Rectors of CRUCH meet with Advisory Commissions to start a new cycle of action that promotes joint work and cooperation

22/04/2016
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  • Rectors of CRUCH meet with Advisory Commissions to start a new cycle of action that promotes joint work and cooperation
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The executive vice president of CRUCH and rector of the University of Valparaíso, Aldo Valle, welcomed the directors of the CRUCH advisory commissions and noted that the Council of Rectors wants to mark a milestone by starting a new cycle of work with each of the four commissions, under the umbrella of joint work with greater articulation, cooperation and institutionalization.

Also present at the work day were the rectors Diego Durán (UCM), Ennio Vivaldi (U. de Chile), Sergio Bravo (UFRO) and Darcy Fuenzalida (UFSM).

With the purpose of resuming the work of the four CRUCH advisory commissions, defining a new working modality and the priority lines of action for 2016, a working day was held between the rectors who are members of the Executive Committee of the Council of Rectors and the directors of the advisory commissions of Postgraduate Studies, Research, Academic Vice-Rectors and International Relations.

In the first part of the day, the executive vice president of CRUCH and rector of the University of Valparaíso, Aldo Valle, along with welcoming the attendees and thanking them for their participation, highlighted the enormous contribution that the Commissions have made and can continue to make in key times where a change in the institutional framework and in the new policies of higher education is being debated.

Rector Valle acknowledged that university rectors are often immersed in the significant demands and urgent needs arising from the current situation, but stated, “We need technical assistance during these times when we must address the discussions we face. We require well-founded opinions that allow us to contribute proposals and alternatives that we consider essential at this time, given the nature and mission of the CRUCH (Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities), a public body created by law, whose main missions include advising the Ministry of Education on public policies related to higher education, science, and technology.” Therefore, he emphasized the urgency of strengthening and promoting the work of each committee and, in turn, raising awareness of the importance and relevance of these advisory committees.

In his address, the executive vice president of CRUCH also called on attendees to foster greater collaboration with the Council of Rectors and the General Secretariat. To this end, he stated that “it is essential that each committee has the permanent and regular participation of a rector, so that a connection is established with the full Council of Rectors. We want to mark a milestone by initiating a new cycle of greater regularity, greater collaboration, greater recognition of the work of the committees, and more institutionalization of this work,” Aldo Valle explained.

Likewise, the rector of the Catholic University of Maule, Diego Durán, said that the invitation is to continue building a collaborative effort, and that means “thinking of CRUCH as a group of different, original universities that, together, contribute to the country; also considering that there are institutions with different levels of development compared to each other. In this sense, the spirit of collaboration between the commissions should be as strong as possible. Therefore, the invitation is to have a spirit of collaboration, solidarity, and exchange that allows us to move forward,” Diego Durán pointed out.

For his part, the rector of the Federico Santa María Technical University, Darcy Fuenzalida, emphasized that “the vision of our communities is relevant at this time when such important issues are being discussed, and from that perspective, it is essential that the commissions of the Council of Rectors coordinate their work jointly and with a permanent dialogue,” said the rector of UFSM.

Another member of the CRUCH Executive Committee who was present at the working session was the rector of the University of La Frontera, Sergio Bravo, who pointed out that it is strategic for the working groups to be open, that is, for the vice-rectors and area directors to invite the 27 universities to participate, and to inform them what is being done in each of the commissions, “it would be very bad for us to have these working groups closed and not open to the participation of the different universities,” Bravo stated.

Subsequently, the Secretary General of the Council of Rectors, María Isabel Munita, gave a detailed presentation where, in addition to specifying that her unit will have a facilitating role in this new stage, she announced that the CRUCH Secretariat will work to enhance the development of the commissions in three relevant areas: association, transversality and innovation.
Following the interventions of the rectors and the general secretary, the attendees held a fluid dialogue with the rectors aimed at identifying the main problems of each of the areas of work and, together, analyzed priorities and possibilities for action.

The event, which took place in Santiago between 10:00 and 17:00, included the formation of working groups by committee in the afternoon, where attendees identified strengths and weaknesses, defined priority topics and lines of work, and made progress in planning for the remainder of 2016.

Among those attending this activity are representatives from various CRUCH campuses, including: University of Chile, University of Concepción, University of Antofagasta, Pontifical Catholic University, University of Valparaíso, University of La Frontera, University of Santiago, Catholic University of the North, Catholic University of Maule, Federico Santa María Technical University, among others.