History
Institutional History
The Federal University of São João del-Rei (UFSJ) was established by Law 7. 555, of December 18, 1986, as the São João del-Rei Higher Education Foundation (Funrei), the result of the merger and federalization of two institutions: the Dom Bosco Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters, whose activities began in 1954, maintained by the São João Bosco Province; and the São João del-Rei Municipal Foundation, which maintained the Faculty of Economic, Administrative and Accounting Sciences (Faceac) and the Faculty of Industrial Engineering (Faein), whose activities began in 1972 and 1976 respectively.
On April 19, 2002, Funrei was transformed into a university by Law 10.425, adopting the acronym UFSJ, which was chosen by the academic community. The UFSJ is a legal entity governed by public law, financed by the Public Authorities, linked to the Ministry of Education, which has its headquarters and registered office in the city of São João del-Rei, and has educational units in Divinópolis, in the Alto Paraopeba region and in Sete Lagoas, all in the state of Minas Gerais. As a federal institution of higher public education, UFSJ enjoys scientific, didactic, administrative, disciplinary and financial and asset management autonomy.
UFSJ was one of the few federal higher education institutions created in the 1980s. Since the federalization process, one of the central axes of its activities has been the inseparability of teaching, research and extension activities. From the outset, the institution worked to qualify its teaching staff, especially by encouraging doctorates, as well as the formation and stabilization of research groups and the implementation of stricto sensu postgraduate courses, fundamental elements for its transformation into a university.
The institution currently has an administrative structure of six educational units and a cultural center. Located in São João del-Rei are the Santo Antônio Campus, the Dom Bosco Campus and the Tancredo de Almeida Neves Campus, as well as the UFSJ Cultural Center. Between 2007 and 2008, UFSJ created three educational units in other municipalities in Minas Gerais: the Alto Paraopeba Campus, located on the border between the municipalities of Congonhas and Ouro Branco; the Sete Lagoas Campus, in the city of the same name; and the Dona Lindu Midwest Campus, located in the municipality of Divinópolis.