1 January 2009 marks the effective date of the unprecedented merger of three universities in Strasbourg (Louis Pasteur, Marc Bloch, and Robert Schuman) to form a single university with 42,000 students, 2,545 professors and research professors, 26 Bachelor's programs, and 48 Master's programs. The new university's multi-disciplinary programmes and research activities provide a wealth of opportunities and synergies unique in France. Moreover, with its European identity and international scope, it attracts students and research professors from multiple cultures and backgrounds - all of whom are certain to find an open-minded, diverse institution driven by excellence and performance. The new university's intellectual and scientific capital enables it to meet today's challenges, and, thanks to its capacity for innovation, it is poised to become a major player in the European academic arena.