Last modified: 2024-11-30 by olivier touzeau
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Flag of ULB - Image by Ivan Sache, 28 June 2008
The Free* University of Brussels (ULB), founded in 1834 - only four years after the independence of Belgium -, is divided today in seven faculties (Philosophy and Literature; Law; Social, Politic and Economic Sciences [Solvay Business School]; Sciences; Medicine; Applied Sciences [Polytechnich School]) and four institutes (Public Health; Motricity Sciences; Pharmacy; European Studies). The ULB also manages the Erasmus Hospital and a network of hospitals in Wallonia.
The ULB has three campuses in Brussels (Solbosch and Plaine at Ixelles, and Anderlecht) and another four in Wallonia (Couillet and Gosselies at Charleroi, Nivelles, and Treignes at Viroinval).
In the academic year 2006-2007, the ULB catered 19,900 students, 27% of
them being foreigners and 1,200 of them Ph.D students. Professors at
the ULB were awarded three Nobel Prizes (Jules Bordet, Medicine, 1919;
Albert Claude, Medicine, 1974; Ilya Prigogine, Chemistry, 1977) and
one Fields Medal (Pierre Deligne, 1978).
*"Free" in a Belgian educational context ordinarily means not founded by the state, province, municipality... but by a non-state body (most of which are Roman Catholic); here, however, it refers to its liberal and Masonic origins and, also, academic freedom.
The flag of ULB is white with the university seal in the middle. The emblem of ULB is presented as the "torch seal", saying to have replaced
"a Saint-Michael", but older. The present seal appeared indeed in 1841
and was used to seal the diplomas in 1886-1909.
The seal shows two torches crossed per saltire, surmounted by a
star placed on a pentagon with 18 rays (maybe a Masonic symbol?).
The motto "SCIENTIA VINCERE TENEBRAS" (To vanquish darkness by science) is placed on the rim of the seal, as well as the name of the university. On letters, the version with "ULB" should be used (diameter of the seal, 12 mm), while on the diplomas, medals and flag, the version with "UNIVERSITAS BRUXELLENSIS" should be used.
The colour of the seal is prescribed (on printed documents) as:
- Pantone 287c (100% in blue version; 35% in greyish version);
- CMYK 100-70-0-10 (35-20-0-0 in greyish version).
Jan Mertens & Ivan Sache, 28 June 2008
Flag of VUB - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 24 November 2024
Here is the flag of the Free University Brussels: photo.
Paul Bassinson, 1 June 2023
Brussels has two universities whose names mean Free University of Brussels in English: the French-speaking Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and the Dutch-speaking Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). The Vrije Universiteit Brussel was formed in 1970 by the splitting of the Free University of Brussels.
Olivier Touzeau, 24 November 2024