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The coordinator of the Ulises project at OBREAL and academic at the University of Barcelona defended the contribution of international cooperation and asserted that it is vital for university authorities to involve their communities in these initiatives.
Within the framework of the Regional Mobility meeting for the Andean countries, which brought together university groups from the region and European experts, we present our interview with Nicolás Patrici, coordinator of the Ulises project of OBREAL and academic at the University of Barcelona.
Patrici highlighted the participation of representatives from institutions in several Latin American countries and stated that he values "having facilitated not only dialogue between Europe and Latin America but also dialogue within Latin America.".
-What experience can your group contribute to this project?
We at the University of Barcelona and its associated observatory, the network of Latin American universities, have been working for many years on a series of projects to build bridges between Latin America and Europe. Within the framework of all this work, we have a small project called Ulises, which is a spin-off from a larger project called Alfa Puentes. The possibility of holding this meeting arose, specifically during a meeting with the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities in Cartagena de Indias last December. What we did was simply make available to the CRUCH (Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities) and the other rectors' councils some funds and experiences from the Erasmus Mundus-Ulysses project that we coordinate.
-In light of what has happened in recent days, do you believe there are intentions to move forward on this issue?
I believe the meeting was very positive, that the governing councils have a fundamental role to play as legitimizing mechanisms for integration in higher education, and that these kinds of initiatives, which are not just grand declarations but concrete actions, show that this is not just an idea but a reality, which is why it is being translated into a work plan with specific actions.
-What are the main difficulties for mobility in the region?
Latin America is complex, with a number of subregional and regional integration initiatives, as well as regional competition and asymmetries between countries that can hinder the process. I believe it is crucial for these projects to succeed that university councils, as entities with relative autonomy from their governments, assume a collaborative leadership role and work together, engaging their universities to mobilize independently of the fluctuations of different national policies, in a bottom-up process. The great risk is falling into grand pronouncements or grand ideas, trying to involve all governments and expect everyone to agree when we know they won't. In Latin America, we have a tendency towards grand declarations and little concrete action. If the universities and university councils, who are the key players in this, can demonstrate a willingness to integrate, these risks should not exist, particularly for a mobility program. We are talking about five or six countries with asymmetries, with different capabilities that want to reach an agreement and that have to overcome a series of management difficulties and the intentionality of the students to go to one place or another.
-What conclusions do you draw from this mobility meeting?
I leave very pleased as a representative of the University of Barcelona, having facilitated not only dialogue between Europe and Latin America but also dialogue within Latin America itself. On a personal level, I am happy to participate in a meeting where Chileans, Argentinians, Peruvians, Bolivians, and Colombians are working together, regardless of their differences and traditions, to create a project that we believe will be successfully implemented.
Andean Mobility: Interviews with the protagonists of the meeting organized by CRUCH:
Interview with Elizabeth Colucci, European Association Universities, USA
Interview with Julio Theiler, Montevideo Group
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