The
University of Liège (
ULg), in
LiègeLiège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the administrative capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium.The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse River, near Belgium's eastern borders...
,
WalloniaWallonia , formally the Walloon Region , is the predominantly French-speaking southern region of Belgium. It makes up about 33% of the population and 55% of the territory of Belgium. Walloon Region is also the name given to the regional government of Wallonia...
,
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
, is a major
public universityA public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities...
in the
French Community of BelgiumThe French Community of Belgium is one of the three official communities in Belgium along with the Flemish Community and the German speaking Community. Although its name could suggest that it is a community of French citizens in Belgium, it is not...
. Its official language is French.
The University was founded in 1817 by
William I of the NetherlandsWilliam I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....
, then King of the
United Kingdom of the NetherlandsUnited Kingdom of the Netherlands was the unofficial name used to refer to a new unified European state created from part of the First French Empire during the Congress of Vienna in 1815...
, and by his Minister of Education,
Anton Reinhard FalckAnton Reinhard Falck was a Dutch statesman.He studied at the University of Leiden, and entered the Dutch diplomat service, being appointed to the legation at Madrid, Spain. Under King Louis Napoleon he was secretary-general for foreign affairs, but resigned office on the annexation of the Batavian...
. The foundation of the university was the result of a long intellectual tradition which dates back to the origins of the
Bishopric of LiègeThe Bishopric of Liège or Prince-Bishopric of Liège was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Low Countries in present Belgium. It belonged from 1500 on to the Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle. It was headed by the Prince-Bishop of Liège...
. Beginning in the eleventh century, the influence of the
prince-bishopsA Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
of
LiègeLiège is a municipality and a city of Belgium. The term Liège or Liege may also refer to:* Liege, a party to the oath of allegiance in feudalism .* Liège Island, in the Antarctic...
attracted students and prominent scientists and philosophers, such as
PetrarchFrancesco Petrarca , known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar, poet and one of the earliest Renaissance humanists. Petrarch is often called the "Father of Humanism"...
, to study in its libraries.
The
University of Liège (
ULg), in
LiègeLiège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the administrative capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium.The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse River, near Belgium's eastern borders...
,
WalloniaWallonia , formally the Walloon Region , is the predominantly French-speaking southern region of Belgium. It makes up about 33% of the population and 55% of the territory of Belgium. Walloon Region is also the name given to the regional government of Wallonia...
,
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
, is a major
public universityA public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities...
in the
French Community of BelgiumThe French Community of Belgium is one of the three official communities in Belgium along with the Flemish Community and the German speaking Community. Although its name could suggest that it is a community of French citizens in Belgium, it is not...
. Its official language is French.
History
The University was founded in 1817 by
William I of the NetherlandsWilliam I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....
, then King of the
United Kingdom of the NetherlandsUnited Kingdom of the Netherlands was the unofficial name used to refer to a new unified European state created from part of the First French Empire during the Congress of Vienna in 1815...
, and by his Minister of Education,
Anton Reinhard FalckAnton Reinhard Falck was a Dutch statesman.He studied at the University of Leiden, and entered the Dutch diplomat service, being appointed to the legation at Madrid, Spain. Under King Louis Napoleon he was secretary-general for foreign affairs, but resigned office on the annexation of the Batavian...
. The foundation of the university was the result of a long intellectual tradition which dates back to the origins of the
Bishopric of LiègeThe Bishopric of Liège or Prince-Bishopric of Liège was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Low Countries in present Belgium. It belonged from 1500 on to the Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle. It was headed by the Prince-Bishop of Liège...
. Beginning in the eleventh century, the influence of the
prince-bishopsA Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
of
LiègeLiège is a municipality and a city of Belgium. The term Liège or Liege may also refer to:* Liege, a party to the oath of allegiance in feudalism .* Liège Island, in the Antarctic...
attracted students and prominent scientists and philosophers, such as
PetrarchFrancesco Petrarca , known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar, poet and one of the earliest Renaissance humanists. Petrarch is often called the "Father of Humanism"...
, to study in its libraries. The reputation of its medieval schools gave the city the reputation as a new Athens.
A 17 March 1808 decree by
Napoleon INapoleon Bonaparte later known as Napoleon I, and previously Napoleone di Buonaparte, was a military and political leader of France whose actions shaped European politics in the early 19th century.Born in Corsica and trained as an artillery officer in mainland France, Bonaparte rose to prominence...
concerning the organization of an imperial university indicated Liège as the site of a new academy to be composed of a Faculty of Arts and a Faculty of Science - the first university charter for Liège. Ultimately, Liège owes its university to William I of the Netherlands, who remembered the city's prestigious legacy of teaching and culture when he decided to establish a new university on
WalloonWallonia , formally the Walloon Region , is the predominantly French-speaking southern region of Belgium. It makes up about 33% of the population and 55% of the territory of Belgium. Walloon Region is also the name given to the regional government of Wallonia...
soil.
Nearly 200 years later, though settled to some extent in the Sart-Tilman district of Liège, the University of Liège depends on the French community of Belgium. The University is located at the edge of the
River MeuseThe Meuse , is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea...
, in the center of "the Island," the Latin Quarter of Liège. By 2009, the Agronomical University College of Gembloux (FUSAGx) is part of ULg. It has adopted a new name for academics as well as research, namely 'Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech'.
Organization
The University of Liège has:
- 17,000 students
- 3,300 employees
- 2,400 faculty members (both teaching and research)
- 800 administrative and technical support staff
The ULg comprises:
- 9 Faculties
- Philosophy and Letters
- Law and School of Criminology
- Sciences
- Medicine
- Applied Sciences (Engineering & Computer Science)
- Architecture, Building Engineering, Planning & Urbanism
- Veterinary Medicine
- Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (Agronomical Science and Biological Engineering at the Gembloux campus)
- Psychology and Educational Sciences
- 2 Schools
- HEC Management School - University of Liege
HEC Management School - University of Liege is the graduate college of the University of Liege in the fields of economics, finance, business administration and management science & business engineering.The school of business HEC-ULg also covers, among other things, public economics & public...
(Economics, Management & Business Engineering)
- The J. Constant Graduate School of Criminology at Liege
- 1 Institute
- The ULg Institute for Social Science (Sociology & Human Sciences)
- 45 Departments
Notable alumni
For full list see University of Liège alumni
- Joaquín Arderíus
Joaquín Arderíus y Sánchez Fortún was a Spanish experimental and political novelist.Arderíus studied in Madrid before taking engineering courses at the University of Liège...
, novelist
- Philippe Bodson
-Education:He graduated as civil engineer at the University of Liège and obtained a Master of Business Administration at INSEAD -Career:...
, engineer
- Albert Claude
Albert Claude was a Belgian biologist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1974. He studied medicine at the University of Liege . During the winter of 1928-29 he worked in Berlin, first at the Institut für Krebsforschung, and then at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Biology, Dahlem...
, Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1974
- Marie Delcourt
Marie Delcourt was a Belgian classical philologist. She studied at the University of Liege , and obtained a PhD in classical philology in 1919...
, first female professor at the ULg
- Marcel Detienne
Marcel Detienne is a Belgian historian and specialist in the study of ancient Greece. He is Professor Emeritus at The Johns Hopkins University, where he held the Basil L...
, philosophy and literature (PhD)
- Paul Demaret
Paul Demaret is the Rector of the College of Europe, located in Bruges . Before becoming Rector, he was the Director of Legal Studies from 1981 to 2003...
, rector of the College of EuropeThe College of Europe is an independent university institute of postgraduate European studies, with two campuses, one in Bruges, Belgium, and since 1992 one in Natolin, Poland...
- Jacques H. Drèze
Jacques H. Drèze is a Belgian economist noted for his contributions to economic theory, econometrics, and economic policy as well as for his leadership in the economics profession...
, economist
- Paul Fredericq
Paul Fredericq, was a Belgian historian at Ghent University.-Biography:Paul Fredericq was born in the Sleepstraat in Ghent, Belgium. A student at the 'Koninklijk Atheneum' of Ghent, where Max Rooses and Jacob Heremans influenced him...
(1850–1920), historian
- Jean Gol
Jean Gol was a Belgian politician for the liberal party Parti Réformateur Libéral and a freemason...
(1942-1995), lawyer, politician
- Alexis Jacquemin
Alexis Jacquemin was a Belgian economist. He received his PhD at the Université de Liège, and became a professor at the Universite Catholique de Louvain in 1974. In 1983, he was awarded the Francqui Prize on Human Sciences.-Major publications:...
(1938-2004), economy, 1983 Francqui PrizeThe Francqui Prize is a prestigious Belgian scholarly and scientific prize, awarded each year since 1933 by the Francqui Foundation in recognition of the achievements of a young Belgian scholar or scientist...
on Human Sciences
- David Keilin
David Keilin was an entomologist, among other things.His family returned to Warsaw early in his youth. He did not attend school until age ten due to ill health and asthma. Only seven years later, in 1904, he enrolled in the University of Liège...
, entomologist
- Auguste Kerckhoffs
Dr. Auguste Kerckhoffs was a Dutch linguist and cryptographer who was professor of languages at the School of Higher Commercial Studies in Paris in the late 19th century....
, Dutch linguist and cryptographer
- Jan Kowalewski
Lt. Col. Jan Kowalewski was a Polish cryptologist, intelligence officer, engineer, journalist, military commander, and creator and first head of the Polish Cipher Bureau...
, Polish cryptologist
- Wincenty Kowalski
Wincenty Kowalski was a Polish military commander and a general of the Polish Army. A veteran of both the World War I and World War II, he fought in all the inter-war conflicts of Poland...
, Polish military commander
- Joseph Lebeau
Jean Louis Joseph Lebeau was a Belgian liberal politician and statesman.-Biography:Born in Huy, he received his early education from an uncle who was parish priest in Hannut, and became a clerk. He raised money to study Law at the University of Liège, and was called to the bar association in 1819...
, statesman
- Jean-Christophe Marine
Jean-Christophe Marine is a Belgian molecular biologist and researcher at Ghent University . He is head of the VIB Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Biology. His research interest is in the identification and characterization of cancer growth modulators, such as p53.He obtained a PhD from the...
, biologist
- Jean-Baptiste Nothomb
Jean Baptiste, Baron Nothomb was a Belgian statesman and diplomat.-Revolution:Born at Messancy in Luxemburg on 3 July 1805, he was educated at the Athénée de Luxembourg and the University of Liege, and was in Luxemburg when the Revolution of August broke out, but was nominated a member of the...
, statesman and diplomat
- Laurette Onkelinx
Laurette A.J. Onkelinx is a Belgian politician from the Francophone Socialist Party. She is the current Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health in the Belgian federal government, i.e. the Van Rompuy I Government, which took office on December 30, 2008. She graduated in law at the University...
, law, politician
- Paul Pastur
Paul Pastur was a Belgian lawyer and politician from Hainault. He obtained a law degree of the University of Liege, and started working at the bar of Charleroi in 1893....
, lawyer and politician (1866-1938)
- Joseph Plateau
Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau was a Belgian physicist.Born in Brussels, he studied at the University of Liège , where he graduated as a doctor of physical and mathematical sciences in 1829. In 1835, he was appointed Professor of experimental physics in Ghent University...
(1801-1883), physicist
- Georges Poulet, literary critic
- Guy Quaden
Guy, Baron Quaden is a Belgian economist and since 1 March 1999 Governor of the National Bank of Belgium. He is a member of the Council of governing board and of the general Council of the European Central Bank...
, economist, Governor of the National Bank of BelgiumThe National Bank of Belgium has been the central bank of Belgium since 1850...
- Jean Rey
Jean Rey was a Belgian lawyer and Liberal politician who became President of the European Commission.-Early life:...
(1902-1983), second President of the European CommissionThe President of the European Commission is the most powerful office in the European Union, as the head of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union. The President is responsible for allocating portfolios to members of the Commission and can reshuffle or fire them if needed...
- Max Rooses
Max Rooses was a Belgian writer, literature critic, and curator of the Plantin-Moretus Museum at Antwerp.Rooses was born in Antwerp, and went to school there up to 1858, after which he attended the University of Liege to study philosophy and literature...
, writer
- Léon Rosenfeld
Léon Rosenfeld was a Belgian physicist. He obtained a PhD at the University of Liege in 1926, and he was a collaborator of the physicist Niels Bohr. He did early work in quantum electrodynamics that predates by two decades the work by Dirac and Bergmann. He coined the name lepton...
, physicist
- Polidor Swings, 1948 laureate of the Francqui Prize
The Francqui Prize is a prestigious Belgian scholarly and scientific prize, awarded each year since 1933 by the Francqui Foundation in recognition of the achievements of a young Belgian scholar or scientist...
- Haroun Tazieff
Haroun Tazieff was a French volcanologist and geologist. He was a famous cinematographer of volcanic eruptions and lava flows, and the author of several books about volcanoes....
, FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
vulcanologist and geologistFor other uses, see Geologist .A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth and terrestrial planets...
- André Henri Constant van Hasselt
André Henri Constant van Hasselt was a Flemish poet.-Life:Born at Maastricht, Van Hasselt was first educated in his native town. He studied his Atheneum at the University of Liège , then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, where he earned his doctor in rights...
, poet
Notable faculty
- Zénon-M. Bacq
Zénon Bacq was a Belgian radiobiologist and inventor. He studied medicine at the Université Libre de Bruxelles , and became an MD in 1927. He studied at Harvard University , with a grant from the FNRS...
(1903-1983), radiobiologist
- Florent-Joseph Bureau
Florent-Joseph Bureau was a Belgian mathematician. He was a professor at the University of Liege. He worked on algebraic and differential geometry and the theory of analytical functions. In 1952, he was awarded the Francqui Prize on Exact Sciences....
(1906-1999), mathematician
- Eugène Charles Catalan
Eugène Charles Catalan was a French and Belgian mathematician.- Biography :Catalan was born in Bruges , the only child of a French jeweller by the name of Joseph Catalan, in 1814. In 1825, he traveled to Paris and learned mathematics at École Polytechnique, where he met Joseph Liouville...
, mathematician
- André Danthine
André Danthine was a professor of computer science at the University of Liège from 1967-1997; he is now a professor emeritus there. He specialized in computer networks, and created the Research Unit in Networking there in 1972....
, computer scientist
- Marcel Florkin
Marcel Florkin was a Belgian biochemist. Florkin was graduated as a Doctor in Medicine and became a professor of biochemistry at the University of Liège....
(1900-1979), medicine, biochemistry
- Laurent-Guillaume de Koninck
Laurent-Guillaume de Koninck was a Belgian palaeontologist and chemist, born at Leuven.He studied medicine in the university of his native town, and in 1831 he became assistant in the chemical schools. He pursued the study of chemistry in Paris, Berlin and Gießen, and was subsequently engaged in...
(1809–1887), palaeontologist and chemist
- Émile Louis Victor de Laveleye
Émile Louis Victor de Laveleye was a Belgian economist. He was one of the co-founders of the Institut de droit international in 1873....
, economist
- Marie Delcourt
Marie Delcourt was a Belgian classical philologist. She studied at the University of Liege , and obtained a PhD in classical philology in 1919...
(1891-1979), classical philologist
- Philippe Devaux
Philippe Devaux was a French-speaking Belgian philosopher and logician, professor at the University of Liège . Through his numerous works and translations , he played a great part in the development of analytic philosophy in French-speaking countries.After a first study devoted to the philosophy of...
(1902-1979), philosopher
- Paul Fourmarier
Paul Fourmarier was a Belgian geologist, professor at the University of Liege, and after whom Fourmarierite is named. He won the Wollaston Medal....
(1877-1970), geologist
- Paul Gochet
Paul Gochet is a Belgian logician and philosopher, emeritus professor of the University of Liège. His research is mainly in the fields of logic and analytic philosophy. He is now best known for his works on Quine's philosophy....
(1932), philosopher
- Godefroid Kurth
Godefroid Kurth was a celebrated Belgian historian. He is known for his histories of the city of Liège in the Middle Ages and of Belgium, of his Catholic account in Les Origines de la civilisation moderne of the formation of modern Europe, and for his defence of the medieval guild system.Kurth was...
(1847–1916), historian
- Pol Swings
Pol F. Swings was a Belgian astrophysicist who was known for his studies of the composition and structure of stars and comets. He used spectroscopy to identify the elements in astronomical bodies, and, in particular, comets...
(1906-1983), astrophysicist
- Edouard Van Beneden
Edouard Van Beneden , son of Pierre-Joseph Van Beneden, was a Belgian embryologist, cytologist and marine biologist. He was professor of zoology at the University of Liège. He contributed to genetic studies of the 20th century, by his works on a parasite of the horse...
(1846-1910), biologist
- Theodor Schwann
----Theodor Schwann was a German physiologist. His many contributions to biology include the development of cell theory, the discovery of Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system, the discovery and study of pepsin, the discovery of the organic nature of yeast, and the invention of the term...
(1810-1882), biologist
See also
- Science and technology in Wallonia
Science and technology in Wallonia, the southern region of Belgium , is well developed with the presence of several universities and research institutes.-Technology institutes:Wallonia is home to several science and technology organizations....
- University Foundation
The Belgian University Foundation was founded in 1920. The goal of the Foundation, as was put forward by Emile Francqui, is to promote scientific activity at Belgian universities....
- Francqui Foundation
The Francqui Foundation was founded in 1932 by Emile Francqui and Herbert Hoover with the goal "to further the development of higher education and scientific research in Belgium". The foundation is a private foundation under the legal from of a Belgian "Institution of Public Utility"...
- Academia Belgica
The Academia Belgica is an academic organization. The goal of the Academy is to promote the cultural, scientific and artistic cooperation between Italy and Belgium....
- Belgian Academy Council of Applied Sciences
The Royal Belgian Academy Council of Applied Sciences is a Belgian council, which consists of the Flemish Academy Committee for Science and Technology and Walloon Comité de l'Académie pour les Applications de la Science committees of the Flemish and French Academies of Science in Belgium. BACAS...
- National Fund for Scientific Research
- Top Industrial Managers for Europe
Top Industrial Managers for Europe is a network of more than fifty engineering schools and faculties and technical universities....
(TIME) network for student mobility
- Science Parks of Wallonia
Created in 2002, SPoW -Science Parks of Wallonia-, is an association of six Belgian science parks located in Wallonia:* Louvain-la-Neuve Science Park* Liège Science Park* Crealys Science Park* Aéropole Science Park* Initialis Science Park...
- BioLiège
BioLiège is a Belgian association of academic groups of the University of Liège and several biotech companies comprising a biotechnopole...
- GIGA
The Interdisciplinary Cluster for Applied Genoproteomics, or in French Groupe Interdisciplinaire de Génoprotéomique Appliquée is an organization working in the field of genoproteomics at the University of Liège in Belgium. Joseph Martial is Chairman of GIGA.-History:GIGA was founded within the...
- Liège Science Park
Liège Science Park is a business incubator and science park of the University of Liège and is located on the territories of the municipalities of Seraing and Liège .-History:...
External links