•  In the Fifth Regional Conference of the Latin American and European Continuing Education Network, the Diploma Course on Education for Sustainable Development of Universidad de Santiago was recognized as an example for universities in Latin America and Spain. In Uruguay, professor Santiago Peredo, alternate director of the University Social Responsibility Program gave a presentation on this successful, free and inclusive program before representatives of the 56 institutions that form the Network.

The diploma course given by Universidad de Santiago, particularly by the Department of Agrarian Management of the Technological Faculty, is already in its fifth version and, every year, it has provided more than 100 students with cost-free training in local development and respect for and protection of the environment.

Professor Santiago Peredo, alternate director of the University Social Responsibility Program and director of the Diploma Course on Education for Sustainable Development of Universidad de Santiago, was invited by the Latin American and European Continuing Education Network (Recla, in Spanish), to take part in the regional conference held between April 15^th and April 17^th, in Montevideo, Uruguay.

On the occasion, professor Peredo gave a presentation on the characteristics and results of the diploma course before representatives of the 56 higher education institutions from 13 different countries that make up the Network.

“When they informed us that we had been selected to give a presentation in the Recla conference on our experience as an ‘example of success’, we felt proud and we focused on preparing a good presentation, but once we arrived in Montevideo, they told us that we had been selected, together with other five initiatives, out of more than 70 applications. At that moment, we became aware of the true extent of the program,” professor Peredo said.

According to the academic, the participating universities, from countries like Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Spain, Cost Rica and Dominican Republic, showed themselves highly interested in knowing about the model of the program.

“Our diploma course is a continuing education experience developed together by the University Social Responsibility Program and the Department of Agrarian Management. This relation between an administrative unit and an academic one called the attention of all the participants,” he said.

The academic added: “As it is a cost-free diploma course in Chile, a country where there are almost no free programs for students, it also attracted the interest of the universities.”

Another factor that called the attention of the international representatives- he said- was the horizontal and transdisciplinary nature of the experience.

“More than 30 lecturers from different faculties, universities, public and private agencies, together with the administrative team and staff, have made this inclusive project possible. Eagerness and conviction were its only resources in the beginning,” he said.

Finally, professor Peredo said he was pleased and “proud” of the work that they have done for these five consecutive years.

 “A great team work and the constant support of the authorities of our university have allowed us to continue with the program and to contribute to train hundreds of students from different backgrounds, in an inclusive program, unique in the country, that is considered an example for Latin America,” professor Peredo concluded.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• 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 13^th, 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 14^th-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 13^th, 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 14^th, 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

• In order to meet the goals set by Universidad de Santiago in the context of the “Sustainable Campus” Clean Production Agreement, the University Social Responsibility program developed the first training workshop on this matter, oriented to students, academics and administrative staff.
• The initiative is one of the institutional actions to promote the knowledge on sustainability and to meet the goal of reducing the use of energy by 5% in the campus before March 2015, according to Santiago Peredo, RSU program’s alternate Director.
• The next workshop- on composting and vegetable gardens management- is scheduled for August. Also, the RSU program will hold seminars on the topics stemmed from the Institutional Sustainability Reports: human rights, decent work conditions, universal access to people with different skills, healthy eating and energy efficiency.

“People have become aware of environmental or sustainability matters. What we must manage now is to change some behaviors and develop some habits to be consistent with this already existing awareness,” Santiago Peredo, alternate Director of the University Social Responsibility (RSU, in Spanish) program said at the end of the first training workshop, “Self-diagnosis of energy use in buildings”, that was held by academics of Universidad de Santiago, on Friday 11th.

The workshop is part of the institutional actions to meet the goals set in the “Sustainable Campus” Clean Production Agreement (APL, in Spanish) of 2013, that seek to "promote training in this matter for professionals, students and academics of the University, and, in turn, to meet the goal of reducing the use of energy by 5% in the campus, before March 2015,” the RSU program’s alternate Director explained.

The workshop included two talks about energy efficiency. The first one was given by Professor Juan Araya, of the Bachillerato program, and the second one, by Professor Fernando Corvalán, of the Department of Geographical Engineering.

Professor Araya referred to the concept of sustainability in three interrelated aspects: environment, society and economy. The balance among the three of them becomes the sustainability equation. Professor Corvalán talked about energy efficiency in buildings, stressing the current actions taken in the building sector to save energy and the analysis of important supplementary aspects like heating, refrigeration and supply systems.

Regarding the campus, Dr. Corvalán explained that it was built according to standards that were not concerned for energy saving, such as the former EAO building and the buildings around the Planetarium. However, he emphasized that the new buildings mean an opportunity for energy sustainability.

Students, academics, professionals and administrative staff from the five units that voluntarily signed the University’s APL took part in the workshop: the Department of Geographical Engineering, the Technological Faculty, the Faculty of Administration and Economics, the Bachillerato program and the School of Architecture.

Waste management and vegetable gardens

“We prepared this series of workshops to meet the goals of training in sustainability and reducing the use of energy at the University, among others,” the RSU program’s alternate Director reiterated, as this is one of the actions established in the “Sustainable Campus” Clean Production Agreement.

The next workshop is scheduled for August and it will be about composting and vegetable gardens management, “because another goal is to reduce the solid waste produced at the University and this action could lead to new recycling processes that are not implemented now.”

“There are some initiatives to collect paper and glass in some recycling spots. We still have pending the organic waste treatment, as it is collected by an external service. The idea is that the University takes charge of the organic waste management and one way to do it is composting and the use of vegetable gardens,” Santiago Peredo added.

Pending tasks

Together with the sustainability workshops, the RSU program is planning continuous seminars that will include presentations and debates on five of the topics stemmed from the Institutional Sustainability Reports (2008-2012): human rights, decent work conditions, universal access to people with different skills, healthy eating and energy efficiency.

These five aspects are the ones that the reports have shown as weaknesses or needs. In these seminars open to the community that the RSU program plans to give every first Tuesday of the month (from August to December), the participants will evaluate the aspects that could be addressed in the workshops, according to the interests of the community.

 

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• To prepare the report for 2010-2011, the university used the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) international standard.

Environmental protection aspects, like reducing the energy consumption and having a better use of water in the campus during the period 2010-2011, are only some of the many indicators and relevant data included in the fourth version of the Universidad de Santiago’s Sustainability Report. The document was released on December 04th in the Salón de Honor, with the presence of the university’s authorities, union representatives and special guests.

According to the Report, Universidad de Santiago reduced its energy consumption by 6%, while its use of water decreased by 5.7%, going from 489,758 m3 to 470,631 m3 between 2010 and 2011.

The elaboration of the 2011 Sustainability Report mainly involves general aspects with respect to measuring, informing about and accounting for the University’s performance in relation to its sustainable development goal during the year included. With this aim, it’s worth to mention the sections “University Profile”(Perfil de la Universidad), “University Government” (Gobierno Universitario), “Interest Groups” (Grupos de Interés), “Management” (Gestión) and “Additional Indicators” (Complementarios).

The document is the result of the commitment stated by the University to being a University known for its social responsibility and transparency. During his presentation in the Salón de Honor, President Juan Manuel Zolezzi assured that the University is aware of the path along which the international community is progressing and the importance of concepts like Social Responsibility and Sustainability nowadays.

“We are aware that sustainability is one of the main axes for future development,” President Zolezzi pointed out.

“This Report is public information and is a task that we have set ourselves to do. Through the Report we show the national community that we are accountable for the care of a public good like Universidad de Santiago de Chile. In this way, we show once again the responsibility that we have with all people that directly or indirectly take part in our daily activities,” he stressed.

In this context, President Zolezzi highlighted several institutional initiatives, such as the Sustainable Campus Program, the University Pathway Program (Propedéutico) and the Rucahueche Youngsters´ Center for Integral Health. This latter is led by the School of Obstetrics and Child Care of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, together with the Municipal Corporation for Education and Health of Municipality of San Bernardo.

Excellence and social inclusion

When asked about the impact of this Sustainability Report, Dr. Sergio González, the Vice President of Outreach and Engagement, said that the document accounts for the institution’s responsibilities regarding social, environmental, economic, labor and professional matters, in a clear and accurate way.

“This Report highlights the University’s two core concepts that embody the focus and the DNA of the institution: Excellence and quality orientation and social inclusion. It accounts for how we answer to our mission,” the Vice President explained.

The Universidad de Santiago’s 2011 Sustainability Report was elaborated by the University’s Social Responsibility Program (RSU, in Spanish), which depends on the Vice Presidency of Outreach and Engagement.

The RSU Program’s Executive Director, Ricardo Armijo, expressed thanks to all people in the academic and administrative units who contributed with the information required to elaborate this Report.

The full text of the Universidad de Santiago’s 2011 Sustainability Report will be available in our web page in the following weeks.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• In order to meet the goals set by Universidad de Santiago in the context of the “Sustainable Campus” Clean Production Agreement, the University Social Responsibility program developed the first training workshop on this matter, oriented to students, academics and administrative staff.
• The initiative is one of the institutional actions to promote the knowledge on sustainability and to meet the goal of reducing the use of energy by 5% in the campus before March 2015, according to Santiago Peredo, RSU program’s alternate Director.
• The next workshop- on composting and vegetable gardens management- is scheduled for August. Also, the RSU program will hold seminars on the topics stemmed from the Institutional Sustainability Reports: human rights, decent work conditions, universal access to people with different skills, healthy eating and energy efficiency.

“People have become aware of environmental or sustainability matters. What we must manage now is to change some behaviors and develop some habits to be consistent with this already existing awareness,” Santiago Peredo, alternate Director of the University Social Responsibility (RSU, in Spanish) program said at the end of the first training workshop, “Self-diagnosis of energy use in buildings”, that was held by academics of Universidad de Santiago, on Friday 11th.

The workshop is part of the institutional actions to meet the goals set in the “Sustainable Campus” Clean Production Agreement (APL, in Spanish) of 2013, that seek to "promote training in this matter for professionals, students and academics of the University, and, in turn, to meet the goal of reducing the use of energy by 5% in the campus, before March 2015,” the RSU program’s alternate Director explained.

The workshop included two talks about energy efficiency. The first one was given by Professor Juan Araya, of the Bachillerato program, and the second one, by Professor Fernando Corvalán, of the Department of Geographical Engineering.

Professor Araya referred to the concept of sustainability in three interrelated aspects: environment, society and economy. The balance among the three of them becomes the sustainability equation. Professor Corvalán talked about energy efficiency in buildings, stressing the current actions taken in the building sector to save energy and the analysis of important supplementary aspects like heating, refrigeration and supply systems.

Regarding the campus, Dr. Corvalán explained that it was built according to standards that were not concerned for energy saving, such as the former EAO building and the buildings around the Planetarium. However, he emphasized that the new buildings mean an opportunity for energy sustainability.

Students, academics, professionals and administrative staff from the five units that voluntarily signed the University’s APL took part in the workshop: the Department of Geographical Engineering, the Technological Faculty, the Faculty of Administration and Economics, the Bachillerato program and the School of Architecture.

Waste management and vegetable gardens

“We prepared this series of workshops to meet the goals of training in sustainability and reducing the use of energy at the University, among others,” the RSU program’s alternate Director reiterated, as this is one of the actions established in the “Sustainable Campus” Clean Production Agreement.

The next workshop is scheduled for August and it will be about composting and vegetable gardens management, “because another goal is to reduce the solid waste produced at the University and this action could lead to new recycling processes that are not implemented now.”

“There are some initiatives to collect paper and glass in some recycling spots. We still have pending the organic waste treatment, as it is collected by an external service. The idea is that the University takes charge of the organic waste management and one way to do it is composting and the use of vegetable gardens,” Santiago Peredo added.

Pending tasks

Together with the sustainability workshops, the RSU program is planning continuous seminars that will include presentations and debates on five of the topics stemmed from the Institutional Sustainability Reports (2008-2012): human rights, decent work conditions, universal access to people with different skills, healthy eating and energy efficiency.

These five aspects are the ones that the reports have shown as weaknesses or needs. In these seminars open to the community that the RSU program plans to give every first Tuesday of the month (from August to December), the participants will evaluate the aspects that could be addressed in the workshops, according to the interests of the community.

 

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• To prepare the report for 2010-2011, the university used the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) international standard.

Environmental protection aspects, like reducing the energy consumption and having a better use of water in the campus during the period 2010-2011, are only some of the many indicators and relevant data included in the fourth version of the Universidad de Santiago’s Sustainability Report. The document was released on December 04th in the Salón de Honor, with the presence of the university’s authorities, union representatives and special guests.

According to the Report, Universidad de Santiago reduced its energy consumption by 6%, while its use of water decreased by 5.7%, going from 489,758 m3 to 470,631 m3 between 2010 and 2011.

The elaboration of the 2011 Sustainability Report mainly involves general aspects with respect to measuring, informing about and accounting for the University’s performance in relation to its sustainable development goal during the year included. With this aim, it’s worth to mention the sections “University Profile”(Perfil de la Universidad), “University Government” (Gobierno Universitario), “Interest Groups” (Grupos de Interés), “Management” (Gestión) and “Additional Indicators” (Complementarios).

The document is the result of the commitment stated by the University to being a University known for its social responsibility and transparency. During his presentation in the Salón de Honor, President Juan Manuel Zolezzi assured that the University is aware of the path along which the international community is progressing and the importance of concepts like Social Responsibility and Sustainability nowadays.

“We are aware that sustainability is one of the main axes for future development,” President Zolezzi pointed out.

“This Report is public information and is a task that we have set ourselves to do. Through the Report we show the national community that we are accountable for the care of a public good like Universidad de Santiago de Chile. In this way, we show once again the responsibility that we have with all people that directly or indirectly take part in our daily activities,” he stressed.

In this context, President Zolezzi highlighted several institutional initiatives, such as the Sustainable Campus Program, the University Pathway Program (Propedéutico) and the Rucahueche Youngsters´ Center for Integral Health. This latter is led by the School of Obstetrics and Child Care of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, together with the Municipal Corporation for Education and Health of Municipality of San Bernardo.

Excellence and social inclusion

When asked about the impact of this Sustainability Report, Dr. Sergio González, the Vice President of Outreach and Engagement, said that the document accounts for the institution’s responsibilities regarding social, environmental, economic, labor and professional matters, in a clear and accurate way.

“This Report highlights the University’s two core concepts that embody the focus and the DNA of the institution: Excellence and quality orientation and social inclusion. It accounts for how we answer to our mission,” the Vice President explained.

The Universidad de Santiago’s 2011 Sustainability Report was elaborated by the University’s Social Responsibility Program (RSU, in Spanish), which depends on the Vice Presidency of Outreach and Engagement.

The RSU Program’s Executive Director, Ricardo Armijo, expressed thanks to all people in the academic and administrative units who contributed with the information required to elaborate this Report.

The full text of the Universidad de Santiago’s 2011 Sustainability Report will be available in our web page in the following weeks.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

•  In the Fifth Regional Conference of the Latin American and European Continuing Education Network, the Diploma Course on Education for Sustainable Development of Universidad de Santiago was recognized as an example for universities in Latin America and Spain. In Uruguay, professor Santiago Peredo, alternate director of the University Social Responsibility Program gave a presentation on this successful, free and inclusive program before representatives of the 56 institutions that form the Network.

The diploma course given by Universidad de Santiago, particularly by the Department of Agrarian Management of the Technological Faculty, is already in its fifth version and, every year, it has provided more than 100 students with cost-free training in local development and respect for and protection of the environment.

Professor Santiago Peredo, alternate director of the University Social Responsibility Program and director of the Diploma Course on Education for Sustainable Development of Universidad de Santiago, was invited by the Latin American and European Continuing Education Network (Recla, in Spanish), to take part in the regional conference held between April 15^th and April 17^th, in Montevideo, Uruguay.

On the occasion, professor Peredo gave a presentation on the characteristics and results of the diploma course before representatives of the 56 higher education institutions from 13 different countries that make up the Network.

“When they informed us that we had been selected to give a presentation in the Recla conference on our experience as an ‘example of success’, we felt proud and we focused on preparing a good presentation, but once we arrived in Montevideo, they told us that we had been selected, together with other five initiatives, out of more than 70 applications. At that moment, we became aware of the true extent of the program,” professor Peredo said.

According to the academic, the participating universities, from countries like Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Spain, Cost Rica and Dominican Republic, showed themselves highly interested in knowing about the model of the program.

“Our diploma course is a continuing education experience developed together by the University Social Responsibility Program and the Department of Agrarian Management. This relation between an administrative unit and an academic one called the attention of all the participants,” he said.

The academic added: “As it is a cost-free diploma course in Chile, a country where there are almost no free programs for students, it also attracted the interest of the universities.”

Another factor that called the attention of the international representatives- he said- was the horizontal and transdisciplinary nature of the experience.

“More than 30 lecturers from different faculties, universities, public and private agencies, together with the administrative team and staff, have made this inclusive project possible. Eagerness and conviction were its only resources in the beginning,” he said.

Finally, professor Peredo said he was pleased and “proud” of the work that they have done for these five consecutive years.

 “A great team work and the constant support of the authorities of our university have allowed us to continue with the program and to contribute to train hundreds of students from different backgrounds, in an inclusive program, unique in the country, that is considered an example for Latin America,” professor Peredo concluded.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• 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 13^th, 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 14^th-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 13^th, 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 14^th, 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

•  In the Fifth Regional Conference of the Latin American and European Continuing Education Network, the Diploma Course on Education for Sustainable Development of Universidad de Santiago was recognized as an example for universities in Latin America and Spain. In Uruguay, professor Santiago Peredo, alternate director of the University Social Responsibility Program gave a presentation on this successful, free and inclusive program before representatives of the 56 institutions that form the Network.

The diploma course given by Universidad de Santiago, particularly by the Department of Agrarian Management of the Technological Faculty, is already in its fifth version and, every year, it has provided more than 100 students with cost-free training in local development and respect for and protection of the environment.

Professor Santiago Peredo, alternate director of the University Social Responsibility Program and director of the Diploma Course on Education for Sustainable Development of Universidad de Santiago, was invited by the Latin American and European Continuing Education Network (Recla, in Spanish), to take part in the regional conference held between April 15^th and April 17^th, in Montevideo, Uruguay.

On the occasion, professor Peredo gave a presentation on the characteristics and results of the diploma course before representatives of the 56 higher education institutions from 13 different countries that make up the Network.

“When they informed us that we had been selected to give a presentation in the Recla conference on our experience as an ‘example of success’, we felt proud and we focused on preparing a good presentation, but once we arrived in Montevideo, they told us that we had been selected, together with other five initiatives, out of more than 70 applications. At that moment, we became aware of the true extent of the program,” professor Peredo said.

According to the academic, the participating universities, from countries like Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Spain, Cost Rica and Dominican Republic, showed themselves highly interested in knowing about the model of the program.

“Our diploma course is a continuing education experience developed together by the University Social Responsibility Program and the Department of Agrarian Management. This relation between an administrative unit and an academic one called the attention of all the participants,” he said.

The academic added: “As it is a cost-free diploma course in Chile, a country where there are almost no free programs for students, it also attracted the interest of the universities.”

Another factor that called the attention of the international representatives- he said- was the horizontal and transdisciplinary nature of the experience.

“More than 30 lecturers from different faculties, universities, public and private agencies, together with the administrative team and staff, have made this inclusive project possible. Eagerness and conviction were its only resources in the beginning,” he said.

Finally, professor Peredo said he was pleased and “proud” of the work that they have done for these five consecutive years.

 “A great team work and the constant support of the authorities of our university have allowed us to continue with the program and to contribute to train hundreds of students from different backgrounds, in an inclusive program, unique in the country, that is considered an example for Latin America,” professor Peredo concluded.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• 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 13^th, 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 14^th-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 13^th, 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 14^th, 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