Universidad de Concepción del Uruguay bases its educational foundations on a tradition that dates back to the 19th century and had as its original goal the study and scientific investigation of regional problems, in order to propose solutions in accordance with the great economic and social problems.
History
The consolidation of a private higher education project on the eastern coast of the province of Entre Ríos.
As such, the University of Concepción del Uruguay recognizes tenacity, vision of the future and the imprint of citizen and fraternal action of the young “almost children” students of the Colegio Justo José de Urquiza (today Colegio Nacional del Uruguay).
It is in this institution, which bears the name of its founder, Captain General Don Justo José de Urquiza, and which was created in 1849, where knowledge of the sciences, arts and techniques are concentrated and disseminated at that time, under the modality of the boarding school system (as was the norm of the time) for students who, coming largely from distant provinces and neighboring countries, could not fall into the uncertain situation of finding shelter to develop their studies.
Under the rectorship, of Dr. Alberto Larroque, between 1854 – 1864, the now National College of Uruguay, had established itself as an educational valuarte of the region and in its classrooms the minds of many of the young people who would later be personalities were illuminated and projected. central to the political, scientific and artistic history of the Nation.
However, the assassination of General JJ Urquiza (April 11, 1870) and the long dispute that ensued until 1876, unleashed all sorts of internal struggles, institutional crises, economic decline and conflicting political positions.
Towards 1877, the historic College suffered the national decision to abolish the scholarships with which the Government favored many of its boarding school students. The boarding school system was maintained, although it was questioned at the level of the educational and parliamentary spheres, but it would be for those students who could pay for it, making the situation distressing for those scholarship recipients, from families without resources and from remote places to the city.
The measure generated, from the initial entrepreneurial position of the student Juan Vidart, an important series of activities in order to overcome the declining situation at that time.
“Help students who, due to the removal of scholarships from the provinces or due to other circumstances, could not continue their studies,” would be the motto of the young people who, together with prominent residents of the city, would launch the fraternal work.
Among them, the will to overcome such limitations was channeled through the creation of a Relief Society, which would enable the continuity of the studies of the young people affected, specifying in 1877 the creation of what is today the Educationalist Association “La Fraternidad”, forging institution of the history and educational ethos of the University of Concepción del Uruguay.
The imprint of the participation and commitment of the Uruguayan citizens was key in the definition of this institution; neighbors and young people willing to collaborate with those who were at risk of losing their rights to education gathered in the Great Assembly of May 14, 1877, in the 1º de Mayo theater, creating “La Fraternidad”.
Among the young people who participated in those founding moments of the Association were those who would later become outstanding personalities of the country in their various fields, such as José B. Zubiaur, Facundo Crane, Francisco Barroetaveña, Máximo and José Álvarez, Martiniano Leguizamón, Pedro J. Coronado, Cipriano Ruiz Moreno, Luis A. Peyret, Fructuoso Hermelo, among others.
“La Fraternidad” thus became the spiritual daughter of the College and developed within its own boarding school the support of generations of young people who came to the city of Concepción del Uruguay to seek new horizons and worthy meanings in their lives. through the noble task of continuous learning.
The Association, faithful to the mandate of its creation, currently supports its Boarding School for young people, thus offering the possibility to many of them to develop their secondary studies.
For the fulfillment of this purpose, an important scholarship contribution is still allocated today, which covers most of the total cost of their expenses, plus the free support of medical assistance, their own library, support teachers and an adequate psycho-pedagogical and social service.
As stated by the Rector Emeritus of the UCU, on the occasion of the commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of the start of the academic activity of the House: “we have always been moved to remember… that in the midst of a confrontation that pitted brother against brother in the form of savage, within the framework of the Jordanian insurgency and the counterinsurgency actions of the Federal Government, first, under the presidency of Sarmiento and later in the administration of Avellaneda, the founders of “La Fraternidad” constituted a non-profit society, dedicated with exclusivity to the educational process. It was necessary to replace the social fabric torn by the civil war and the contribution made by the old and beloved institution has been considerable. There is the origin of the House (UCU), placed by the founders at the service of the country and the province.”
“La Fraternidad” considered among its policy of new openings the figure of the university educational project. It was outlined between 1960 and 1969, under the presidency of Dr. Héctor B. Sauret, within the framework of the policy that the Board of Directors called “New Openings of the Fraternity.”
The root of the association’s university educational project goes back to the thesis of Amadeo J. Tabier, during his presidency in 1886, when he defined the institution as an advanced in the struggle for a popular culture and to strengthen the bases obtained since 1877 at the service of the fraternal cause, expanding access to the culture of the popular sectors, but to all culture based on their own developments.
In the core of the fraternal project of the opening policies of the 1960s, a deep feeling for the Mesopotamian regional development and especially of the Province of Entre Ríos can be glimpsed, as can be seen in the Memorial presented by Dr. Héctor C. Sauret, to the Secretary of State for Culture and Education of the Nation, dated April 1970.
The same expressed in said document, substantial to understand the fundamentals of the response to the needs of the region, that the province of Entre Ríos, had a privileged location in the national geography, but that this was not a guarantee of economic-social development., cultural and political sustained and harmonious.
However, based on its economic characteristics, it had historically contributed to the enormous growth and expansion of the Port of Buenos Aires and the industrial axis that extended from Santa Fe to the city of La Plata.
Despite this, it had become an economically and socially depressed area of the Pampas region, especially due to its insufficient industrial development.
On the other hand, the metropolitan area concentrated the great industry and the most important university and research centers in Science and Technology at that time, which profoundly affected the emigration dynamics of the Province by losing part of its population due to the scarce and meager salary resources and the lack of satisfaction of training needs, especially higher education.
Around 1970, Entre Ríos was a clear example of the imbalances in economic and educational development of a model of exhausted growth.
The educational reality of the province presented the following characteristics in the context of the creation of the University of Concepción del Uruguay:
- Shelling in primary and secondary education,
- Emigration of young people who were in a position to pursue higher university and non-university studies.
- Frustration of all those who did not have the economic means to leave the province and continue their cultural training outside of it.
- An insufficient structuring of Higher Education: a Faculty of the UCA, an annex course of the UNL, dependencies of the UTN and establishments of lower academic hierarchy located in different parts of the province.
- The impossibility of ensuring an educational process outside the province given the socioeconomic conditions of its population.
In this way, the University of Concepción del Uruguay would tend to strengthen the local population through integration within the provincial and regional environment, building an institutional identity based on the development of higher studies and scientific and technical research.
The University would act in the described economic, social and geographical context horizon; and would harmonize with the overall development process
Organization
The UCU defines itself as a center for studies, research and culture and assumes, currently among its purposes and functions. Its history marks a solid imprint, with a strong institutional culture and group identity of its members.
Assimilates the values of solidarity and service, and at the same time builds an institutional profile whose goals are professional training of excellence and attention to regional and national problems, through the transfer of knowledge and technology products of the research.
They are the regional and national problems that constitute the challenges that UCU graduates will have to face since from its beginnings, the University has proposed:
- Generate a diversified offer of quality and adequate to the needs of local society.
- Achieve the greatest possible efficiency in the use of its resources in order to fulfill its goals.
- Work for greater equity in the access of young people to university careers, in full accordance with its statutory objectives.
- Contribute to the strengthening of the Educational System with a private offer at the service of the most needy and regional interests.
From 1971 to 2003, the University of Concepción del Uruguay has advanced in its development perspective, going from its initial community unit to a vision of regional scope, and is currently in a process of consolidating unity in diversity.
This university, as an educational and scientific and technical research institution, understands as its specific mission that of creating, preserving and transmitting the national culture, as well as its traditions; This mission is in harmony with the knowledge and dissemination of universal culture, which must be cultivated respecting and caring for the purity of its sources and developments.
It recognizes the freedom to teach, learn and investigate; proclaims its absolute identity with the interests of the Nation, its general progress and the social welfare of its people; upholds and undertakes to defend national sovereignty and the inalienable right of Argentines to consecrate the full development of our material, spiritual and cultural powers as a means to build a great country.
Faculties
The university has 5 faculties, which add up to a total of 34 undergraduate and graduate courses, in addition to 3 own postgraduate offers and another 4 in cooperation with other national and foreign universities.
- School of Economics
- Faculty of Architectureand Urbanism
- Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
- Faculty of social and legal sciences
- Faculty of Communication and Education Sciences
Curiosities
- In the Institution, a tribute was made in memory and gratitude to the former fraternal intern and Honorary Doctorate of the University of Concepción del Uruguay (UCU), Víctor René Martínez. on May 14, 2014 as he celebrated his 137th birthday.
