Ghent University facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ghent University

Universiteit Gent
Arms of Ghent University
Latin: Academia Gandavensis
Former names	State University of Ghent
Motto	Sapere Aude (Latin)
Motto in English	Dare to Think/Durf Denken
Type	Public
Established	1817; 208 years ago (1817)
Rector	Rik Van de Walle
Administrative staff	9,000
Students	+50,000
Location	Ghent , Belgium
Campus	University town
Colours	UGent blue & white
Affiliations	CESAER EUA The Guild SGroup ENLIGHT 3I University Network 3C Partnership

Ghent University (or UGent) is a big public university in Ghent, Belgium. It's a place where students learn and do research.

It's one of the largest universities in Belgium, with over 50,000 students and 9,000 staff members. UGent has a huge library called the Boekentoren and a large hospital, one of the biggest in Belgium. The university also has campuses in other parts of Belgium and even a campus in South Korea. It works with many other universities around the world.

Ghent University was started by King William I in 1817. This was before Belgium became its own country. At that time, the area was part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 1930, UGent became the first university in Belgium to teach in Dutch. Before that, French was the main language, and even earlier, Latin was used. In 1991, the university got more freedom to manage itself and changed its name to Universiteit Gent.

History of Ghent University

Painting of the establishment of the State University of Ghent in 1817

How it Started in the 1800s

Ghent was a very important city in Europe during the Middle Ages. The university officially opened on October 9, 1817. King William I of the Netherlands wanted to improve education in the southern parts of his kingdom, which later became Belgium.

When it first opened, the university had four main study areas: Humanities (like literature and history), Law, Medicine, and Science. All classes were taught in Latin. In its first year, there were 190 students and 16 professors.

After the Belgian revolution in 1830, fewer students attended. The humanities and science departments were even closed for a short time. But they reopened five years later, in 1835. At this point, French became the main teaching language, replacing Latin.

Ghent University also played a role in the development of modern chemistry. Famous chemists like August Kekulé and Adolf von Baeyer did important work there. In 1882, Sidonie Verhelst became the first female student at Ghent University. She studied science and pharmacology.

Pharmacy students during practicum (1890)

Big Changes in the 1900s

In 1903, a politician named Lodewijk De Raet successfully pushed for classes to be taught in Dutch. The first Dutch courses started in 1906.

During World War I, Ghent University was closed. This was because the staff and students refused to teach or study while Belgium was occupied. The German rulers tried to use language differences to control the area. They opened a Dutch-speaking university in Ghent in 1916. But this university was closed after the war. Ghent University then went back to teaching only in French.

In 1923, a government minister suggested making Ghent University a Dutch-speaking university for good. This finally happened in 1930. August Vermeylen became the first head of the university when it taught in Dutch.

Student Association "Société Académique d'Histoire" (1910)

After World War II, Ghent University grew much larger. The government wanted more people in Flanders to go to college. By 1953, there were over 3,000 students, and by 1969, more than 11,500. More study areas were added, like Applied Sciences, Economics, and Veterinary Medicine.

In the 1960s, students at Ghent University held several protests. The biggest ones happened in 1969.

Ghent University Today

In 1991, the university officially changed its name to Universiteit Gent (UGent). This was because the government gave it more freedom to run itself. The Faculty of Politics and Social Sciences was the newest addition in 1992.

Ghent University also helped create the Vlerick Business School. This school was formed by combining business programs from Ghent University and KU Leuven. Even with this, UGent still offers its own business programs.

What Students Study at UGent

iGent tower in Zwijnaarde Science Park

Ghent University has eleven main study areas, called faculties. These faculties have over 130 different departments. The university also has two science parks where research and innovation happen.

Main Study Areas (Faculties)

• Arts and Philosophy
• Bio-science Engineering
• Law
• Sciences
• Medicine and Health Sciences
• Engineering and Architecture
• Economics and Business Administration
• Veterinary Medicine
• Psychology and Educational Sciences
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Political and Social Sciences

The University Library

2021 Boekentoren - Ghent University Library

The Boekentoren (which means "Book Tower") is home to the Ghent University Library. It holds almost 3 million books! The university library is also part of the Google Books Library Project, which makes books available online. It even has a very old manuscript of the Greek New Testament called Papyrus 30.

The university also helped create De Krook, a new public library and media center in Ghent, which opened in 2017.

How UGent Ranks in the World

Ghent University is often ranked among the top 100 universities in the world. For example, in 2017, it was ranked 69th by the Academic Ranking of World Universities. In 2021, it was ranked 85th by U.S. News & World Report.

Working with Other Universities

Ufo campus - university forum

UGent Boekentoren

The university works with many partners in Belgium, across Europe, and around the world.

In Belgium, Ghent University supports important research centers like the Belgian Co-ordinated Collections of Micro-organisms and the Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie.

In Europe, it's part of networks like the Santander Network and the Enlight Network. It also works with many universities for student exchange programs like Erasmus.

Beyond Europe, Ghent University has exchange programs on all six continents. This includes its campus in South Korea.

Cool Inventions and Contributions

Ghent University has helped develop important tools like COinS (which helps organize online information) and Unipept (a tool for studying proteins).

Famous People from Ghent University

Many notable people have studied or taught at Ghent University. Here are a few:

• 

  Johan Rudolf Thorbecke, a statesman

• 

  Henri Pirenne, a famous historian

• 

  George de Hevesy, a Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry

• 

  Maurice Maeterlinck, a Nobel Prize winner in Literature

• 

  Corneel Heymans, a Nobel Prize winner in Medicine

• 

  Marguerite Legot, the first female government minister in Belgium

• 

  Robert Cailliau, who helped create the World Wide Web

• 

  Guy Verhofstadt, a politician and former prime minister of Belgium

• 

  Hélène Mallebrancke, a civil engineer and Belgian Resistance member in World War II

Famous Alumni (Students)

Famous Faculty (Teachers)

• George de Hevesy (1885–1966), won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• Corneille Heymans (1892–1968), physiologist, won a Nobel prize
• Joseph Plateau (1801–1883), physicist
• Jeff Schell (1935–2003), a pioneer in biotechnology
• Erwin Schrödinger (1887–1961), physicist, won a Nobel Prize, was a visiting scholar
• Johan Rudolf Thorbecke (1798–1872), a statesman
• Marc Van Montagu (born 1933), a pioneer in biotechnology
• August Kekulé (1829–1896), chemist
• Victor D'Hondt (1841–1901), lawyer, known for the D'Hondt method (a way to count votes)

See also

In Spanish: Universidad de Gante para niños

• Ghent University Hospital (UZ Gent)
• Ghent University Museum (GUM)
• List of universities in Belgium