University of Buenos Aires

University of Buenos Aires
Name	University of Buenos Aires
Established	12 August 1821
Founder	Bernardino Rivadavia
Rector	Ricardo Gelpi
City	Buenos Aires
Country	Argentina
Students	328,361 (2011)
Faculty	28,490 (2013)
Campus	Urban
Affiliations	International Association of Universities, Network of Universities from the Capitals of Europe

Contents

History
Organization and administration
Academics
Campus and facilities
Notable alumni and faculty
See also

University of Buenos Aires. Founded on 12 August 1821 by a decree signed by then-Minister Bernardino Rivadavia, it is the largest university in Argentina and one of the most prestigious in Latin America. Its establishment was a cornerstone of the post-independence intellectual project of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, aiming to create a national, secular institution of higher learning. The university has played a central role in the country's political, scientific, and cultural development, producing numerous heads of state, Nobel Prize laureates, and leading intellectuals.

History

The institution's creation was formalized during the government of Martín Rodríguez, with Antonio Sáenz serving as its first rector, integrating pre-existing entities like the Colegio de San Carlos. Throughout the 19th century, it evolved from a centralized structure to a more faculty-driven model, notably establishing the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences in the 1890s under the influence of figures like Florentino Ameghino. The University Reform of 1918, a student-led movement that began at the National University of Córdoba, profoundly impacted its governance, introducing principles of autonomy, co-governance, and free tuition. During periods of political turmoil, such as the 1976–1983 military dictatorship, it faced significant intervention and repression, with many students and professors becoming victims of state terrorism.

Organization and administration

It operates under a system of strong autonomy granted by the national constitution and is financially supported by the Argentine state. The supreme governing body is the University Assembly, composed of representatives from professors, graduates, and students. Day-to-day administration is led by the Rector, currently Ricardo Gelpi, who is advised by the Superior Council. It is divided into thirteen autonomous faculties, including the Faculty of Law, Faculty of Medicine, and Faculty of Engineering, each with its own dean, council, and academic departments. This decentralized structure allows each faculty to manage its curriculum, research, and budget within the framework of the university's general statutes.

Academics

The academic structure is based on a cycle system: a first, general cycle often taken in interdisciplinary schools like the Ciclo Básico Común, followed by professional specialization within the individual faculties. It offers over 100 undergraduate degrees and numerous doctoral programs through its School of Graduate Studies. The institution is a leading research hub in the region, with researchers contributing to major projects at institutions like the National Scientific and Technical Research Council and the National Atomic Energy Commission. Its hospitals, such as the Hospital de Clínicas José de San Martín, are integral to medical training and public health in Buenos Aires.

Campus and facilities

As a "city university," it lacks a single unified campus; its faculties, departments, and research institutes are spread across the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and the greater metropolitan area. Key concentrations exist in the neighborhoods of Recoleta, housing the Faculty of Law and the iconic Faculty of Engineering building, and Parque Centenario, home to the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences. Major facilities include the Pabellón III in Ciudad Universitaria, the Museo Etnográfico Juan B. Ambrosetti, and the extensive network of the University of Buenos Aires Library System, which includes the central Biblioteca Central Prof. Augusto Raúl Cortázar.

Notable alumni and faculty

Its community includes five Nobel Prize winners: Carlos Saavedra Lamas (Peace), Bernardo Houssay (Physiology or Medicine), Luis Federico Leloir (Chemistry), César Milstein (Physiology or Medicine), and Adolfo Pérez Esquivel (Peace). Notable political figures include former presidents Raúl Alfonsín, Julio Argentino Roca, and Arturo Frondizi. Influential intellectuals and writers such as Jorge Luis Borges, Ernesto Sabato, and Julio Cortázar were associated with it, alongside revolutionary figures like Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Distinguished faculty have spanned fields from psychoanalysis with Enrique Pichon-Rivière to philosophy with Francisco Romero.