News
The change of leadership for the rectors of the University of Atacama took place on September 15th at the Municipal Theater of the Atacama Cultural Center in Copiapó. The entire ceremony included Chilean Sign Language (LSCh) interpretation by Julio Pizarro Metzdorff of the FILSA Foundation.
Introducing himself and sharing aspects of his personal life, the newly appointed rector of the University of Atacama began his first public address. He went on to recall the legacy of the School of Mines and the Normal School for Teachers in Copiapó, both memorable institutions in the university's history. He also evoked the memory of members of the UDA community who are no longer with us.
“All these people, and many others who followed them, faced the great challenge of building an educational institution that would serve the needs of the different areas of our region. An institution with the clear public mission of contributing to the social mobility of individuals and to the cultural, social, and economic development of the region and the country. Much more remains to be done, it is true, but I believe it is essential to recognize the effort and dedication of all those who were and are involved, to whom I am deeply grateful.”
Aguilera thanked the outgoing rector, “Dr. Celso Arias Mora, who invited me to join his management team in 2019, and who has dedicated 12 years of his life to leading our beloved university with a public servant spirit, in addition to several more years as an academic in the Department of Mines and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering”; also recognizing the most valuable contributions made to the institution during his leadership.
The ceremony, enlivened by a performance from the USACH string quintet, drew to a close. Beforehand, Emilio Rodríguez Ponce, Rector of the University of Tarapacá, took the stage in his capacity as Executive Vice President of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH). He emphasized the importance of perpetuating the collaborative relationship among the country's universities. He also thanked the outgoing rector, Arias, and commented on their ongoing efforts to move from competition to synergy.
Then, Natacha Pino, rector of the University of Aysén and President of the Association of Regional Universities (AUR), also shared a greeting at the event, highlighting the need to continue strengthening the networking of regional universities.
The day concluded with the official photo of the new senior management team, marking the beginning of the new rector's term. Former rector Celso Arias will remain with the university, continuing his work to bring academic life back to the department of Minas.
Programmatic axes
Digital Government, which promotes agile and fair institutional management; people-centered institutional development; co-construction, from the tri-sectoral approach and a view of sustainable progress were stated, in the speech of Rector Forlín Aguilera, as the central programmatic axes of his university government.
Regarding equity and inclusion, she highlighted the active work of the Office of Equal Opportunities and Gender Equity and the Department of Inclusion and Educational Equity; and announced the creation of the Directorate of Gender, Equity, and Inclusion. “I want to emphasize that this goes beyond compliance with the law, but rather responds to an inherent responsibility that falls to us as a state university to lead social change,“ Aguilera stated.
Finally, he referred to the socio-political context the country is experiencing after the exit plebiscite, and from the perspective of the role of public higher education, he indicated: ”It will be important, therefore, to open our university spaces to the new discussions that arise within this process, putting our institutional capacities at the service of a common purpose, such as having a new constitution around which we can come together again and look to the future with hope.”
Relive the 2022 Change of Command Ceremony through the UDA Television YouTube Channel
*Information and images: Communications U. of Atacama
Spanish 
English