Ba Sing Se University
永固城皇家大学 | |
 The University Library as seen from the Main Gate | |
Other name | Ba Sing Se University |
|---|---|
| Type | University |
| Established | June 23, 2021 |
| Founder | Earth King Ainin |
| Affiliation | His Majesty's Secretariat of Rites, HM Government |
| Lord President of the Board of Rectors | Duke Sit of Ba |
Academic staff | 817 |
| Students | 4,000 |
| Location | , , |
| Campus | Urban |
Ba Sing Se University, officially known as the Royal University at Ba Sing Se, is a university in Ba Sing Se, Earth Kingdom. The oldest purpose-built institution of higher learning in the world, Ba Sing Se University is an elite school attended by the children of the nobility, exceptionally talented commoner youth and aspiring civil servants.
Ba Sing Se University was established in June 2021 by the Law on the Establishment of a Royal University of Kwangdi Year 2, an enabling statute which guarantees the autonomy of the institution from government control and extends royal patronage to its administration. Graduates of the university go on to assume high positions in Earth Kingdom government and society, and enjoy certain legal privileges including immunity from the ordinary civil courts and the right to have all legal matters heard by a special chamber of the Royal Commission. The university is administered by the Board of Rectors, a body appointed by the Earth King on the advice of the Grand Secretary. The Lord President of the Board is the de facto head of the university, but the Government's Secretary for Rites retains an oversight role and may intervene in exceptional circumstances.
Ba Sing Se University is known for its breadth of academic programs and globally renowned for its library, which boasts the largest collection of written works in the world. The university also maintains a hospital on its premises, which treats seriously ill patients from across the Earth Kingdom.
History
Academics
Academic units and departments
The academic units of Ba Sing Se University are:
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Faculty of Engineering and Architecture
- Faculty of Law
- Department of Anthropology and Sociology
- Department of Botany
- Department of Chemistry and Medicine
- Department of Geology
Exchange program
After the signing of the Treaty of Highwind, an exchange program was established between Ba Sing Se University and the Air Nation's Institute for Empyrean Studies. As a result, a number of Empyrean scholars from the Air Nation study at Ba Sing Se University as visiting scholars each year.
Facilities
Metro station
University Station 大学站 | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | Lower floor of the University Library Upper Ring, Ba Sing Se Earth Kingdom |
| Operated by | Secretariat of Roads, HM Government |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Tracks | 2 |
| Construction | |
| Structure type | Underground |
| Depth | 7 blocks |
| History | |
| Opened | 18 March 2022 |
| Electrified | Ground-level redstone rail |
| Preceding station | Ba Sing Se Metro | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meridian Gate outer ring / anticlockwise |
Circular Line (环线) |
Zoological Garden inner ring / clockwise | ||
University Station (Terran: 大学站) is a station on the Ba Sing Se Metro that serves Ba Sing Se University. Situated in the basement of the University Library, the underground station has two side platforms and a single exit which opens onto the library lobby. The next station is Zoological Garden in the outer ring (anticlockwise direction) and Meridian Gate in the inner ring (clockwise direction).
The stationhouse was opened on 18 March 2022, much later than the University Library itself. The library building was not initially designed with an underground metro station in mind, and the station-house was retrofitted into the design. Construction began in February 2022 and resulted in significant disruption to library activities. Construction also disturbed a nearby underground spider breeding chamber, which had to be altered in order to prevent a potentially dangerous situation.
University Library
The University Library is the largest building on the university campus and includes multiple facilities for library and academic uses. The first floor of the building comprises a lobby, a central staircase, a large lecture hall and a reading room. The second floor includes a large collection of books, a section devoted to the classic texts of Celestialism, a collection of foreign literary works, a collection of public international law, a smaller reading room, and a small chamber for enchantments.
The University Library is the most complete library in the world and attracts visiting scholars from many nations. It is also notable as one of the few locations in the Earth Kingdom where foreign religious works, which are otherwise prohibited as unlawful proselytism, are permitted to be read.
University Station of the Ba Sing Se Metro is located underneath the University Library.
Law Library
The Law Library is the seat of the Ba Sing Se University Faculty of Law and comprises a one-storey annex located to the west of the central University Library building. The annex includes a large classroom for legal lectures and a collection of works of private international law and commercial law.