Postgraduate Commission
The meeting was opened by Aldo Valle, executive vice president of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) and the rector of the University of Chile, Ennio Vivaldi.
During its two-day duration, this activity focused on the challenges that postgraduate and doctoral development represents today, with a view to achieving better integration and new alliances between universities to reach a supra-regional model with high quality standards that ensures comprehensive training of excellence hand in hand with internationalization.
“As executive vice president of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH), it is an honor to greet you at the start of these International Postgraduate Conferences, which are intended to reflect on our responsibility and the challenge that postgraduate education represents,” said Rector Aldo Valle, speaking at the opening ceremony of the fourth edition of the International Postgraduate Conferences, held at the main building of the University of Chile between September 29 and 30. The event featured international speakers from top-level universities such as the University of Toulouse, France; the University of London; the University of Heidelberg, Germany; the National University of the Littoral, Argentina; and the University of the Republic, Uruguay.
In his speech, Rector Valle recalled that the universities of the Council of Rectors have been pioneers in the country in postgraduate training since the 1960s onwards, “what began first at the University of Chile and the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile now extends throughout the country, in each region according to its specific areas of development and capacities that the universities themselves have achieved, promoting high-level doctoral and postgraduate training programs,” he specified.
The welcoming remarks to the attendees of this meeting were delivered by the Rector of the University of Chile, Ennio Vivaldi, who acknowledged the significant contribution to the country's education made by forums for dialogue and debate such as the International Postgraduate Conference. Rector Vivaldi also stated that the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) is an institution that has strived, with great foresight, to contribute to intellectual development and to fostering a society that embraces content related to knowledge, technological development, and social and technological empowerment. Rector Vivaldi, who also presides over CUECH, pointed out that when one addresses postgraduate studies, there is a question of intellectual honesty that says that “excellence is absolutely essential to provide students who trust in the programs with training that is at the forefront of knowledge worldwide; if we did not do so, we would not be acting loyally in the field of both knowledge and society. We believe it is critical today to think that the Latin American university, and the Chilean university in particular, must be at the forefront of knowledge,” stated the rector of the University of Chile.
The need to strengthen collaborative efforts aimed at forging relevant and realistic alliances between universities to bolster doctoral training was a central theme in the speeches of both rectors, and this topic also emerged as the core of the discussion during the two-day International Conference. “In recent times, universities have sought to partner with one another and establish new international agreements, responding to local needs for productive, social, and cultural development. Universities have made a significant effort to promote postgraduate training in our country, with some public support mechanisms to sustain this momentum over time,” explained Rector Aldo Valle. However, despite having Conicyt scholarship programs and some competitive MECESUP projects, “there have still been no systematic development policies with a strategic focus on doctoral and postgraduate training in the country,” Valle concluded.
International Conference
Dr. Ximena García, Director of Postgraduate Studies at the University of Concepción and President of the Postgraduate Advisory Commission of the Council of Rectors, opened the program planned for these International Conferences. For about 30 minutes, she spoke to the attendees about the evolution that doctoral studies have achieved at the CRUCH universities.
Next came a look at how postgraduate training is structured in the participating foreign universities, where attendees were able to learn about the work carried out by the doctoral training centers of the University of Toulouse in France and Goldsmiths University in London.
The support provided by governments through scholarships and living stipends to enable students to access various educational programs also shaped the discussion at the event. Uruguay's admissions system was highlighted, where the University of the Republic is autonomous and offers free postgraduate, doctoral, and some master's programs. While the system of support for financing postgraduate studies varies by country and university, the prevailing model of funding the student rather than the institution was a topic of debate. "Funding individuals instead of the institution in public education is a mistake. It creates a distinction between the institution and the student, which does not improve the system. We must make urgent changes in this regard," stated speaker Oscar Loureda from the University of Heidelberg, Germany.
Furthermore, increasing cooperation among universities is essential. Active and growing networks, such as the AUGM Doctoral Programs Network, are already working toward this goal. “It is urgent to achieve a unified system in the region for postgraduate and doctoral training; that is the objective, a completely relevant aspiration,” explained speaker Daniel Comba from the National University of the Littoral in Argentina. He emphasized that, to achieve this, it is crucial to establish shared standards of quality and experience. Likewise, it is essential to work on mitigating the obstacles and shortcomings that currently exist within the system, including differences in accreditation systems and limited flexibility for mobility in areas such as research, among others.
In this matter, the executive vice president of CRUCH acknowledged that there is still much progress to be made, that a horizon of new and more complex challenges lies ahead, and that universities “will not be able to address them in isolation; greater and more attentive collaboration is required.” Valle stated that this task falls to CRUCH universities due to their tradition of public service and their conception of higher education, “we are directly called upon to respond to this urgent national need.” If the State's public policies have not yet provided timely responses, “this does not exempt us, neither the rectors nor the universities, from the public priority; we are facing more and more demanding challenges.” He added that this space created around the IV International Conference is a new opportunity to forge relevant and realistic alliances among universities. Therefore, he announced that CHUCH will be attentive to building a new agenda for postgraduate development, where the foundations of the agendas must emerge from debate,” he emphasized.
The international speakers participating in this IV International Postgraduate Conference were Hélène Roux de Balmann, University of Toulouse, France; Derval Tubridy, Goldsmiths, University of London, Great Britain; Oscar Loureda, University of Heidelberg, Germany; Dr. Alvaro Maglia, University of the Republic, Uruguay; and Daniel Alberto Comba, National University of the Littoral, Argentina.
Internationalization
The 4th edition of the International Conference also included the active participation of some Postgraduate Directors from CRUCH universities, who contributed to the analysis of the challenges of doctoral training in Latin America, highlighting among them the need for better association and internationalization.
The task of the speakers representing the University of La Frontera in Temuco, the University of Chile, and the University of Concepción with its doctorate in forest sciences was to describe the experiences of doctoral training from an international perspective, its relationship with engineering innovation, and the strategic link between doctoral training and high-demand productive sectors such as wood.
Attendees also learned about the activities and programs offered by the Doctoral Colleges of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, thanks to a presentation by Dr. Jani Brouwer. She addressed the challenge of promoting policies and mechanisms to facilitate curricular flexibility, interdisciplinarity, and internationalization. She also highlighted new projects underway, such as tutorial teaching and the Graduate School.
The event concluded with a discussion among the participants, a lively and spontaneous debate focused on identifying the challenges the Postgraduate Advisory Committee of the Council of Rectors' Universities will address in the medium term. The aim is to further strengthen ties between universities and create a robust international network for postgraduate and doctoral education. During this session, attendees had the opportunity to ask questions of the presenters and the panelists, including María Teresa Marshall, Executive Director of the Council of Rectors, who coordinated the entire meeting; Daniel Alberto Comba, Director of Postgraduate Studies at the National University of the Littoral, Argentina; Alicia Salomone, Director of Postgraduate Studies at the University of Chile; and Iris Danowsky from the HRK (Rectors' Conference of Germany).
Among the exhibitors from the CRUCH universities, Dr. Jani Brouwer from the Pontifical Catholic University; Dr. Luis Salazar from the University of La Frontera; Dr. Regis Teixeira from the University of Concepción and Rafael Epstein from the University of Chile stood out.
Previous Agenda
International speakers from the 4th International Conference, along with some Postgraduate Directors from CRUCH universities, met in a pre-conference meeting. The meeting, which lasted approximately two hours, provided an opportunity to introduce the members of the Council of Rectors and explain how their respective areas of focus operate. The international guests, in turn, explained how higher education is structured in their respective countries, highlighting the significant gap in postgraduate, doctoral, and master's degree enrollment rates across universities and countries. They outlined the disparity between countries in the region that are developing in this area, such as Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru, and countries like Germany, where, for example, the University of Heidelberg awards 7,072 doctoral degrees and nearly 1,200 dissertations are defended annually.
Although the differences are important, there was a common goal among the universities of the Council of Rectors and the international universities participating in the IV Postgraduate Conference to enhance integration through an academic policy based on supra-regional models with a view to an internationalization of doctoral education with high standards of quality and comprehensive training of excellence in accordance with the new demands of today's society.
The meeting was attended by Hélène Roux de Balmann, University of Toulouse, France; Derval Tubridy, Goldsmiths, University of London, Great Britain; Oscar Loureda, University of Heidelberg, Germany; Dr. Alvaro Maglia, University of the Republic, Uruguay; Daniel Alberto Comba, National University of the Littoral, Argentina; Dr. Jani Brouwer, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile; Eduardo Guiñes, University of Antofagasta; María Teresa Marshall, Executive Director, Council of Rectors; Juan Carlos Retamal, Director, Postgraduate School, University of Santiago; Cecilia Collado, University of Concepción; Alicia Salomone, Director, Postgraduate Studies, University of Chile; Iris Danowsky and Mariana González, Studies Area, Council of Rectors.
*Photographs: University of Chile.
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