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The Participatory Public Accountability Report of the General Secretariat of the Council of Rectors highlighted the work carried out over the past 12 months in various areas. It emphasized the coordination of actions aimed at safeguarding educational activities, the safety of communities during the pandemic, and the return to in-person learning.
The annual report also highlighted the work of nine advisory committees, in which representatives from the 30 CRUCH universities participate and whose work is coordinated through the Secretariat.
The return to in-person classes was one of the emphases of the 2021 Participatory Public Account of the General Secretariat of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH).
In a scenario still marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, the coordination of work aimed at safeguarding educational activities, the safety of communities in a pandemic scenario, and the return to in-person learning for the 30 institutions that make up the organization was highlighted.
The executive vice president of CRUCH and rector of the University of Santiago, Juan Manuel Zolezzi, stated that “for the Council it has been very important to send signals in favor of in-person learning, because we know that the interactions that take place inside classrooms and laboratories are extremely important to promote student learning and resume the different dimensions of university life.”.
Meanwhile, the acting general secretary of the Council of Rectors, Marcela Cifuentes, pointed out that “during 2021, much of the work of the CRUCH General Secretariat was focused on coordinating efforts and actions that would allow the resumption of university life, applying protocols and measures that would provide health guarantees to those who make up these communities and considering the reality of the institutions, the students and their families.”.
In this vein, during 2021, the Commission of Academic Vice-Rectors—whose acting rector is Eduardo Silva SJ (Alberto Hurtado University) and whose president is David Figueroa (Catholic University of Temuco)—played a fundamental role in this task. This advisory committee planned its work around the post-pandemic outlook and Guidelines for ensuring quality in remote learning, forming working subgroups to address three issues: quality assessment of learning, academic integrity and mental health.
In November 2021, the commission held a plenary session to analyze the challenges experienced during the health crisis and the projections for 2022. This analysis resulted in the presentation “The University from virtual education to face-to-face University”, The document, addressed by the CRUCH plenary in January, outlines key aspects for navigating the 2022 academic year, a transitional year in which lessons learned during the pandemic must be incorporated. It also proposes a discussion on the new way of fulfilling the teaching role, as well as a rethinking of current university practices from an emotional, social, and human perspective.
Also, in March of this year, the group conducted a survey regarding the presence of teaching activities in CRUCH universities (March 2022) and determined that 100% of the Council's institutions restored face-to-face classes and that student attendance varies between 80% and 100%.
Postgraduate studies, research and internationalization
Another focus of the 2021 public accountability report was the work of the other CRUCH advisory committees. In the case of the Postgraduate Committee—whose acting rector is Rodrigo Alda (Catholic University of the North) and whose president is Diego Cosmelli (Pontifical Catholic University of Chile)—the work of this advisory group concentrated on various coordination efforts to support the measures adopted by the National Research and Development Agency (ANID) regarding the extension of deadlines for scholarship recipients, due to the unusual conditions created by the pandemic. It also compiled a registry of postgraduate programs at CRUCH universities, which is available in the section Your Postgraduate Studies in Chile, on our website.
In the case of the Research Advisory Commission—chaired by Andrea Rodríguez (University of Concepción) and with Eduardo Hebel as acting rector—2021 was marked by the analysis of the 2022 Science, Technology, and Innovation Budget; along with coordination and joint work with ANID (National Research and Development Agency) and the Directorate of Energy, Science, Technology, and Innovation (DECYTI) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to explore potential collaborations with other countries. Furthermore, it recently held a plenary session with the participation of the Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation, Flavio Salazar (May 2022).
The year 2021 for the Internationalization Commission—whose acting rector is Osvaldo Corrales (University of Valparaíso) and chaired by Steve Baeza (Catholic University of the Holy Conception)—was marked by the management of an agreement with MITACS-Canada; an alliance with Education New Zealand; the design of a project to support university communities in Ukraine; and the exploration of links with universities in the Czech Republic. This commission recently held a plenary session to develop an action plan for 2022.
Actions for gender equality
The Gender Equality Commission – whose acting rector is Natacha Pino (University of Aysén) and which is coordinated by Antonia Santos (University of Aysén) carried out various initiatives during 2021.
Among these, the following stand out: the international seminar “Experiences of gender mainstreaming in university curriculum” (June 2021) and the development of the document “Guidelines for establishing a gender equality policy in universities”.
This was complemented by the Commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, with a program of joint activities (November 2021), the holding of the Third National Meeting of Teams working on Gender Violence in CRUCH Universities (January 2022); the preparation of proposals in response to the requirements of Law No. 21,369, which regulates sexual harassment, violence and gender discrimination in the field of higher education (January 2022) and the presentation of the document “Kaleidoscope Model: a proposal for addressing gender violence in a university context” (May 2022), among other actions.
Challenges in admissions and libraries
Meanwhile, the Admissions and Enrollment Commission – chaired by Ruth Candia (University of La Frontera) and with Diego Durán (Catholic University of Maule) as acting rector – held regular working meetings and various outreach activities regarding the different stages of the 2022 Admissions Process and the challenges for 2023, aimed at CRUCH representatives on the Access Committee, the Council's executive committee, and the full assembly of rectors.
Also, in May 2022, it developed the “University Data Analysis Workshop”, in order to analyze the changes in the current scenario regarding the requirements for the 2023 Admission Process. The meeting was held in person -at the headquarters of the University of Los Lagos in Santiago- and had the participation of 78 representatives from the 30 universities.
For its part, the Library Commission – chaired by Karen Jara (University of Concepción) and whose acting rector is Aliro Bórquez (Catholic University of Temuco) – participated in the development of a Memorandum of Understanding to establish and operate the Support Network for the National Infrastructure for Access to Scientific Information of ANID, among other actions.
Regulated tariffs and Law No. 21,091
In 2021, the Economic Commission of the CRUCH – led by the rectors Carlos Saavedra (U. de Concepción) and Darcy Fuenzalida (U. Técnica Federico Santa María) – focused its work on regulated tariffs.
Key achievements in this work include the delivery of the external consultancy report “Analysis and Proposals for Regulated Tuition Fees in Chilean Higher Education” (January 2022); the preparation of the “Technical Report on the Tuition Impact of New Technical Frameworks on CRUCH Institutions” (March 2022); and a document with CRUCH observations for the Expert Commission of the Undersecretariat of Higher Education (SES) on new technical frameworks (April 2022). In addition, several meetings were held with the Undersecretariat's technical teams on this topic.
Meanwhile, the Legal Commission—headed by the acting rector of the University of the Andes, Cristina Errázuriz—worked throughout 2021 on the analysis and review of the impact of Law No. 21,091 on Higher Education and other related laws on the universities that are part of the CRUCH (Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities). In addition, the regulations pertaining to the Superintendency of Higher Education were reviewed, and a proposed amendment was drafted to improve the system (October 2021).
Other milestones of 2021
In addition to the work of the committees, 2021 was marked by other milestones for CRUCH.
In August 2021, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed creating the “Network to Support the National Infrastructure for Access to Scientific Information,” an initiative promoted by the Chilean National Research and Development Agency (ANID) and in which the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) participates. Within the framework of this Memorandum, an alternative model for accessing information resources used for teaching and research in science, technology, knowledge, and innovation will be implemented.
In the same month, a virtual seminar was held to present the results of the 2020 National Student Engagement Survey (ENCE), applied to first and fourth year students from various majors at 11 CRUCH universities.
In October, the Council participated in organizing the VII Congress of the Americas on International Education (CAEI), under the theme “Charting the Future: Strengthening the Global Knowledge Community.” The event included a session dedicated to CRUCH, in which the Executive Vice President, the Acting Secretary General, the Chair of the Research Commission, and the Chair of the Academic Vice-Rectors Commission participated.
Furthermore, the year was marked by a change in leadership at the CRUCH General Secretariat, with the departure of María Elena González due to non-renewal of her contract, despite the support of the CRUCH plenary. Starting in October, the Head of Administration and Finance, Marcela Cifuentes, assumed the position as acting head, a role she will hold until June, when the new head will take over. Angélica Bosch, appointed by President Gabriel Boric, through the Senior Public Management System.
The 2021 participatory public account is available at our website, section Citizen participation.
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