We were in mid June 1985, when the idea of Mr. Rodrigo Noguera Laborde, of creating a university that complied with a dynamic scientific mission concept, took shape with the collaboration of Mr. Alvaro Gomez Hurtado, That seemed to be a dream, and indeed it was, but a fulfilled dream and which extends into the reality of our days, a dream that, in 2000, reached 15 years of existence to spread into the new millennium.

The University began with the Law School which’s opening took place with the course of Introduction to Law, directed by Mr. Noguera Laborde himself. This was, however, since its inception a university that was not attached to the traditional routines. Here the emphasis was on the preparation of those who were to engage in such professional practice. So, seeing it as a scientific aspect closely related to humanism and the enjoyment of the notions of human culture, it was wanted since then to provide students with the fundamentals of language, history and philosophy of Western culture in relation to our own existence and the early vision of our destiny as free people in the universal concert.

In the short period of its 25 years, Universidad Sergio Arboleda has achieved significant growth, a good positioning of its graduates and, above all, academic, social and political prestige, precisely because it has maintained its institutional commitment to society with which it is involved, trying to create the new generation of leaders the country needs. In 1993 it extended to the city of Santa Marta.

THE UNIVERSIDAD SERGIO ARBOLEDA IN THE CITY OF SANTA MARTA

The idea of extending the academic programs of Universidad Sergio Arboleda to the city of Santa Marta came from the Chancellor Mr. Rodrigo Noguera Laborde, who, as being from Santa Marta himself, was concerned about having a university in his hometown which not only matched the best of Bogota and Colombia, but also created conditions for his compatriots and people from the surrounding regions, who could ideally be prepared in science, academic and culture, without having to travel to other cities, fact that not only made training of our youth more expensive, but also set them apart from their families of origin.

This is how, little by little, the idea took shape and was structured, until it became real at a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Universidad Sergio Arboleda in Bogota in 1994 where the extension of the School of Law of the city of Santa Marta was created with the name “ESCUELA DE DERECHO RODRIGO DE BASTIDAS” (Rodrigo de Bastidas School of Law), a name inspired by the founder of this city.

Subsequently, in 1995 the program for Finance and Foreign Trade was extended, in 1997 the Business Administration program, the Social Communication and Journalism in 2001, the specialization in Law of Evidence was extended, and in 2004 the specialization in Administrative Law at the “ESCUELA DE DERECHO RODRIGO DE BASTIDAS” (Rodrigo de Bastidas School of Law) was opened.
In addition, the University requested the approval, to the Ministry of Education, to convert the extension of Santa Marta into a sectional, which was delivered in 2002 by resolution number 946 of May 2 that year.