 Since the late 19th century the idea of creating a university in Cali had been an ambition of the people of the city and of the Valle del Cauca Department , and was continuously discussed and mentioned in the local newspapers . At the time , the only further education degrees awarded in the department were awarded by the Santa <unk> College in Cali and the Academic College of Buga , which focused on the liberal arts . In the 1940s , the necessity for qualified professionals that could supply the demand of the new industrial sector of Valle del Cauca made it clear that an institution focusing on scientific and technological education was of strategic importance to the development of the region . Despite the idea of its creation being met with some skepticism , the University of Valle was established by the ordinance number 12 of June 11 , 1945 , by the Departmental Assembly as the Universidad Industrial del Valle del Cauca . The leaders behind the establishment of the university were Tulio Ramírez Rojas , who would become the first rector of the university , and Severo Reyes Gamboa , the departmental secretary of education at the time . 
