Universität Basel | |
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| Latin:Universitas Basiliensis[1] | |
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Established | 4 April 1460; 565 years ago (1460-04-04) |
| Budget | CHF 768 million (2020)[2] |
| President | Andrea Schenker-Wicki[3] |
Academic staff | 4,700[2] |
| Students | 13,139[2] |
| Location | Basel ,Basel-City ,Switzerland 47°33′31″N07°35′00″E / 47.55861°N 7.58333°E /47.55861; 7.58333 |
| Colours | Mint, Red,Anthracite[4] |
| Affiliations | Utrecht Network,EUCOR |
| Website | unibas.ch |
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TheUniversity of Basel (Latin:Universitas Basiliensis; German:Universität Basel) is apublicresearch university inBasel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among theworld's oldest universities. The university is traditionally counted among the leading institutions of higher learning in the country.[5]
The associatedBasel University Library is the largest and among the most important libraries in Switzerland. The university hosts the faculties of theology, law, medicine,humanities andsocial sciences, science,psychology, andbusiness and economics, as well as numerous cross-disciplinary subjects and institutes, such as theBiozentrum 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.[6]
In its over 500-year history, the university has been home toErasmus of Rotterdam,Paracelsus,Daniel Bernoulli,Leonhard Euler,Jacob Burckhardt,Friedrich Nietzsche,Tadeusz Reichstein,Karl Jaspers,Carl Gustav Jung,Karl Barth, andJeanne Hersch. The institution is associated with tenNobel laureates and twopresidents of the Swiss Confederation.[7]
The University of Basel was founded in connection with theCouncil of Basel.[8] It was during the years the catholic clergy resided in Basel, a temporary university was established between the years 1432 und 1448.[8] In May 1432 it was authorized for Simon de Valla fromVenice to lecture oncanon law, in 1434 Jacques d'Attigny from France and was also permitted to lecture on canon law in Basel.[9] d'Attigny had before been lecturing canon law at theUniversity of Rome.[10] In 1437 Demetrius was called to lectureGreek language.[9][10] Also the function of abedel is mentioned, but there was no mention of adean or a University order.[9] The same year PopeEugen IV attempted to move the council toFerrara, but many involved in Basel stayed and kept negotiating and in 1439 the council elected acounterpope in the figure of theDuke of SavoyAmadeus VIII who would become known asFelix V.[9] Felix V then established a formal "University of the Clergy" (German:Kurienuniversität) which was inaugurated in November 1440 with amass in theBarfüsser Church [de].[9] In 1448, theGerman KingFrederick III came to an agreement with PopeNicholas V, the successor of Eugen IV and ordered the city to remove the security of the councilors.[9] The university was then formally closed in July 1448 and the clergy moved on toLausanne.[9] After they left, the former lecturers urged for a regular university to be established.[8] The deed of foundation given in the form of aPapal bull byPope Pius II on 12 November 1459 inMantua and the official opening ceremony was held on 4 April 1460, the day ofSaint Ambrose in theMinster of Basel.[11] Originally the University of Basel was decreed to have four faculties—arts, medicine, theology, and jurisprudence. From 1497, theGrand Council of Basel discussed whether the University was to be closed and only in 1501, the year Basel joined theSwiss Confederation, it was decided not to close the university.[12] 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.[13]
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, theBasel 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 ofBasel-Landschaft. The city,Basel-Stadt, 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.[13]
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.[14] The university subsequently established the Faculty of Science (1937), the Faculty of Business and Economics (1996), and the Faculty of Psychology (2003).[14] During the 20th century, the university grew rapidly, from one thousand students in 1918 to eight thousand in 1994.[15] The first woman who was admitted to the university,Emilie Frey [de], began her medical studies in 1890.[16]
After the seizure of power in the year 1933 by theNazis 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 ProfessorArthur Baumgarten (1933), the TheologiansKarl Barth (1935) andFritz Lieb [de] (1937) and after World War II the PhilosopherKarl Jaspers fromHeidelberg University (1948), as well as the surgeonRudolf Nissen (1952).[17]
On 1 January 1996, the University of Basel became independent from the cantonal government and thus earned its right to self-government.[18] In 2007, the Canton of Basel-Landschaft voted in favor to share the sponsorship of the university in parity with the Canton Basel-Stadt.[19]
Since 1460, the seal of the University showed aVirgin surrounded with sun rays standing a crescent moon as mentioned in theRevelation ofJohn.[20] Below the moon is thecoat of arms of Basel.[20] In her right hand, she holds a scepter, and on her left arm sits Jesus the child.[20] The religious motive is described to denote the religious bond the university counted with at the beginning of its existence.[20] The seal was also used after thereformation and used continuously until 1992.[20]
| University rankings | |
|---|---|
| Global – Overall | |
| ARWU World[21] | 95 (2024) |
| QS World[22] | 158 (2026) |
| THE World[23] | =123 (2024) |
| USNWR Global[24] | =168 (2024-25) |
Well-respected rankings attest to the University of Basel's international academic performance:
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."[28] 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.[29] 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.[30]
The University of Basel currently houses seven faculties:[31]
The University is counted among the country's leading institutions of higher learning and has a large number of politicians, scientists and thinkers as professors and alumni from around the world:[41]
![Paracelsus, physician and alchemist[42]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aParacelsus.jpg)
![Jacob Bernoulli, mathematician[43]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aJakob_Bernoulli.jpg)
![Leonhard Euler, mathematician and physicist[44]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aLeonhard_Euler_2.jpg)
![Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher[45]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aNietzsche1882_detail.jpg)
![Friedrich Miescher, physician[46]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aJohann_Friedrich_Miescher._Photograph._Wellcome_V0026860.jpg)
![Karl Gustav Jung, physician and surgeon[47]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aKarl_Gustav_Jung.png)
![Carl Gustav Jung, psychiatrist[48]](/image.pl?url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2f%2fupload.wikimedia.org%2fwikipedia%2fcommons%2fthumb%2f5%2f5b%2fETH-BIB-Jung%252C_Carl_Gustav_%25281875-1961%2529-Portrait-Portr_14163_%2528cropped%2529.tif%2flossy-page1-97px-ETH-BIB-Jung%252C_Carl_Gustav_%25281875-1961%2529-Portrait-Portr_14163_%2528cropped%2529.tif.jpg&f=jpg&w=240)
![Karl Jaspers, philosopher and psychiatrist[49]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aKarl_Jaspers_1946.jpg)
![Tadeus Reichstein, chemist and Nobel Prize laureate[50]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aThadeus_Reichstein_ETH-Bib_Portr_10137.jpg)
![Werner Arber, microbiologist and Nobel Prize laureate[51]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWerner_Arber_at_Biozentrum%2c_University_of_Basel.jpg)
![Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, biologist and Nobel Prize laureate[52]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aChristiane_N%25C3%25BCsslein-Volhard_mg_4372_cropped.jpg)
The university hosts several formal institutions that are intended to serve the needs of its students. The Student Advice Center[55] provides advice on academic degree programs and career opportunities. The Student Services provides information on applications, grants, mobility, exchanges, and disability services.[56]
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.[57] There are also various religious groups.[58]
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.[59]
University Sports provides a gym, fitness classes, and sport and dance camps to students and employees of the university.[60]
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.[61]
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.[62]
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