On its 70th anniversary, CRUCH highlights its contribution to the country's development and reaffirms its commitment to higher education.

The anniversary of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities is on August 14th, and the 2024 agenda begins this Friday, January 19th, with the workshop “Challenges of Higher Education” in Arica. 

Regarding the lines of work for the coming decades, andThe acting president of CRUCH and rector of PUCV, Nelson Vásquez, indicated that these will be prioritized “"Based on a strong relationship with the country's development, because Chilean universities must be in tune with the stage of development the country is in.".

With the workshop “Challenges of Higher Education”, the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) began a commemorative agenda for 2024, the year in which it celebrates seven decades of existence.

“It is a joy that CRUCH will celebrate its 70th anniversary on August 14th. During this period, we have been major contributors to public policy in all areas of higher education, and we have also supported public policy in research and the development of human resource training,” he noted.The president (s) of CRUCH and rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso, Nelson Vásquez, in the framework of the plenary session this Thursday, January 18, at the University of Tarapacá (UTA), Arica.

The CRUCH is a network that has grown significantly in recent decades and is currently made up of the rectors of 30 universities in the country, with extensive experience and excellence, recognized in Latin America and the world, Rector Vásquez pointed out.

“The vision that the founders of CRUCH had back then - in 1954 - and among them I remember the former rector Gómez Millas, has been taking shape over time and today it is an organization with a strong foundation in public policies and, above all, in the development of education in the country,” Vásquez stated.

Regarding the institution's lines of development, The Council promoted a strategic system for the coming years (SDE-CRUCH 2030), led by the executive vice president of CRUCH and rector of UTA, Emilio Rodríguez. 

Vásquez explained that “CRUCH, through its long-term strategic lines, is thinking about how the training, research and linkage of universities with the environment materializes, based on a strong relationship with the development of the country, because Chilean universities must be in tune with the stage of development that the country is in.”. 

Regarding the workshop “Challenges of Higher Education” It will take place this Friday, January 19th, and can be viewed through the following link. One of the main exhibitors will be the Dr. Tristan McCowan, an academic in International Education at the Institute of Education at University College London, who will speak about the quality of Higher Education.

Other topics of the session 

Also participating in the session were the Minister of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, Aisén Etcheverry; the Undersecretary of Higher Education, Víctor Orellana; and the Secretary General of the Ibero-American University Council (CUIB), Felix García.

The minister spoke about the progress of structural financing in R&D&I for universities, noting that during this year, thanks to the approval of the 2024 budget bill, two research funds for universities will be implemented, one regional (FIU Regional) and one for the border (FIU Frontera). 

The Regional University Fund (FIU Regional), which aims to strengthen the contribution of regional universities to territorial development and decentralization processes, is open to universities accredited for between 3 and 5 years. Meanwhile, the Border University Fund (FIU Frontera), which aims to enhance the contribution of universities with institutional accreditation of excellence to national development, is open to universities with 6 and 7 years of accreditation.

“These funds are not research proposals, but rather a letter of intent from the institution, which in some way shows the university's vision and what it hopes to do with the resources it obtains (…) the aim is not competitiveness, but collaboration and strengthening research capabilities,” the minister stated.

For his part, the undersecretary presented the main results of the 2024 admissions process and the next stages of the process, highlighting the application of more women to scientific careers, for which additional places were opened this year.

“The impact of the 'More Women Scientists' policy is probably the most significant outcome of this admissions process, and first and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to the institutions for their cooperation. This policy encourages and strengthens the application of women in this field, and if we maintain these growth rates, Chile could begin closing this gap in the not-too-distant future,‘ the Undersecretary emphasized.

The authority also stated that they continue working on the higher education modernization agenda announced in 2023 (see related note), according to the established deadlines and seeking to align the academic offerings with the country's development challenges.

Meanwhile, Felix García, Secretary General of CUIB, an organization established in 2002 as a network of Ibero-American university networks, requested that the Council resume its participation in this international body and contribute to the Ibero-American General Secretariat. “Your participation is fundamental for us to move forward in this Ibero-American sphere, in building a common space for higher education, science, technology, and innovation,” García emphasized.

Farewell to the Rector of UAH

In the session in Arica, the rectors bid farewell to the rector of the Alberto Hurtado University (UAH), Eduardo Silva, who, after 8 years in office, will finish his term in March 2024.

The rector served at CRUCH for five years, during which time he was a member of the Executive Committee and headed the Academic Vice-Rectors' Commission. He was also elected to represent the Council as a member of the National Journalism Prize jury and in parliamentary proceedings.

“It has been very pleasant to be part of this group, in which I have felt very welcome and have had the privilege of representing the three new universities that make up this Council on the Executive Committee: the Diego Portales University, the University of the Andes and the Alberto Hurtado University (…) I am very happy about this step through this Council and proud that Alberto Hurtado belongs to it,” commented Rector Silva.

Text: CRUCH Communications.

Photos: Communications University of Tarapacá.