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In the session held on Thursday, March 30, at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, the Undersecretary of Higher Education, Víctor Orellana, and the Superintendent of Higher Education, José Miguel Salazar, met for the first time with the full assembly of rectors.
Both authorities presented their views and guidelines regarding the work agendas of the entities they currently lead.
During the meeting, the Undersecretary of Higher Education shared his reflections on the goals of his work agenda and how to address the structural problems in higher education in order to begin a new cycle in the country. In this regard, he emphasized the fundamental role of higher education institutions in the development and resolution of the obstacles facing the nation.
At the same time, the authority stressed the need to move forward with a new agreement "so that Chile can set more ambitious goals and solve the problems we face today.".
The Undersecretary also addressed a new financing system, emphasizing the urgent need for the economic stability of higher education institutions. In this regard, he highlighted the intersectoral collaboration required to meet this challenge.
The intervention was widely appreciated by the plenary session, where its Executive Vice President, Emilio Rodríguez, emphasized the crucial role that CRUCH must play in development proposals, pointing out that "it is very important to highlight that the Undersecretary of Higher Education has called for a major agreement for higher education in Chile and there are a number of fundamental issues there.".
Likewise, the rector of the University of Tarapacá added that “the Council of Rectors, as a space for dialogue, as a space for openness, has a fundamental role, because universities are one of the institutions with the greatest recognition and trust among citizens.”.
The plenary session of Rectors and Presidents was also attended by the Superintendent of Higher Education, José Miguel Salazar. The newly appointed official briefly summarized the functions and powers of the Superintendency, as well as the objectives and progress of the implementation of Law 21.369. He also shared the guidelines of his administration and the work currently underway.
Finally, he extended the invitation to build a joint work agenda with all the associations that exist in the sector to identify the problems and understand the current needs of higher education.
Citizen Participation in the Constitutional Process
Among other topics, the council received Claudio Troncoso and Ignacio Irarrázaval, heads of the Secretariat of Citizen Participation, a collaborative body led by the University of Chile and the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, which is responsible for implementing and systematizing the citizen participation mechanisms that will be part of the 2023 constitutional process. During the meeting, the rectors were invited to join and collaborate on this constitutional path, and the members who will make up the University Advisory Council were appointed: Natacha Pino, rector of the University of Aysén, and Rodrigo Alda, rector of the Catholic University of the North.
Dialogues for a tax pact, Ministry of Finance
Thursday's session also addressed the Ministry of Finance's invitation to participate in the Dialogues for a Tax Pact, A series of discussions among 42 academics, experts, and other sector stakeholders will develop the guidelines for a new "tax architecture." The Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) will be represented in these dialogues by academics Alejandro Micco (University of Chile), José Miguel Sánchez (Pontifical Catholic University of Chile), Valentina Sanhueza (University of Bío-Bío), Gonzalo Valdés (University of Tarapacá), Germán Pinto (University of Santiago), and Carlos Budnevich (University of the Andes).
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