• President Bachelet made public a new government’s initiative in favor of education: it is the Programa de Acompañamiento y Acceso Efectivo para la Educación Superior (PACE), which goal is to help the most vulnerable students in Chile improve higher education access, just as Universidad de Santiago has been doing since 1992.
• At its first stage, the measure will benefit more than 7 thousand high school students. The Mineduc will take charge of the program and Universidad de Santiago, together with Universidad Técnica Santa María, Universidad Católica del Norte, Universidad de Antofagasta and Universidad Católica de Temuco will collaborate to implement it this year. During the ceremony, Juan Manuel Zolezzi, President of Universidad de Santiago, emphasized that “we will use everything that the State gives us to improve our Propedéutico Program.”

During a ceremony held at Palacio de La Moneda, President Michelle Bachelet, together with the Minister of Education, Nicolás Eyzaguirre, officially launched the Program for Accompaniment and Effective Access to Higher Education, (PACE, its acronym in Spanish), a measure that seeks to guarantee youngsters from vulnerable high schools and with the ability to study the access to higher education.

The initiative replicates the existing University Preparatory (Propedéutico) Programs in the country, an initiative that was pioneered by our University in 2006 and that was preceded by the bonus score to the admission test results added by Universidad de Santiago since 1992.

President Bachelet emphatically assured that “inequality in our country cannot continue. We have to give support to young people who exert themselves and who deserve it. Therefore, together with making deeper structural changes, we want to start now,” taking actions before the first 100 days of her administration.

“This program will provide academic, psychological and vocational support to the best students coming from schools and high schools in vulnerable areas so that they enter a university, professional institute or technical training center, if they want, and keep studying until they graduate,” the President said when she explained the PACE.

At a pilot stage, this initiative seeks to help 7,583 students who are today in third year of high school, in 67 educational establishments of 34 communes of the country.

These vulnerable youngsters and schools will be supported by 5 universities that have a Preparatory Program recognized by UNESCO, are members of the Cruch and have been awarded an Academic Leveling Scholarship for 2014. These institutions are Universidad de Antofagasta, Universidad Católica del Norte, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Universidad Católica de Temuco and Universidad de Santiago, that drove this initiative.

Universidad de Santiago’s Preparatory Program to be strengthened

“Precisely today we start an important process: the expansion of the Propedéutico, that was created by Universidad de Santiago in 2006,” Universidad de Santiago’s President, Juan Manuel Zolezzi, proudly said.

He stressed that, although now it became a public policy, “we are not going to take away the funds that we have been assigning for this purpose since 2006. We are going to use everything that the State gives us to improve and enhance the program”, he said.

For his part, the Director of the Unesco Chair Program, Francisco Javier Gil, said that he was very happy because after several years “we have been heard”, referring to the Preparatory Program experience of more than 20 years in our corporation.

“What this program does is going to places where it is not possible to identify through other mechanisms those youngsters who have made the most of their learning opportunities. We identify them and invite them, since the first year, to dream of studying at a higher education institution, if they want to. Through this, the motivation to study develops and when adding motivation to the classroom, the entire educational environment gets better,” Professor Gil said.

A day to celebrate

Fernanda Kri, Academic Vice President of Universidad de Santiago, who also attended the ceremony, said that she was satisfied “because it is a policy that was mostly started at Universidad de Santiago, but mainly because it is an action going in the right way that will allow us to progress in equity and quality at the same time. Therefore, I believe this is a day to celebrate, but also a day to start working, because we know how to do it. If we want to increase the program’s coverage, we have many things to think together with the other universities and with the Ministry,” she said.

For his part, the Director of the Program at Universidad de Santiago, Máximo González, said that he was proud of “the number of capable youngsters, although they have not had the possibility of developing their talents until now.” He hopes that, in the future, Preparatory Programs will not exist. “When higher education will be free in Chile, these Preparatory Programs will not make sense anymore, because students’ merits and the work that they do during high school will be recognized by the School Grades Ranking, and the economic problems that they have will be replaced with free education. We are patient, optimistic and we believe that this step is a good signal in that way.”

Camilo Ballesteros, former Feusach’s President and current Director of the Government’s Division of Social Organizations, attentively followed the activity.

He stressed that this initiative expresses Universidad de Santiago’s spirit. “This evens the field up, giving all youngsters the same opportunities at entering higher education. It is also a recognition of the historical role that the University has played. First, in the 90s, with the bonus score for lower-income students and, today, with the Propedéutico. It is a recognition of the work done by the University.”

According to the President’s proposal, the PACE plans to include 339 vulnerable schools and high schools by 2015, with students from first to fourth year and by 2017, it should include all the most vulnerable educational establishments in the country.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

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• Before an audience of over 800 people at the Aula Magna, Universidad de Santiago de Chile bestowed an honorary doctorate on Rafael Correa, President of Ecuador, for his academic merits, his strong commitment to universities’ development, for favoring links between Chile and his country, and for contributing to South American integration. Dr. Juan Manuel Zolezzi, President of Universidad de Santiago, said that this high academic honor was promoted by the Faculty of Administration and Economics and also highlighted President Correa’s contributions, specifying that he has driven “the largest educational reform in the history of his country, in order to improve the quality of primary, secondary and higher education; a public policy that has become an example for all Latin America”. After receiving a gold medal, the highest institutional distinction, President Correa said he was “honored” and he invited the University community “to believe in talent and in the transforming power of education, science and technology.”

On May 14th, our University bestowed an honorary doctorate (Honoris Causa) to his Excellency, the President of the Republic of Ecuador, Rafael Correa Delgado.

The highest academic distinction, bestowed by Universidad de Santiago on distinguished figures who contribute to knowledge and humanity, was awarded to the Ecuadorian head of state in a crowded ceremony held at Aula Magna, headed by Dr. Juan Manuel Zolezzi, President of our University.

Distinguished Ecuadorian and Chilean guests attended the solemn activity. Diplomatic delegations from several countries and high authorities of our University, like Dr. Silvia Ferrada, Dean of the Faculty of Administration and Economics, were also present. This faculty was the one that promoted President Correa’s distinction.

Members of the University’s community and other guests, like Joan Turner, Víctor Jaras’ widow and his daughter Amanda Jara Turner also attended the ceremony.

Dr. Zolezzi highlighted President Correa’s achievements and significant social contributions, particularly, to education in his country, the reasons why he deserved the Honorary Doctor distinction and the “Universidad de Santiago de Chile Medal”, gold category.

Contribution to education

Dr. Zolezzi said that President Correa “has driven the largest educational reform in the history of his country, in order to improve the quality of primary, secondary and higher education; a public policy that has become an example for all Latin America.”

“This fact has a special meaning to us- he added- when we are before the Chileans’ majority clamor asking for large educational reforms (…) we are certain that this is the time to implement them, because education is the best tool to defeat inequality.”

Dr. Zolezzi said that through this distinction to the Ecuadorian head of state, “we are expressing our highest respect and admiration for him as an example to the world’s young generations, which are constantly fighting for noble, just and viable causes that identify men as men, by understanding humanity and justice; that identify men with their origins, with nature; that make them feel as part of a world vision, as citizens of the world.”

After President Zolezzi’s words, Universidad de Santiago’s General Secretary Gustavo Robles read the official resolution document by which President Correa was distinguished, for his contribution to favoring links between the Republic of Chile and his country, his strong commitment to universities’ development, as well as for his academic merits and contribution to the South American region integration.

“Believe in human talent”

In his speech, President Correa, an economist who has been re-elected for a third period to the Presidency of his country, said he felt “honored” for being conferred this distinction by our University and expressed his admiration for Chilean people and Chilean historical figures like Salvador Allende, Víctor Jara and Pablo Neruda.

With great eloquence and knowledge of the reality of the countries of what he called “Patria Grande” (Latin America), President Correa reviewed his major achievements during his tenure regarding matters like economy, health, labor policies and, especially, education, where he highlighted the progress made by his administration.

While he was speaking, the new Universidad de Santiago’s Honorary Doctor- the 14th awarded since the institutional regulations were established in 2000- was interrupted several times by loud applause by an audience that crowded the Aula Magna. Regarding education, he highlighted, for example, the creation of four new universities during his tenure, the closure of 14 “deficient” universities and the higher rate of participation in higher education of the lowest income quintile of his country.

Also, President Correa reiterated his support to the idea of education as a human right and he called for “believing in human talent.”

“I strongly believe in the transforming power of education, science and technology; even more, my hopes rely on this power: my hope for the future of our planet, for a sustainable way of living, for the possibility of offering a good life to all humankind (…),” he emphasized.    

“Promoting knowledge will allow a higher scientific and technological progress, but what is most important, its application for the common good. In Ecuador we have banked on investing in talent in order to achieve sustainable and sovereign development,” President Correa concluded.

To see the photo gallery, click on the following link: http://www.udesantiagoaldia.cl/content/presidente-de-ecuador-rafael-correa-doctor-honoris-causa-por-la-universidad

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Translated by Marcela Contreras

• Dr. Juan Manuel Zolezzi, Vice President of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (Cruch, in Spanish) and Universidad de Santiago’s highest authority, remarked that criticism of the government proposal to appoint an intervention agent when a university commits a serious infringement, “is not justified if the bill´s content is analyzed in a less ideological and more objective way.” He expressed these ideas while he was participating in a special session held by the Chamber of Deputies’ Education Commission, to which he was invited. On the occasion, Dr. Zolezzi reiterated that the proposal -though it addresses a limited aspect of the educational problem- is positive and it “intends to protect the students’ rights and to guarantee that they continue studying when their universities commit acts in breach of law.”

As Vice President of the Cruch, Universidad de Santiago’s President, Dr. Juan Manuel Zolezzi, was invited by the Chamber of Deputies’ Education Commission to a special session held on May 12th. On the occasion, he expressed the Cruch’s support to the bill that creates the entities of “Provisional Administrator” and “Institution Closure Administrator” for Higher Education institutions.

During the session, Dr. Zolezzi said that some of the criticisms of the proposal presented by the government a week ago were “disproportionate”, “expressed in an alarming tone” and “are not justified if the bill is analyzed in a less ideological and more objective way.”

In this context, the Cruch said that the bill did not violate the Constitution, as the concept of Provisional Administrator “has already been recognized by Law 20.529.”

Education as a fundamental right

Also, Dr. Juan Zolezzi belittled the complaints about an alleged violation of universities’ autonomy by the bill and said that “when a higher education institution has a financial and academic disaster that may risk the continuation and quality of its programs, the law cannot allow that institution to hide behind the concept of university autonomy.”

According to Dr. Zolezzi, “the State has the obligation to create mechanisms that effectively protect the right to education as a fundamental right for all people.”

“The closure of Universidad del Mar, which had 16,907 students, is a paradigmatic case of the institutional crisis and the lack of legal protection for students (…) Up to now, we do not know about the situation of more than 8,000 students who did not continue in that institution and were not able to relocate to other universities. What happened to Universidad del Mar could happen to other universities too,” he said.

He said that the Cruch thinks that “instead of threatening the Rule of Law, the bill strengthens and legitimizes it.”

“It is indeed a bill that addresses a limited aspect of the higher education problem,” he said, but he added that the Cruch valued “an approach that is a way forward to recognize the significance of the right to education, and to take responsibility for the State’s obligation to strengthen institutionality and to allow the effective enforcement of this fundamental right.”

For his part, Deputy Mario Venegas, President of the Chamber of Deputies’ Education Commission, highlighted the Cruch’s presentation and explanations given during the special session.

“President Zolezzi gave an excellent presentation that answered to most of the criticisms of the government bill that come from sectors with conflicts of interests,” he said.

“The Cruch clearly expressed that all these criticisms lack serious foundation, as these new action would be taken under exceptional circumstances. The Ministry (of Education) would be the most interested party in having a permanent respect for ethical norms, with a strict compliance of legal regulations regarding education in the country,” Deputy Venegas concluded.

Mitko Koljatic, President of the National Accreditation Commission (CNA, in Spanish); Claudio Elórtegui, representative of the G-9 Group of Universities; Carlos Peña, President of Universidad Diego Portales and representatives of Fundación Jaime Guzmán and Centro Libertad y Desarrollo were among the presenters at the special session held by the Lower House’s Education Commission.

Translated by Marcela Contreras
 

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• Paula Núñez, a professor at the School of Obstetrics and Child Care of Universidad de Santiago has effectively contributed to midwifery students training: she learned to make vinyl-based reborn babies which are so real that it is difficult to distinguish them from real newborn babies and which help students to develop professional and soft skills.

Paula Núñez, professor at the School of Obstetrics and Child Care, has pioneered the “reborning” technique to make vinyl dolls with realistic features in our country. These dolls are used by the Faculty of Medical Sciences’ students to facilitate their practice and their approach to neonatology and pediatrics.

“Having these baby simulators will allow our students to become more reliable and empathic professionals in the future,” she says. She thinks that the experience allows the students to approach the reality that they will face every day when delivering babies.

“These dolls have all the features to resemble a real newborn baby: nerve endings, the color of veins, and even their weight is similar to the one of a baby, what makes the students to be as careful as if they were handling a real baby and develop more skills,” she explains.

Students at the Obstetrics and Child Care program have benefited the most from these baby simulators; however, Núñez makes dolls for other institutions too.

She has been making these reborn dolls for four years. She learned about the technique on the Internet, when almost nobody knew about it, but then someone who had learned it in Spain taught her how to make them.

Núñez felt that learning the reborning method involved much more than only learning this German artcraft: she could create more real simulators that would be useful to train professionals whose work required getting familiar with babies and little children.

Making simulators more human

Together with a business partner, Núñez created the company Pequeñas Maravillas (Little Wonders), where they make customized dolls for different purposes. “People believe that dolls are only for girls, but they can also be used for academic purposes. For me, learning this technique gave me the possibility of making simulators more human and, at the same time, contributing to students training,” she says.

In the future, Núñez intends to continue improving her technique to make these dolls. Now she is working to create with dolls with different conditions like cleft palate and other inherited disorders. “These simulators will allow our students to acquire specific skills to work with babies with congenital conditions and to get used to the specific care that they need,” she concludes.

Translated by Marcela Contreras
 

• The Academic Vice President, Fernanda Kri, said that after testing the pilot program in more than a thousand students of the Faculty of Engineering, the system that combines on-line learning opportunities with face-to-face sessions, proved to work in a similar way to a traditional course. “The goal is to implement this system for all our undergraduate programs in the first semester 2014, according to our Institutional Strategic Plan, which stipulates the promotion of the English language among our students,” Vice President Kri said.

In April this year, our University’s Academic Vice Presidency, together with the Consejo Superior de Docencia (the consulting body to the Academic Vice Presidency) and the Educational Innovation Unit started implementing an English language B-Learning pilot program for students of the Faculty of Engineering in order to evaluate the system’s operation and extend its application to other undergraduate programs of Universidad de Santiago.

The B-Learning method combines on-line content delivery with face-to-face sessions. It was implemented with the support of our University’s Department of Linguistics and Literature for one thousand and fifty students during one semester.

After concluding this first evaluation stage, the results proved to be very positive; hence, the academic authority started promoting its implementation in all undergraduate programs, according to one of the goals of the Institutional Strategic Plan, which stipulates the promotion of the English language among the students.

On November 27th, the Academic Vice President, Fernanda Kri, had a meeting with the academic community to inform about the results of this first B-Learning experience. She described it as “successful”, both logistically and academically.

“We confirmed that students who participated in B-Learning lessons acquired and English language knowledge similar to the one acquired in one semester of face-to-face sessions,” she said.

Due to this positive evaluation, the Academic Vice President invited all undergraduate programs to be part of the initiative.

“The purpose of the meeting (held on November 27th) was to show these results to the different faculties, hoping that most of them will join in this project and include it formally in the programs’ curricula as of March 2014,” she said.

“We expect all students at the University reach at least an intermediate level of English and for that to happen, they need to take four consecutive English courses, lasting one semester each, as this is the only way of having continuity in learning,” she added.

Vice President Kri concluded by saying that, besides the good results, “Students showed themselves very motivated for using technological tools and for learning English early in their programs. All this gives us good expectations about the contribution that this project may be to our community once it is extended to all undergraduate programs and, in the future, to graduate programs.”
 
The details about a successful program

Ricardo Úbeda, professor at the Department of Linguistics and Literature, who is in charge of the program, informed that out of one thousand and fifty students who took the B-Learning course, 182 passed the initial diagnostic test and were exempt from the final test, while 744 students totally passed the course.

Another announcement was the implementation of more mechanisms to allow the interaction between students and teachers, like Skype, that can help to solve questions in a direct way.

“Finally, with this course, all our expectations were met and we were able to see the high level of commitment that the students of our University have with their integral learning process,” professor Úbeda stressed during the presentation of the results of this B-Learning system.

Translated by Marcela Contreras.

• Dr. Kerryn McCluskey, from the University of Queensland, said that besides quickly connecting students to teaching practice, practicum since first year of program helps students to determine on their vocation.

During the International Seminar “Evaluation of Professional Practice in Early Teacher Training: An Overview form the Australian Model”, Dr. Kerryn McCluskey, the Director of the Secondary Program in the School of Education at the University of Queensland, Australia, explained the teacher professional training program design developed by that University. In this program, through implementing early practicums, education students get in contact with the class since first semester.

“Until pre-service teachers go to schools, they do not know if this is what they really want or the way of connecting what they do on campus with real life,” says Dr. McCluskey. She added that, in some cases, it takes years before students understand and connect the theoretical knowledge given by the university with teaching practice in the classroom.

For this purpose, the program that she directs organizes teaching practicums since first semester, for ten days, where students attend classes as observers. Then, as they move forward in their training, they have more practice periods and also more interaction with learners in terms of academic support, which can be measured according to the corresponding abilities and competences.

According to the expert, the difficulties posed by the model lie in the disposition shown by guiding teachers and supervisors who accompany the student during this process in schools and at the university, as the model demands personalized attention.

While visiting Universidad de Santiago, Dr. Kerryn McCluskey emphasized that there are not perfect models, but she trusts that after exchanging experiences, education students in Chile may have access to teaching practicums a little earlier.

This international seminar was organized by the Department of Education of the Faculty of Humanities and for his Director, Dr. Daniel Ríos, the experience shared by the Australian expert was very positive.

“It was a good opportunity to share information about this significant issue, not only for the Department or the University, but for all the country, as it concerns teacher training,” the director said. He added that practicums are still the big connection between theory and practice, so it is essential to think about ways of improving them and strengthening them. He said it is an essential issue as right now “there is a discussion in the University about early teacher training.”

Dr. Ríos emphasized the collaborative view provided by this type of activities to open a broad reflection regarding professional practices during early teacher training. For this reason, representatives from other universities and from schools that have admitted our teaching practicing students were invited to the seminar. “We are very pleased because this has helped us to reflect on this issue, exchange ideas and experiences and continue along the line of learning communities,” he concluded.
 

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• Professor Saúl Contreras, academic at the Department of Education, is developing the Fondecyt Project “Early Teacher Training for Science Education” that seeks to analyze the academic performance of 1,200 Teaching Training Program students across the country to contribute with an explanatory model on how future teachers internalize and implement their curricular teaching knowledge.
• According to professor Contreras, this instrument will put a strain on the Inicia Test,” because the latter evaluates future teachers at the end of their training. “Our idea is to evaluate students during all their training process,” to obtain a comprehensive and timely knowledge about it.
• Professor Contreras presented the first results of this study at international conferences in Tarragona and Barcelona, Spain.

The quality of education is today a core topic in the public policies debate and it has become one of the key demands of different social sectors.

But this quality is affected by different variables, like the good or poor education received by those who will be responsible for teaching new generations, that is to say, Early Teaching Training, (FDI, in Spanish). This is why Dr. Saúl Contreras, PhD in Education of Universidad de Santiago de Chile is working on the project “Early Teaching Training for Science Education”, funded by Fondecyt, that seeks to create a model and an instrument to evaluate the training process of pre-service teachers. As a result, this would allow training institutions to review the decision making process regarding training matters.

The study considers a national sample of 1,200 trainee teachers in math and experimental science specializations. The research team led by Dr. Contreras will do the corresponding follow up for four years.

“We seek to create a model and an instrument to explain how students acquire teaching competences and skills. In the context of the study, we are going to provide important data to each participating institution,” Dr. Contreras says. He adds that this information will be very useful to correct the course of early teacher training.

“It will put a strain on the INICIA Test”

Professor Contreras claims that among the side effects of this study, “it will put a strain on the Inicia Test,” the voluntary test to evaluate graduate teachers in different contents. “It does not make any sense to expect a quality education by thinking that we can achieve it just through measuring instruments like Simce, PSU or the Inicia Test.”

Professor Contreras also stresses that the Inicia Test evaluates pre-service teachers at the end of their training programs. “We propose to have a systematic assessment instrument during the whole training process and not only at the end of it. Because we should ask ourselves if the results of the Inicia Test are not good and the students already graduated, what happen to them? Should we give them remedial courses? It is too late to do it”, he answers.

For all the above, the instrument studied by this researcher at Universidad de Santiago de Chile becomes essential, because, according to Professor Contreras, it is not about preparing students like pre-university schools do: it is “creating and applying an instrument to evaluate future teachers at certain time points during their training. And this is a decision of the institutions that internally choose to help their students.”

Regarding the assessment tests, Dr. Contreras says that he totally agrees with their application, “otherwise it would be impossible to know how we are doing,” but these instruments should be developed “together with the subjects and starting with them, because they also need to be relevant,” he explains.

Professor Contreras is so convinced of the effectiveness of his proposal that he does not doubt that, after applying the assessment instrument for four years, it may be applied at a national level, in the context of a public policy. He thinks that it “can also be implemented in the technical- professional formation.”

Although the first stage of collection of data was finished only a few weeks ago- with the collaboration of teacher training programs of universities from Arica to Punta Arenas- professor Contreras presented the first results of this project at the International Congress of University Teaching and Innovation (CIDIU, in Spanish), held at Tarragona, Spain and then, at the Edulearn VI International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies, in Barcelona, Spain.

These first steps allow seeing significant changes in future teachers’ training that, in the end, will affect the quality of education.

 

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• President Bachelet made public a new government’s initiative in favor of education: it is the Programa de Acompañamiento y Acceso Efectivo para la Educación Superior (PACE), which goal is to help the most vulnerable students in Chile improve higher education access, just as Universidad de Santiago has been doing since 1992.
• At its first stage, the measure will benefit more than 7 thousand high school students. The Mineduc will take charge of the program and Universidad de Santiago, together with Universidad Técnica Santa María, Universidad Católica del Norte, Universidad de Antofagasta and Universidad Católica de Temuco will collaborate to implement it this year. During the ceremony, Juan Manuel Zolezzi, President of Universidad de Santiago, emphasized that “we will use everything that the State gives us to improve our Propedéutico Program.”

During a ceremony held at Palacio de La Moneda, President Michelle Bachelet, together with the Minister of Education, Nicolás Eyzaguirre, officially launched the Program for Accompaniment and Effective Access to Higher Education, (PACE, its acronym in Spanish), a measure that seeks to guarantee youngsters from vulnerable high schools and with the ability to study the access to higher education.

The initiative replicates the existing University Preparatory (Propedéutico) Programs in the country, an initiative that was pioneered by our University in 2006 and that was preceded by the bonus score to the admission test results added by Universidad de Santiago since 1992.

President Bachelet emphatically assured that “inequality in our country cannot continue. We have to give support to young people who exert themselves and who deserve it. Therefore, together with making deeper structural changes, we want to start now,” taking actions before the first 100 days of her administration.

“This program will provide academic, psychological and vocational support to the best students coming from schools and high schools in vulnerable areas so that they enter a university, professional institute or technical training center, if they want, and keep studying until they graduate,” the President said when she explained the PACE.

At a pilot stage, this initiative seeks to help 7,583 students who are today in third year of high school, in 67 educational establishments of 34 communes of the country.

These vulnerable youngsters and schools will be supported by 5 universities that have a Preparatory Program recognized by UNESCO, are members of the Cruch and have been awarded an Academic Leveling Scholarship for 2014. These institutions are Universidad de Antofagasta, Universidad Católica del Norte, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Universidad Católica de Temuco and Universidad de Santiago, that drove this initiative.

Universidad de Santiago’s Preparatory Program to be strengthened

“Precisely today we start an important process: the expansion of the Propedéutico, that was created by Universidad de Santiago in 2006,” Universidad de Santiago’s President, Juan Manuel Zolezzi, proudly said.

He stressed that, although now it became a public policy, “we are not going to take away the funds that we have been assigning for this purpose since 2006. We are going to use everything that the State gives us to improve and enhance the program”, he said.

For his part, the Director of the Unesco Chair Program, Francisco Javier Gil, said that he was very happy because after several years “we have been heard”, referring to the Preparatory Program experience of more than 20 years in our corporation.

“What this program does is going to places where it is not possible to identify through other mechanisms those youngsters who have made the most of their learning opportunities. We identify them and invite them, since the first year, to dream of studying at a higher education institution, if they want to. Through this, the motivation to study develops and when adding motivation to the classroom, the entire educational environment gets better,” Professor Gil said.

A day to celebrate

Fernanda Kri, Academic Vice President of Universidad de Santiago, who also attended the ceremony, said that she was satisfied “because it is a policy that was mostly started at Universidad de Santiago, but mainly because it is an action going in the right way that will allow us to progress in equity and quality at the same time. Therefore, I believe this is a day to celebrate, but also a day to start working, because we know how to do it. If we want to increase the program’s coverage, we have many things to think together with the other universities and with the Ministry,” she said.

For his part, the Director of the Program at Universidad de Santiago, Máximo González, said that he was proud of “the number of capable youngsters, although they have not had the possibility of developing their talents until now.” He hopes that, in the future, Preparatory Programs will not exist. “When higher education will be free in Chile, these Preparatory Programs will not make sense anymore, because students’ merits and the work that they do during high school will be recognized by the School Grades Ranking, and the economic problems that they have will be replaced with free education. We are patient, optimistic and we believe that this step is a good signal in that way.”

Camilo Ballesteros, former Feusach’s President and current Director of the Government’s Division of Social Organizations, attentively followed the activity.

He stressed that this initiative expresses Universidad de Santiago’s spirit. “This evens the field up, giving all youngsters the same opportunities at entering higher education. It is also a recognition of the historical role that the University has played. First, in the 90s, with the bonus score for lower-income students and, today, with the Propedéutico. It is a recognition of the work done by the University.”

According to the President’s proposal, the PACE plans to include 339 vulnerable schools and high schools by 2015, with students from first to fourth year and by 2017, it should include all the most vulnerable educational establishments in the country.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

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• Before an audience of over 800 people at the Aula Magna, Universidad de Santiago de Chile bestowed an honorary doctorate on Rafael Correa, President of Ecuador, for his academic merits, his strong commitment to universities’ development, for favoring links between Chile and his country, and for contributing to South American integration. Dr. Juan Manuel Zolezzi, President of Universidad de Santiago, said that this high academic honor was promoted by the Faculty of Administration and Economics and also highlighted President Correa’s contributions, specifying that he has driven “the largest educational reform in the history of his country, in order to improve the quality of primary, secondary and higher education; a public policy that has become an example for all Latin America”. After receiving a gold medal, the highest institutional distinction, President Correa said he was “honored” and he invited the University community “to believe in talent and in the transforming power of education, science and technology.”

On May 14th, our University bestowed an honorary doctorate (Honoris Causa) to his Excellency, the President of the Republic of Ecuador, Rafael Correa Delgado.

The highest academic distinction, bestowed by Universidad de Santiago on distinguished figures who contribute to knowledge and humanity, was awarded to the Ecuadorian head of state in a crowded ceremony held at Aula Magna, headed by Dr. Juan Manuel Zolezzi, President of our University.

Distinguished Ecuadorian and Chilean guests attended the solemn activity. Diplomatic delegations from several countries and high authorities of our University, like Dr. Silvia Ferrada, Dean of the Faculty of Administration and Economics, were also present. This faculty was the one that promoted President Correa’s distinction.

Members of the University’s community and other guests, like Joan Turner, Víctor Jaras’ widow and his daughter Amanda Jara Turner also attended the ceremony.

Dr. Zolezzi highlighted President Correa’s achievements and significant social contributions, particularly, to education in his country, the reasons why he deserved the Honorary Doctor distinction and the “Universidad de Santiago de Chile Medal”, gold category.

Contribution to education

Dr. Zolezzi said that President Correa “has driven the largest educational reform in the history of his country, in order to improve the quality of primary, secondary and higher education; a public policy that has become an example for all Latin America.”

“This fact has a special meaning to us- he added- when we are before the Chileans’ majority clamor asking for large educational reforms (…) we are certain that this is the time to implement them, because education is the best tool to defeat inequality.”

Dr. Zolezzi said that through this distinction to the Ecuadorian head of state, “we are expressing our highest respect and admiration for him as an example to the world’s young generations, which are constantly fighting for noble, just and viable causes that identify men as men, by understanding humanity and justice; that identify men with their origins, with nature; that make them feel as part of a world vision, as citizens of the world.”

After President Zolezzi’s words, Universidad de Santiago’s General Secretary Gustavo Robles read the official resolution document by which President Correa was distinguished, for his contribution to favoring links between the Republic of Chile and his country, his strong commitment to universities’ development, as well as for his academic merits and contribution to the South American region integration.

“Believe in human talent”

In his speech, President Correa, an economist who has been re-elected for a third period to the Presidency of his country, said he felt “honored” for being conferred this distinction by our University and expressed his admiration for Chilean people and Chilean historical figures like Salvador Allende, Víctor Jara and Pablo Neruda.

With great eloquence and knowledge of the reality of the countries of what he called “Patria Grande” (Latin America), President Correa reviewed his major achievements during his tenure regarding matters like economy, health, labor policies and, especially, education, where he highlighted the progress made by his administration.

While he was speaking, the new Universidad de Santiago’s Honorary Doctor- the 14th awarded since the institutional regulations were established in 2000- was interrupted several times by loud applause by an audience that crowded the Aula Magna. Regarding education, he highlighted, for example, the creation of four new universities during his tenure, the closure of 14 “deficient” universities and the higher rate of participation in higher education of the lowest income quintile of his country.

Also, President Correa reiterated his support to the idea of education as a human right and he called for “believing in human talent.”

“I strongly believe in the transforming power of education, science and technology; even more, my hopes rely on this power: my hope for the future of our planet, for a sustainable way of living, for the possibility of offering a good life to all humankind (…),” he emphasized.    

“Promoting knowledge will allow a higher scientific and technological progress, but what is most important, its application for the common good. In Ecuador we have banked on investing in talent in order to achieve sustainable and sovereign development,” President Correa concluded.

To see the photo gallery, click on the following link: http://www.udesantiagoaldia.cl/content/presidente-de-ecuador-rafael-correa-doctor-honoris-causa-por-la-universidad

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Translated by Marcela Contreras

• Dr. Juan Manuel Zolezzi, Vice President of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (Cruch, in Spanish) and Universidad de Santiago’s highest authority, remarked that criticism of the government proposal to appoint an intervention agent when a university commits a serious infringement, “is not justified if the bill´s content is analyzed in a less ideological and more objective way.” He expressed these ideas while he was participating in a special session held by the Chamber of Deputies’ Education Commission, to which he was invited. On the occasion, Dr. Zolezzi reiterated that the proposal -though it addresses a limited aspect of the educational problem- is positive and it “intends to protect the students’ rights and to guarantee that they continue studying when their universities commit acts in breach of law.”

As Vice President of the Cruch, Universidad de Santiago’s President, Dr. Juan Manuel Zolezzi, was invited by the Chamber of Deputies’ Education Commission to a special session held on May 12th. On the occasion, he expressed the Cruch’s support to the bill that creates the entities of “Provisional Administrator” and “Institution Closure Administrator” for Higher Education institutions.

During the session, Dr. Zolezzi said that some of the criticisms of the proposal presented by the government a week ago were “disproportionate”, “expressed in an alarming tone” and “are not justified if the bill is analyzed in a less ideological and more objective way.”

In this context, the Cruch said that the bill did not violate the Constitution, as the concept of Provisional Administrator “has already been recognized by Law 20.529.”

Education as a fundamental right

Also, Dr. Juan Zolezzi belittled the complaints about an alleged violation of universities’ autonomy by the bill and said that “when a higher education institution has a financial and academic disaster that may risk the continuation and quality of its programs, the law cannot allow that institution to hide behind the concept of university autonomy.”

According to Dr. Zolezzi, “the State has the obligation to create mechanisms that effectively protect the right to education as a fundamental right for all people.”

“The closure of Universidad del Mar, which had 16,907 students, is a paradigmatic case of the institutional crisis and the lack of legal protection for students (…) Up to now, we do not know about the situation of more than 8,000 students who did not continue in that institution and were not able to relocate to other universities. What happened to Universidad del Mar could happen to other universities too,” he said.

He said that the Cruch thinks that “instead of threatening the Rule of Law, the bill strengthens and legitimizes it.”

“It is indeed a bill that addresses a limited aspect of the higher education problem,” he said, but he added that the Cruch valued “an approach that is a way forward to recognize the significance of the right to education, and to take responsibility for the State’s obligation to strengthen institutionality and to allow the effective enforcement of this fundamental right.”

For his part, Deputy Mario Venegas, President of the Chamber of Deputies’ Education Commission, highlighted the Cruch’s presentation and explanations given during the special session.

“President Zolezzi gave an excellent presentation that answered to most of the criticisms of the government bill that come from sectors with conflicts of interests,” he said.

“The Cruch clearly expressed that all these criticisms lack serious foundation, as these new action would be taken under exceptional circumstances. The Ministry (of Education) would be the most interested party in having a permanent respect for ethical norms, with a strict compliance of legal regulations regarding education in the country,” Deputy Venegas concluded.

Mitko Koljatic, President of the National Accreditation Commission (CNA, in Spanish); Claudio Elórtegui, representative of the G-9 Group of Universities; Carlos Peña, President of Universidad Diego Portales and representatives of Fundación Jaime Guzmán and Centro Libertad y Desarrollo were among the presenters at the special session held by the Lower House’s Education Commission.

Translated by Marcela Contreras
 

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