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| An introduction to history of the University of Cartagena Written
by Dr. Roberto Burgos Ojeda It has been translated from Spanish to English by Raul Santos Calao M.S. |
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Back ground:In the historical and heroic framework of the city, Cartagena city was determined by her foundation to be heroiced, because all the events that are chained by the urban development of the city by herself. She was founded by the Spaniard (born in Madrid) don Pedro de Heredia on the day, in the night, in the year, which has been lost in the mist of the past. What has been left? Her baptismal chrismal! As another great question, like an argument to favor the importance of the event, in the outstanding endurance over 450 years to define the profile of a village that is emerged with a fate and dignity in front of the past, the present and the future, in one specific literary and ornamental piece that Fernando de la Vega evoked the romantic and historical surroundings of city in closed by walls and fortresses baptized by the blood of the pioneers in glorious emulation with the help of the brave and well determined natives, as it was done by the Baron of Volney in relation of Pompella. The great master de la Vega gave away free flow to his imagination of the reconstructing episodes that in his word: he says, they are more self spoken then the reality by it self. Cartagena city did see entrusting men wearing shoe-horns, cruel un fair inquisitors, priest anointed by the powerful faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, such as Pedro Claver “slave of slaves”, and as a dream of the royal, great, brave, romantic, struggling, stoned and proud city; with the tendency of being forgotten in the mist of the past. |
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| Her foundation: It is unbelievable to see the urban plan of the city which has been developed by her castles, fortresses, walls and churches that were emerging in a fast growing up development by the in durance of the Cartagena people. No one could have thought of the great barefoot Augustine Convent of being the angle stone of the state school as the republican seed of the University of Cartagena. Less far, they could have thought that the claustral place expression will last this long as the evocation of those glorious barefoot Augustinos priests that have given fame to Salamanca with fray Luis de Leon’s life and written book. There is not any existing memory of the educational works achieved by the Augustinos in Cartagena de Indias, but it presents the value of sacrificing acts of fray Alonso de la Cruz Parades going up to the back skirts of the hills of La Popa, in order to establish the trusting faith in the holy power of our Lord Jesus Christ and the sacred image of the virgin of the la candelaria that conquered the hearts of the cartagena people, who wanted to baptize her as “the BRUNET AN DEMOCRATIC VIRGEN”. As a paradox those who tormented Luis Andrea, the resisting mulatto, for falling in love the evil, they were also the same people that planted the loving seed with the name of la virgin de la candelaria (virgen of the flames), which is an outstanding version of the purity that is gained not among the flames of the inquisition, but among the lights of the merciful faith in the holy power of God. Although, the founder of the Augustinos Convent, fray Geronimo de Guevara, whose name was ignored by not taking into account how Luis works were going to be, it was under the leader ship of governor don Pedro Fernandez de Busto. From Juan de Castellanos in his famous “outstanding male’s elegy of India”. To Eduardo Lemaitre, with his “general history of cartagena de India”. The great foundation
of the city has been demonstrated by them to us as a human and big adventure,
where the chronicles and the historians, including Lemaitre, who became
a part of the same history, which is done and written, not in another
way, but in orden to explain the vitality of the overemphasized touch
of this master piece, which has been in contradiction and it varied as
her very own events that occurred in the petro rigid structure of this
incredible city. Finding on their ways lime mines, which were used for the basing of the mortar to put together walls, aljibe (water resources), they were used as rainwater reservoirs in this desert region, where cactus plants in the wilderness, poisonous apple-like plants and fruit less man-grove were grown, beaten and refreshed by alisios air flow, and they are eye-witnesses of this ecological scantiness. |
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The First SchoolAlfonso de Zamora, Piedrahita and among some other Chronical men noticed that just after Cartagena city had been founded by Don Pedro de Heredia; the establishment of some schools got started in 1542, the main issue was, the establishing of a school for the Indian as Pastor Restrepo registred chronically, saying that one of the first school was “the royal school of San Carlos”. it was founded in 1744, with key importance of being extended up to the days of independence, when the incomes of the institution was financially sponsored by the maintained of the state school bureau.
Documental Heart Failure: in the historical compilation of the historian Pastor Restrepo, entitled “documents for the history of the university of cartagena”; document no. 16 picks up the of the decree, which was issued by the general Tomas Cipriano de Mosquera, who was in charged President of the united states of nueva Granada and so on. With this document he dis-morgaged all the public goods from dead hands, with the purpose of giving appropriate movement and circulation to a great part of the real estate, which are the fundamental bases of public wealth (first acknowledgement of this decree that carries general Julian Trujillo’s and Dr. Jose Maria Rojas Garrido’s signatures who were respectively, State Treasury, Secretary and Minister of External Relations, this last one was also in charged of the ministry of war. This decree was issued on the nine of September in 1861 in Bogotá. With this decree one more time the financial incomes of the university were badly hurt, because all the university’s goods didn’t belong any more to the institution, but to the nation. With the same decree, the executive power did separate all the goods and in comes of the Bolivar’s College as well as those of the charity hospitals. By reducing the financial aids of these institutions, they were executing Mosquera’s will. This last document was dated in Cartagena on the 2nd of august in 1861 and carries Dr. Juan Antonio de la Espriella’s signature and was authenticated by the General Secretary of the State, Felipe S. Paz. As it has been noticed this measure was issued 3 months later after the mosquera’s act. As a conclusion the University of Cartagena should have closed down in 1884, according to the understanding of these documents that belong to that decade. Against this breakdown of the university; Honorable General Nieto Gil, who did officially discharge “the law of the 30th of June of 1863”, which re-established the different academicals degrees of the professionals fields, it had the inconvenience of being cancelled by general José hilario Lopez, who had the clear purpose of finishing up with the called doctorship fever, and by doing it, the university was left with out one of her main functions. So the law in question says that only Bolivar’s college will be able award the academical tittles of medicine and law, at the same time, it was re-established that the attorney at law should be awarded by State Superior Court. Although, they have said it in a very none self- explanatory way that these tittles are not necessary for being a practitioner. That they only mean an academical arrangement. But, it was taken as a very strong pre-sumption of scholarship favoring those, who have got these academical arrangements. Within the same law, in has been ruled the order of the curricular priorities and the way the test must be applied in order to obtain the doctorate degree from the Bolivar’s college and the little of attorney at law will be awarded by The Superior Court.
Academical Recovery of the University One law of seven articles
discharged by the royal assembly of the Bolivar’s State in search
for the appropriate academical ways of San Agustin Convent. Nieto Gil
put ways the so called “fiscal penalties”, in order to find
a way in search for the real fate of the university of cartagena. Every
thing that has been taken into account about tittle, medical practices
and exercises were been structured in a very careful decree which has
four chapters and thirty-one articles. This special document carries both
general Nieto Gil’s and Dr. Juan Antonio de la aspriella’s
signatures. A new awakening has gotten started by the University of Cartagena
as an institution of higher education and began to walk on her way of
future achievements, let’s take a good look at it: Many of the ICFES’ rules that have been taken into considerations seem to be inspired by this forgotten academic rule. In the development of these marvelous prospectus, the University started to recover her academicals prestige and goods, through law 29 of May in 1864, which was issued by General Tomas Cipriano Mosquera. The final struggle of the century was very fruitful, because her academicals coverage and facilities will be enlarged by a very gifted Colombian man, who was an native son of Cartagena City: Rafael Nuñez. Rafael Nuñez ruled the university since the 9th of February in 1825 to the 7th of January in 1853, besides this, he was granted the doctorate degree as attorney at law. He knew her idiosyncrasy, development and lack of financial funds of this illustrated academicals house, whose introduction to another type of analysis that we would do by moderation.
The Chronicle Men of the University Our chronicle men felt sorry about how small was the College Population in 1851, according to their Knowledge, thirty-two students were not good enough in those hazardous political days, but to us, who do not believe in students strikes; because of their dangerous outcomes; because of our judging, we think of them of having a heroic culture that allow them to fulfil their academical goals. What do they study? Judicial Procedures, Civil Rights, Roman Rights, Political Economy, Civil and Penal Legislation, Constitutional Sciences, Geographic Draw, Arts and Craft, Latin Studies and History. All of these academical disciplines conducted to what Cartagena was at that time. Cartagena was a city of well-educated men with self discipline and capable of having a domain of what they have achieved. They were middle-class, low income people, skilful, brick layers whose personality, discipline and brave spirit are not easy to have now days, where the happy running vociferous and uneducated professionalism that in a rush go to a fair of high professional fees and to an official bureaucracy. Those illustrious patricians were the main stream of horoiced families that were accurated and noble people; who were extracted and dignified from what is called “ALMA MATER”; which is not only in the business of forging characters, but avoiding the mediocrity of low achievement.
Presence and Spirit of Rafael Núñez at the University of Cartagena. It has been fulfilled and justified the veredit of history of the University of Cartagena. After being free from the burden, the controversial figure of “The Reformer”, from the Cabrero Village, it is necessary to get registered the historical meaning of this task as President of the institution, where he took care of the educational issue in the development and projection of the University. Dr. Núñez has been awarded the Bachelor Degree; the Licentiate Degree and the Doctorate Degree in the Jurisprudential field by the University of Cartagena. Later on, Dr. Núñez has become the most outstanding President of the University, although the history says very little about the importance and honors that he deserved. On the 18th of August in 1843, the University of the Second District did recognize that Rafael Wenceslao Núñez Moledo enjoyed the academicals status of being a Bachelor and Licentiate; it was signed by that great President, Dr. Manuel del Río, by Dr.José María Goenaga as Secretary, and by Dr. Dionisio Vélez as Secretary of the Jurisprudential School of Law. In January of 1845, Dr. Núñez was admitted to take the required exams to obtain the doctorate degree from Jurisprudential School of Law, where he showed a solid background in Political Economy, Civil and Penal Right, Procedures, Ecclesiastic Right and Forence Practice that enables him to be a practitioner. After fulfilling all the requirements for being and attorney at law, on the day of May 16 in 1845, Dr. Francisco de la Vega, who was the Secretary made the announcement to the Corporation. On the 15th of May in 2003, it has been 158 years of accomplishment of this historical event. On the 23rd of May in 1845, the Court of Laws of the Magdalena District; in mutual agreement and in a very proud Scholasticism with respect to present ruling laws; a very special meeting was held in order to propose a formula of the questions of judicial impact: 1st)of the Act of Legitimation and profixation (recognition) dictum question. Are children being able to be legitimated by successional marriages? 2nd) In regard to collation. Dictum question. Should all the goods and benefits that are received by inheritors be brought into Collation? 3rd) In regard to thing. What are the legal means to own them? Dr. Núñez chooses the third question. What kind of reason did guide him to do that? Did he avoid the family rights, because of ideological thoughts, or because of his freedom to have an independent and fair judgment? On the 24th of May in 1845, the testing ministers, Manuel José Cajar, Juan Antonio Araujo y José Pablo Rodríguez Torres did inform on their recommendation of the approval of all the test that were taking by Rafael Núñez with all the rights, honors and privileges pertaining thereto. On the 19th of June in 1845, Dr. Rafael Núñez is given the rights to practice as an attorney at law in all the geographical territory of Nueva Granada. These are the early and solid beginnings of one of the most scholar and important person in the past and in the present century in the history of Colombia. His outstanding and intellectual escalation gives full testimonies of his greatness.
Dr. Núñez, Distinguished President of the University of Cartagena On a time of academicals crisis, being under the law of May in1850, which states the grades and littles are not necessary for practicing a scientific professional field. Under the ruling of Dr. Núñez for 7 months, from February 1852 to the beginning of January of 1853 and at the same time, being Juan José Nieto Gil, Governor and General Secretary, Dr. Núñez has gotten started a complete new academical revolution that did shake all the dirty foundation that was left by López Tagle, and the modest and humble Physician Dr. Andres Fortich. For being so closed to General Nieto and to his friend the Governor, who helped to give back to the San Agustin Claustral Place his classical glories. There are some few documents, where Dr. Núñez saved the University from several negative factors such as: pure negligence, local carelessness and the very bad faith of some politicians. Since the first days of being President of the University he started to be against the central government idea in relation with the annulment of titles for practicing a profession. Dr. Núñez in his quality as President, he presented a complete report, pointing out that to chambers, and not to the executive power, they are the ones, which should legislated about the fragile educational issue. Dr. Núñez as President of the University thinks that all the future of Nueva Granada, depends, on this trivial issue, but in his opinion, it is of grate doctrinal future. For Dr. Núñez, who is a philosopher and futurist, says what ever that will affect on a nation, it is very important. |
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The University of Cartagena: Today The University of Cartagena is rending her service as an institution of higher education to the Bolívar’s State the Caribbean region and the rest of the country through all her campuses such as: Claustral Place of San Agustin, which is in the center of the historical and walled city; Zaragocilla’s Campus, which contain all the health areas; the so called Piedra de Bolívar’s Campus, which has all the engineering and economical sciences; the Magangue’s Campus (South of the Bolívar’s State; and she is being present in the rest of Country Through Academicals Interchanging and Mutual Agreements among another Colombian Universities, with the purposes of developing graduate studies, in order to cover the whole country. The University has been integrated by 25 educational units: Nine academicals Schools with sixteen programs, plus two distance extensions. Seven Centers: The Research and Technological Center; the Admission Center; the Registry and academicals Control of Center, The Computer Science Center; the Postgraduate and External Relations Center; the information and File Center; the Educational Resources and Visual-Aids Center; the training and Academicals Consulting Center, two departments of Publication and audio-visual Aids; one events coordination Center, one Immunology Institute; one Hydraulic Institute and one Modern Language Institute. At graduate level this institution of higher Education offers over forty programs among Doctorate, Master Degree and Specialties. In search of Academicals Endurance; the University has been able to establish research, academicals, and technological Interganges with some other national and International Institutions of higher education in order to keep the high quality standard that must be given to her alumnus. Beside all of these, the University has an administrative unit to take care of the well-being of the students in regard to health foods, sport facilities and so on; to enjoy their life in their community.
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