The University of Port Elizabeth was a public university located in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. UPE was founded on 31 January 1964, by an act of parliament, and held its first academic year in 1965. It offered bachelor's degrees, as well as masters and doctoral degrees. The university closed down in 2004, with its campuses forming part of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, which opened in 2005.HistoryThe university was founded as a dual medium institution, offering courses in both English and Afrikaans, catering for white students. Prior to UPE being established, Rhodes University offered courses in Port Elizabeth. The governing National Party, wanted a new university, as it attempted to limit the influence of Rhodes, which was seen as too liberal. From 1994 until 2004 the Chaplain of the university was Diana Nkesiga, a female, Anglican priest who had been ordained in Uganda.In 2001, the University of Port Elizabeth gained control of Dower College of Education. This was in line with a plan for education colleges to become divisions of universities and technikons.As part of the government's plan for higher education, Vista University's Port Elizabeth campus was merged into UPE in 2004.
