University of Oviedo

History

The University of Oviedo was established under the terms and conditions of the will of Archbishop Fernando de Valdés Salas (1483–1568), who was the General Inquisitor under Philip II of Spain, and funded by his estate. In 1574 Pope Gregory XIII granted the Papal Bull to create the university and in 1604 Philip III issued its charter. It first opened for the teaching of classes on September 21, 1608.

The ancient university had three faculties: the Faculty of Arts, which every student had to graduate from in order to continue his training in one of the other; and the Faculties of Theology and Law, sometimes known as the higher faculties.

After the French invasion of Spain the Historical Building of the University was occupied by invading troops and lectures were suspended until the War ended in 1812.

During the 19th century, a group of liberal professors tried to bring the University closer to the working class with the Extensión Universitaria (a popular education programme sponsored by the institution). However, this goal was not fully achieved, and on October 13, 1934, during the Socialist-led miners revolt in Asturias, strikers set fire to the University (including its Library and the Art Gallery) because it was seen as a bourgeois symbol. It was rebuilt after the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939).

The number of faculties has multiplied in modern university, both through subdivisions of the traditional four faculties, and through the absorption of academic disciplines which have developed within originally vocational schools, in areas such as engineering or nursing.

Nowadays, the university has 31 faculties and professional schools, offering degrees and diplomas in over 150 fields of study.

Schools and colleges

School of Law (since 1608), Teaching and Education (1845), Chemistry (1848), Polytechnic School of Mieres (1855), Jovellanos Faculty of Commerce, Tourism and Social Sciences (1866), Gijón Polytechnic School of Engineering (1888), Philosophy and Letters (1892), Economy and Business (1908), Teaching and Geology (1958), Mining Engineering (1959), Biology (1961), Medicine and Health Sciences (1968), Merchant Marine (1979), School of Computer Engineering (1982), Sciences (1990), Psychology (1991)

Departments

Experimental Sciences: Analytic and Physical-Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Environment Technologies, Mathematics, Organic and Inorganic Chemistry, Physics, Statistics and Operations Research and Mathematics Education.

Health Sciences: Biochemistry and Functional Biology, Biology of Organisms and Systems, Functional Biology, Medicine, Morphology and Cellular Biology, Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialities.

Engineering: Telecommunication, Computer Sciences, Construction and Manufacturing Engineering, Electrical, Electronical, Computers and Systems Engineering, Energy, Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, Mining Working and Prospecting, Nautical Science and Technologies.

Social Sciences and Law: Accounting, Applied Economy, Basic Legal Sciences, Business Administration, Education Sciences, Economy, Private and Companies Law, Psychology, Public Law, Quantitative Economy, Sociology.

Humanities: Anglo-German and French Philology, Art and Music History, Classical and Romance Philology, Geography, History, Philosophy, Spanish Philology.

Facilities

The school has a large number of places in different classrooms, total counted 6 classrooms in the building, with spaces ranging from the 171 seats in the classroom with greater capacity, up to 75 seats in the lower-capacity classroom. In addition to these classrooms, there is a room hold up to 112 places, which are usually done lectures and presentations both subjects, as final projects. Special mention also the different laboratories that school has a total of 15 laboratories. Included in this equipment of various kinds, both PC and MAC.

Staff

Rector: Santiago García Granda (since May 2016) General Secretary: Eva María Cordero González General Manager: Lorenzo Almanza Ballesteros Vice-rectorates:

Delegate for Coordination and University Strategy: :*Vice-chancellor for Research and International Campus of Excellence: Mª Paz Suárez Rendueles

Vice-rectorate for Academic Organization: Juan José del Coz Díaz

Vice-rectorate for Research: José Ramón Obeso Suárez

Vice-rectorate for University Extension and International Development: Francisco José Borge López

Vice-rectorate for Student Affairs: Elisa Miguélez González

Vice-rectorate for Material and Technological Resources: Marta María Hernando Álvarez

Vice-rectorate for Crosscutting Actions and Enterprise Cooperation: Eugenia Suárez Serrano

Social Council: Ladislao Azcona (President), representatives of political parties, trade-unions, employers, etc. Council of Government : Rectoral Council and Representatives from University Staff, Faculties, Schools and Departments University Staff: Representatives of Professors, Administration Staff and Students Rectoral Council: Rector together with the Vice-Chancellors

Notable alumni

Antonio Arrúe Zarauz, Basque cultural activist and Carlist politician

Antón de Marirreguera, Asturian-language writer

Melchor de Navarra y Rocafull, viceroy of Peru

Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, Enlightenment statesman, author and philosopher

Agustín Argüelles, politic

Faustino Rodríguez-San Pedro Díaz-Argüelles, Minister of Finance

Rafael del Riego, general and liberal politician

Leopoldo Alas Clarín, journalist and writer

Armando Palacio Valdés, novelist and critic

Melquíades Álvarez, politic

Antonio Flores de Lemus, economist and politic

Ramón Pérez de Ayala, novelist

Alejandro Casona, poet and playwright

Gonzalo Torrente Ballester, novelist

Luis Suárez Fernández, historian

Carlos Bousoño, poet

Ángel González, poet

José Manuel Castañón, writer

Santiago Vera-Rivera, composer

Gil Carlos Rodríguez Iglesias, former judge at the European Court of Justice

Olvido García Valdés, poet and essayist

Luis Martínez Noval, Minister of Labour and Social Security (1990–1993)

Gustavo Suárez Pertierra, minister of Education and Science (1993–1995) and Defence (1995–1996)

Gaspar Llamazares, leader of United Left Coalition (Izquierda Unida) (2000–2008)

Miguel Álvarez-Fernández, musician

Fernando Suárez González, Minister of Labour (1974–1975)

Víctor García de la Concha, Director of Royal Spanish Academy

Salvador Gutiérrez Ordóñez, linguist

Alejandro Fernández Sordo, lawyer and politician

Regino Olivares, lawyer

Xaviel Vilareyo, author

Celso Arango, physician (psychiatrist)

Darin Paine, development officer

Notable professors

Luis Alfonso de Carvallo, historian, rector of San Gregorio College

Leopoldo Alas Clarín, journalist and writer

Benito Jerónimo Feijoo, Enlightenment monk and scholar

Rafael Altamira y Crevea, historian and lawyer

Félix de Aramburu y Zuloaga, lawyer and poet

Matías Barrio y Mier, professor of law 1881-1892, Carlist political leader

Fermín Canella Secades, historian

Nicolás Salmerón y Alonso, politician, President of the First Spanish Republic (1873)

Aniceto Sela Sampil, lawyer

Jesús Arias de Velasco, lawyer

José María Gil-Robles, politician, leader of the Right Wing under the II Republic

Torcuato Fernández-Miranda, politician, president of the Spanish Cortes (1975–1977), interim prime minister (1974), vice-prime minister (1973–1974), General Secretary of the National Movement (Movimiento Nacional) (1969–1974)

Carmina Virgili - first woman Professor

Vicente Alberto Álvarez Areces, President of the Principality of Asturias from 1999 to 2011

Luis Martínez Noval, minister of Labour and Social Security (1990–1993)

Josep Oliú Creus, economist. President and CEO of Banco Sabadell

Gustavo Bueno, notable philosopher

Eloy Benito Ruano, historian

Juan Ignacio Ruiz de la Peña Solar, historian

Sergio Marqués Fernández, politician, President of the Principality of Asturias from 1995 to 1999

Aurelio González Ovies, poet

Emilio Alarcos Llorach, poet and linguist

Vicente Miguel Gotor Santamaría, chemist

Antonello Novelli, neuroscientist

Paz Andrés Sáenz de Santamaría, lawyer

José Luis García Delgado, economist

M. Teresa Fernández Sánchez, biochemist

José Joaquín Barluenga Mur, chemist

Carlos López Otín, biochemist

Some honorary doctors

1967 Severo Ochoa

1968 Walter Hallstein

1976 Claudio Sánchez Albornoz

1982 Ramón Areces

1982 Günther Wilke

1985 Rafael Lapesa

1988 Óscar Arias Sánchez, presidente de Costa Rica

1991 Federico Mayor Zaragoza

1992 William Golding

1995 Lotfi A. Zadeh

1998 Sheila Sherlock

2001 Gil Carlos Rodríguez Iglesias

2007 Ángel González

2007 Juan José Millás

2008 Walter Alvarez

2008 Efim Zelmanov