University of Cologne

The University of Cologne (German Universität zu Köln) is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Europe and, with over 43,000 students, the second largest university in Germany.

History

The ancient university

The University of Cologne was established in 1388 as the fourth university in the Holy Roman Empire after Charles University of Prague (1348), the University of Vienna (1365) and the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (1386). The charter was signed by Pope Urban VI. The university began teaching on January 6, 1389. In 1798, the university was closed by the French, who invaded in 1794.

The modern university

In the course of the 19th Century, attempts by the city and citizens to reopen the university failed. Finally in 1919, the Prussian government was convinced. Through a decision by the Cologne City Council, the university was reestablished. On May 19, 1919, then Mayor Konrad Adenauer signed the charter of the modern university.

The university arose from the former Cologne College of Trade, the College of Community and Social Administration, and the Academy of Medicine. Christian Eckert was named the first rector. By 1925, the University of Cologne was the second-largest Prussian university after The University unter den Linden in Berlin.

At that point, the university was composed of the School of Management, Economics and Social Sciences (successor to the College of Trade and College of Community and Social Administration) and the School of Medicine (successor to the Academy of Medicine). In 1920, the School of Law and the School of Philosophy were added, from which the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences split in 1955.

In 1980, both Cologne departments of the Rhineland School of Education were joined to the university as the College of Pedagogy and College of Special Education.

Since Winter Semester 2003/2004, an interdisciplinary environmental studies programme conducted in English known as International Master of Environmental Sciences (IMES), covering different faculties has been offered in North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW) at the University of Cologne.

The university today

Today, the University of Cologne is, measured in terms of students, the largest university in Germany. Its highest enrollment was reached in the Winter Semester of 2001-2002, with 64,029 students. With the introduction of tuition fees for so-called "Langzeitstudenten" (long-time students) in NRW in the Summer Semester of 2004, enrollment sank abruptly by more that 20 per cent from 62,152 to 47,718. Nevertheless, the University of Cologne continues to be one of the largest universities in Germany with 43,679 students (Summer Semester 2005), close to the FernUniversität in Hagen and Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich.

The university and the affiliated university clinic are located in the Cologne neighborhood of Lindenthal/Sülz. It is a leader in the area of economics and regularly placed in the top five for law and management.

Tuition fees

At the late afternoon of April 27, 2006, the unversity's rectorate was occupied by a group of students protesting against the introduction of tuition fees. This was the second occupation of the university's rectorate, the first since 1968 ^*.

After a demonstration prevented the senate's meeting on May 3 in which more than 1000 students of the University of Cologne, a large delegation of ver.di and several students from other universities of North-Rhine Westphalia participated, the rector ended the occupation at the late evening of May 7 with approximately 100 to 200 police officers registering the identities of and videotaping every one of the 34 occupants within the building at that time. While most of the occupants co-operated immediately and none resisted, university officials are sending mixed messages whether any charges will be filed against the occupants. The rector promised the occupants not to file any charges should they leave prompt and peacefully ^*. The occupation was part of a state-wide protest against the introduction of tuition fees after the state passed a law enabling the universities to pass them.

Organization

The University of Cologne is operated by the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The university is divided into seven colleges (Fakultäten), which together offer 200 fields of study. The colleges are the School of Management, Economics and Social Sciences, the School of Law, the School of Medicine, with the affiliated university clinic, the School of Philosophy (Humanities), the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, the School of Pedagogy and the School of Special Education and Rehabilitation.

The university maintains partnerships with sixteen universities around the world.

Rector

On November 24, 2004, Axel Freimuth was elected as the Rector of the University. His four-year term began on April 1, 2005. He succeeded Tassilo Küpper and is the 49th Rector since 1919. Before this, he was the dean of the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.

Students and Faculty

In 2005, the University enrolled 47,203 students, including 3,718 graduate students. In 2003, the number of post-doctoral students was 670.

The number of international students was 6,157 in the Summer Semester of 2005. This amounts to approximately 13% of the total students. Those from developing countries made up about 60%, representing a total of 123 nations. The largest contingents came from Bulgaria (10.5%), Russia (8.8%), Poland (7.4%), China (6.2%) and Ukraine (5.7%).

There are 508 professors at the university, including 70 women. In addition, the university employs 1,549 research assistants, with an additional 765 at the clinic, and 1,462 other assistants (3,736 at the clinic).

Notable Alumni

One of its most illustrious graduates is Amos Grunebaum, who graduated in 1974 from the medical school. He left Germany and became one of the most famous obstetricians and gynecologists in the US.

Literature

University History

Erich Meuthen: Kölner Universitätsgeschichte, Band I: Die alte Universität, 1988, ISBN 3-412-06287-1
Bernd Heimbüchel und Klaus Pabst: Kölner Universitätsgeschichte, Band II: Das 19. und 20. Jahrhundert, 1988, ISBN 3-412-01588-1
Erich Meuthen (Hrsg.): Kölner Universitätsgeschichte, Band III: Die neue Universität - Daten und Fakten, 1988, ISBN 3-412-06188-8

External links

Cologne | Universities and colleges in Germany

Universität zu Köln | Université de Cologne | Universität zu Köln | 科隆大学

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