The University of Santiago of Chile (Usach) (Spanish: Universidad de Santiago de Chile) is one of the oldest public universities in Chile.The institution was born as Escuela de Artes y Oficios (Spanish School of Arts & Crafts) in 1849, under the government of Manuel Bulnes. It became Universidad Técnica del Estado (Spanish Technical University of the State) in 1947, with various campuses throughout the country. In 1981, as a consequence of a reform on higher education under the government of Augusto Pinochet, it became what is now known as Universidad de Santiago de Chile, with all activities centered in a single 340,000 m² campus in the capital Santiago. The University of Santiago de Chile (USACH) saw its origins in 1849. Is a Chilean universities oldest and most traditional. Its background is the "School of Arts and Crafts" was founded in 1849 during the Manuel Bulnes Prieto government.