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Portrait
CUM (the Mediterranean University Centre): A palace open to
outside world
 At
the number 65, Promenade des Anglais, this cultural landmark
dedicated to the sharing of knowledge is welcoming each year
about 80 000 persons, most of the time during free
conferences open to everyone. Please, come in !
At the heart of the Promenade, there is a very nice white
and pink palace with very harmonious proportions, which is
the host of a longstanding and renown cultural activity,
with a centre for cultural exchanges and a research centre
belonging to the City of Nice, opened to public. Opened
since 1935, the CUM–for Mediterranean University Centre- is
offering in its huge arena having a capacity of 550 seats–
the most beautiful in France after the one of La Sorbonne ?
– a conference, nearly every afternoon during the week,
opened to everyone : students, members, tourists, anyone
curious enough... In the morning the arena is welcoming the
students of the University for some of their classes.
Sometimes in the evening, especially in summer time, some
concerts are taking place there –the acoustic is very good
in this arena.
In November 2006 only, 12,660 persons attended to fifty
classes and cultural events.
When the CUM was created, the mayor of Nice at that time,
Jean Médecin, wanted to transform Nice into a « radiating
place for the Latin spirit ». Since then, 8 international
chairs have been created (1) and though the Mediterranean
sea is not common to all of the represented countries, the
CUM is interested by what is happening worldwide.
Is the program of the CUM eclectic ?
« The chairs are a good forum to communicate with many
countries we are friend with and to develop our knowledge of
their own cultures… as noticed by Ralph Schor, Contemporary
History professor at the Humanities and Literature Faculty
of Nice, member of the permanent secretary of the CUM and
also of the Commission in charge of the program of the
cultural events.(2).
The most various topics are discussed here, the conferences
are always of very high quality, never too technical, in
order to meet the expectations of a wide audience, in line
with the concept set forth by its first administrator, Mr
Paul Valéry. »
1 – The 8 chairs of the CUM are : Egypt, Algerian
culture, Japan « Kawabata », Italian « Galileo », Hispanic «
Christophe Colomb », Russian « Tchekhov » ; Quebec « Anne
Hébert », Nice County « Louis Bréa » and the Platon Chair.
2 – Agnès Rampal, deputy mayor of Nice, in charge of the
Higher Studies, is the Chairman of the CUM and its
Commission.
 The
official opening of the CUM (December 3,1934)
The spirit of Paul Valery
Jean Médecin, former mayor, Maurice Mignon, humanist,
Albert de Monzie, Secretary gave full hand to Paul Valéry,
poet, writer and Academician, to create and manage the CUM.
« All my efforts are directed to transform Nice into (…) a
truly elected city where the arts and intelligence will rise
above such a beautiful sky to satisfy the thirstiest
spirits.»
Jean Médecin, mayor of Nice since 1928 (1), was so ambitious
for his own city, and wanted to transform the city into «
the capital city of the European tourism, as well as the
European cultural centre ».
He then reorganised the museums, the libraries, gave the
impetus for more entertainment places and exhibition halls
for arts and conferences –Therefore Nice was having a
lyrical season, plus a Holy Music Festival, plus a summer
faculty and a musical autumn season.
The creation in 1933 of the Centre Universitaire
Méditerranéen, is the ultimate reward of all his efforts and
is at the same time the foundation of another big project of
his : the creation of the University of Nice, which will
finally happen in 1965... same year of his death.
In 1929, Jean Médecin met Maurice Mignon (1882-1962) and
shared with him his passion for those conferences for the
higher studies that this academician and humanist created
in1924 in
Nice. Then they put up together as early as 1930 a plan to
create an institute which should be open to everyone.
In1932, they managed to convince the actual Secretary of
Education, Anatole de Monzie, a good friend of Jean Médecin
and a true man of progress, of the necessity of such a
project. Overcoming the opposition of the Commission for the
Continuous Learning of the University of Aix-en-Provence,
the Secretary will publish on February 18, 1933, the decree
to ratify the creation of the Mediterranean University
Centre, (CUM), as depending from the University of
Aix-Marseille. In july, still according to their mutual
agreements, the Secretary will nominate Paul Valery as
Administrator and Maurice Mignon as Director.
The CUM opened its doors in 1935.
The official inauguration took place on December 6, 1937, at
the time of the visit of the President of the French
Republic, Albert Lebrun.
1 - Jean Médecin (1890 –1965), lawyer, was the mayor of
Nice between 1928 and1944 and then 1947 to 1965.
Informations on the program for 2007 :
Tel. : +33 (0)4 97 13 46 10
Web site :
www.cum-nice.org
E-mail :
cum@ville-nice.fr
 «
An instrument for intellectual and collaboration thinking »
This was the first mission as defined by its first
administrator, Paul Valery, who wanted the CUM to be
entirely dedicated to the Mediterranean culture.
A mural painting by Bouchon, « Allegory of the Mediterranean
», representing a symbolic vision of the variety of the
Mediterranean civilisation is overlooking the majestic
arena. This little palace dedicated to culture was erected
at the same place of the former Hotel Management School, sit
in the villa Guiglia. The Count Guiglia was the President of
the Senate of Nice before the time that the County of Nice
was connected to France for good. His family donated
everything to the City of Nice.
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