The Compostela Group of Universities (CGU) is an international non-profit association that promotes and executes collaboration projects between institutions of higher education. It currently has 67 full members, 2 associate members and 9 mutual membership agreements with institutions from 27 different countries.

History

In 1993, the

University of Santiago de Compostela , established = , type = Public , budget = €228 million (2011) , rector = Prof. Dr. Antonio López Díaz , city = Santiago de Compostela , state = Galicia , country = Spain , undergrad = 23,835 , postgrad = 1,716 , doctoral = 2,697 , ...

began initiating contact with other institutions in higher education situated along the Way of St. James, to establish a university network for collaboration and to help helped to preserve the cultural and historical heritage that emerged along the ancient pilgrim route. Following these initial developments, 57 European universities met in Santiago from 2–4 September 1993. They established the guidelines and objectives of the group. These included the following three, which are still the objectives of today's CGU: * Strengthening the channels of communication between the member universities. * Organizing events to study and discuss subjects related to Europe. * Promoting mobility as the basis to increase the knowledge of European languages and cultures. A commission consisting of representatives from the universities of

Valladolid Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far fro ...

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911. General information The ori ...

, Minho,

Jaume I James I the Conqueror ( es, Jaime el Conquistador, ca, Jaume el Conqueridor; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and Valencia from 1238 to 1276 ...

and

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...

drew up the

Statute A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by ...

s of the Compostela Group of Universities. These were officially adopted at the first Constituent Assembly, held at the University of Santiago de Compostela from 2–3 September 1994.

Organization

Structure

The Compostela Group of Universities is headquartered in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

and has a regional office in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

. The organizations current president is Marek Kręglewski.

Activities

Compostela Prize

In 1996, the CGU and the Regional Ministry of Culture, Social Communication and Tourism signed an agreement to establish the Compostela Prize (International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia). The prize is awarded annually and seeks to reward " ..any individual or institution that have contributed to the promotion of the European dimension in education, either in teaching and research or in the cultural, social and political fields .." Nominations can be made by CGU member universities, members of the

Xunta de Galicia The Xunta de Galicia (; "Regional Government of Galicia") is the collective decision-making body of the government of the autonomous community of Galicia, composed of the President, the Vice-President(s) and the specialized ministers (''Conse ...

and other official

European institutions European integration is the process of industrial, economic, political, legal, social, and cultural integration of states wholly or partially in Europe or nearby. European integration has primarily come about through the European Union and its ...

until the 1st of March each year. The jury consists of the President of the Galician Government, who chairs the meetings, and the Regional Minister of Culture, the Regional Minister of Education and Universities and the Galician Director of Universities. The Compostela Group is represented by its President and three rectors of member universities, chosen annually by the General Council. The prize is usually awarded at the end of the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of pres ...

of the Compostela Group of Universities, with the successful candidate receiving prize money and a commemorative

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have be ...

in the shape of a shell (the centuries-old symbol of the pilgrimage to Santiago). Recent recipients are: * 2018: María Pilar Alonso Abad,

Art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today, ...

professor at the

University of Burgos The University of Burgos (in Spanish: Universidad de Burgos and often abbreviated UBU) is a public university in the Spanish city of Burgos with about 10,000 students studying over 30 different undergraduate degrees, over 20 PhD Programmes, as we ...

(UBU), for her academic work and unique research on the Jacobean cultural heritage * 2017: Marcelino Oreja Aguirre, Spanish

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

, for his efforts in designating the Saint James Way as the Council of Europe's first cultural route. *2016: CIRCOM Regional, European Association of Regional Television, for the networks support in promoting European diversity and regional development.

Members

The Compostela Group of Universities has the following members, as of 2021: ;Belarus *

Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno (russian: Гродненский государственный университет имени Янки Купалы, be, Гарадзенскі дзяржаўны унівэрсітэт імя Янк� ...

;Brazil *

São Paulo State University São Paulo State University (UNESP, pt, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho") is a public university run by the state government of São Paulo, Brazil. UNESP has a combined student body of over 45,000 spread among its 23 c ...

;China *

Zhejiang Wanli University Zhejiang Wanli University (), formerly the Ningbo Branch of Zhejiang Agricultural University (), is a private college in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China. The college is operated by the Zhejiang Wanli Education Group Company. Previously holding vocationa ...

;Czech Republic *

Masaryk University Masaryk University (MU) ( cs, Masarykova univerzita; la, Universitas Masarykiana Brunensis) is the second largest university in the Czech Republic, a member of the Compostela Group and the Utrecht Network. Founded in 1919 in Brno as the se ...

;Dominican Republic *

Santo Domingo Institute of Technology Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo —or Santo Domingo Institute of Technology (also known as INTEC), is a private university located in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It was founded on October 9, 1972, by a group of connoted professional ...

;France *

University of Nantes The University of Nantes (french: Université de Nantes) is a public university located in the city of Nantes, France. In addition to the several campuses scattered in the city of Nantes, there are two satellite campuses located in Saint-Nazair ...

;Georgia * Grigol Robakidze University *

Ilia State University Ilia State University ISU ( Georgian: ილიას სახელმწიფო უნივერსიტეტი) was founded in 2006 as a result of a merger of six different academic institutions with long and varied histories. Current ...

;Germany *

Philipps University of Marburg The Philipps University of Marburg (german: Philipps-Universität Marburg) was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Protestant university in the worl ...

University of Regensburg The University of Regensburg (german: link=no, Universität Regensburg) is a public research university located in the medieval city of Regensburg, Bavaria, a city that is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university was founded on 18 ...

;Hungary *

University of Pécs The University of Pécs (UP; Hungarian language, Hungarian: ''Pécsi Tudományegyetem''; PTE) is an institution of higher education in Hungary. The modern university was established in 1912 but has its roots in the medieval university founded ...

;Indonesia *

University of Surabaya University of Surabaya (UBAYA) is a university in Rungkut, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. UBAYA is the successor to Trisakti University of Surabaya which was founded in 1966. Its name was changed to the University of Surabaya in 1968. Construc ...

;Italy *

Kore University of Enna The Kore University of Enna, in Italian Università Kore di Enna, is a university founded in 2004 in Enna, the capital city of the Province of Enna, in the center of Sicily and has been visited by two Italian Presidents (Oscar Luigi Scalfaro befo ...

Università telematica internazionale Uninettuno The UniNettuno University ( it, Università telematica internazionale UniNettuno), often simply abbreviated as "UniNettuno" is a private university based in Rome, Italy which provides distance e-learning courses via a consortium of 43 universitie ...

;Lithuania * Kazimieras Simonavičius University ;Malta *

University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association ...

;Mexico *

Centro de Enseñanza Técnica y Superior Centro de Enseñanza Técnica y Superior (CETYS) is a private Institution of Higher Education founded in 1961, located in the state of Baja California. CETYS is a three-campus university system in Engineering, Business and the Social Sciences. ...

Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) ( en, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education), also known as Tecnológico de Monterrey or just Tec, is a secular and coeducational private university based i ...

* Universidad Anáhuac Xalapa ( Anahuac University Network) *

Universidad La Salle México Universidad La Salle also referred to by its acronym ULSA is a private Catholic secondary and higher education institution run by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in 15 campuses in Mexico. It offers high school, bachelor ...

University of Guadalajara The University of Guadalajara ( es, Universidad de Guadalajara) is a public higher education institution in the Mexican city of Guadalajara. The university has several high schools as well as graduate and undergraduate campuses, which are dis ...

* University of Monterrey ;Panama * Columbus University ;Peru *

ESAN University ESAN University or Universidad ESAN in Spanish (acronym: ESAN) is a non-profit private University, located in Lima, Peru. ESAN University is the leading academic institution in business education, that was founded in 1963 as ESAN - Escuela de ...

National University of San Marcos The National University of San Marcos ( es, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, link=no, UNMSM) is a public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. It is considered the most important, recognized and representative educ ...

Federico Villarreal National University Federico Villarreal National University ( es, Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal, UNFV) is a public university located in Lima, Peru. It was named in honor of the Peruvian mathematician Federico Villarreal. History It first functioned ...

Peruvian University of Applied Sciences The Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC) is a private university in Lima, Peru, founded on January 5, 1994. Currently, it offers 46 career programs categorized in 13 schools. History The Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas w ...

Pontifical Catholic University of Peru Pontifical Catholic University of Peru ( es, link=no, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, PUCP) is a private university in Lima, Peru. It was founded in 1917 with the support and approval of the Catholic Church, being the oldest private ...

University of Lima The University of Lima ( es, Universidad de Lima) is a private nonprofit university in Lima, Peru. It was founded in 1962 and it is considered one of the most prestigious and remembered universities in Peru. The decision to create the Universi ...

University of Piura The University of Piura ( es, Universidad de Piura; "UDEP") is a private university in Peru. It has two campus A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a ...

;Poland *

Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań The Adam Mickiewicz University ( pl, Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu; Latin: ''Universitas Studiorum Mickiewicziana Posnaniensis'') is a research university in Poznań, Poland. It traces its origins to 1611, when under the Royal Ch ...

* University of Łódź ;Portugal *

University of Minho The University of Minho (''Universidade do Minho'') is a public university in Portugal, divided into the following campuses: * Largo do Paço (rectorate), in Braga * Campus of Gualtar, in Braga * Convento dos Congregados, in Braga * Campus of A ...

* University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro ;Serbia * University Business Academy in Novi Sad ;Slovakia * Pan-European University ;Spain * Jaume I University *

King Juan Carlos University Rey Juan Carlos University ( es, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, URJC) is a Spanish public research university located in the southern area of the Community of Madrid (Spain), with five campuses at Móstoles, Alcorcón, Vicálvaro, Aranjuez and Fue ...

Technical University of Madrid The Technical University of Madrid or sometimes called Polytechnic University of Madrid ( es, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, UPM) is a public university, located in Madrid, Spain. It was founded in 1971 as the result of merging different Te ...

* Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena *

University of A Coruña The University of A Coruña ( gl, Universidade da Coruña) is a Spanish public university located in the city of A Coruña, Galicia. Established in 1989, university departments are divided between two primary campuses in A Coruña and nearby Fer ...

* University of Almería *

University of Cádiz The University of Cádiz (in Spanish: Universidad de Cádiz), commonly referred to as UCA, is a public university located in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain, noted for its medicine and marine sciences curricula. It was founded in 1979 ...

University of Extremadura University of Extremadura (in es, Universidad de Extremadura) is a Spanish public university in Extremadura (Badajoz and Cáceres). It was founded in 1973 by Decree 991/1973, May 10 (BOE May 18) of the Ministry of Education and Science of Sp ...

University of La Laguna The University of La Laguna (ULL; Spanish: ''Universidad de La Laguna'') is a public research university situated in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, on the island of Tenerife, Spain. It is the oldest university in the Canary Islands. The universi ...

University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria The University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, also known as the ULPGC (''Spanish'' Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) is a Spanish university located in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the capital city of Gran Canaria island. It is the univ ...

* University of León *

University of Lleida The University of Lleida (officially in Catalan: ''Universitat de Lleida'') is a university based in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. It was the first university founded in Catalonia and in the ancient Crown of Aragon. It was founded in 1300, using th ...

University of Málaga The University of Málaga (UMA, ''Universidad de Málaga'') is a public university ranked 23 among all Spanish universities and 683 in the world. It was established in 1972 and has, as of 2016, 30,203 Bachelor students and 2576 on a Master's pr ...

* University of Oviedo *

University of Salamanca The University of Salamanca ( es, Universidad de Salamanca) is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the city of Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It was founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX. It is t ...

University of Seville The University of Seville (''Universidad de Sevilla'') is a university in Seville, Spain. Founded under the name of ''Colegio Santa María de Jesús'' in 1505, it has a present student body of over 69.200, and is one of the top-ranked universi ...

University of the Basque Country The University of the Basque Country ( eu, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, ''EHU''; es, Universidad del País Vasco, ''UPV''; UPV/EHU) is a Spanish public university of the Basque Autonomous Community. Heir of the University of Bilbao, initiall ...

University of Valencia The University of Valencia ( ca-valencia, Universitat de València ; also known as UV) is a public research university located in the city of Valencia, Spain. It is one of the oldest surviving universities in Spain, and the oldest in the Vale ...

* University of Vigo *

University of Zaragoza The University of Zaragoza, sometimes referred to as Saragossa University () is a public university with teaching campuses and research centres spread over the three provinces of Aragon, Spain. Founded in 1542, it is one of the oldest universiti ...

;Sweden *

Karlstad University Karlstad University ( Swedish ''Karlstads universitet'') is a state university in Karlstad, Sweden. It was originally established as the Karlstad campus of the University of Gothenburg in 1967, and this campus became an independent universit ...

;Switzerland *

University of Fribourg The University of Fribourg (french: Université de Fribourg; german: Universität Freiburg) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland. The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisi ...

;United Kingdom *

University of Worcester , motto_lang = la , mottoeng = ''Aspire to Inspire'' , established = 1946 – Worcester Emergency Teacher Training College 1948 – Worcester Teacher Training College 1976 – Worcester College of Higher Education 1997 – ...

Associate members

;Greece * Metropolitan College (AMC)

Collaborators

;Brazil * FAUBAI - Brazilian Association for International Education ;Russia * EEUA - Eastern European University Association ;Slovenia * Euro-Mediterranean University of Slovenia ;Spain * Erasmus Compostela ;United Kingdom *

Quacquarelli Symonds Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) is a British company specialising in the analysis of higher education institutions around the world. The company was founded in 1990 by Nunzio Quacquarelli. History On 5 October 2017, QS Quacquarelli Symonds acquired Ho ...

;United States * Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration * HACU - Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities * Scholars at Risk

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1994 establishments in Spain College and university associations and consortia in Europe Educational organisations based in Spain International college and university associations and consortia Organizations established in 1994