Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, 1 Chavchavadze Avenue, Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia.
Iv. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University is the first higher educational institution in Georgia, founded on February 8, 1918. Back then, it was the first University in the Caucasus region. Leading organizer of its foundation was Georgian academic and historian Ivane Javakhishvili. Initially, there was only the faculty of philosophy, which combined humanistic studies with natural science and mathematics. The heraldic emblem of the University was designed by Dimitri Shevardnadze in 1917; it shows the ancient zoomorphic figure of a fertility goddess, and its central figure is a deer suckling its young, which symbolizes the transfer of knowledge and wisdom from the elderly to the young and is considered a symbol of unity across generations. The main building is a four-storey building which was designed by Simon Kldiashvili, the first Georgian qualified architect with an academic education. After the Soviet intervention in 1921, the University lost its independence, which was gained back in 1991. Nowadays there are 7 faculties, 16 independent scientific research institutions, scientific research/teaching laboratories and centers, a clinical hospital and a diagnostic center, publishing, printing-house, libraries with more than 8 000 000 books. Also, there are 95 bachelor-degree programs, 194 for magistrates and 16 for one step education.