Politecnica Salesiana University (UPS), or Salesian Polytechnic University, is a private Roman Catholic university situated in the city of Cuenca in Ecuador.
It was founded in 1994 by the National Congress of Ecuador when the president of Ecuador, Sixto Duran Ballen signed a presidential decree authorising its establishment as a result of a demand for higher education in a critical economic and social period.
The main campus of UPS is situated in the Barrio el Vecino neighbourhood of Cuenca, location of the old Tecnico Salesiano secondary school. Here is where the core of the university buildings, including the Mario Rizzini and Guillermo Mensi buildings, libraries, laboratories and sports facilities can be found.
Quito, Ecuador's capital city, is home to the university's "El Giron" campus, established officially in 1995 after initially opening in 1994.
The university's third and final campus is the El Centenario campus located in Guayaquil. This was opened in 1998 as a result of an increasing need for additional teaching space.
Teaching at UPS is divided into four faculties, as well as a postgraduate unit. These are: faculty of administrative and economic sciences; faculty of human sciences and education; faculty of agricultural and environmental sciences and the faculty of engineering.
As a Salesian institute, UPS has its roots in Catholic characteristics and Christian values, and is particularly focused on the teaching and development of young people from lower income backgrounds. Its vision is to be recognised as an institution dedicated to promoting technological and scientific research to find solutions to social problems, and for seeking truth in society.
