Mackenzie Presbyterian University
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 Mackenzie Presbyterian University | |
| Motto | Tradição e Pioneirismo na Educação (Portuguese) |
|---|---|
Motto in English | Tradition and Pioneering in Education |
| Type | Private, non-profit |
| Established | 1870, 1952 as a university |
| Affiliation | Presbyterian Church of Brazil |
| Chancellor | The Rev. Dr. Davi Charles Gomes |
| Rector | Dr. Benedito Aguiar Neto |
| Vice rector | Dr. Marcel Mendes |
| Students | 40,000+ |
| Location | , |
| Colours | Red Black [1] |
| Website | mackenzie.br |
 | |
Mackenzie Presbyterian University (Portuguese: Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie) is a private university in São Paulo, Brazil.
The Mackenzie Presbyterian University is an institution of higher learning that has a strong tradition and history in Brazil. It has campuses for undergraduate and postgraduate studies in São Paulo (Campus Higienópolis), Campinas, Barueri (Campus Alphaville), Brasília, Curitiba and Rio de Janeiro.
Founded in 1870 as the American School, Mackenzie is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Brazil. The university is regarded nationally and internationally as a center of excellence having graduated numerous important names in Brazilian history.
Currently, Mackenzie Presbyterian University leads the ranking among non-public institutions in the State of São Paulo, according to the RUF 2018 (Folha University Ranking), reaching 33rd place, among the 196 evaluated nationwide (public and non-public). In addition, it won fourth place in the “Job Market” category, also among all universities evaluated. In international rankings such as the QS World University Rankings, Mackenzie Presbyterian University was ranked 84th among Latin American Universities and 181st among Universities in BRICS countries. In the ranking published by Times Higher Education, the University was classified in position ''61st - 70th'', among Latin American universities.
History
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In 1870, the American Presbyterian missionary Rev. George Whitehill Chamberlain and his wife Mary Annesley founded a private grammar school inside their home. The classes were held in their living room and, a few years later, the "American School" was established as a center of excellence in São Paulo. The Chamberlains' American School was revolutionary for the Brazilian standards at that time: no corporal punishment on students was permitted, and both boys and girls could attend classes. Even though the Chamberlains were openly Presbyterians, students from all ethnic backgrounds, social classes, and religious denominations were welcome. The fame of academic rigor allied to religious tolerance soon reached the United States.
In 1896, John Theron Mackenzie, an attorney from Phelps, New York, and his sisters donated US$50,000 "for the establishment of an engineering school to be built under the auspices of Mr. Chamberlain". The Mackenzie building was built the next year, and the college was named in their honor.
In the 1940s, Mackenzie began to introduce new units and courses, such as the School of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters in 1946; the School of Architecture in 1947 and the School of Economics in 1950. In 1952, with four higher education institutions, Mackenzie was recognized as a university by decree signed by then-president Getúlio Vargas. In the same year, Dr. Henrique Pegado took over as the university's first rector. In 1955, classes began for the first class of the newly created School of Law, which since its foundation has stood out as one of the most traditional schools in São Paulo, alongside the School of Law of the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo and the School of Law of the University of São Paulo, in Largo de São Francisco.
In 1965, Mackenzie appointed Esther de Figueiredo Ferraz to the position of rector. She was the first woman to hold the position of rector at a Brazilian university. During Esther de Figueiredo Ferraz's term, students from Mackenzie Presbyterian University and the University of São Paulo engaged in a conflict known as the Battle of Maria Antônia. At the time, the Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of the University of São Paulo (which later changed its name to FFLCH) was located on Maria Antônia Street. There was a major violent and bloody conflict between pro-dictatorship and anti-dictatorship students, an event that became known as the Battle of Maria Antônia. Left-wing students, who opposed the military regime, gathered in the USP building, while right-wing students, in contrast, took up residence in the Mackenzie building, a group called the CCC - Communist Hunting Command. Due to the contrasting ideological differences, the conflict was inevitable and only ended with the repression of the Riot Squad requested by the then rector Esther de Figueiredo Ferraz.
The São Paulo campus currently has over 50 buildings and is located in Higienópolis, an upscale neighborhood in São Paulo. Around 35,000 students attend over 40 courses at Mackenzie's various campuses. The São Paulo and Tamboré campuses offer courses ranging from early childhood education to graduate studies. The Brasília campus serves high school and graduate studies, which are also present in Campinas, Rio de Janeiro and Recife.
Mackenzie Presbyterian University is a confessional institution. As a Presbyterian institution, it is governed by the reformed evangelical Christian faith and the Calvinist ethics of vocation. Thus, Mackenzie's commitment is to stimulate knowledge of "human and divine sciences"
Notable alumni
[edit]In 155 years of history (as of 2000), it is estimated that Mackenzie University has 300,000 alumni, many of them important personalities of Brazilian politics and civil society.
Cláudio Salvador Lembo – Professor, lawyer, writer, and the 57th Governor of the State of São Paulo.
Ibaneis Rocha, lawyer and 19th governor of the Federal District (Capital of Brazil).
Ricardo de Aquino Salles – Lawyer, administrator, and politician. He served as Brazil’s Minister of the Environment during the Jair Bolsonaro administration.
Milton Ribeiro – Presbyterian pastor, theologian, lawyer, and professor. He was Brazil’s Minister of Education under President Jair Bolsonaro.
Silvio Luiz de Almeida – Lawyer, philosopher, and university professor. He served as Brazil’s Minister of Human Rights in the administration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Ives Gandra da Silva Martins – Renowned constitutional lawyer, legal scholar, and member of the Brazilian Academy of Philosophy. He is considered one of the most influential conservative legal thinkers in Brazil.
Eros Roberto Grau – Former Justice of the Supreme Federal Court (Supremo Tribunal Federal), professor, and constitutional law expert.
José Roberto Batochio – Eminent criminal lawyer, often referred to as a “bastion of Brazilian criminal law”; former president of the OAB and active in high-profile legal defense.
Álvaro Villaça Azevedo – One of the most respected civil law scholars in Brazil, known for his extensive academic and legal contributions.
Jefferson Aparecido Dias – Federal prosecutor and university professor. He served as Brazil’s Federal Prosecutor for Citizens’ Rights (Procurador Federal dos Direitos do Cidadão) and was involved in key constitutional and civil rights cases.
Marcos Pereira – Lawyer and politician. He served as Brazil’s Minister of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services, and is a prominent figure in the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, having held the position of Vice President of the House.
Carlos Miguel Aidar – Prominent lawyer and former President of the Brazilian Bar Association (Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil – OAB).
Antonio Carlos Rodrigues do Amaral – Renowned lawyer and academic, recognized for his work in tax and business law.
Sérgio Pinto Martins – Federal judge and prolific scholar in labor law, widely cited in academic and judicial circles.
Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Award-winning Brazilian architect, winner of the Pritzker Prize; Surrealist artist André Breton is claimed as an alumnus, although this might reflect a mixup with his friend and collaborator Benjamin Péret, who lived in Brazil in 1929-1931; modernist painter Anita Malfatti; Chu Ming Silveira, a Chinese-Brazilian architect and designer, creator of the design of the Orelhão, an iconic public telephone booth whose fame spread throughout the country and Latin America.
Adolpho Lindenberg – Brazilian civil engineer, architect, writer and political activist. A cousin and disciple of Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, the founder of Tradition, Family and Property. He was also the founder of CAL (Construtora Adolpho Lindenberg), one of the most famous construction companies in São Paulo, known for transforming the city's landscape with neoclassical buildings. His neoclassical style was named "Lindenberg style".[2]
Brazil's most known basketball player Oscar Schmidt; Car racer Émerson Fittipaldi; Sea explorer Amyr Klink; Olympic golden medalist Robert Scheidt.
Boris Casoy – Veteran journalist and television anchor, known for his work in political commentary and for having served as editor-in-chief of Jornal da Noite on TV Bandeirantes.
Ney Gonçalves Dias – Journalist, writer, and broadcaster, recognized for his long-standing career in Brazilian media and his presence in radio and television since the 1970s.
Gabriela Prioli - criminal lawyer, university professor, political commentator and TV presenter, known nationally for having been part of the "O Grande Debate" segment on the CNN Brasil network.
Roberto Justus, brazilian investor, businessman and television personality. He is best known for O Aprendiz, broadcast by Record, which is the Brazilian version of The Apprentice (TV series); Businessmen Márcio Cypriano (CEO Bradesco); Ivan Zurita (CEO Nestlé, Brasil); Danilo Talanskas (Otis Elevator Company) and Emerson Kapaz.
Rubens Paiva civil engineer and Congressman at the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, opponent of military dictatorship in Brazil, tortured and murdered by the same dictatorship in 1971; and human rights lawyer Maria Lucrécia Eunice Facciolla Paiva who lobbied for the enactment of Law 9.140/95, which acknowledged the deaths of people disappeared for their political activities during the military dictatorship, and took legal steps to end the violence and illegal land expropriation committed against indigenous people and was involved in including indigenous rights in the new Constitution of Brazil.
Schools and colleges
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- School of Engineering
- Graduate School of Theology
- School of Architecture and City Planning
- Biological Sciences and Health College (CCBS, former FCBEE)
- College of Economics, Accounting, Business and Marketing (CCSA)
- College of Computer Science and Information Technology
- College of Communication and the Arts
- School of Law
- College of Physical Education
- College of Philosophy, Language, and Education
- College of Psychology
View of part of the campus in the 1950s
Scientific Production
[edit]MackGraphe
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MackGraphe is the Graphene and Nanomaterials Research Center at Mackenzie Presbyterian University, which aims to master processes in all stages of technology development, from the modeling of nanomaterials to their application. MackGraphe expects to have a huge impact on society by developing new technologies to fulfil their needs.
It began operations in 2013 with a budget of approximately US$20,000,000.00, which included the construction of a new building (inaugurated on March 2, 2016, in the presence of Prof. Sir Andre Geim, 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics, with 7 floors plus 2 basement floors and a class 1,000 clean room with an area of approximately 200 m2. MackGrapghe is a “sister” center of the Centre for Advanced 2D Materials (CA2DM) at the National University of Singapore, acting in a complementary manner.
The Pierre Kaufmann Radio Observatory
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The Pierre Kaufmann Radio Observatory (ROPK) - formerly known as the Itapetinga Radio Observatory - was reopened this Tuesday, December 10, in Atibaia, in the São Paulo metropolitan area. The facility, which belongs to Mackenzie Presbyterian University (UPM), is operated with the participation of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE).
Founded in 1970, the observatory was deactivated in 2014 after INPE was unable to maintain research and technical teams. In 2017, UPM decided to reopen the facility and honor the former coordinator of the Mackenzie Center for Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics (CRAAM), Professor Pierre Kaufmann, who founded the observatory.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ http://www.mackenzie.br/portal/identidadevisual/sistema_22.htm Mackenzie - Programa de Identidade Visual - Cores Institucionais
- ^ estadaoconteudo. "Morre aos 99 anos o engenheiro e arquiteto Adolpho Lindenberg, ícone do mercado imobiliário paulista". Terra (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-07-12.
External links
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23°32′49″S 46°39′07″W / 23.547°S 46.652°W
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