Santo Domingo 28 oct .- El 28 de octubre de 1538 mediante bula papal se fundó la primera universidad del Nuevo Mundo, ubicada en Santo Domingo, República Dominicana.

La Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino fue creada en el reinado de Carlos I y en su momento fue la primera entidad de educación del hemisferio occidental. Antes de su conversión a centro de estudios superiores, la institución fue un Studium Generate (seminario) fundado en 1518 y operado por la Orden Dominicana.

En su estructura y propósito, la universidad fue modelada tomando como ejemplo la Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, España.
Tres siglos después de su creación, la universidad cerró sus puertas en 1823 hasta 1914, año en que se reabrió bajo otro nombre: Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo y con una oferta académica que ofrecía medicina, leyes, teología y artes.

Actualmente, la universidad se ha expandido a ocho escuelas: humanidades, artes, leyes y ciencias políticas, medicina, economía y ciencias sociales, ingeniería y arquitectura, ciencias y agricultura.
La universidad tiene una de las poblaciones estudiantiles más grandes de América con más de 170 mil estudiantes regulares. Su frase oficial es Neo Mundi Decanatus, que significa Decana del Nuevo Mundo./OM


http://www.amodominicana.com/?p=11268

Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino

You should check out where the First University of the Americas ranks in the recent, First ever, ranking system of Latin American Universities. I will not divulge the ranking of UASD.

Neo Mundi Decanatus

This Dean of the New World has fallen slightly from its perch Perhaps one day it will regain its past brief glory and be one of the leading centers of learning in the Americas. But that's a very Tall Order indeed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universidad_Aut%C3%B3noma_de_Santo_Domingo


History

Main article: Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino

The University of Santo Tomás de Aquino was created by means of the papal bull In Apostolatus culmine, dated October 28, 1538, from Pope Paul III, who raised to a university the seminary that the Dominicans had been operating from 1518 in Santo Domingo, the seat of the viceroy and the oldest colony of the New World.

The new University was organized in four schools: Medicine, Law, Theology, and Arts. The studies in Arts included the two traditional curricula, namely: the trivium consisting of grammar, rhetoric, and logic; and the quadrivium, which is arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music .

Troubles

Aula Magna at night, Autonomous University of Santo Domingo

In the year 1801 as a consequence of the Haitian occupation of the country, the University ceased operating. It was reopened in the year 1815, as the colony returned to the Spanish authority, but from then on it was a secular institution.

Between 1815 and 1821 the president was Dr. Jose Núñez of Caceres. The University again closed its doors in 1822 due to the fact that a great number of students were recruited for military service on order of the Haitian regime governing the nation.

With the consummation of the independence of the Republic in 1844, the will to restore the university was reborn in the Dominicans. Accordingly, on June 16, 1859, President Pedro Santana promulgated a law to restore the former, university, with an academic composition similar to that of the medieval universities (with four areas of education: philosophy, jurisprudence, medicine and sacred letters), under the authority of the government. In 1866 the Professional Institute was created, which functioned as a replacement of the previous University of Santo Domingo.

In 1891 the Professional Institute closed its doors until 1895, when it reappeared under the presidency of Archbishop Meriño.

On November 16, 1914, the president of the Republic, Dr. Ramon Báez, who was also Rector of the Professional Institute, decreed the transformation of the Professional Institute to the University of Santo Domingo.

From 1916 until 1924 the University's function was interrupted as a consequence of the United States occupation.

During the 31 years of the tyranny of the dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, the University of Santo Domingo, as with other institutions of the country, struggled exercising the most elementary freedoms in the fulfillment of its mission. The scanty material progress that the Institution managed in the years of despotic government were limited to the acquisition of area for and construction of the University City.

Autonomy

After the death of Trujillo, a law passed in 1961 provided autonomy to the University. From this point a debate began on how to reach the balance between institutional power and social responsibility to allow it to develop all its creative powers. After three decades, however, bent to the iron will of a regime opposed to any form of human communication that was not subservient to its own interests, it was unable to use the freedom and newly acquired self-government effectively.

What is the purpose of being the first, when in fact today we are among the last.........

To take pride in the fact that it was the start of colleges in latin america

I think that the point is to remind some ethnocentric supremacists that their interpretation of things may not be the actual truth; That before they ever had a notion of let's say higher education as in this case of the first University in the western hemisphere, ours was first. Before their nations even existed as an established entity we had people studying professions that are used to advance a culture out of ignorance into enlightenment and progress. I think this is our claim to be the first. We may not be the greatest since look around the island is just a tiny spot in proportion to the rest of "the Americas" that have 'grown-up' surrounding this stepping stone (of a nation) to western civilization in the NEW WORLD. While most of North, South, Central America and the Antilles was mostly in the stone age, a new means of education was being forged in Quisqueya's soil; in spite of the decimation of its native people's, a new frontier was being conquered, and that boundary was ignorance; Something that would come back to haunt this institute of higher learning manifested by the several interruptions of its daily lfunctions by forces hostile to the edification of the criollo, and the nurture of his culture.

You realize that the University was founded by the Spanish don't you?

Yo zombie!

Who in heaven's name doubted that?

The Criollos, previously the vecinos, colonos, the peninsulares, the ones who first brought western civilization to the shores of Quisqueya were of course Iberians, Castellanos, Andaluzes, Extremadurenses, Catalanes, Vascos, Gallegos, Portugueses and of course, proto-Italians (Colon),,,

I'm well aware of the facts, AC.

But, by the 1530, nearly 40 years had lapsed since the initial arrival on the island of these Europeans; A synthesis of the cultures had already occured, I'm sure the "Spaniards and the other recent invaders" had already begun accepting the native culture, eating CASABE, sleeping in HAMACAS, EXPERIENCING HURANCANES, ETC. And then, none of these intruders brought female companions with them so they took themselves native women to mate, these were the beginning of the "criollos"; Then, they began importing west African slaves for the plantations (platanos). So, by 1530 there was a representation of the three races in existence when the university opened its doors. Who do you think benefited from its presence? Everyone of these people. The European brought the technological innovations, the natives provided the venue and other things, and the Africans the manpower.

Is that the idea?

The University was established well before any major intermingling between the the settlers and the current predominant race in the D.R.
So why are you claiming credit for a people who didn't even exist until over 350 years had past?

Hey moron!

Who ever made you the ultimate authority on everything having to do with Our history?

Tu te las sabes todas? Que elemento eres, compadre? Sabe mas que Casabe!

What I was trying to say is that no matter who established it, it was on my homeland's soil? Not Venezuela, or Argentina, or Mejico. We were the site where it all began, holmes. The gatewAy to al this modernday republics, dictatorships, medical advances, social stratification, the whole nine yards. You follow me? Can you hear me now?

I am not talking about intermingling or how the people who exist today or what they look like or what music they play, etc. I'm just saying it was on our soil. Bottomline, point blank, no more no less!

You lack knowledge of who my people are; and with all the time you spend hanging out haranguing others on this medium.
What is your function here, mister? Irk the crap out of my kin? Que es lo tuyo fantasmear?

No, it wasn't our University that was first founded in the new world, then, it was BELEN, YOU KNOW WHERE AND WHEN....

Nobody, But I do know it sure isn't you!!!

How do I know? I don't try to take credit for something my people had nothing to do with.