University of Palermo

Infobox_University
name =University of Palermo
native_name =Università degli Studi di Palermo
latin_name =


motto =
established =1806
type =State-supported
endowment =
staff =2,000
rector =Prof. Giuseppe Silvestri
students =65,000
undergrad =
postgrad =
doctoral =
city =Palermo
country =Italy
campus =
free_label =Sports teams
free =CUS Palermo (http://www.cuspalermo.it/)
affiliations =
website = [http://www.unipa.it/ www.unipa.it/]
logo =:"For the University of Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, see University of Palermo at B.A.."

The University of Palermo ( _it. Università degli Studi di Palermo) is a university located in Palermo, Italy, and founded in 1806. It is organized in 12 Faculties.

History

The University of Palermo was officially founded in 1806, although its earliest roots date back to 1498 when medicine and law were taught here. A little later in history, from the second half of the 16th century from their seat at the Collegio Massimo al Cassero, the Jesuit Fathers granted degrees in Theology and Philosophy - subjects in which they had been masters for over 200 years.

In 1767 they were expelled from the kingdom by King Ferdinand of Bourbon, until 37 years later when they returned to take their seat - which in the meantime had been turned into the Regia Accademia.

At this time the same King Ferdinand decided to grant a worthy seat to the Accademia, moving its location to the Convent of the Teatini Fathers next to the Church of St. Giuseppe.

After the unification of Italy in 1860 the University of Palermo was modernised under the impetus of the chemist S.Cannizzaro and the minister and specialist in Arab Studies - M.Amari, more or less assuming its present appearance. Since 1984 the main building of the University, housing the Rector's office, is Palazzo Steri, one of the most important historical buildings in Palermo, built in 1307 and formerly the residence of the Chiaramonte. Not far from Palazzo Steri, on land formerly belonging to the Chiaramonte, the Botanical Gardens of Palermo constitute a further admirable pearl of the University.

Today, the University has grown to be an institution of about 2000 lecturers and 50,000 students in which research in all main fields of study is carried out. In the past few years the university has actively taken part in international cooperation programmes.

Organization

These are the 12 faculties in which the university is divided into:

* Faculty of Agriculture
* Faculty of Architecture
* Faculty of Arts and Humanities
* Faculty of Economics
* Faculty of Education
* Faculty of Engineering
* Faculty of Law
* Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences
* Faculty of Medicine
* Faculty of Physics
* Faculty of Pharmacy
* Faculty of Political Sciences

ee also

* List of Italian universities
* Palermo
* Orto botanico di Palermo
* Center for Sicilian Philological and Linguistic Studies

External links

* [http://www.unipa.it/ University of Palermo Website]
* [http://archivi.beniculturali.it/divisione_III/Universit_Sicilia.html History of the University of Palermo]
* [http://www.bestofsicily.com/mag/art75.htm Life at the University of Palermo]
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