The Central University of Venezuela (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: ''Universidad Central de Venezuela''; UCV) is a public

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

located in Caracas. It is widely held to be the highest ranking institution in the country, and it also ranks 18th in Latin America. Founded in 1721, it is the oldest university in Venezuela and one of the oldest in the

Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the te ...

. The main university campus,

Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas The University City of Caracas (Spanish: ''Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas''), also known by the acronym CUC, is the main campus of the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), located in central Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. It was designed by ...

, was designed by

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Carlos Raúl Villanueva and it is considered a masterpiece of

urban planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...

and was declared a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

in 2000.

History

Origins

The origin of the university goes back to

Friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ...

Antonio González de Acuña (1620–1682), a Spanish

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

born in present day Peru who studied

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

at the Universidad de San Marcos and founded in 1673 the

Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

Saint Rose of Lima Rose of Lima (born Isabel Flores de Oliva; 20 April 1586 24 August 1617) was a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic in Lima, Peru, who became known for both her life of severe penance and her care of the poverty stricken of the city throu ...

in Caracas named after the first

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Saint born in the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

. In the following years, Friar Diego de Baños y Sotomayor broadened the scope of the seminary by creating the School and Seminary of Saint Rose of Lima in 1696. Yet, in spite of the creation of the seminar, students who wished to obtain a university degree had to travel great distances to attend universities located in

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

, Bogotá or

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

. Given such harsh circumstances, the

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the Seminary, Francisco Martínez de Porras and the people of Caracas requested the royal court in Madrid the creation of a university in Venezuela (then part of the

Viceroyalty of New Granada The Viceroyalty of New Granada ( es, Virreinato de Nueva Granada, links=no ) also called Viceroyalty of the New Kingdom of Granada or Viceroyalty of Santafé was the name given on 27 May 1717, to the jurisdiction of the Spanish Empire in norther ...

). As a result, on 22 December 1721

Philip V of Spain Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724, and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign of 45 years is the longest in the history of the Spanish mon ...

signed in Lerma a Royal Decree that transformed the School-Seminary into the ''Universidad Real y Pontificia de Caracas''. The Royal Decree was concurred by

Pope Innocent XIII Pope Innocent XIII ( la, Innocentius XIII; it, Innocenzo XIII; 13 May 1655 – 7 March 1724), born as Michelangelo dei Conti, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 May 1721 to his death in March 1724. He is ...

with a Papal bull in 1722. The university offered degrees in philosophy, Theology,

Canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

and

Medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

. Until 1810, when the Seminary of Saint

Bonaventura Bonaventura may refer to: * Bonaventura (given name), given name * Bonaventura (surname), surname * Bonaventura (VTA), light-rail station in San Jose, United States of America * ''Signor Bonaventura'', an Italian comic strip * Bonaventura Heinz Hou ...

located in Mérida became the Universidad de Los Andes, the ''Universidad Real y Pontificia de Caracas'' was the only university existing in the country.

Republican years

Until the end of the 18th century, the official papal and royal censorship on books was largely ignored in Venezuela, a situation which allowed the smuggling of the works by

Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—es ...

, Diderot,

Montesquieu Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu (; ; 18 January 168910 February 1755), generally referred to as simply Montesquieu, was a French judge, man of letters, historian, and political philosopher. He is the princi ...

, Locke, Helvetius,

Grotius Hugo Grotius (; 10 April 1583 – 28 August 1645), also known as Huig de Groot () and Hugo de Groot (), was a Dutch humanist, diplomat, lawyer, theologian, jurist, poet and playwright. A teenage intellectual prodigy, he was born in Delft ...

in the ships belonging to the Guipuzcoana Company. The Royal constitution was displaced by the Republican Statutes proclaimed by Simón Bolívar on 24 June 1827. The new statutes gave the institution a secular character and transferred the main authority to the

20th century

In December 1908, Juan Vicente Gómez came into power with a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

against the government of Cipriano Castro. Gómez stayed in power until his death in 1935, and during this time the

Dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in tim ...

, having ambivalent feelings about the purpose of educating free minds when he could hire foreigners to exercise any technical requirements for the nation, decided to close the university from 1912 to 1922. When it reopened, the Rector Felipe Guevara Rojas had reorganized the traditional division of only a few schools, separating them into departments. 1928 became a very important year for the university when a group of students, known as the Generation of 1928, organized events during the "Students Week" protesting the dictatorship which culminated in an attempt to overthrow Gómez on 7 April of that year. This group, which shared a common front against Gómez, was conformed by people like

Rómulo Betancourt Rómulo Ernesto Betancourt Bello (22 February 1908 – 28 September 1981; ), known as "The Father of Venezuelan Democracy", was the president of Venezuela, serving from 1945 to 1948 and again from 1959 to 1964, as well as leader of Acción De ...

, Miguel Otero Silva, Juan Oropeza, Isaac Pardo and Rodolfo Quintero. Most of them were jailed after the events or went into exile without being able to finish their studies. The university continued to be at the forefront of the democratization of the country when in 1936, then President Eleazar López Contreras, ordered a decree suspending the Constitutional rights and declaring a general censorship of the press because the oil workers decided to start a strike (an unprecedented deed at the time). The rector of the university, Francisco Antonio Rísquez, led the protest that followed through the streets of Caracas against the policies of López Contreras. By 1942, the student population had been growing steadily for decades without any significant expansion of the university. Instead several schools, like Medicine, were moved to other buildings around the city. The

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, admini ...

of President Isaías Medina Angarita felt the need to move the university to a larger and more modern location where it could function as coherent whole. The government bought the Hacienda Ibarra and the responsibility of the main design was given to the architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva after a visit to the University City of Bogotá convinced the authorities of the Ministry of Public Works that, in order to avoid constructing a group of heterogeneous buildings, the design should be under one architect. The new campus was going to become a vast urban complex of about 200 hectares and included 40 buildings. Villanueva worked with 28 avant-garde artists of the time, from Venezuela and the rest of the world, to build what continues to be one of the most successful applications of

Modern Architecture Modern architecture, or modernist architecture, was an architectural movement or architectural style based upon new and innovative technologies of construction, particularly the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete; the idea that for ...

in Latin America. Villanueva's guiding principle was the creation of a space where art and architecture cohabited in harmony in a "Synthesis of Arts". Among some of the most important pieces present in the university are the 1953 '' Floating Clouds'' by

Alexander Calder Alexander Calder (; July 22, 1898 – November 11, 1976) was an American sculptor known both for his innovative mobiles (kinetic sculptures powered by motors or air currents) that embrace chance in their aesthetic, his static "stabiles", and hi ...

, murals by Victor Vasarely,

Wifredo Lam Wifredo Óscar de la Concepción Lam y Castilla (; December 8, 1902 – September 11, 1982), better known as Wifredo Lam, was a Cuban artist who sought to portray and revive the enduring Afro-Cuban spirit and culture. Inspired by and in conta ...

, Fernand Léger and sculptures by Jean Arp and

Henri Laurens Henri Laurens (February 18, 1885 – May 5, 1954) was a French sculptor and illustrator. Early life and education Born in Paris, Henri Laurens worked as a stonemason before he became a sculptor. From 1899 to 1902, he attended drawing class ...

. The ''

'' was declared

World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

, and it is the only modern university campus designed by a single architect to receive such high honor. In 1958, after the fall of dictator

Marcos Pérez Jiménez Marcos Evangelista Pérez Jiménez (25 April 1914 – 20 September 2001) was a Venezuelan military and general officer of the Army of Venezuela and the dictator of Venezuela from 1950 to 1958, ruling as member of the military junta from 19 ...

, a government commission established a new law for the universities. The new law came into place on 5 December, guaranteeing that faculty and students could work in an environment of freedom and tolerance. This very important legal foundation was however abused during the 1960s when guerrilla rebels, supported by Fidel Castro took refuge inside the university campus to escape prosecution from the government. This tense situation came to a stalemate in 1969 when students asking for a reform took over the university. On 3 October 1970, the administration of President

Rafael Caldera Rafael Antonio Caldera Rodríguez ( (); 24 January 1916 – 24 December 2009), twice elected the president of Venezuela, served for two five-year terms (1969–1974 and 1994–1999), becoming the longest serving democratically elected leade ...

ordered the university to be raided by the military and Rector Jesús María Bianco was forced to resign. The university reopened in 1971 with a new Rector and a new plan for renovation. In terms of the academic development of the modern university, the second half of the 20th century was a time when the Central University's faculty body benefited greatly from the influx of European immigrants. Many intellectuals settled in Venezuela after the end of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and found jobs at the university. Those scientists and humanists helped develop lines of research and teaching at the university and educated many of the present generation of faculty members.

Organization and degrees

The university is organized into 11 schools ( Facultades) which are subdivided into 40 departments (Escuelas). All schools offer undergraduate degrees at the level of

Licenciatura A licentiate (abbreviated Lic.) is an academic degree present in many countries, representing different educational levels. It may be similar to a master's degree when issued by pontifical universities and other universities in Europe, Latin Ame ...

(5 years) and graduate degrees at the level of

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

(2 years) and PhD (3–4 years) from the Graduate School. The Graduate School, founded in 1941, offers 222 different specializations, 109 Master's degrees and 40 PhDs. * Architecture and Urban planning * Agronomy * Dentistry * Engineering * Humanities and Education * Law and Government * Medicine * Social Sciences and Economy * Pharmacy * Sciences * Veterinary

Research ranking

The ''Ranking Iberoamericano de Instituciones de Investigacion'' based on the

Institute for Scientific Information The Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) was an academic publishing service, founded by Eugene Garfield in Philadelphia in 1956. ISI offered scientometric and bibliographic database services. Its specialty was citation indexing and analysi ...

ranked the Central University of Venezuela as the most productive research institution in the country and as the 20th most productive in Latin America. Other top 25 positions were reached in the following areas: *8th in Law *10th in Social Sciences *12th in Psychology and Education *15th in Physiology and Pharmacology *16th in Philology and Philosophy *16th in Food technology *18th in Mathematics *18th in Medicine *21st in Plant and Animal Biology *21st in History and Art *22nd in Architecture and Civil Engineering *22nd Molecular Biology The 2010 University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP), ranked the UCV as the best university in Venezuela and 805th university in the world. The 2016

QS World University Rankings ''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the ...

placed the UCV as 18th overall in their Latin American Universities Ranking.

Notable alumni

Humanists

* Francisco de Miranda (1750–1816) General, political thinker; fought in the main three revolutionary wars of the 18th century, American, French and

South American South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. *

Andrés Bello Andrés de Jesús María y José Bello López (; November 29, 1781 – October 15, 1865) was a Venezuelan- Chilean humanist, diplomat, poet, legislator, philosopher, educator and philologist, whose political and literary works constitute an ...

(1781–1865) Poet, lawmaker, philosopher, educator and philologist. * Sylvia Constantinidis (1962) Pianist, composer, conductor, music educator, author, writer. (Original name: Maria Silvia Castillo Casanova Arismendi de Constantinidis). *

Juan Germán Roscio Juan Germán Roscio (27 May 1763 – 10 March 1821) was a Venezuelan lawyer and politician of Italian background. He served as the secretary of foreign affairs for the Supreme Junta, Junta of Caracas, as Venezuela's first foreign minister, ...

(1763–1821) Lawyer, main redactor of the

Venezuelan Declaration of Independence The Venezuelan Declaration of Independence () is a statement adopted by a congress of Venezuelan provinces on July 5, 1811, through which Venezuelans made the decision to separate from the Spanish Crown in order to establish a new nation based o ...

. * Andrés Eloy Blanco (1896–1955) Poet. * Miguel Otero Silva (1908–1985) Writer, journalist and co-founder of the newspaper El Nacional. * María Teresa Castillo (1908–2012) Journalist, activist, politician and founder of Caracas Athenaeum. *

Alberto Barrera Tyszka Alberto José Barrera Tyszka (born 18 February 1960) is a Venezuelan writer. In 2006, he received the Herralde Prize for his novel ''La enfermedad'' ("The Sickness"). Life and career Barrera Tyszka was born in Caracas, and grew up in Venezuela. ...

(1960) Writer.

Scientists

* Marisol Aguilera (1971) researcher, professor. * José Gregorio Hernández (1864–1919) physician. *

José González-Lander Jose Gonzalez-Lander (November 13, 1933 – January 18, 2000) was a Caracas, Venezuela born engineer credited for leading the planning, design and construction of the Caracas Metro during an uninterrupted period of more than thirty years, ...

(1933–2000) engineer, chief designer of the

Caracas Metro The Caracas Metro ( es, Metro de Caracas) is a mass rapid transit system serving Caracas, Venezuela. It was constructed and is operated by Compañía Anónima Metro de Caracas, a government-owned company that was founded in 1977 by José Gon ...

. * Alfredo Jahn (1867–1940) engineer, anthropologist. * Manuel Núñez Tovar (1878–1925) naturalist, researcher, parasitologist and entomologist. * Luis Razetti (1862–1932) physician. * Rafael Villavicencio (1832–1920) physician.

Politicians

* Carlos Benito Figueredo (1857–1935) journalist, politician and diplomat. * Alexis Navarro (1946–2016), Governor of

Nueva Esparta The Nueva Esparta State (in Spanish: ''Estado Nueva Esparta'', ), is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. It comprises Margarita Island, Coche, and the largely uninhabited Cubagua. The state has the smallest area, and is located off the nort ...

(2000–2004) * Alfredo Peña (born 1944) journalist, member of the constituent assembly which drafted the

1999 Venezuelan Constitution The Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, Constitución de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela (CRBV)) is the current and twenty-sixth constitution of Venezuela. It was drafted in mid-1999 by a constituent assembly that h ...

and mayor of Caracas (2000). * Teodoro Petkoff (born 1932) congressman, co-founder of the political party MAS and current chief editor of the newspaper "Tal Cual". * Ali Rodriguez (born 1937) secretary-general of OPEC (2000) and chairman of Petroleos de Venezuela

PDVSA Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA, ) (English: Petroleum of Venezuela) is the Venezuelan state-owned oil and natural gas company. It has activities in exploration, production, refining and exporting oil as well as exploration and production ...

. * Hermann Escarrá (born 1952) member of the

2017 Constituent National Assembly The Constituent National Assembly ( es, Asamblea Nacional Constituyente; ANC) was a constituent assembly elected in 2017 to draft a new constitution for Venezuela. Its members were elected in a special 2017 election that was condemned by over fo ...

. *

Irene Sáez Irene Lailin Sáez Conde (born 13 December 1961 in Chacao, Miranda, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan politician and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 1981. She has been a model, was the mayor of Chacao (a municipality of Caracas), Governor ...

(born 1961) mayor of Chacao, Governor of

and

Miss Universe 1981 Miss Universe 1981, the 30th anniversary of the Miss Universe pageant, was held on 20 July 1981 at the Minskoff Theatre in New York City, United States. Irene Sáez of Venezuela was crowned by Shawn Weatherly of the United States. There were 77 ...

. *

Henrique Capriles Henrique Capriles Radonski (; born 11 July 1972) is a Venezuelan politician and lawyer, who served as the 36th Governor of Miranda from 2008 to 2017. Born in Caracas, he received a degree in law from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, ...

(born 1972) former presidential candidate who has held many high offices * Juan Requesens (born 1989) National Assembly deputy for the State of Táchira, Primero Justicia leader

Businessmen

* Lorenzo Mendoza Fleury (1897–1969) founder of

Empresas Polar Empresas Polar is a Venezuelan corporation that started as a brewery, founded in 1941 by Lorenzo Alejandro Mendoza Fleury, Juan Simon Mendoza, Rafael Lujan and Karl Eggers in Antímano "La Planta de Antimano", Caracas. It is the largest and bes ...

, a prize in his name honors scientific research. *

Carlos Eduardo Stolk Carlos Eduardo Stolk Mendoza (4 April 1912 – 9 November 1995) was a lawyer, diplomat and business magnate who is well-known for his role as a delegate during World War II, as a founding representative of the United Nations and as chairman to v ...

(1912–1995) founding member and representative of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

for Venezuela as well as president and chairman of the board of

. * Eladio Lárez (born 1941) ex-president of Radio Caracas Television. * Miguel Enrique Otero (born 1950) mathematician, (also faculty for five years) chairman and owner of the newspaper El Nacional.

Presidents of Venezuela

* José María Vargas, (also rector, faculty and alumnus) scientist (1835–36). * Andrés Narvarte, lawyer (1836–37). * Pedro Gual Escandon, lawyer (1859, 1861). * Guillermo Tell Villegas, lawyer (1868–69, 1870, 1892). * Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido, lawyer (1892). *

Antonio Guzmán Blanco Antonio José Ramón de La Trinidad y María Guzmán Blanco (28 February 1829 – 28 July 1899) was a Venezuelan military leader, statesman, diplomat and politician. He was the president of Venezuela for three separate terms, from 1870 until ...

, lawyer (1879–1884). * Raimundo Andueza Palacio, lawyer (1890–1892). *

José Gil Fortoul José Gil Fortoul (25 November 1861, in Barquisimeto, Lara – 15 June 1943, in Caracas) was a Venezuelan writer, historian, and politician, who was briefly the acting president of Venezuela. As a political scientist and legal scholar, he is cl ...

, political scientist (1913–1914). * Juan Bautista Pérez, lawyer (1929–1931). *

, (did not finish) (1945–1948). *

Rómulo Gallegos Rómulo Ángel del Monte Carmelo Gallegos Freire (2 August 1884 – 5 April 1969) was a Venezuelan novelist and politician. For a period of nine months during 1948, he governed as the first freely elected president in Venezuela's history. He was ...

, (did not finish) writer (1948). * Germán Suárez Flamerich, (also Faculty) lawyer (1950–52). *

Edgar Sanabria Edgar Sanabria Arcia (; 3 October 1911 – 24 April 1989) was a Venezuelan lawyer, diplomat, and politician. He served as the acting president of Venezuela from 1958 to 1959. Biography He was born in Caracas to his parents Gorge Sanabria Bruzal ...

, (also Faculty) lawyer (1959). *

Raúl Leoni Raúl Leoni Otero (26 April 1905 – 5 July 1972) was the president of Venezuela from 1964 until 1969. He was a member of the Generation of 1928 and a charter member of the Acción Democrática party, and the first Labor minister of Venezuela (d ...

, (did not finish) (1964–1969). *

, (also Faculty) political scientist (1969–1974), (1994–1999). * Carlos Andrés Pérez, (did not finish) (1974–1979), (1989–1993). *

Luis Herrera Campins Luis Antonio Herrera Campins (4 May 1925 – 9 November 2007) was the president of Venezuela from 1979 to 1984. He was elected to one five-year term in 1978. He was a member of COPEI, a Christian Democratic party. Early life and career Luis ...

, (did not finish) (1979–1984). *

Jaime Lusinchi Jaime Ramón Lusinchi (27 May 1924 – 21 May 2014) was a Venezuelan politician who was the president of Venezuela from 1984 to 1989. His term was characterized by an economic crisis, growth of the external debt, populist policies, currency dep ...

, physician (1984–1989). *

Ramón José Velásquez Ramón José Velásquez Mujica (28 November 1916 – 24 June 2014) was a Venezuelan politician, historian, journalist, and lawyer. He served as the president of Venezuela between 1993 and 1994. Background and personal life Velásquez was born ...

,(also Faculty) historian (1993–94).

Notable faculty

18th century

* Lorenzo Campins y Ballester (1726–1785) Spanish born scientist, founder of the studies of medicine. * Fr. Baltasar de los Reyes Marrero (1752–1809) (also alumnus) began the teaching of modern science and philosophy based on the theories of Newton, Kepler,

Copernicus Nicolaus Copernicus (; pl, Mikołaj Kopernik; gml, Niklas Koppernigk, german: Nikolaus Kopernikus; 19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon, who formulated ...

, Stahl, Lavoisier, Locke, Condillac,

Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm (von) Leibniz . ( – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat. He is one of the most prominent figures in both the history of philosophy and the history of ma ...

and Wolff. In 1789 he was convicted by the Crown as an infidel for teaching doctrines forbidden by the King.

19th century

* Juan Manuel Cagigal (1803–1856) mathematician. * Alejandro Chataing (1873–1928) (also alumnus) mathematician, architect. *

Agustin Codazzi Giovanni Battista Agostino Codazzi (alternatively known in Latin America as Agustín Codazzi; 12 July 1793 – 7 February 1859) was an Italo-Venezuelan soldier, scientist, geographer, cartographer, and governor of Barinas (1846–1847 ...

(1793–1859) Italian military, scientist and geographer * Domenico Milano (1810–1880) Italian agronomist engineer, started in 1843 the Faculty of Agronomy ("Escuela Normal de Agricultura"). * Fermín Toro (1806–1865) politician and linguist.
Alejandro Ibarra
(1813–1880) scientist. * José Gregorio Hernández (1864–1919) (also alumnus) physician, began the teaching of Microbiology in Venezuela. * Adolf Ernst (1832–1899) Prussian born scientist, started the teaching of natural history based on

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...

and

Lamarck Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, chevalier de Lamarck (1 August 1744 – 18 December 1829), often known simply as Lamarck (; ), was a French naturalist, biologist, academic, and soldier. He was an early proponent of the idea that biolo ...

. * Luis Razetti (1862–1932) (also alumnus) physician, began the teaching of modern surgery in Venezuela and wrote an influential code of ethics for the practice of medicine.

20th century

Humanities

* Abraham Abreu (born 1939) pianist and harpsichordist. * Mario Briceño Iragorry (1897–1958) writer. * José Balza (born 1939) novelist, critic. * Rafael Cadenas (born 1930) poet. * Manuel Caballero (1931–2010) (also alumnus) historian, journalist. * Alejo Carpentier (1904–1980) writer, musicologist, journalist. * Isaac Chocrón (1930–2011) economist and theater writer. Director of the School of Arts. * Nicolas Curiel (born 1931) writer and director of theater. * Gustavo Herrera (1890–1953) lawyer and diplomat. * Gaston Diehl (1912–1999) French art historian, recipient of the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film in 1950. * Juan David García Bacca (1901–1992) Spanish born philosopher; translator of the complete works of Plato. * Gertrude Goldschmidt (1912–1994) German born artist. * Joaquín Gabaldón Márquez (1906–1984) lawyer and diplomat. * Ezra Heymann (born 1928) Romanian born philosopher. *

Martha Hildebrandt Martha Luz Hildebrandt Pérez-Treviño (13 January 1925 – 8 December 2022) was a Peruvian linguist and Fujimorist politician. She was first elected to Congress in 1995 and, in 1999, she became the second woman to serve as President of the Co ...

(born 1925) Peruvian linguist. * Chibly Abouhamad Hobaica (1929–2005) lawyer, professor and writer * Eugenio Imaz (1900–1951) Spanish born philosopher. * Pedro Itriago Chacín (1875–1936), lawyer, historian. * Margarita López Maya, historian, humanist. * Ernesto Mayz Vallenilla (1925–2015) (also alumnus) philosopher, rector of the Universidad Simón Bolívar. * Juan Nuño (1927–1995) (also alumnus) Spanish born philosopher. * Luis Enrique Oberto (1928–2022) (also alumnus) Venezuelan banker and politician. * Manuel García Pelayo (1909–1991) Spanish born political Scientist, elected president of the Constitutional Tribunal of Spain in 1980. * Manuel Pérez Vila (1922–1991) Spanish born historian. *

Pedro Antonio Ríos Reyna Pedro Antonio Ríos Reyna ( Colón, Táchira State, Venezuela. November 16, 1905 - February 13, 1971, New York City, U.S.) was one of the most important Venezuelan classical musicians. Spent his childhood in Caracas and studied at the Fermín ...

(1905–1971) classical musician. * Federico Riu (1925–1985) (also alumnus) Spanish born philosopher. * Angel Rosenblat (1902–1984) Polish born philologist. * Levy Rossell (born 1945) writer and director of theater. * Mariano Picón Salas (1901–1965) writer, cultural critic. * José Antonio Ramos Sucre (1890–1930) (also alumnus) poet, writer. *

Oscar Sambrano Urdaneta Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

(1929–2011) writer, essayist and literary critic. * Guillermo Sucre (1933–2021) (also alumnus) literary critic. * Arturo Uslar Pietri (1906–2001) (also alumnus) writer and historian, winner of the

Prince of Asturias Award The Princess of Asturias Awards ( es, Premios Princesa de Asturias, links=no, ast, Premios Princesa d'Asturies, links=no), formerly the Prince of Asturias Awards from 1981 to 2014 ( es, Premios Príncipe de Asturias, links=no), are a series of a ...

(1990) and Rómulo Gallegos Prize for Best Novel (1991). * Carlos Raúl Villanueva (1900–1975) architect, one of the great Modernists. * Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido (also alumnus), politician, writer and historian. * Pedro León Zapata (1929–2015) artist and humorist.

Sciences

* Arístides Bastidas (1924–1992) journalist and scientist winner of the

Kalinga Prize The Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science is an award given by UNESCO for exceptional skill in presenting scientific ideas to lay people. It was created in 1952, following a donation from Biju Patnaik, Founder President of the Kalinga ...

, was one of the pioneers of what is termed as "science journalism" in Venezuela. * German Carnevali Fernandez-Concha (born 1955) botanist. * Luis Eduardo Chataing (1906–1971) (also alumnus) mathematician. *

Julian Chela-Flores Julian Chela-Flores (born 13 June 1942) is a Venezuelan astrobiologist and physicist. He is known for his contributions to the field of planetary habitability. Biography His father, Raimundo Chela a mathematician of Lebanese family, encouraged ...

(born 1942) astrobiologist and physicist. * Paul Dedecker (1927–2007) Belgian mathematician. * Jacinto Convit (1913–2014) (also alumnus) nominated for the

Nobel Prize in Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, according ...

in 1988 for his research on the cure of

Leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

. * Francisco José Duarte (1883–1972) mathematician. * Humberto Fernández Morán (1924–1999) contributed to the development of the

electron microscope An electron microscope is a microscope that uses a beam of accelerated electrons as a source of illumination. As the wavelength of an electron can be up to 100,000 times shorter than that of visible light photons, electron microscopes have a hi ...

and was the first researcher to introduce the concept of cryoultramicrotomy. * Celso Fortoul Padrón (also alumnus) civil engineer and calculist of pre-tensate infraestructures. * Arnoldo Gabaldon (1909–1990) physician, started the fight over tropical diseases as

Malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

. * Luis Alfredo Herrera Cometta, relativistic physicist. Professor Emeritus. * Andras Kalnay, physicist. *

Werner Jaffé Werner Gunter Jaffé Fellner (October 27, 1914 - May 3, 2009) was a chemist and university professor. Jaffé was born in Frankfurt as a child of Rudolf Jaffé. He received his doctoral degree at the University of Zurich under the supervision of the ...

(1914–2009) founder of the National Institute of Nutrition. Studied under Nobel prize winner

Paul Karrer Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

. * Tobías Lasser (1911–2006) (also alumnus) botanist, founder of the Botanical Garden of Caracas, the modern School of Sciences and the Department of Biology. * Fuad Lechín (born 1928) physician, nominated for the

in 2001 for the development of new treatments of bronchial asthma and myasthenia.
Antonio Machado-Allison
(b. 1945) ichthyologist. * Francisco Mago Leccia (1931–2004) ichthyologist. * Rafael Martínez Escarbassiere (born 1929) biologist * Ettore Mazzarri (1919–2009) chemist specialist of Maracay Agronomy faculty * Angel Palacio Gros (1903–1965) Spanish mathematician. * August Pi i Sunyer (1879–1961) Physiologist Spanish born. Winner of the

1956. * Carles Pi i Sunyer (1888–1971) Spanish born industrial engineer and literate * Janis Rácenis (1915–1980) Latvia born entomologist. * Ivón Mercedes Ramírez Morillo (born 1965) botanist. * Gustavo Adolfo Romero-Gonzales (born 1955) botanist. * Eckbert Schulz-Schomburgk (born 1921) chemist. * Gustavo Rivas Mijares, sanitarist engineer. *

Marcel Roche Marcel Roche Dugand (August 15, 1920 in Caracas, Venezuela – May 3, 2003 in Miami, USA) was a physician, scientist and scientific leader. He was born into a wealthy family of French origin. His father, Luis Roche was a well known urban ...

(1920–2003) physician, winner of the

, governor of the International Atomic Energy Agency (1958–1960) and founding member Third World Academy of Sciences. * José Royo Gómez (1895–1961) Spanish geologist. * Carlos Toro Manrique (1868–1937) (also alumnus) engineer, mathematician. * Elías Toro (1871–1918) physician, anthropologist. * Andre Zavrosky (1904–1995) Russian mathematician.

Rectors

References

Printed references

* ÁVILA BELLO, JOSÉ. y CONVIT, JACINTO. 1992: "El Instituto de Biomedicina. Evolución reciente". En: Ruiz Calderón, Humberto et al. "''La ciencia en Venezuela pasado, presente y futuro''". Cuadernos Lagoven. Lagoven, S.A. Caracas Venezuela pp: 92–101. * BARROETA LARA, JULIO. 1995: ""Nuestra y trascendente Universidad Central de Venezuela"". Universidad Central de Venezuela, Dirección de Cultura. Caracas – Venezuela. * CADENAS, JOSÉ MARÍA. 1994; "Relaciones universidad empresa: una aproximación a su situación en Venezuela". EN: "Agenda Académica". Universidad Central de Venezuela. Caracas Venezuela. * CUENCA, HUMBERTO. 1967: ""La universidad colonial"". Universidad Central de Venezuela. Caracas – Venezuela. * HENRIQUEZ UREÑA, PEDRO. 1955: ""Historia de la cultura en la América Hispánica"". Colección Tierra Firme. Fondo de Cultura Económica. Ciudad de México – México. 243p. * HERRERA Z, HENRY. y ORTA, SOLANGE. 1995: ""Universidad Central de Venezuela"". En: ''Diccionario multimedia de Historia de Venezuela''. Fundación Polar. Caracas – Venezuela. * LEAL, ILDEFONSO. 1963: "''Historia de la Universidad de Caracas (1721–1827) ''". Universidad Central de Venezuela. Caracas – Venezuela. * LEAL, ILDEFONSO. 1970: "''El Claustro de la Universidad y sus Historia''". Tomo I (1756–1774) Estudio preliminar y compilación; Universidad Central de Venezuela. Caracas – Venezuela. 358p. * LEAL, ILDEFONSO. 1971: "''Universidad Central de Venezuela 1721–1971''". Ediciones del Rectorado de la Universidad Central de Venezuela. Caracas – Venezuela. 152p. * LEAL, ILDEFONSO. 1979: "''El Claustro de la Universidad y sus Historia II''". Tomo I (1721–1756) Estudio preliminar y compilación; Universidad Central de Venezuela. Caracas – Venezuela. 362p. * LEAL, ILDEFONSO. 1981: "''Historia de UCV''". Ediciones del Rectorado de la Universidad Central de Venezuela. Caracas – Venezuela. 544p. * LEAL, ILDEFONSO. 1981: "''Historia de la Universidad Central de Venezuela, 1721–1981''". Universidad Central de Venezuela. Caracas – Venezuela. * LEAL, ILDEFONSO. 1983: "''La Universidad de Caracas en los años de Bolívar 1783–1830''". Universidad Central de Venezuela. Caracas -Venezuela 2 volúmenes. * MACHADO ALLISON, ANTONIO. 2005: "''Memorias 40 años del Instituto de Zoologia Tropical''". Editorial Brima Color. Caracas – Venezuela. 155p. * MÉNDEZ Y MENDOZA, JUAN DE DIOS. 1912: "''Historia de la Universidad Central de Venezuela''". Tipografía Americana. Caracas. 2 volúmenes. * PARRA LEÓN, CARACCIOLO. 1954: ""Filosofía universitaria venezolana 1782–1821"". Editorial J. B. Madrid – España. * TEXERA, YOLANDA. 1992: "La Facultad de Ciencias de la Universidad Central de Venezuela". En: Ruiz Calderón, Humberto et al. "''La ciencia en Venezuela pasado, presente y futuro''". Cuadernos Lagoven. Lagoven, S.A. Caracas Venezuela pp: 50–63. * UNIVERSIDAD CENTRAL DE VENEZUELA. 1990: "Instituto de Zoología Tropical (IZT)". Universidad Central de Venezuela. Caracas – Venezuela. 16p. * UNIVERSIDAD CENTRAL DE VENEZUELA. 1978: "UCV prospecto de estudios Facultad de Ciencias. Universidad Central de Venezuela. Caracas – Venezuela. 123p. * USLAR PIETRI, ARTURO. 1961: ""La universidad y el país"". Imprenta Nacional. Caracas – Venezuela.

Cartographical references

* UNIVERSIDAD CENTRAL DE VENEZUELA. 1981: ""Plano de Ubicación de las obras de arte de la Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas"". Universidad Central de Venezuela. Caracas – Venezuela.

External links

Universidad Central de Venezuela-Official Site

UCV Foundation

Consejo Nacional de Universidades de Venezuela
(Spanish)

Aerial photos

Aerial Photo from GoogleMaps
* The UCV is located at {{DEFAULTSORT:Central University of Venezuela Universities in Venezuela Central de Venezuela, Universidad Educational institutions established in 1721 1721 establishments in Venezuela

History

Origins

Republican years

20th century

Organization and degrees

Research ranking

Notable alumni

Humanists

Scientists

Politicians

Businessmen

Presidents of Venezuela

Notable faculty

18th century

19th century

20th century

Humanities

Sciences

Rectors

See also

References

Printed references

Cartographical references

External links

Aerial photos