Group. There are daily flights from most major cities in Colombia, as well as international flights from the city of Panama. In 2009, Palonegro International Airport was ranked among Colombia's most important airports. People Many important Colombian people are from Bucaramanga, such as Luis Carlos Galán, presidential candidate murdered in 1989, Carlos Ardila Lülle, one of the most important businessmen in Colombia, Claudia Florez and Ivan Garzón. Colombian artist Oscar Rodríguez Naranjo came back from France during the Second World War and settled in Bucaramanga. Rodríguez Naranjo taught at the art school while he made a number of paintings that would build up his reputation in Colombia. In 1941 he became the Director of the Academia de Bellas Artes in Bucaramanga. Education The city has a good reputation due to its numerous universities, among them: Industrial University of Santander (Universidad Industrial de Santander) The Universidad Industrial de Santander is an official institution that offers 95 degrees and a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses within the health sciences, humanities, sciences, and engineering colleges. Also, it offers seven technological programs in different fields through the Distance Learning Institute. Nowadays, after 71 years of existence, there are nearly 14,000 students registered in undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as a total 22,000 alumni. It proudly stands as the leading higher education institution in the northeastern part of the country and ranks fourth among official universities nationwide. Also, the University has created affiliate branches in Barrancabermeja—home of the most important oil refinery in the country—El Socorro and Málaga. Recently it has extended its services to Barranquilla and Bogotá through the offer of its Graduate Programs. Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga (UNAB) Autonomous University of Bucaramanga Universidad de Santander (UDES) Unidades Tecnológicas de Santander (UTS) Saint Thomas Aquinas University (Universidad Santo Tomás) Pontifical Bolivarian University (Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana) Culture Bucaramanga's culture has several expressions, from the visual arts such as painting, sculpture, photography, and recently also in experimental demonstrations that incorporate new technology for artistic communication, such as video. Throughout Bucaramanga's history, it has hosted many cultural offerings in various areas, causing arts groups to form within the city. One of the main pillars of culture in Bucaramanga is literature, as in the past there was a local cultural movement that produced a number of writers. In 1995, the administration of Mayor Luis Fernando Peña Cote decided to convert Gabriel Turbay Public Library to