Talk:List of oldest universities in continuous operation

message: hi guys, the university of Leuven was founded in 1425. It deserves a spot on the list as the oldest university from Belgium and the Netherlands. 83.128.127.39 (talk) 15:29, 17 June 2023 (UTC)
replies: text: This is discussed on the page: there's not the required continuous operation. See especially Note 4. Jonathan A Jones (talk) 16:36, 18 June 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  University of Leuven 

message: I can't see that there is any reason for regarding "university" as a term distinct from "institution of higher learning" OTHER THAN to exclude non-European institutions from inclusion in the category "universities". In common English speech, "university" and "institution of higher learning" are synonymous. The difference between (on the one hand) an institution of higher learning that has "College" in its name and uses the phrase "School Of" for its subdivisions and (on the other hand) an institution of higher learning that has "University" in its name and uses the phrase "College Of" for its subdivisions is pretty much nil. The former (any College made of Schools) is just one that hasn't gotten around to changing its name yet, or is being blocked from doing so by political machinations from one or more institutions of higher learning in the same state who DO have the word "University" in their name and want to limit its use. There's no MATERIAL difference between the words "College" and "University" that applies consistently all over the U.S.A.. And, except where a "College" is a component of a University, both "College" and "University" are synonyms for "institution of higher learning".
Now, if there IS something different between (on the one hand) European institutions of higher learning that early on called themselves "Universities" and (on the other hand) non-European institutions of higher learning, SPELL THAT OUT. (I mean, a difference OTHER than simply BEING European. I meant some difference in the way they operated or the way they achieved results. Some REAL difference, not just an area of the world where they were located.) I'm afraid that I believe that the reason I'm not finding the differences spelled out anywhere is that it's all just a ruse to maintain an entirely artificial separation between European and non-European institutions, a difference based ONLY on location while pretending to be based on something else. I find nothing but circular reasoning: "Why is that madrasah in Morocco not a university?" is answered with "because it's not European". But why should the area where something is located be a determinant in whether it's called "a university" or not? Why should we agree to definitions that say "If it's in Europe it's a university but if it's not in Europe it's not a university"?2600:1700:6759:B000:60E4:4CDF:3898:2FB2 (talk) 07:39, 21 November 2023 (UTC)
replies: text: In most countries, the distinction is clearer than in the US. The meaning of university as used by academic historians has been discussed before, and does not follow the distinction you claim. You should note that places like Bologna and Oxford as well as many Cathedral schools are not considered by historians to have been universities from their date of foundation but only from when they were organised as universities, which make it clear that the definition is not, as you claim, because they are in Europe. Robminchin (talk) 17:07, 21 November 2023 (UTC)
thread_title: There is something suspicious about regarding "University" as a term distinct from "Institution Of Higher Learning".

message: Nalanda University was one of the first universities in the world, founded in the 5th Century BC, and reported to have been visited by the Buddha during his lifetime. At its peak, in the 7th century AD, Nalanda held some 10,000 students and 2000 teachers when it was visited by the Chinese scholar Xuanzang.
Historical studies indicate that the University of Nalanda was established during the reign of the Gupta emperorKumaragupta. Both Xuanzang and Prajñavarman cite him as the founder, as does a seal discovered at the site. 212.12.183.218 (talk) 10:40, 29 May 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Nalanda University