supported by: UNESCO and Asamblea Nacional de Rectores, 2007

External links

★ Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos website

★ Faculty of Medicine website

This article provided by Wikipedia. To edit the contents of this article, click here for original source.

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