Universidade de Fortaleza (University of Fortaleza)

The University of Fortaleza of the Edson Queiroz Foundation was born from a project designed by the industrialist Edson Queiroz, in the context of the Brazilian University Reform of 1968, which stimulated the expansion of private higher education in Brazil. It was created as an Institution for the development of the Northeast region, where, according to its Founder, education was "gender of first necessity". UNIFOR began in 1973 with the authorization to operate sixteen undergraduate courses covering several areas of knowledge. UNIFOR was recognized by the Ministry of Education, constituting an option for development, considering its social function of integral formation of the Northeastern man and his professional qualification, but also the cultural and technical-scientific transformation. Over the years, the University of Fortaleza (UNIFOR) has built its history of excellence based on values that highlight respect for human beings, social responsibility, education, ethics, art, culture and aesthetics. All this makes this Institution a fertile ground for knowledge to be an instrument of transformation of the whole society, since it contributes to social, scientific, technological, economic, cultural and political development. Considering the low supply of opportunities in Higher Education, then summarized to the few options of courses concentrated in only two public institutions, the university project sought to reflect the vision of excellence of Edson Queiroz, this time in the Education segment. Always attentive to numbers and with a unique intuition, Edson Queiroz knew what the statistics revealed, locally and regionally: the constant evasion of thousands of young people in search of more advanced studies and the lack of qualified personnel to meet the demand necessary for the progress of the Northeast region. It was when the industrialist presented, for family and friends, the idea of expanding educational availability in Fortaleza, Ceara, founding the University of Fortaleza - UNIFOR.