| Viadrina European University |
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Information AboutViadrina European University |
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|name = Europa-Universität Viadrina (Viadrina European University) |image = |motto = Ex oriente lux (''Light from the east'') |established = 1506 , closed 1811 , refounded 1991 |type = State |president = Gesine Schwan |students = 4,000 |faculty = 160 |city = Frankfurt (Oder) |state = Brandenburg |country = Germany |campus = Urban , several locations |website= www.euv-ffo.de }} Building houses lecture rooms and the dining hall]] in the background]] Viadrina European University ( located at Frankfurt (Oder) in the ''land'' of Brandenburg , near the Oder River, which there marks the border between Germany and Poland . The present university was founded in name for the Oder (the city of Frankfurt having been known in Latin as Francofortum ad Viadrum). The modern university was established for structural and political reasons, as the area is impoverished and the city is situated directly on the border with Poland, cooperation with which is a top priority of the German government. One of Germany's smallest state universities (probably the second-smallest after the University Of Erfurt ), the Viadrina has some 4,000 students — around 1,000 of whom come from Poland — and some 160 teaching staff. Historical Viadrina The ''Alma Mater Viadrina'' was founded in (1490-1550) was a vigorous opponent of the Reformation and did his utmost to expel Lutheran dons. In 1811 Viadrina University was moved to Breslau (now Wrocław ) and merged with the University Of Breslau , the ''Leopoldina'', in order to be competitive with the newly founded University of Berlin (now Humboldt University ). Some of the Viadrina professors did, however, accept positions in Berlin. The old university building in Frankfurt was destroyed in World War II and finally cleared in the 1960s. Only the arch of the main entrance has been preserved as a monument. Famous students at the historical Viadrina included the brothers Alexander and Wilhelm Von Humboldt , the philosopher Ulrich Von Hutten , the musician Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach , the theologian and political leader Thomas Müntzer , and the poet Heinrich Von Kleist . The new Viadrina In 1991 the university was re-established as Viadrina European University. It currently comprises three faculties: Economics and Business Studies; Law; and Cultural Studies. A prime focus of the educational program is to attract students from throughout Europe in order to create a multi-national student body. Currently about 40 per cent of the students are foreigners (mostly Polish), a quite remarkable proportion compared with other German universities. Viadrina European University maintains close cooperation with Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań , Poland. The two universities jointly operate the Collegium Polonicum , located just opposite the Viadrina on the Polish side of the Oder River. Notable among the research institutions at Viadrina University is the Frankfurt Institute of Transformational Studies (FIT). The Institute is a substantial contributor to research on economies in transition. The current president of the University, Professor Gesine Schwan , ran for President Of Germany in 2004 , being narrowly defeated by Horst Köhler . External links
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