The first chemistry studies were established by Dr. Jose Eleuterio Gonzalez in 1835 after inaugurating a chair of pharmacy and chemistry at the Nuestra Señora del Rosario Hospital.
In 1928, Professors Antonio Castillo and Andres Ruiz Flores, with the same objective of progress, realized the urgent necessity to found a School of Chemistry and Pharmacy in Monterrey, a city that was already nationally and internationally known for its industry, to educate generations in science, satisfying the requirements of society from a medical and industrial approach.
The School of Chemistry and Pharmacy was founded in 1931 and offered the two-year undergraduate degree of Pharmacy. Classes were taught at the facilities of the School of Medicine, to which the School of Chemistry and Pharmacy was incorporated. Aaron Saenz was governor of Nuevo Leon at that time.
The faculty and administrative staff were managed by Professor Mauricio Martinez Guzman as Vice Dean. Among the leading professors were Antonio Castillo of Physics, Andres Ruiz Flores of Pharmacognosy, Ing. Gustavo Bernal of Chemistry and Pharmacy practices, Ing. Raul Ortiz of Inorganic Chemistry theory, and Dr. Ruben Valdez Zambrano of Laboratory Hygiene and First Aid.
Before the School of Chemistry and Pharmacy became an independent institution from the School of Medicine, a small classroom at Calle Cuauhtemoc was assigned as its official facilities.
By agreement of the University Senate on September 19th, 1933, the School of Chemistry and Pharmacy was separated from the School of Medicine, beginning its operations at Calle Colegio Civil.
In its Foundation Act, Professor and Pharmacist Antonio Castillo was appointed Dean; Professor and Pharmacist Andres Ruiz Flores, Vice Dean; and Professor and Chemical Pharmacist Raul Ortiz, faculty representative to the University Senate.
During this administration, Professor Manuel Rangel Rivera began conducting workshops at the school in the areas of Inorganic Chemistry and Qualitative Analysis.
In 1935, with Dr. Pedro de Alba as UANL President, the School of Chemistry and Pharmacy was relocated at 202 Calle Cuauhtemoc and Calle Ruperto Martinez. During the same period, the three-year undergraduate degree of Chemical Pharmacy started to be offered. In 1936, the four-year program of Chemical Industrial Engineering was added to the curriculum.
In 1938, the undergraduate degree of Chemical Engineering was developed according to the academic programs of Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. The same year, the School of Chemistry and Pharmacy was relocated to larger and more suitable facilities, but they did not fulfill the requirements of that time. Therefore, Dean Ing. Bernardo Davila Reyes and President Dr. Enrique Livas were focused on obtaining a lot to build the School of Chemistry and Pharmacy. In such way, a land lease for 100 years was granted by the American Smelting and Refining Co., which was located at Calle Vicente Guerrero.
In 1943, the School of Chemistry and Pharmacy changed its name to School of Chemistry. During the same year, the construction of its building began at Calle Guerrero and Calle Progreso thanks to the agreement between Dean Ing. Bernardo Davila Reyes, President Dr. Enrique Livas, and State Governor Bonifacio Salinas Leal.
The construction of laboratories for bacteriology, chemical engineering, and basic chemistry was strongly promoted in 1946 during the administration of Dean Q.I. Carlos Sandoval and Vice Dean Ing. Aureliano Garcia.
Over the school term from 1958 to 1959, examining and updating the curriculum was urgent, which led to the increase of the undergraduate programs duration to five years. Furthermore, the five-year undergraduate degree of Industrial Management Engineering was created.
In 1960, the University Senate approved the graduate degree of Industrial Engineering at the time Ing. Guillermo Davalos was dean of the School of Chemistry.
In 1953, during the administration of Dean Ing. Eugenio Richer Santos, the state governor gave permission to construct a new building at the Ciudad Universitaria Campus.
In 1964, courses of industrial engineering and management techniques were initiated with the assistance of consultant engineers from Norris and Elliot.
The following year, with Dr. Ramiro Gutierrez Flores as dean, the undergraduate programs were changed from an annual plan to a semester plan. Their duration was also modified: the undergraduate degrees of Industrial Chemistry and Chemical Pharmaceutical Biologist were redesigned for eight semesters and the programs of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Management Engineering, for nine semesters.
In 1968, the Master Degree Programs of Administration and Industrial Engineering were created. Back then, Ing. Ricardo Salgado was the Dean. During that period it was accepted to take and approve two subjects from one of the Master Degree Programs in order to obtain a Chemical Engineer or Industrial Management Engineer Undergraduate Degree.
In 1969, the School of Business and Administration was added to the Graduate School for the approval of Master Degree courses in order to obtain the Public Accountant Degree. This was the result of coordinated efforts between Lic. Raul Cisneros, Dean of the School of Business and Administration; and Ing. Ricardo Salgado Gutierrez, Dean of the School of Chemistry.
In 1970, the first Graduate Extension School of the School of Chemistry was opened in Saltillo, Coahuila, under the charge of Ing. Julio Cesar Leal Benavides.
From 1970 to 1972, UANL started a common training project for the Engineering Undergraduate Programs. In such way, a new two-semester program was included and named “Core Curriculum”. The School of Chemistry also became part of it.
In 1971, the School of Chemistry was moved to Ciudad Universitaria. At that time Ing.. Pablo Morales Pinal was the Dean of the School and the two buildings were in use while the laboratory’s installation was concluded.
Once the change to Ciudad Universitaria was completed for the Undergraduate Programs, it was decided that the old building located at Guerrero and Progreso Street was going to be used for research laboratories and Graduate Degree Programs.
In 1976, the Industrial Management Engineer curriculum was checked. Until now, it is still teach but with appropriate updates. Back then, Q. I. Sergio Bermejo was Dean of the School. During the same period, the Professional Services Laboratory was created to provide a specialized and analytical service to the industry, as well as technical support. Also, the third building of the School was concluded and the administrative offices and library were placed there. In 1981, the School-Enterprise Plan was officially established. In this way, there were agreements with the productive sector for internships, teachers stay at the industry, the coordination of mutual visits, scholarships for students, among other activities. During the administration of Ing. Severo G. Flores Lira that the Chemical Engineer Master Degree, which was only available for employees of Hylsa company, was offered.
At that period, there was also a restructuring of the School administration. In this way, each one of the Undergraduate Programs could be more autonomous.
In 1989, during the administration of Ing. Ezequiel Castillo Prieto, the restoration of the Ex-Students Council was promoted. In the same year, the multi-purpose room (for academic and sporting events) was finished. At the same time, the liaison with the productive sector was reactivated through Forums and Symposiums.
When the studies for structuring the Doctoral Degree Program in Chemistry had begun, during the management of Ing. Ezequiel Castillo Prieto, the University Senate approved it in March, 1990. Then, the pertinent Doctoral Committee was included.
During the management of Q.I. Andrés Cerda Onofre, which started in November, 1989, there was a special interest in supporting research (with the acquisition on analytical equipment), creating agreements with other universities and research centers, as well as the liaison with the productive sector. A tripartite agreement among Universidad de Coahuila, the Center for Research on Applied Chemistry and UANL was established with the aim to educate human resources in the area of Polymers by means of a high-level Graduate Degree Program.
The Graduate Degree Programs were restructured and divided in the areas of Administration and Industrial Engineering, as well as Chemical Sciences. Due to this, the authorization for updating the Administration, Chemical Sciences and Industrial Microbiology Master Degree Programs were obtained. Also, there was an increase in teachers training, as well as in the administrative and technical areas. On the other hand, coaching and counsel for the industry became formal through the creation of the Center for Extension and Continuing Education.
History of Colors
The School of Chemistry’s colors are red and white. That is due to some jerseys, which were donated by an American football team. Henceforth, all sports uniforms were that color.
Mascot
The owl was the mascot that emerged with the first generation of 1948. At that time, there was a controversy with the UANL School of Law, so a commission was designated to look for historical reasons to consider which one should keep it.
The School of Law’s justification was supported on a writer who practiced law. It is said that when there were disagreements among the animals, they consulted the owl, since he was considered the most intelligent of them.
The School of Chemistry’s argued that the owl was more related to Chemistry due to its representation with alchemy as the origin of witchcraft. Therefore, they were more worthy to use it as symbol.
Finally, the commission ruled in favor of the School of Chemistry.
Beginnings
In the city of Monterrey, capital of Nuevo Leon, on September 19th, 1933, at 21:00, with the faculty of the School of Pharmacy gathered in the auditorium of The School of Medicine, Dr. Procopio Gonzalez Garza, dean of the School of Medicine, stated the reason of the meeting: to elect a dean and a vice dean for the emerging School of Chemistry and Pharmacy. The School of Chemistry and Pharmacy would be independent from the School of Medicine once the Universidad de Nuevo Leon was established and act in compliance with the University Organic Law. Furthermore, Dr. Gonzalez expressed the desirability of electing a faculty representative to the University Senate, according to the first paragraphs of Articles 7 and 8 of the University Organic Law.
Once the aforementioned was discussed and approved, Engineer Gustavo Bernal proposed Pharmacist Professor Antonio Castillo as a candidate for dean of the School of Chemistry and Pharmacy, for consideration by the Assembly. His proposal was supported and voted by the majority of the attendees, being approved unanimously. Subsequently, Pharmacist Professor Andres Ruiz Flores was elected vice dean of the School of Chemistry and Pharmacy in an identical procedure. Professor Antonio Castillo proposed Pharmacist Professor Raul Ortiz as faculty representative to the University Senate, who was supported and approved unanimously. Following the same procedure, Engineer Professor Gustavo Bernal was proposed and elected alternate representative by agreement among the attendees.
Without further ado, the meeting was finished at 22:00 and the corresponding minutes were issued for the record, which once ratified and accepted, were signed by President Dr. Procopio Gonzalez Garza, Vice President Dr. Mauricio Martinez Guzman, and the recently elected Professor Antonio Castillo and Professor Andres Ruiz Flores, dean and vice dean of the School of Chemistry and Pharmacy, respectively.
‘Integration and Thinking’
The School of Chemistry displays the mural ‘Integration and Thinking’ by Guillermo Ceniceros at the front of its round building. It was created in 1998 as part of the 65th anniversary celebration of our institution.
The mural illustrates the activities of our school, as well as the relationship between man and chemistry with its influence on the human life.
Objective
Located at School of Chemistry round building, the mural represents our institution by depicting:
Education in our undergraduate knowledge areas
Education in our graduate knowledge areas
Knowledge creation within our research lines
Industrial and social linkages
Continuing Education
Human Resources
Meaning
‘Integration and Thinking’ portrays the history of chemistry from left to right into a futuristic concept, with the chemical elements as its frame.
On its center, our city is illustrated in metallic colors, encompassed by four circles representing our undergraduate programs and a semicircle depicting the complex net of chemical interrelations and its application as a useful science.
Ceniceros said “This is an indirect tribute to the industrial man of Monterrey, who as in the Bible, builds houses on durable materials and solid foundations for the Third Millennium.”
Characteristics
The semicircular wall is at the main entrance of our school. It is made of marble, ceramic, cement, and stone.
Ceniceros explained he had chosen such materials for two reasons: first, he acknowledged the cultural environment of Monterrey; second, they had to endure the regional climate change.
The 480-square-meter artwork is the facade of the School. By means of its mosaics, it allegorically portrays the chemical elements and the activity of the science itself.
The mural is divided into two parts: the left side shows a symbolic illustration of the environment and the water in blue and green tones, whereas the right side represents the fire and metals in red, orange, and yellow tones..