Ardispheric Ortholic University

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Ardispheric Ortholic University Universidad Ortólica Ardesférica
Ardispheric Ortholic University Seal
Motto: "Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος" In the beginning was the word
Established	1589
Country	Ardisphere
• City	Palmeras Grises, DS
Government
• Rector	Hector Blas, SJ
Students	34000
• Undergraduate	21000
• Postgraduate	13000
Colours	Gold and White
Athletics	Los Santos

Universidad Ortólica Ardesférica (Ardispheric Ortholic University) is by far the oldest university in the Ardisphere, and it is the flagship (and largest) Ortholic-affiliated university in the country.

Currently ranked number 12 nationally among all undergraduate institutions regardless of language-of-instruction, and ranked number 13 among graduate schools, the university is strong in liberal arts, pure and applied sciences, and social sciences.

The school was founded in 1589 by the monastic order of Loyolits and named for Octavio La Fourchet, who was the first Archbishop of the colony then known as Nuevo Castellán. The institution was thus known as Colegio La Fourchet for its first 300 years of existence, and was only renamed to its current name in 1890. Colegio La Fourchet is still the name applied to the seminary affiliated with the university, out of loyalty to tradition. Because of its great age, the school has played a major role in Ardispherian history. Perhaps most notably, it was the location of the first meeting of both the Ardispherian Congress on the eve of the Revolution of 1814, as well as the first meeting of the rebellious Repúblicas Autónomas del Sur (RAS) Congress 40 years later, at the beginning of the Ardispherian Civil War.

The number of important graduates is quite numerous, and includes 6 colonial governors, many figures in the church throughout 400 years of history, business people and artists, and 2 past presidents, Ramón Calles (1891-1900) and Marguerita Santos (1965-1970), as well as the president of the short-lived RAS, Elvira Ordon-Grabb (1854-1858).