The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (, UFRJ) is a public research university in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest federal university in the country and one of Brazil's centers of excellence in teaching and research.
The university is located mainly in Rio de Janeiro, with satellites spreading to ten other cities. It is Brazil's first official higher education institution, and has operated continuously since 1792, when the "Real Academia de Artilharia, Fortificação e Desenho" (Royal Academy of Artillery, Fortification and Design, precursor to the university's current Polytechnic School) was founded, and served as basis for the country's college system since its officialization in 1920. Besides its 157 undergraduate and 580 postgraduate courses, UFRJ is responsible for seven museums – most notably the National Museum of Brazil –, nine hospitals, hundreds of laboratories and research facilities and forty-three libraries. Its history and identity are closely tied to the Brazilian ambitions of forging a modern, competitive and just society.
Former alumni include renowned economists Carlos Lessa and Mário Henrique Simonsen; Minister Marco Aurélio Mello; the architect Oscar Niemeyer; the philosopher and politician Roberto Mangabeira Unger; the educator Anísio Teixeira; the engineer Benjamin Constant; writers Clarice Lispector, Jorge Amado and Vinicius de Moraes; politicians Francisco Pereira Passos, Oswaldo Aranha and Pedro Calmon, besides the great physicians Carlos Chagas, Oswaldo Cruz and Vital Brazil.
History Creation
The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro is a direct descendant of Brazil's first higher education courses. Created on September 7, 1920 (Brazilian Independence Day) by president Epitácio Pessoa through the Law Decree 14343, the institution was initially named "University of Rio de Janeiro". Its history, however, is much vaster and parallel to that of the country's cultural, economic and social development (many of its courses trace back to the very foundations of Brazilian higher education system).http://www.ufrj.br/pr/conteudo_pr.php?sigla=HISTORIA|titulo=História da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
In its inception, the university was composed by the "Escola Politécnica" (Polytechnic School, founded on December 17, 1792 as Royal Academy of Artillery, Fortification and Design, during the reign of Portuguese Queen Maria I),, which subsequently became the Royal Military Academy of Rio de Janeiro.
The Medicine School, Faculdade Nacional de Medicina, traces back to April 2, 1808, when Dom João VI founded it under the name of Academy of Medicine and Surgery. The Law School, "Faculdade Nacional de Direito", came to exist after the fusion between the College of Legal and Social Sciences and the Free College of Law - both recognized by the Law Decree 693 of October 1, 1891).
To these initial schools many others were progressively added, such as Fine Arts, "Escola Nacional de Belas Artes" and the "Faculdade Nacional de Filosofia" (National College of Philosophy). Thanks to such achievements, the UFRJ took a crucial role in the implantation of Brazilian higher education, which was in fact an aspiration from Brazilian intellectual elite since the country's colonial era. Due to the longstanding tradition of its pioneering courses, the university functioned as the "scholar mill" upon which most of Brazil's subsequent higher education institutions were molded.
Restructuring
In 1937, Getúlio Vargas's minister of education, Gustavo Capanema, announced a reform of the education system, under which the institution changed its name to the "University of Brazil". The change reflected the government's aim of controlling the quality of the national higher education system - mainly by setting a standard by which all other universities would have to conform. Such decision was strongly influenced by the French concept of university - that in which component schools are isolated in order to assume a specific professionalizing teaching method under strong state control -, which contrasted to the German model seen, for example, in the University of São Paulo, founded in 1934.
The early 1950s marked the institutionalization of research in the university, which consequentially led to the implementation of research institutes, full-time academic staff, instruction of highly specialized professors and the establishment of partnership with national and international financing agencies.
In 1958, occasion for the 150-year anniversary of the UFRJ's Medicine School, the university was faced by the urgent needs of a structural reform that stimulated deeper participation and cooperation among professors and students with college affairs and a more rational, efficiency-based use of public resources. After an ample sequence of debates and public consultations, the resulting plans for reforms in University of Brazil were quickly absorbed by the scientific community, set a new standard for national college planning and influenced even, among others, Brazilian communication industries and government's decisional spheres.
In 1965, under the government of general Castelo Branco, the university would achieve plain financial, didactic and academic autonomy - a condition called, according to Brazilian legislature, "autarchy" - and acquire its current name, which followed the still-active standard for federal university naming (i.e.: Federal University of name of State or region).http://www.forumufrj.com.br/biblioteca/?page_id=289
After the reformation process, the university was propelled into a deeper and riskier restructuring phase that aimed to make the institution fit for the recently approved Law Decree of March 13, 1967 - a situation widely regarded as too bold for a nation with recent history as an independent territory and a culture that, inheriting traits from the Portuguese colonial rule, heavily emphasized tradition and stability.
Present day
The UFRJ keeps an "open-doors policy" regarding foreigners who arrive at it to disseminate or accumulate expertise; this also allows for internship or job opportunities for its teaching staff in different institutions and areas of research. International interexchange and partnerships are profuse, leading to reformist tendencies that most of times successfully coexist with the university's strong traditional ties.
The UFRJ adopts the Roman goddess Minerva - patroness of the Arts and all professions; also associated with knowledge and intellectuality - as its mascot, and many sculptures depicting the goddess are seem scattered throughout the institution. In 2000, the rectory requested to the Federal Justice that the university's name was changed back to "University of Brazil", as the old name has been changed by an arbitrary decree during the country's years of military dictatorship. The request was deferred, so it is correct to address the university by either names.
The university manages an ambitious program for extension courses, consisting mostly in providing full-time education to financially debilitated non-students of varying education backgrounds. Besides, the UFRJ contributes heavily to Rio de Janeiro's public health with its nine college hospitals, providing for over one thousand vacancies, and its deep integration with the State's health treatment network. In 2010, the institution achieved a "very good" evaluation and a maximum score in the Ministry of Education's General Index of College Courses ("Índice Geral de Cursos", or IGC in Portuguese). Its clear emphasis on research alludes to the personal motto of one of its most famous and distinguished scientists:
Organization
Administration The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro is an autarchy and a public institution linked to the Ministry of Education (MEC). Its administration is commanded by the superior councils: the "Conselho Universitário" (University Council), the highest decisional authority, presided by the "reitor" (rector); the "Conselho de Curadores" (Curators Council), responsible for the financial books and budgetary matters, also under rectorship rule; the "Conselho de Ensino de Graduação" (Undergraduate Council), responsible for admission to undergraduate course and other undergraduate affairs, presided by the pro-rector of graduation; and the "Conselho de Ensino para Graduados" (Graduate Council), responsible for research activities and post-graduation courses, presided by the pro-rector of post-graduation and research.
The institution is also directed by a vice-rector and six other pro-rectors. The rectors are nominated and chosen by the Ministry of Education (MEC) from a three-candidate list formed by a general election every four years. In general, the MEC respects the electoral decision, choosing the most voted candidate. The current rector (2014) is Carlos Antônio Levi da Conceição, with Antônio José Ledo Alves da Cunha as vice-rector.
The academic pro-rectories are as follows: "Pró-reitoria de Graduação" (Pro-Rectory of Undergraduate Studies), "Pró-reitoria de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa" (Pro-Rectory of Research and Post-Graduate Studies), "Pró-reitoria de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento" (Pro-Rectory of Planning and Development), "Pró-reitoria de Pessoal" (Pro-Rectory of Human Resources), "Pró-reitoria de Extensão" (Pro-Rectory of Extension) e a Pró-reitoria de Gestão e Governança" (Pro-Rectory of Management and Governance).
Serving as executive institutions are a total of eleven superintendencies: "Superintendência Geral de Graduação" (General Superintendency of Undergraduate Studies), "Superintendência Geral de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa" (General Superintendency of Research and Post-Graduate Studies), "Superintendência Geral de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento" (General Superintendency of Planning and Development), "Superintendência Geral de Finanças" (General Superintendency of Finances), "Superintendência Geral de Pessoal" (General Superintendency of Human Resources), "Superintendência Geral de Extensão" (General Superintendency of Extension), "Superintendência Geral de Gestão e Controle" (General Superintendency of Management and Control), "Superintendência Geral de Governança" (General Superintendency of Governance), "Superintendência Geral de Tecnologia da Informação e Comunicação Gerencial" (General Superintendency of Information Technology and Managerial Communication), "Superintendência Geral de Políticas Estudantis" (General Superintendency of Student Policies) e a "Superintendência Geral de Atividades Fora da Sede" (General Superintendency of Non-Campus Activities).
Notable Rectors
Some of the famous figures that have held the post of rector in UFRJ are: Benjamin Franklin Ramiz Galvão, doctor, first-ever rector and former member of the Brazilian Academy of Literature(ABL); Raul Leitão da Cunha, doctor; Pedro Calmon, former minister of Education and Health; Deolindo Couto, former member of the ABL; Raymundo Augustto de Castro Moniz de Aragão, former minister of Education; Carlos Lessa, economist and former president of "Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social" (National Bank of Economic and Social Development, BNDS).
Statistics and heritage According to its yearly statistical report (2013), the university controls 52 units and supplementary departments, each linked to one of six academic centers. It has a total of 48 454 active undergraduate students plus 7 333 students in undergraduate online courses, and a yearly graduation rate of 5 381 students. As of post-graduation studies, there are 5 389 individuals undergoing master's degree and 5 5382 candidates for doctor's degree. Of its 3 821 professors, 3 068 hold a doctor degree, 618 are masters and 61 are specialists. In addition, its high-school unit ("Colégio de Aplicação", or Application School) accounts for 760 enrolled students.