University of Leipzig

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

University of Leipzig
Universität Leipzig

Latin: Alma mater Lipsiensis
Established:	1409
Type:	Public
Rector:	Franz Häuser
Staff:	3,196 (2005)
Students:	29,668 (winter 2006/2007)
Location:	Leipzig, Germany
Campus:	urban
Website:	www.uni-leipzig.de/

The University of Leipzig (German: Universität Leipzig), located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in Europe. It has a long tradition of globally oriented and culturally comparative historical research and third-level teaching.

The university was founded on December 2, 1409 by Frederick I, Elector of Saxony and his brother William II, Margrave of Meissen, and originally comprised four faculties. Since its inception the university has enjoyed almost 600 years of uninterrupted teaching and research.

1 History
- 1.1 Founding
- 1.2 University Library
2 Campus
- 2.1 Academics
3 Faculties
4 People associated with the University of Leipzig
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Founding

The university was modelled on the University of Prague, from which the German-speaking faculty members withdrew to Leipzig after the Jan Hus crisis and the Decree of Kutná Hora. The Alma mater Lipsiensis opened in 1409, after it had been officially endorsed by Pope Alexander V in his Bull of Acknowledgment on (September 9 of that year). Its first rector was Johann von Münsterberg.

Between 1953 and 1991, the university was called Karl-Marx-University.

[edit] University Library

The University Library of Leipzig was established in 1543. It is one of the oldest German university libraries and it serves as a source of literature and information for the University of Leipzig as well as the general public in the region. Its extensive historical and special collections are nationally and internationally recognized. The library consists of the main building "Bibliotheca Albertina" and forty branches situated near their respective academic institutions. The current stock comprises 5 million volumes and about 7.700 periodicals. Collections range from important medieval and modern manuscripts to incunabula, papyri, autographs, ostraka and coins.

[edit] Campus

The university's urban campus comprises several locations. The main building in the center of Leipzig went under construction in 2005; the blueprints for the new university building were drafted by Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat. The estimated total cost for the renovation project is 140 million euros. The new building is set to finish in 2009, right in time for the university's 600th anniversary celebrations.

Besides the faculties and institutions, there are several other bodies that serve the university: University Library, a university archive and administration, as well as a museum for music instruments and a university clinic. The university's Botanischer Garten (=botanical garden) was established in 1542 and it is the second oldest botanical garden in Europe. All in all, the university is present in 38 locations in Leipzig.

Former main building in front of MDR skyscraper

University library Bibliotheca Albertina

[edit] Academics

Today, the university has 14 faculties. With over 29,000 students, it is Saxony's second-largest university. There are now more than 150 institutes and the university offers 190 study programs leading to Bachelor's degrees, Master's degrees and Ph.D.s. Arguably, the Faculty of Medicine is the university's most renowned faculty.

The university offers a number of courses in English and there are several programs allowing foreign students to study abroad at the university. Current exchange partner universities include, among others, University of Arizona, University of Houston, University of Alberta, and University of Edinburgh.

There are two Master's programs taught in English: American Studies and Global Studies. American Studies Leipzig is one of the most distinguished programs of its kind in Europe. In the last three years alone, it has been awarded three prestigious international professorships: The Fulbright-Leipzig Chair for American Studies, the DAAD Professorship for American and International Studies, and the Picador Chair for Literary Studies. Erasmus Mundus Global Studies on the other hand, is an interdisciplinary, research-based Master offered by a consortium of four European universities: University of Leipzig, the London School of Economics, University of Vienna, and University of Wroclaw.

The university is ranked first in Germany, 19th in Europe and among the best hundred in the world by the web-based Webometrics Ranking of World Universities.

[edit] Faculties

Anatomy auditorium of the Faculty of Medicine

The original four facilities were the Faculty of Arts, Theology, Medicine, and Law. Today, the university comprises the following 14 faculties:

Faculty of Theology
Faculty of Law
Faculty of History, Art and Oriental Studies
Faculty of Philology
Faculty of Education
Faculty of Social Sciences and Philosophy
Faculty of Economics and Management (including Civil Engineering)
Faculty of Sports Science
Faculty of Medicine (with a University Hospital)
Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science
Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology
Faculty of Physics and Earth Science
Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

[edit] People associated with the University of Leipzig

University of Leipzig has produced many notable individuals. Some famous people affiliated with Leipzig include:

Johann Wolfgang Goethe, German poet and polymath
Angela Merkel, first female German Chancellor
Gustav Hertz, German physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics
Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher
Richard Wagner, German composer
Wilhelm Wundt, German psychologist, founded the first formal laboratory for psychological research
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German philosopher and writer
Hans-Dietrich Genscher, German politician, Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor
Werner Heisenberg,German physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, German polymath