Studium Generale
The term Studium Generale coincided with the designation of a full university until the late Middle Ages. Education was provided by four faculties: artes, medicine, law, and theology. Artes provided the artes liberales which included grammar, rhetoric, logic, and mathematics. Those who passed these courses could continue their studies at one of the other three "higher" faculties. The first three universities to designate themselves as Studium Generale were Cambridge, Oxford, and Paris because only theology was taught there.
Studium Generale in the modern era is especially symbolic of universities' efforts to educate their students broadly and also offer topics outside their own fields of study. A small staff organizes, often together with student organizations, symposia, debates, and workshops on campus. To attract a large audience, Studium Generale (SG) in Tilburg often collaborates with student organizations and seeks out speakers of repute.
SG's programs not infrequently feature controversial topics. For example, in the 1960s—to the displeasure of the university administration—it dealt with LSD and narcotics. One of the most controversial meetings took place at the end of the last century. The late Pim Fortuyn entered into a discussion with MP Paul Rosenmöller about social security in the Netherlands. Students were publicly given a severe ear washing by Fortuyn for their flawed (and, according to him, biased) arguments in favor of winner Rosenmöller. Something similar occurred in 2017 when Thierry Baudet, a political heir to Fortuyn, lashed out that "toxic ideologies have invaded our universities."
Studium Generale is part of the Marketing & Communication Division and organizes such annual events as the Besturendag (Board Day), Philosophy Day, and Night University. Downtown, SG is active in the form of a monthly Hartslagcafé, a "platform for multidisciplinary analysis and discussion" on the stage of music venue Paradox. Studium Generale also advises on and financially supports study trips organized by student associations and cultural associations.
More about history and academic heritage
The Tilburg University academic heritage is a very diverse set of archives, visual materials, collections, devices, recorded stories, et cetera that relate to the history of the university.