Regional University of Northwestern Rio Grande do Sul

The Universidade Regional do Noroeste do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (UNIJUÍ) is a private, non-profit, community and regional university headquartered in Ijuí, in the northwestern region of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is maintained by the Fundação de Integração, Desenvolvimento e Educação do Noroeste do Estado (FIDENE), a foundation created in 1969 to receive the assets of the earlier Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ijuí (FAFI). UNIJUÍ describes itself as a community institution with a regional character, and its mission is to train professionals with technical excellence and critical social awareness, to produce and disseminate knowledge, and to contribute to the development of its region. The university traces its origins to the 1950s, when the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, the Ijuí community and local public authorities mobilized to bring higher education to the region. That movement led to the creation of FAFI in 1956, a pioneer institution of higher education in northwestern Rio Grande do Sul. FAFI's assets were transferred to FIDENE in 1969. On 28 June 1985, the Ministry of Education recognized the institution as a university under the name Universidade de Ijuí; it was later renamed Universidade Regional do Noroeste do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul in 1993, after formalizing its regional and multi-campus character. UNIJUÍ operates campuses in Ijuí, Santa Rosa, Panambi and Três Passos, and also offers distance-learning programs through poles in several cities, including Ijuí, Panambi, Santa Rosa, Três Passos, Palmeira das Missões, Planalto, Uruguaiana, Tenente Portela, Porto Alegre, Horizontina, Santa Maria, Rosário do Sul and Agudo. Its direct area of influence covers dozens of municipalities in the Noroeste Colonial, Celeiro and Fronteira Noroeste regional development councils, reaching a population of approximately 656,000 people according to the university's own description. The institution offers undergraduate courses in on-campus and distance modalities, lato sensu postgraduate courses, and stricto sensu master's and doctoral programs. It reports seven master's degree programs and five doctoral programs, and serves around 5,000 students according to its institutional page. As a community university, UNIJUÍ is a non-profit entity. Under Brazilian law no. 12.881/2013, it is classified as a community institution and may access public funding programs and editais directed at public institutions, while also being able to receive private resources for its own non-profit development. It is a member of the Associação Brasileira das Universidades Comunitárias (ABRUC). The university also maintains related bodies through FIDENE, including the Museu Antropológico Diretor Pestana (MADP), the Escola de Educação Básica Francisco de Assis (EFA), the Instituto de Políticas Públicas e Desenvolvimento Regional (IPD) and Rádio Televisão Educativa UNIJUÍ (RTVE). Its annual budget is reported by the university to be around R$ 140 million.

UNIJUÍ's history begins in the 1950s, when the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, the community of Ijuí and local public authorities came together to support the implementation of higher education in the region. They mobilized for the acquisition of qualifications and legal authorization for pedagogical work and activities in secondary education. This movement led to the creation of the Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ijuí (FAFI) in 1956, a pioneer of higher education in the northwestern region of Rio Grande do Sul. The installation of FAFI took place on 16 March 1957, consolidating the commitment of the founding group. In 1969, through a public deed, FAFI's patrimony was transferred to the Fundação de Integração, Desenvolvimento e Educação do Noroeste do Estado (FIDENE), which became the sponsoring institution of UNIJUÍ. FIDENE today maintains UNIJUÍ, the Museu Antropológico Diretor Pestana (MADP), the Escola de Educação Básica Francisco de Assis (EFA), the Instituto de Políticas Públicas e Desenvolvimento Regional (IPD) and Rádio Televisão Educativa UNIJUÍ (RTVE). FIDENE covers around 55 cities in Rio Grande do Sul, making it accessible to approximately 510,000 people. On 28 June 1985, UNIJUÍ began its activities as a higher education institution under the name Universidade de Ijuí. The ministerial order published in the Diário Oficial da União on that date by then Minister of Education Marco Maciel recognized the university character of the institution, which was dubbed by Tancredo Neves as the "first university of the New Republic." On 20 October of the same year, the official installation ceremony took place at the Sociedade Ginástica de Ijuí, with the presence of the minister. In 1993, after formalizing its regional and multi-campus character, the institution was transformed into the Universidade Regional do Noroeste do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, later expanding its regional recognition with campuses in Ijuí, Panambi, Santa Rosa and Três Passos. Its area of operation comprises 60 municipalities in the Noroeste Colonial and Fronteira Noroeste regions. From just over 4,000 students, it grew to around 12,000 students by 2005. More recently, the university's institutional page reports around 5,000 students and emphasizes its seven master's degree programs and five doctoral programs. The university has been active in higher education for more than 60 years and remains a community, non-profit institution maintained by FIDENE.

• 2005

  Student body grows to around 12,000 students.

• 1993

  Transformed into Universidade Regional do Noroeste do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, formalizing regional and multi-campus character.

• 1985

  On 28 June, recognized as a university by the Ministry of Education under the name Universidade de Ijuí; official installation ceremony on 20 October.

• 1969

  FAFI's patrimony transferred to FIDENE, which becomes the sponsoring institution.

• 1957

  Official installation of FAFI on 16 March.

• 1956

  Creation of the Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ijuí (FAFI), pioneer of higher education in northwestern Rio Grande do Sul.

Community, non-profit, regional university focused on regional development through higher education.

• Undergraduate programs (on-campus and distance)

• Postgraduate lato sensu programs

• Stricto sensu Master's programs (seven)

• Stricto sensu Doctoral programs (five)

• Academic publishing

1. 1Universidade Regional do Noroeste do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul - Unijuíunijui.edu.br
2. 2A Community and Regional University - Unijuíunijui.edu.br
3. 3Sobre a Unijuí - Unijuíunijui.edu.br
4. 4Dirigentes - Unijuíunijui.edu.br
5. 5Wikidata: Universidade Regional do Noroeste do Estado do Rio Grande do Sulwikidata.org
6. 6Wikipédia: Universidade Regional do Noroeste do Estado do Rio Grande do Sulpt.wikipedia.org