The University of Basel (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: ''Universitas Basiliensis''; German: ''Universität Basel'') is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest universities. The university is traditionally counted among the leading institutions of higher learning in the country. The associated Basel University Library is the largest and among the most important libraries in Switzerland. The university hosts the faculties of theology, law, medicine,

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

and

social sciences Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...

, science,

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

, and business and economics, as well as numerous cross-disciplinary subjects and institutes, such as the Biozentrum for biomedical research and the Institute for European Global Studies. In 2020, the university had 13,139 students and 378 professors. International students accounted for 27 percent of the student body. In its over 500-year history, the university has been home to

Erasmus of Rotterdam Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus ( ; ; 28 October c. 1466 – 12 July 1536), commonly known in English as Erasmus of Rotterdam or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Christian humanist, Catholic priest and theologian, educationalist, satirist, and p ...

Paracelsus Paracelsus (; ; 1493 – 24 September 1541), born Theophrastus von Hohenheim (full name Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim), was a Swiss physician, alchemist, lay theologian, and philosopher of the German Renaissance. H ...

Daniel Bernoulli Daniel Bernoulli ( ; ; – 27 March 1782) was a Swiss people, Swiss-France, French mathematician and physicist and was one of the many prominent mathematicians in the Bernoulli family from Basel. He is particularly remembered for his applicati ...

Leonhard Euler Leonhard Euler ( ; ; ; 15 April 170718 September 1783) was a Swiss polymath who was active as a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, logician, geographer, and engineer. He founded the studies of graph theory and topology and made influential ...

Jacob Burckhardt Carl Jacob Christoph Burckhardt (; ; 25 May 1818 – 8 August 1897) was a Swiss historian of art and culture and an influential figure in the historiography of both fields. His best known work is '' The Civilization of the Renaissance in ...

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philology, classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche bec ...

Tadeusz Reichstein Tadeusz Reichstein (20 July 1897 – 1 August 1996), also known as Tadeus Reichstein, was a Polish-Swiss chemist and a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate (1950), which was awarded for his work on the isolation of cortisone. Early li ...

Karl Jaspers Karl Theodor Jaspers (; ; 23 February 1883 – 26 February 1969) was a German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher who had a strong influence on modern theology, psychiatry, and philosophy. His 1913 work ''General Psychopathology'' influenced many ...

Carl Gustav Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and psychologist who founded the school of analytical psychology. A prolific author of over 20 books, illustrator, and correspondent, Jung was a ...

Karl Barth Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss Reformed theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary '' The Epistle to the Romans'', his involvement in the Confessing Church, including his authorship (except for a single phrase) of the Barmen Decl ...

, and

Jeanne Hersch Jeanne Hersch (13 July 1910 – 5 June 2000) was a Swiss philosopher of Polish-Jewish origin, whose works dealt with the concept of freedom. She was the daughter of Liebman Hersch. Education and career Hersch was born in 1910 in Geneva, Sw ...

. The institution is associated with ten

Nobel laureates The Nobel Prizes (, ) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make outstanding contributions in th ...

and two

presidents of the Swiss Confederation The president of the Swiss Confederation, also known as the president of the confederation, federal president or colloquially as the president of Switzerland, is as ''primus inter pares'' among the other members of the Federal Council formal ...

History

The University of Basel was founded in connection with the Council of Basel. It was during the years the catholic clergy resided in Basel, a temporary university was established between the years 1432 und 1448. In May 1432 it was authorized for Simon de Valla from

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

to lecture on

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

, in 1434 Jacques d'Attigny from France and was also permitted to lecture on canon law in Basel. d'Attigny had before been lecturing canon law at the University of Rome. In 1437 Demetrius was called to lecture

Greek language Greek (, ; , ) is an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language, constituting an independent Hellenic languages, Hellenic branch within the Indo-European language family. It is native to Greece, Cyprus, Italy (in Calabria and Salento), south ...

. Also the function of a bedel is mentioned, but there was no mention of a dean or a University order. The same year Pope Eugen IV attempted to move the council to

Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...

, but many involved in Basel stayed and kept negotiating and in 1439 the council elected a counterpope in the figure of the Duke of Savoy Amadeus VIII who would become known as

Felix V Amadeus VIII (4 September 1383 – 7 January 1451), nicknamed the Peaceful, was Count of Savoy from 1391 to 1416 and Duke of Savoy from 1416 to 1440. He was a claimant to the papacy from 1439 to 1449 as Felix VWhen numbering of the popes began ...

. Felix V then established a formal "University of the Clergy" (German:''Kurienuniversität)'' which was inaugurated in November 1440 with a

mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

in the . In 1448, the German King Frederick III came to an agreement with Pope

Nicholas V Pope Nicholas V (; ; 15 November 1397 – 24 March 1455), born Tommaso Parentucelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 March 1447 until his death in March 1455. Pope Eugene IV made him a cardinal in 1446 afte ...

, the successor of Eugen IV and ordered the city to remove the security of the councilors. The university was then formally closed in July 1448 and the clergy moved on to

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

. After they left, the former lecturers urged for a regular university to be established. The deed of foundation given in the form of a

Papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...

Pope Pius II Pope Pius II (, ), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini (; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August 1458 to his death in 1464. Aeneas Silvius was an author, diplomat, ...

on 12 November 1459 in

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

and the official opening ceremony was held on 4 April 1460, the day of

Saint Ambrose Ambrose of Milan (; 4 April 397), venerated as Saint Ambrose, was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promoting Roman Christianity against Ari ...

in the Minster of Basel. Originally the University of Basel was decreed to have four faculties—arts, medicine, theology, and jurisprudence. From 1497, the Grand Council of Basel discussed whether the University was to be closed and only in 1501, the year Basel joined the

Swiss Confederation Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerlan ...

, it was decided not to close the university. The faculty of arts served until 1818 as the foundation for the other three academic subjects. In the eighteenth century as Basel became more commercial, the university, one of the centres of learning in the Renaissance, slipped into insignificance. Enrollment which had been over a thousand around 1600, dropped to sixty in 1785 with eighteen professors. The professors themselves were mostly sons of the elite.Grossman, Lionel, ''Basel in the age of Burckhardt '' (Chicago, 2000) p. 35, and note 20; p. 118 Over the course of centuries as many scholars came to the city, Basel became an early centre of book printing and humanism. Around the same time as the university itself, the Basel University Library was founded. Today it has over three million books and writings and is the largest library in Switzerland. Located in what was once a politically volatile area, the university's fate often ebbed and flowed with regional political developments, including the Reformation, the Kantonstrennung (separation of the Canton of Basel City from Basel Land), and both World Wars. These factors affected student attendance, funding, university-government relations. In 1833 the Canton of Basel split in two with the Federal Diet requiring that the canton's assets, including the books at the university library, be divided—two-thirds going to the new half canton of Basel-Landschaft. The city,

Basel-Stadt Canton of Basel-Stadt or Basel-City ( ; ; ; ) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of three municipalities with Basel as the capital. It is traditionally considered a " half-canton", the other half being B ...

, had to buy back this share and the university became so impoverished that it drastically reduced its course offerings. Students were expected to continue their education after two years or so at a German university. Student enrollment surged after the university shed its medieval curriculum (including the elimination of Latin as the official language of the course catalog in 1822) and began to add more faculties, especially those in the humanities and sciences. Liberal Arts became a faculty in 1818, from which the Philosophy and History and Natural History faculties were derived in 1937.Georg Kreis, "550 Years of the University of Basel: Permanence and Change" (Basel, 2010) p. 26 The university subsequently established the Faculty of Science (1937), the Faculty of Business and Economics (1996), and the Faculty of Psychology (2003). During the 20th century, the university grew rapidly, from one thousand students in 1918 to eight thousand in 1994. The first woman who was admitted to the university, , began her medical studies in 1890. After the seizure of power in the year 1933 by the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

in Germany, numerous renowned German professors decided to emigrate to Basel and started to work at the University of Basel. Several Swiss scholars also returned, inter alia the Law Professor Arthur Baumgarten (1933), the Theologians

(1935) and (1937) and after World War II the Philosopher

from

Heidelberg University Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is Germany's oldest unive ...

(1948), as well as the surgeon Rudolf Nissen (1952). On 1 January 1996, the University of Basel became independent from the cantonal government and thus earned its right to self-government. In 2007, the Canton of Basel-Landschaft voted in favor to share the sponsorship of the university in parity with the Canton Basel-Stadt.

Seal

Since 1460, the seal of the University showed a

Virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

surrounded with sun rays standing a crescent moon as mentioned in the

Revelation Revelation, or divine revelation, is the disclosing of some form of Religious views on truth, truth or Knowledge#Religion, knowledge through communication with a deity (god) or other supernatural entity or entities in the view of religion and t ...

of John.Wallraff, Martin; Stöcklin-Kaldewey, Sara (2010).p.30 Below the moon is the coat of arms of Basel. In her right hand, she holds a scepter, and on her left arm sits Jesus the child. The religious motive is described to denote the religious bond the university counted with at the beginning of its existence. The seal was also used after the

reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

and used continuously until 1992.

Reputation and rankings

Well-respected rankings attest to the University of Basel's international academic performance: * Times Higher Education World University Ranking (THE) (2021): 92 * CWTS Leiden Ranking (2019): 53 *

Academic Ranking of World Universities The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong Universi ...

(ARWU) (2019): 87

Organization

University administration

Since 1 January 1996, the University of Basel has been independent. The University Law of 1995 stipulates that, "The University of Basel is an institution established under public law. It has its own legal personality and right to self-government." As the entity that formally receives the Performance Mandate (Leistungsauftrag) for the University from both supporting cantons, the University Council (Universitätsrat) is the supreme decision-making body of the university. The Council consists of eleven voting members and three non-voting members, including the President, the Executive Director, and the Secretary of the Council. Beneath the University Council are the Senate (Regenz) and the President's Board. The 80-member Senate consists of the senior members of the President's Board, faculty deans, professors, lecturers and research assistants, assistants, students, and administrative and technical employees. The President's Office is tasked with leading the overall university business. It consists of the President and her staff, a General Secretariat, an Administrative Directorate, the Communications and Marketing Office, and two respective Vice-Presidents for Research and Education.

Faculties and departments

File:Musikwissenschaftliches Seminar der Universität Basel.jpg, Institute of Musicology File:Biozentrum Pharmazentrum Stehle 2007 University of Basel.png, Biozentrum and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences File:Universitat Basel, Juristische Fakultat.jpg, Faculty of Law File:Basel Bernoullianum 08-06-2008.jpg, Bernoullianum, Department of Environmental Sciences File:Bürgerspital, Basel.jpg, University Hospital of Basel The University of Basel currently houses seven faculties: * Theology * Law * Medicine *
Department of Biomedicine
(a joint venture among the University of Basel, the University Hospital, and the University Children's Hospital) *
Department of Biomedical Engineering
*
Department of Public Health
*
Department of Clinical Research
*
Department of Sport, Exercise and Health
* Humanities and Social Sciences (Phil I) *
Department of Ancient Civilizations
*
Department of History
*
Department of Social Sciences
*
Department Arts, Media, Philosophy
*
Department of Languages and Literatures
*
Digital Humanities Lab
* Science (Phil II) ** Biozentrum *
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
*
Department of Physics
*
Department of Chemistry
*
Department of Environmental Sciences
*
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
* Business and Economics * Psychology

Interdisciplinary institutions

* Institute for European Global Studies
Center for Philanthropy Studies (CEPS)

Institute for Biomedical Ethics (IBMB)

Institute of Education

Associated institutes

* Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TP

* Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) * Basel Institute on Governanc

Swiss Centre for Rescue, Emergency and Disaster Medicine (SZRNK)

Swisspeace

Notable alumni and faculty

The University is counted among the country's leading institutions of higher learning and thus boasts a large number of politicians, scientists and thinkers as professors and alumni from all around the world alike: File:Paracelsus.jpg,

, physician and alchemist File:Jakob Bernoulli.jpg,

Jacob Bernoulli Jacob Bernoulli (also known as James in English or Jacques in French; – 16 August 1705) was a Swiss mathematician. He sided with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz during the Leibniz–Newton calculus controversy and was an early proponent of Leibniz ...

, mathematician File:Leonhard Euler 2.jpg,

, mathematician and physicist File:Nietzsche1882 detail.jpg,

, philosopher File:Johann Friedrich Miescher. Photograph. Wellcome V0026860.jpg,

Friedrich Miescher Johannes Friedrich Miescher (13 August 1844 – 26 August 1895) was a Swiss physician and biologist. He was the first scientist to isolate nucleic acid in 1869. Miescher also identified protamine and made several other discoveries. Miescher had ...

, physician File:Karl Gustav Jung.png, Karl Gustav Jung, physician and surgeon File:ETH-BIB-Jung, Carl Gustav (1875-1961)-Portrait-Portr 14163 (cropped).tif,

, psychiatrist File:Karl Jaspers 1946.jpg,

, philosopher and psychiatrist File:Thadeus Reichstein ETH-Bib Portr 10137.jpg, Tadeus Reichstein, chemist and Nobel Prize laureate File:Werner Arber at Biozentrum, University of Basel.jpg, Werner Arber, microbiologist and Nobel Prize laureate File:Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard mg 4372 cropped.jpg,

Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard Christiane (Janni) Nüsslein-Volhard (; born 20 October 1942) is a German developmental biologist and a 1995 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate. She is the only woman from Germany to have received a Nobel Prize in the sciences. N� ...

, biologist and Nobel Prize laureate * Emil Abderhalden (1877–1950), Swiss biochemist and physiologist * Bonifacius Amerbach (1495–1562) Swiss jurist * Johann Konrad Ammann (1669–1724, Swiss physicist and educator of deaf children) * Werner Arber (1929–), Swiss microbiologist and geneticist,

Nobel Prize in Physiology or 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, acco ...

in 1978 * Johann Jakob Bachofen (1815–1887), Swiss antiquarian and jurist *

(1886–1968), Swiss Protestant theologian * Caspar Bauhin (1560–1624), Swiss botanist * Johann Bauhin (1541–1613), Swiss botanist *

(1700–1782), Swiss mathematician and physicist *

(1655–1705), prominent Swiss mathematician, after whom Bernoulli numbers are named *

Johann Bernoulli Johann Bernoulli (also known as Jean in French or John in English; – 1 January 1748) was a Swiss people, Swiss mathematician and was one of the many prominent mathematicians in the Bernoulli family. He is known for his contributions to infin ...

(1667–1748), Swiss mathematician * Johann Georg Birnstiel (1858–1927), Swiss writer and clergyman * James Montgomery Boice (1938–2000), American theologian and pastor *

(1818–1897), Swiss historian * Meehyun Chung (1963–) South Korean theologian, professor of

Yonsei University Yonsei University () is a Private university, private Christian university, Christian research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Yonsei is one of the three most prestigious universities in the country, part of a group referred to as SK ...

* Jacques Dubochet (1942–), Swiss biophysicist,

Nobel Prize in Chemistry The Nobel Prize in Chemistry () is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outst ...

in 2017 * Nikolaus Eglinger (1645–1711), Swiss physician * Paul Erdman (1932–2007), American business and financial writer *

(1707–1783), mathematician and physicist * Rudolf Eucken (1846–1926), philosopher,

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

in 1908 * Till Förster (1955), Prof.em.Dr., anthropologist, founding director of the Centre for African Studies, University of Basel * Christoph Gerber professor at the Department of Physics, co-inventor of the atomic force microscope * Fina Girard (2001–), Swiss politician and youth climate activist * Albert Gobat (1848–1914), Swiss politician,

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

in 1902 * Arno David Gurewitsch (1902–1974), professor, Columbia‐Presbyterian Medical Center, and personal physician to

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

* Paul Herrling, professor of Drug Discovery Science *

(1910–2000), Swiss philosopher * Robert Jacob (physician) (died 1588), English court physician to Elizabeth I and the Russian Czarina *

(1883–1969), German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher * Karl Gustav Jung (1795–1864), German-Swiss physician and surgeon, Rector and professor of the University *

(1875–1961), Swiss psychiatrist, and founder of Analytical Psychology * Eberhard Jüngel (1934–2021), German Lutheran theologian * Jack Dean Kingsbury (1931–), American New Testament theologian and professor at

Union Presbyterian Seminary Union Presbyterian Seminary is a Presbyterian seminary in Richmond, Virginia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, offering graduate theological education in multiple modalities: in-person, hybrid, and online. History As a result of efforts underta ...

* Michael Landmann (1913–1984), Swiss-Israeli philosopher * Yeshayahu Leibowitz (1903–1994), Israeli public intellectual and polymath *

(1844–1895), Swiss physician and biologist, first researcher to isolate

nucleic acid Nucleic acids are large biomolecules that are crucial in all cells and viruses. They are composed of nucleotides, which are the monomer components: a pentose, 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base. The two main classes of nuclei ...

* Alice Miller (1923–2010), Swiss psychologist and author * David-François de Montmollin (1721–1803), Swiss colonist to Canada, Protestant minister, landowner *

Paul Hermann Müller Paul Hermann Müller, also known as Pauly Mueller (12 January 1899 – 13 October 1965), was a Swiss chemist who received the 1948 Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine for his 1939 discovery of insecticidal qualities and use of DDT in the cont ...

(1899–1965), Swiss chemist,

in 1948 *

(1844–1900,) German philosopher, held Chair of Classical Philology at the University of Basel at the age of 24 *

(1942–), German biologist and biochemist,

in 1995 *

(1493–1541), Swiss philosopher, physician, botanist and astrologer * Tadeus Reichstein (1897–1996), Polish-Swiss chemist,

in 1950 * John H. Rodgers Jr. (1930–2022), American systematic theologian and Anglican bishop *

Otto Stich Otto Anton Stich (10 January 1927 – 13 September 2012) was a Swiss professor and politician. He served as a member of the Swiss Federal Council from 1984 to 1995 and held the President of the Swiss Confederation, Swiss presidency in 1988 and 199 ...

(1927–2012),

President of the Swiss Confederation The president of the Swiss Confederation, also known as the president of the confederation, federal president or colloquially as the president of Switzerland, is as ''primus inter pares'' among the other members of the Federal Council (Switze ...

* Emmanuel Stupanus (1587–1664), Swiss physician * William Theilheimer (1914–2005), German-American scientist * Lilian Uchtenhagen (1928–2016), Swiss politician and economist * Peter Werenfels (1627–1703), Swiss theologian * Kurt Wüthrich (1938–), Swiss chemist,

in 2002 *

Iona Yakir Iona Emmanuilovich Yakir (; 3 August 1896 – 12 June 1937) was a Red Army commander and one of the world's major military reformers between World War I and World War II. He was an early and major military victim of the Great Purge, alongsid ...

(1896–1937), Red Army commander *

Rolf Zinkernagel Rolf Martin Zinkernagel AC (born 6 January 1944) is a professor of experimental immunology at the University of Zurich. Along with Peter C. Doherty, he shared the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of how t ...

(1944–), Swiss physician,

in 1996 * Hans Zingg (M.D.) — Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Professor of Medicine, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Wyeth-Ayerst Chair in Women's Health at

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

* Mirjana Spoljaric Egger (1972–), Swiss

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

, the President of the

International Committee of the Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. The organization has played an instrumental role in the development of rules of war and ...

(ICRC)

Student life

The university hosts several formal institutions that are intended to serve the needs of its students. The Student Advice Center provides advice on academic degree programs and career opportunities. The Student Services provides information on applications, grants, mobility, exchanges, and disability services.

Student organizations

There are also a variety of organizations that cater to international students, such as local chapters of Toastmasters and AIESEC, and associations that perform community services (Beraber, for instance, provides remedial lessons to immigrant youth). There is a foreign affairs association (Foraus), a Model United Nations team, and various choirs and orchestras. There are also various religious groups. A number of other student groups exist out of formal venues. The most recognizable are the "Studentenverbindungen," traditional student associations dating from the 19th century that organize social events, share common uniforms, and often focus on particular hobbies, such as sword fighting. Such associations include the Akademische Turnerschaft Alemannia zu Basel, AKW Raurica, Helvetia Basel, Jurassia Basiliensis, Schwizerhüsli, A.V. Froburger, and Zofingia. Membership in many is restricted to men, though A.V. Froburger also accepts women.

University sports

University Sports provides a gym, fitness classes, and sport and dance camps to students and employees of the university.

Student union

The Studentische Körperschaft der Universität Basel (skuba) speaks on behalf of the students and represents their needs and interests. It acts as an official student representative and has no political or religious affiliations.

Alumni association

The university has a general alumni association, AlumniBasel, as well as specific alumni associations for the Europainstitut, Medicine, Law, Business and Economics, Dentistry, and Nursing.

Notes and references

External links

Official Website of the university

History website of the university

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH)
– an associated institute of the university –

travel Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical Location (geography), locations. Travel can be done by Pedestrian, foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without Baggage, luggage, a ...

and tropical medicine, international health, medical parasitology and the biology of infection, public health and epidemiology. *
Studierendenstatistik der Universität Basel

{{DEFAULTSORT:University Of Basel Public universities Basel, University of Basel, University of Buildings and structures in Basel