University of Franche-Comté

University of Franche-Comté
	Université de Franche-Comté
	Latin: Universitas Liberi Comitatus
Type	Public university
Established	1423 (in Dole, Jura); 1621 (in Besançon)
Rector	Jacques Bahi
Academic staff	1,200; (1,500 professional tutors)
Administrative staff	850
Students	24,291 (2018); Centre for Applied Linguistics; 3,992 (2018)
Location	Besançon, France
Affiliations	University of Burgundy - Franche-Comté
Mascot	Lynx
Website	http://www.univ-fcomte.fr/

The University of Franche-Comté (UFC) is a pluridisciplinary public French university located in Besançon, Franche-Comté, with decentralized campuses in Belfort, Montbéliard, Vesoul and Lons-le-Saunier.

University headquarters in downtown Besançon

It is a founding member of the community of universities and institutions University of Burgundy - Franche-Comté (COMUE UBFC), headquartered in Besançon and which federates universities and other higher learning institutes in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region.

With 28 research labs, 667 PhD students and 788 research professors in 2016–2017, the University of Franche-Comté is well represented in the research community. It collaborates with many organizations (University Hospital of Besançon, CNRS, INSERM, CEA, etc.).

It has about 24,000 students, including nearly a third of scholarship students and 12% of foreign students. Its Centre for Applied Linguistics (CLA) is one of the world's leading schools for teaching French as a foreign language and French linguistics.

History

The university was founded in 1423 in Dole, at that time in the Duchy of Burgundy.[1] It was moved to Besançon in 1691 as Dole was being punished for having resisted too long against the king of France Louis XIV during his conquest of the region.[1]

Research centres

The Centre for Applied Linguistics (CLA) of the University of Franche-Comté ranks among the top language teaching institutions in the world. The CLA has research contacts in more than 110 countries, and partners with the French Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Centre of Distance Teaching (CTU) allow to people who are working to continue to study in different matters like history, informatics, mathematics, AEG, etc.

Much of the international visibility in pure and applied science at the University of Franche-Comté comes through the CNRS FEMTO-ST with its expertise in numerous fields, including physics, optics, mechanics, time-frequency, microsystems and nanotechnology.

Research about Wikipedia

In 2015, Dr José Lages of the University of Franche-Comté and Dima Shepelyansky of Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse published a global university ranking based on Wikipedia scholarly citations.[2][3][4]

Notable scholars and alumni

Some notable professors include:

Louis Bachelier, mathematician, founder of financial mathematics.
Robert Badinter, activist and criminal lawyer.
Georges Duby, mediaeval historian.
Olivier Duhamel, politician.
Felix Gaffiot, author of Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français.
Louis Rougier, philosopher.
Henri Étienne Sainte-Claire Deville, chemist known for his work with aluminium.

Some alumni include:

Yukiya Amano, Japanese diplomat.
Jean-Luc Lagarce, actor and director.
Claude Lorius, glaciologist.
Yves Jégo, politician.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, politician.
Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine, pop-rock singer.
Abdoulaye Wade, Senegalese politician.

References

"Historique". Universite de Franche-Comte. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
"Wikipedia-Mining Algorithm Reveals World's Most Influential Universities: An algorithm's list of the most influential universities contains some surprising entries". MIT Technology Review. December 7, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
Marmow Shaw, Jessica (December 10, 2015). "Harvard is only the 3rd most influential university in the world, according to this list". MarketWatch. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
Bothwell, Ellie (December 15, 2015). "Wikipedia Ranking of World Universities: the top 100. List ranks institutions by search engine results and Wikipedia appearances". Times Higher Education. Retrieved December 27, 2015.