The University of Almeria is a public university situated in Almeria, Spain. Located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, it belongs to the La Cañada de San Urbano district of Almeria City. In 2008 the University offered 38 different degree programmes, with 871 lecturers, and 11,628 students. At the time of its foundation, its initial governing was assigned to D. Alberto Fernández Gutiérrez, as Vice-Chancellor. The current Vice-Chancellor is D .Pedro Roque Molina García, elected by the university community in the elections that took place on Monday 26th of March, 2007, taking over from D. Alfredo Martinez Almécija. The student participation in these elections was 23%. The University of Almeria has roads which connect it with the city and province. It is possible to come via the coast, using the AL-3202 road. This road is mainly used by those coming from south of the capital. There is also an access road to the north from the AL-3200. This connects with the AL-12 motorway, which provides quick access from the north of the capital and the rest of the metropolitan area. A number of students prefer to cross the Andarax River to avoid congestion.