Universidad Nacional de Córdoba

National University of Córdoba

Universidad Nacional de Córdoba
Seal of the National University of Córdoba
Former names	Colegio Máximo
Motto	Ut portet nomen meum coram gentibus (Latin)
Motto in English	Proclaim my name before the people
Type	Public
Established	1613
Endowment	US$175,552,772
Rector	Hugo Oscar Juri
Academic staff	8,203
Students	111,329 (2014)
Undergraduates	104,655 (2014)
Postgraduates	7,673
Location	Córdoba, Córdoba Province, Argentina
Campus	Urban; 1,115 hectares (2,760 acres)
Website	www.unc.edu.ar

The National University of Córdoba (Spanish: Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, UNC), founded in 1613, is the oldest university in Argentina, the fourth oldest in South America and the sixth oldest in Latin America. It is located in Córdoba, the capital of Córdoba Province. Since the early 20th century it has been the second largest university in the country (after the University of Buenos Aires) in terms of the number of students, faculty, and academic programs. As the location of the first university founded in the land that is now Argentina, Córdoba has earned the nickname La Docta (roughly translated, "The Wise").

In 1610 the Society of Jesus founded the Collegium Maximum in Córdoba, which was attended by students of the order. An institution of the highest intellectual caliber for the time, this was the precursor of the university. While still under the control of the Jesuits, and during the administration of the Bishop of Tucumán, Juan Fernando de Trejo y Sanabria, advanced studies began to be offered at what was now known as the Colegio Maximo de Córdoba. The school did not yet have authority to confer degrees. This milestone would be soon reached; on August 8, 1621 Pope Gregory XV granted this authority by an official document, which arrived in the city in April 1622. With this authorization, and with the approval of the church hierarchy and the provincial head of the Jesuits, Pedro de Oñate, the university began its official existence. This also marks the beginning of the history of higher education in Argentina.

The Jesuits remained in control of the university until 1767, when they were expelled by order of King Carlos III. Leadership then passed to the Franciscan order. For the first 150 years after its founding, the university maintained an exclusive focus on philosophy and theology. The first secondary school in Cordoba was Our Lady of Monserrat, founded by a Jesuit priest, Father Ignacio Duarte y Quirós, in 1687 and incorporated into the university's aegis in 1907. The College of Montesrrat, as well as the original physical plant of the university and the Jesuit church, are part of the Jesuit Block, and were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000.