In the Service of the Nation: The Establishment and Consolidation of the Universidad de Chile, 1842-79

Abstract

HE creation of the Universidad de Chile (UCH) in 1842 represents one of the first truly national projects undertaken by the emerging Chilean state in the nineteenth century. The university was expected not only to create a scientific and academic tradition, but also to encourage and supervise all matters related to education in the country. Education, in turn, was expected to bring into the Chilean polity a set of shared values and a sense of national identity. Although the university confronted myriad challenges in fulfilling its mandate, the tasks of educational and cultural development became a resounding success. From 1842 to 1879, under the rectorships of Andres Bello and Ignacio Domeyko, the UCH established itself as the leading educational institution in the nation and perhaps in South America.' While this essay concentrates on the institutional evolution of the UCH, it also shows that the transformations of the university during the period reveal larger changes in Chilean society. The university evolved from an essentially academic and supervisory body into a teaching institution. The architects of the UCH had initially conceived of the university as a body primarily in charge of promoting research and teaching across the nation, but soon they found that this role was insufficient to satisfy