CRUCH Seminar highlights the mainstreaming of Community Engagement

13/12/2024
Share

The seminar was inaugurated on December 3rd by the UTEM Rector, Marisol Durán Santis, who emphasized that community engagement is not only a regulatory mandate, but also a strategic tool that connects universities with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The event featured prominent speakers, such as the president of the National Accreditation Commission (CNA), Dr. Andrés Bernasconi, and the vice president of the same entity, Dr. Erika Castillo, who addressed the current regulatory challenges and the expectations of the higher education system regarding this topic.

See also news from the University of Santiago:  «"Usach and UTEM hosted the second annual meeting of the CRUCH Community Engagement Network"» 

The Hall of Honor of the Metropolitan Technological University (UTEM) was the setting for the seminar “Community Engagement: Mainstreaming and Quality in

 Chilean Higher Education”, jointly organized by the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) and its Community Engagement Commission, an event that brought together more than 30 higher education institutions in an effort to reflect on and strengthen the articulation between universities and the communities in which they operate.

The seminar was inaugurated on December 3rd by the UTEM Rector, Marisol Durán Santis, She emphasized that community engagement is not only a regulatory mandate but also a strategic tool that connects universities to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In her words, this dimension allows higher education institutions to deepen their social impact, contribute to sustainable development, and enrich the education of their students.

For its part, the Vice-Rector for Community Engagement at the University of Santiago, Ana María Fernández Tapia, He highlighted “the integrative nature of this university function, noting that it not only responds to social demands, but also strengthens the three major academic missions: education, research and outreach”

The event featured prominent speakers, such as the president of the National Accreditation Commission (CNA), Dr. Andrés Bernasconi, and the vice president of the same entity, Dr. Erika Castillo, who addressed the current regulatory challenges and the expectations of the higher education system regarding this topic, a space that was moderated by the Vice-Rector of Technological Transfer and Extension of UTEM, Claudia García Requena.

The vice-rector highlighted this contribution as one of the challenges presented by the current regulatory framework. “This has a lot to do with the internal definition that universities make according to their community engagement model and their preferred environment,” she stated, adding that effective integration with the core missions of teaching, research, and outreach is also very important.

The day included a discussion led by vice-rectors from different universities, in which experiences and strategies were analyzed for To mainstream community engagement across areas such as training, research, and internationalization. Among the panelists, the presence of Ximena Gauché, president of the CRUCH's Community Engagement Commission, and representatives of various institutions committed to this work.

This event reinforced the commitment of CRUCH and its commissions to mainstreaming Community Engagement, while also celebrating the role of Chilean universities as essential actors in the country's social and cultural transformation.

Plenary session

The day held at USACH on December 4 included a review of institutional progress and a closing concert in the Aula Magna, in which Handel's "Messiah" was performed in a historical version by the Syntagma Musicum group and the Madrigal Choir.

During the working session, a follow-up was carried out on the topics covered in previous sessions and the activities for the first half of 2025 were planned, including the proposal of a day on registration and monitoring systems for Community Engagement, scheduled for March.

Text and photographs: VcM UTEM

See also news from the University of Santiago: «"Usach and UTEM hosted the second annual meeting of the CRUCH Community Engagement Network"»