- Universidad de Santiago has invited academics, professionals, students and everyone interested in University Social Responsibility (USR) matters to the new version of the Conference that will be opened on January 13th, 2015. The activity will gather experts from countries like Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Peru, Guatemala and Chile with the purpose of analyzing the impact of USR policies since their implementation.
On January 14th-15th, our university will host the Second International Conference on University Social Responsibility that will gather experts from our country and Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Peru and Guatemala. They will talk about the results of the different actions implemented by their institutions regarding this matter.
Santiago Peredo, alternate Director of the Universidad de Santiago Social Responsibility program and professor at the Technological Faculty, explained that for our University, it is very important to organize the second version of this conference. “We have been trusted to continue with the conference that was started last year in Cadiz, Spain. Among all the presentations given, the USR activities presented by Universidad de Santiago were very well considered.”
Professor Peredo said that participants will discuss and analyze the current state of social responsibility at universities in Chile and abroad considering the current socio-political scene. For this purpose, several speakers will refer to the initiatives that they have developed and will share their experiences in order to develop a network.
“We will be able to make a diagnosis and assess what universities have been doing,” Professor Peredo explained. He said that although each institution defines the spirit of its actions regarding USR matters, the concept basically “means to responsibly take charge of the social impacts resulting from each activity of the university work.”
It will be possible to directly learn about the different experiences of our University in USR matters and the way in which they have evolved. “Although universities have had a stronger development in outreach activities - because social responsibility is a tool for a direct connection with communities- the idea is that we are able to incorporate social responsibility to more university actions, for example, to include the “service-learning” approach in teaching and research, so that all colleagues steep themselves in this spirit and ethical value.”
Cultural and academic program
The Conference will be opened on Tuesday 13th, at noon, with the launch of Universidad de Santiago’s book on USR. The inaugural speech will be given early in the morning on Wednesday 14th, by Humberto Grimaldo, Coordinator of the Observatory on Social Responsibility in Latin America and the Caribbean (Orsalc) of the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (Iesalc). After that, a panel discussion will be held with the participation of representatives of different Chilean universities who will finally be invited to sign a commitment letter for the creation of the Chilean Observatory on University Social Responsibility.
On Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, presentations and round tables will be held at the Citecamp building.
On Thursday, the academic program will close with a ceremony in which new Universidad de Santiago de Chile 2015-2017 USR certifications will be awarded.
Besides the academic program, the Conference includes a cultural program that will start on Wednesday afternoon with a special invitation to a concert given by Universidad de Santiago Classical Orchestra at Teatro Novedades, in Yungay neighborhood (Cueto 257, Santiago). And on Thursday at noon, a photography exhibition of the Graphic and Audiovisual Documentation File (DGA, in Spanish) will be opened. This exhibition will show the USR activities promoted by our University. In the evening, the Planetarium will show a special projection to the participants.
On Friday morning a visit is organized to see three initiatives that were awarded the Universidad de Santiago USR certification: the Instituto Femenino Superior de Comercio (Infesuco) and the experience of delegated administration public high schools (schools owned by the State but managed and financed by private corporations); then, the Center for Movement Disorders (Cetram, in Spanish); and finally, the Rucahueche Youngsters´ Center for Integral Health.
Translated by Marcela Contreras
