University of Montecara
Univèrsita de Montecara | |
 | |
| Latin: Universitas Montecaræ | |
| Motto | Ars in scientiae in artis scientiam |
|---|---|
Motto in English | Art in science, science in art |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1291 |
Academic affiliation | Universitas Latinæ |
| Endowment | Ł14 billion (2017 est.) |
| Provost | Dr. Umberto Uçì |
| Rector | Dra. Orieta Testa |
Academic staff | 1,174 |
| Students | 19,660 |
| Undergraduates | 14,565 |
| Postgraduates | 5,203 |
| Location | |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colors | Carmine |
| Athletics | UM Atlètica |
| Website | um.ac |
The University of Montecara (Montecaran: Univèrsita de Montecara) is a public research university in Montecara.
History
The University was one of the first in Conitia. Medieval universities grew out of informal gatherings of scholars, often itinerant, who sustained themselves by writing books and charging tuition to students who came and went as they pleased. Some of the better-reputed scholars were retained by merchants or aristocrats who became their patrons and whose children they often raised. The idea of a permanent home for teachers and students that was not reliant on the whims of the aristocracy became popular in republican Montecara at the end of the thirteenth century, and was encouraged by the need to train a class of professionals whose skills were in demand by a mercantile society. Experts in the law were essential to settling the growing number of commercial cases, seafarers needed skilled physicians, and wealthy merchants had money to spend on art and literature. The Senate responded by chartering the University in 1291 and providing a modest endowment for its faculty.
Campus
Most of the University's buildings are in the historic center of Montecara. There is little distinction between "campus" and the rest of the city, though the area around the University is strongly influenced by students and academic life. Student housing is similarly scattered among University and other buildings.
Organization and administration
Governance
The highest official of the University is the Rector, currently Dra. Orieta Testa. The Rector is ultimately responsible for the proper administration of the University and for seeing to its academic and financial well-being. It is an elected position with a term of six years; an electoral college consisting of professors, lecturers and researchers, graduate students, and undergraduate students in certain proportions elects the Rector. The Rector also chairs the Major Council, the body that handles day-to-day governance of the University, and is ex-officio a member of the Council of Auditors, which handles financial matters.
Colleges
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The University is organized into 21 colleges, which are themselves divided into 38 faculties.
Matriculating students apply to one or more specific colleges within the University and take only courses within their given college when enrolled. Students may, at the discretion of the instructor, audit courses from outside their college, but no credit is given.
Libraries and archives
The main library for the University is the Bibliotèca Savonòra, founded by the donation of his personal library by Guaspàr Savonòra in 1415. Before this, students and masters had to provide their own materials, which was often prohibitively expensive in an era before the printing press. Savonòra's donation allowed for books to be shared among all members of the University, greatly increasing the availability of useful texts.
The University of Montecara Archives are maintained by a dedicated staff and include documents and other artifacts from over 700 years of the University's history.
Museums
The University operates six museums:
- The University Museum of Anthropology, which showcases the remains of hominids and humans' primate ancestors and has an extensive collection of artifacts from various world cultures up to the present.
- The University Museum of Art, which includes works by masters and students who have taught at or attended the University as well as masterworks from across Esquarium.
- The University Museum of Design, the smallest of the museums, which focuses on the history and practice of industrial and informational design.
- The University Museum of Latin History, which features artifacts from the Latin Republic through over two millennia of Latin history.
- The University Museum of Medical History, located in the building that held the University medical school in the 16th through early 20th centuries. It highlights the history of medical education and has a large collection of anatomical specimens and surgical tools.
- The University Museum of Science, a sprawling collection that covers the history of chemistry, biology, engineering, and physics going back to the ancients. Includes a special section dedicated to the University's historic work on alchemy.
Botanic garden
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The University boasts one of the oldest botanic gardens in Esquarium, established in 1517. It was originally intended as a reserve of medicinal plants for the use of physicians and apothecaries and their students, and retains a focus on plants with pharmacological qualities. It eventually grew into a living catalogue of plants from across Esquarium, with the goal of having every plant biome represented in the collection. All plants on display are labeled with their taxonomic names, a reflection of the importance of the garden to classifying global plant life and studying it in a systematized manner. The garden remains a center of research into herbalism, phytopharmacogy, and phytochemistry.
Observatory
The University owns and maintains its own observatory on Montalba. It was constructed in 1800 and was used to take the first accurate measurements of Montecara's longitude in 1805.
Press
University of Montecara Press is owned and operated by the University on a for-profit basis. It publishes work by professors and masters, including research journals and quarterly reviews, as well as poetry, novels, nonfiction works, and works by outside writers.
Academics
Admissions
Candidates apply to a specific program and are selected by a committee within each school. Generally, undergraduate students are chosen on a holistic basis that takes into account grades and evaluations from secondary school, the results of matriculation exams, and essays written by the candidate. One quarter of places in each first-year class are reserved for Montecaran citizens; the rest may be filled by either Montecaran or foreign students, but are usually dominated by those from abroad.
Admissions rates vary from school to school and year to year. In 2017, the highest admit rate for undergraduates was in the College of Economics at 63% and the lowest in the College of Veterinary Medicine at 12%. Of those offered admission as first-year students in 2017, 65% accepted.
Teaching and research
Student life
Nations
Student nations have a history at the University dating back to the high middle ages. These are social organizations that provide room and board, camaraderie, and other forms of support to students who often find themselves far from home. The nations as they currently exist are as follows:
| Nation | Founded | Scarf | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latin Natio Latinorum |
1387 | ||||||||||||||
| Nord Natio Nordicorum |
1390 | ||||||||||||||
| Oriental Natio Orientalium |
1512 | ||||||||||||||
| Monic Natio Monicorum |
1880 |
The "Oriental" nation is, in fact, for students from West Borean countries such as Luziyca and Katranjiev. Its name comes from the easterly location of these places relative to Conitia.
It is also possible, and relatively common, for a student to be "nationless" and provide for their own room and board. This is particularly the case when there is no nation that matches well with a student's background.
Student media
Radio Univèrsita, a student-run station that offers talk and music programming, broadcasts at 88.5 MHz. Students also publish a twice-weekly newspaper, Il Sparvièr, with news and opinion relevant to student life.
Athletics
The University’s extramural athletic clubs are collectively known as UM Atlètica. Teams for men and women are organized for all offered sports. Sports include:
- Fencing
- Football
- Rowing
- Rugby union
- Sailing
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Volleyball
Rankings and reputation
The University is considered in the top flight of world research universities along with such institutions as the University of Talon.