• Universidad de Santiago was ranked among the 200 best higher education institutions worldwide in the subjects of Linguistics, Sociology, and Art and Design, according to the prestigious British QS Rankings. 

In the fields of Linguistics, Sociology, and Art and Design, Universidad de Santiago de Chile is among the 200 best higher education institutions of the world, according to the QS Rankings. The British consultant company Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), included 4,438 universities from around the world and on this occasion it classified them by study subjects.

In this way, in the subject of Linguistics, Universidad de Santiago was featured in the 151-200 rank, sharing that position with Universidad de Chile, behind Universidad Católica (101-150). Universidad de Santiago was also positioned in that rank in the subjects of Sociology and Art and Design, ahead of universities like George Washington University, Boston College, Beijing Normal University and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, among others.

The university was also ranked in subjects like Education and Training, Agriculture and Forestry and Modern Languages (201-250); Mathematics (301-350); Chemistry (401-450), and Medicine and Physics and Astronomy (451-500).

With regard to broader subject areas, Universidad de Santiago stood out in the area of “Arts and Humanities”, as it was ranked in the 360^th place worldwide, ahead of North Carolina State University (362), Washington State University (362) and the University of Westminster (376), among others. At a Latin American level, Universidad de Santiago was ranked in the 11^th place, ahead of Universidad Diego Portales (381) and Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (399). Universidad Autónoma de México was at the top of the Latin American ranking.

Although on this occasion QS did not deliver an overall average ranking, in 2016 Universidad de Santiago was ranked in the third place nationwide, behind Universidad Católica de Chile and Universidad de Chile.

Methodology

The QS survey involves 46 study subjects and universities in 128 different countries. The essential indicators include both employer and academic reputation and citations per paper/faculty and paper productivity and impact.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• The 2016 International Conference of the National Association of Universities and Higher Education Institutions was held at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. On the occasion, Dr Juan Manuel Zolezzi, President of Universidad de Santiago de Chile and President of the Montevideo Group Association of Universities met with different authorities, like the Secretary of Public Education of Mexico, Aurelio Nuño Mayer.

The second International Conference of the National Association of Universities and Higher Education Institutions (ANUIES) was held at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM, in Spanish) between November 07^thand 11^th. The main topic of the activity was “Higher Education in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

The ANUIES- formed by 179 institutions- has the goal of promoting debate and discussion on current challenges in higher education and the exchange of experiences and good practices among authorities, academics and students from different higher education institutions in charge of public policies, with the contribution of representatives of international organizations.

In his capacity as President of the Montevideo Group Association (AUGM, in Spanish), Dr Juan Manuel Zolezzi Cid, President of Universidad de Santiago de Chile said, “I am very proud of being involved in the analysis of the contributions that all higher education institutions make to meet the goals set by the Agenda for Sustainable Development for 2030.”

With regard to the meetings that Dr Zolezzi had with different authorities, like Aurelio Nuño Mayer, Secretary of Public Education of Mexico, and Claudia Ruiz Massieu Salinas, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the same country, Dr Zolezzi said that they had the possibility of analyzing together the importance of having a quality education that is directly related to science, technology, innovation and the future of sustainable development.

Becoming bridges between knowledge and national demands

With regard to the conference, the Executive Secretary General of ANUIES, Jaime Valls Esponda said, “This is a meeting in which participants exchange ideas, visions and proposals in relation to key issues in higher education and, particularly, to the social responsibility that higher education institutions must take to contribute to the goals of sustainable development.”

For his part, Enrique Graue Wiechers, President of the UNAM, the institution that hosted the conference on this occasion, said, “We share the goal of boosting and improving the educational system, because we are all concerned about the quality of curricula, academic coverage, institutional funding and regulations, promotion of culture and outreach and engagement”. “We must understand our institutions as connecting bridges between knowledge and the demands of the countries where we live in,” he concluded.

In this context, President Zolezzi also participated in the 2^nd Summit of Presidents of Councils of Rectors of EU-CELAC countries.

• According to the international survey, this state and public university is in the 18^th place in the Latin American ranking, ahead of Universidad Católica de Valparaíso and Universidad de Concepción, among others.

   

  According to the QS Rankings, Universidad de Santiago de Chile is the third best university in Chile. Universidad Católica leads the ranking, followed by Universidad de Chiles.

  In Latin America, Universidad de Santiago was ranked in the 18^th place, one position below the previous survey. The study involved 4,322 universities out of which 916 were evaluated.

  On this occasion, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in USA, led the world ranking and Universidad de Buenos Aires, led the Latin American ranking (85^th place worldwide). Universidad de Santiago was featured in the 471-480 rank, ahead of institutions in India, Italy, USA, Germany and Canada. The survey includes six essential indicators: academic reputation, citations per paper/faculty, faculty/student ratio, employer reputation, and international student and international faculty ratio.

  As regards the employer reputation, Universidad de Santiago was ranked in the 156^th place worldwide, and concerning the academic reputations, the university was in the 233^th place.

  Other Chilean universities included in the ranking are the following: Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (601-650), Universidad de Concepción (601-650), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (651-700) and Universidad Austral, Universidad de Valparaíso, Universidad Diego Portales and Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María.

   

  Translated by Marcela Contreras

• During the ceremony, President Dr Juan Manuel Zolezzi invited the university community to be part of the debate over the Higher Education Reform Bill.

On July 06^th, Universidad de Santiago de Chile celebrated its 167^th anniversary in a ceremony held at the Aula Magna. The ceremony was attended by authorities, academics, administrative staff and students.

In his speech during the ceremony, President Juan Manuel Zolezzi invited the university community to be part of the debate over the Higher Education Reform Bill.

“This is a historic time. We have achieved major progress, but we still have big challenges to face. One of them is, undoubtedly, the Higher Education Reform Bill that has just been introduced in the Congress,” he said.

Dr Zolezzi expressed his concerns about the future of this reform. “Now that we have examined the Educational Reform Draft, we cannot feel satisfied with or committed to it. I am concerned about this,” he said.

According to President Zolezzi, the bill, as it is now, “confirms a market model funded by the State. It does not strengthen public education. It does not take care of State universities. On the contrary, more resources are allocated to private universities, professional institutes and technical training centers.”

Awards

After President’s Zolezzi speech, members of the university community were awarded President Manuel Bulnes medals for their 10, 20, 30 or 40 years of service at this institution. It is important to mention that Professor Fernando Henríquez Barrientos, at the Department of Mining Engineering, was awarded the gold medal for his 50 years of service.

Besides, the best student of each faculty and school of the university received an award in recognition of his/her high academic achievements, and eight academics were made full professors.

To close he ceremony, the Orchestra of the University performed for the audience, under the direction of master Nicolas Rauss.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

To date, 178 people have signed in support of the nomination of Dr Julio Pinto, historian at Universidad de Santiago de Chile, to the National Prize of History.

The nomination of Dr Julio Pinto to the National Award of History 2016 has had a strong support. The name of the awardee will be informed by the corresponding jury during the first week of August.

To date, 178 people have signed in his support, including 160 academics in Chile and abroad, like Gabriel Salazar and Jorge Pinto, both recipients of the National Prize of History in 2006 and 2012, respectively, and Manuel Antonio Garretón, National Prize of Social Sciences in 2007.

Other supporters include university presidents like Juan Manuel Zolezzi Cid (Universidad de Santiago de Chile), Nibaldo Avilés Pizarro (Universidad de La Serena), Óscar Garrido Álvarez (Universidad de Los Lagos), Juan Oyarzo Pérez, (Universidad de Magallanes), Luis Pinto Faverio, (Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana), and Sergio Bravo Escobar Universidad de La Frontera).

Besides, the list includes 10 institutions, 7 associations, 61 academics of foreign universities and more than 91 historians and social scientists of national universities.

The deadline for the submission of proposals closed on June 29^th. Other nominees are Dr Sol Serrano Pérez, María Victoria Castro Rojas, Luz María Méndez Beltrán, and Dr Bernardo Arriaza Torres.

Dr Pinto’s vast experience

Dr Cristina Moyano Barahona, Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Studies of the Faculty of Humanities of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, believes that Dr Pinto is very likely to be awarded the prize for his impeccable career.

“The prize would confirm his fruitful professional career that has had an impact in Chile and across the Southern Cone,” she says. “He is one of the most important Latin Americanists worldwide.”

Dr Pinto has also studied different subjects related to social matters, the conformation of the Chilean State and the Unidad Popular process. The prize would recognize his important role as a researcher and as a collaborator in different processes of curriculum development for history teaching conducted by the Ministry of Education.

“Besides, he has participated in the training of advanced human capital and he is one of the few Latin Americans who are part of the editorial boards of Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press, two of the most important publishing houses in the fields of History and Social Sciences,” Dr Moyano says.

“He is brilliant and fully committed to public and secular education. For these reasons, I think he is the right person to receive the prize in the educational context in which we are today,” she concludes.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

​

List of supporters of Dr. Julio Pinto’s nomination to the National Prize of History

University Presidents 

1. Juan Manuel Zolezzi, Universidad de Santiago de Chile.

2. Nibaldo Avilés Pizarro, Universidad de La Serena.

3. Oscar Garrido Álvarez, Universidad de Los Lagos.

4. Juan Oyarzo Pérez, Universidad de Magallanes.

5. Luis Pinto Faverio, Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana

6. Sergio Bravo Escobar, Universidad de La Frontera

Institutions

7. Departamento de Historia, Universidad de Santiago de Chile.

8. Departamento de Historia, Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación.

9. Escuela de Historia, Academia de Humanismo Cristiano

10. Escuela de Historia, Universidad Diego Portales.

11. Departamento de Ciencias Históricas  y Geográficas de la Universidad de Tarapacá

12. Claustro Académico Instituto de Historia y Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Valparaíso.

13. Pedagogía en Historia, Geografía y Ciencias Sociales, Universidad Católica de Temuco.

14. Instituto de Estudios Peruanos.

15. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad Academia de Humanismo Cristiano.

16. Colegio San Agustín de Atacama

Associations

17. Proyecto Anillos: Patrimonio Industrial, formas de habitar colectivo en el sur de Chile.

18. Asociación de profesores de Historia y Geografía e Investigadores Locales de Collipullo, “Andes del Sur”.

19. Grupo de Historia al Debate.

20. Grupo Krisis, Copiapó

21. Grupo Krisis, La Serena

22. Pedro Portugal Mollinedo, Periódico Pukará.

23. Marta Matamala, Presidenta FEUSACH.

National Prize Recipients

24. Gabriel Salazar, Premio Nacional de Historia 2006.

25. Jorge Pinto, Premio Nacional de Historia 2012.

26. Manuel Antonio Garretón, Premio Nacional de Ciencias Sociales 2007.

Academics of Foreign Universities

27. Carlos Astarita, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina

28. Robert Austin, University of Sidney, Australia

29. Ángeles Barrios, Universidad de Cantabria, España

30. Ernesto Boholavsky, Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento, Argentina.

31. María Celia Bravo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Argentina

32. Fernando Barba, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina.

33. Carlos Correa Carranza, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú

34. Magdalena Cajías de la Vega, Cónsul General del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia en Chile.

35. Alejandro Cárcamo Mansilla, Instituto de Estudios Latinoamericanos, Universidad Libre de Berlín, Alemania.

36. Marta Casaus Arzu, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, España

37. Julian Chaves Palacios, Universidad de Extremadura, España.

38. Paul Drake, Universidad de California, Estados Unidos

39. Felipe Falcao, Universidad do Estado de Santa Catarina, Brasil

40. Raúl Fradkin, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina

41. Marina Franco, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Argentina.

42. Ana Frega, Universidad de la República, Uruguay

43. Patricia Flier, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina.

44. Alexandre Ferraz Herbetta, Universidad Federal de Goias, Brasil

45. Carmen González Martínez, Universidad de Murcia, España

46. Jorge Gelman, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.

47. Richard Gott, Universidad de Londres, Inglaterra

48. Midori Hayashi, Universidad Rikkyo, Japón

49. El Hassane Arabi, Universidad Mohamed Primero, Marruecos

50. Inés Herrera Canales, INAH, México

51. Mbuyi Kabunda, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, España

52. Brian Loveman, San Diego State University, Estados Unidos

53. Amado Luiz Cervo, Universidad de Brasilia, Brasil.

54. María Monserrat Llairó, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina

55. Florencia Mallon, Universidad de Wisconsin, Estados Unidos

56. Miguel Ángel Manzano Rodríguez, Universidad de Salamanca, España

57. José María Minguez, Universidad de Salamanca, España

58. Silvina Mondragón, Universidad del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires

59. Aldo Marchesi, Universidad de La República, Uruguay

60. Carmen Mc Evoy, Universidad de California, Estados Unidos

61. Pedro Martínez Lillo, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, España

62. Carlos Marichal Salinas, Colegio de México, México

63. Mariana Moreno Castillo, Universidad de Sao Paulo

64. Fabiana Nahuelquir, Universidad del Comahue, Argentina

65. Pablo Ospina Peralta, Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar.

66. Manuel Ortiz, Universidad de Castilla La Mancha, España

67. Jody Pavilack, University of Montana, Estados Unidos

68. Rodolfo Porrini, Universidad de La República, Uruguay

69. Pablo Pozzi, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina

70. María Ligia Prado Coelho, Universidad de Sao Paulo, Brasil

71. Rodrigo Patto Sa Motta, Universidad Federal de Minas Gerais

72. Nielsen de Paula Pires, Universidad Federal de la Integración Latinoamericana, Brasil

73. Jesús Redondo Cardeñoso, Universidad de Évora, Portugal

74. José Ragas, Cornell University, Estados Unidos

75. Álvaro Soto Carmona, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, España

76. Steve Stern, Universidad de Wisconsin, Estados Unidos

77. Manuel Suarez Cortina, Universidad de Cantabria, España

78. Denisse Sepúlveda Sánchez, Universidad de Manchester

79. Heidi Tinsman, Universidad de California, Irvine, Estados Unidos

80. Samantha Viz Quadrat, Universidad Federal Fluminense, Brasil

81. Sebastiao Vargas, Universidad Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil

82. Peter Winn, Tufts University, Estados Unidos

83. Mariana Moreno Castillo, Universidad de Sao Paulo, Brasil

84. Stéphane Boisard, Université Fédérale de Touluse, Francia.

85. Ada Marina Jara Meza, Universidad de Guanajuato

86. Uh Sung Kim, Universidad de Estudios Extranjeros, Corea

87. Antonieta Conde Marquina, Investigador Independiente, Perú

Historians and Social Scientists of National Universities

88. Antonio Aravena, Universidad Alberto Hurtado.

89. César Albornoz, Universidad Alberto Hurtado.

90. Nibaldo Avilés Pizarro, Universidad de La Serena

91. Fabián Bustamante Olguín, Universidad Arturo Prat

92. Alejandro Bancalari, Universidad de Concepción

93. Alejandra Brito Peña, Universidad de Concepción

94. Guillermo Bravo Acevedo, Academia Nacional de Estudios Políticos y Estratégicos

95. Álvaro Bello Maldonado, Universidad de La Frontera

96. José Joaquín Brunner, Universidad Diego Portales

97. Pablo Artaza Barrios, Universidad de Chile

98. Luis Campos Muñoz, Universidad Academia de Humanismo Cristiano

99. José Tomás Cornejo, Universidad Andrés Bello

100. Azún Candina Polomer, Universidad de Chile

101. Vasco Castillo, Universidad Diego Portales

102. José Luis Cabrera Llancaqueo, Universidad Arcis

103. Nelson Castro, Universidad Viña del Mar

104. Eduardo Devés Valdés, Universidad de Santiago de Chile

105. Evguenia Fediakova, Universidad de Santiago de Chile

106. Marcos Fernández Labbé, Universidad Alberto Hurtado

107. Consuelo Figueroa Caravagno, Universidad Diego Portales

108. Claudio Fuentes Saavedra, Universidad Diego Portales

109. Cristián Garay Vera, Universidad de Santiago de Chile

110. José González Pizarro, Universidad Católica del Norte

111. Sergio Grez Toso, Universidad de Chile

112. Oscar Garrido Álvarez, Universidad de los Lagos

113. Ángel Gordo Molina, Universidad de Playa Ancha

114. Manuel Gárate Chateau, Universidad Alberto Hurtado

115. Viviana Gallardo Porras, Universidad Academia de Humanismo Cristiano

116. Yéssica González Gómez, Universidad de La Frontera

117. Jessabel Guamán, Universidad de Chile

118. Marco González Martínez, Universidad de Chile

119. Rodrigo Henríquez Vásquez, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

120. Samuel Herrera Balboa, Universidad de La Frontera

121. María Cecilia Hernández, Universidad del Bio Bio

122. Camilo Jara Vásquez, Universidad de Concepción

123- Luis Le Blanc Valenzuela, Universidad de Tarapacá

124. Leonardo Mazzei de Grazia, Academia Chilena de la Historia

125. Danny Monsálvez Araneda, Universidad de Concepción

126. Víctor Muñoz Tamayo, Universidad Católica Silva Henríquez

127. Mario Matus González, Universidad de Chile

128. Manuel Mieres Chacaltana, Universidad Católica de Temuco

129. Eduardo Ortiz Romero, Universidad de Santiago de Chile

130. Mathias Órdenes Delgado, Universidad Católica de Temuco

131. Daniel Palma Alvarado, Universidad Alberto Hurtado

132. Cristián Parker Gumucio, Universidad de Santiago de Chile

133. Juan Carlos Painequeo, Universidad de Concepción

134. Gonzalo Padilla Vilches, Universidad de La Frontera

135. Juan Porma Orate, Universidad de La Frontera

136. Máximo Quitral Rojas, Universidad Arturo Prat

137. Cristina Quezada Rodríguez, Universidad Alberto Hurtado

138. Jorge Rojas Flores, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

139. Rodrigo Rocha, Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación

140. César Ross Orellana, Universidad de Santiago de Chile

141. Ricardo Riveros Baeza, Universidad Pedro de Valdivia

142. Javier Reyes Soto, Fundación Nacional para la Superación de la Pobreza

143. Rodrigo Ulloa, DAEM Concepción

144. Samuel San Juan Rebolledo, Universidad de Santiago de Chile

145. Alessandro Santoni, Universidad de Santiago de Chile

146. Kirsten Sehbruch, Universidad Diego Portales

147. Ana María Stuven, Universidad Diego Portales – Pontificia Universidad de Santiago de Chile

148. Cristián Suazo, Universidad de Concepción

149. Andrés Sáez Geoffroy, Universidad de la Frontera

150. Pablo Toro Blanco, Universidad Alberto Hurtado

151. Manuel Vicuña Urrutia, Universidad Diego Portales

152. Augusto Varas Fernández, Fundación Quitas.

153. Horacio Walker Larraín, Universidad Diego Portales

154. María Soledad Zárate Campos, Universidad Alberto Hurtado

155. Sofía Correa Sutil, Universidad de  Chile

156. María Elisa Fernández Navarro, Universidad de Chile

157. María Angélica Illanes, Oliva, Universidad Austral

158. Jaime Flores Chávez, Universidad de La Frontera

159. Carla Rivera, Universidad de Santiago de Chile.

160. Alfredo Joignant, Universidad Diego Portales

161. Javier Couso, Universidad Diego Portales

162. María Emilia Tijoux, Universidad de Chile

163. Carlos Ruiz Encina, Universidad de Chile

164. Patrick Puigmal, Universidad de Los Lagos.

165. Alberto Díaz, Universidad de Tarapacá.

166. Pedro Canales Tapia, Universidad de Viña del Mar.

167. Jacqueline Gysling Caselli

168. Alicia Frohmann, Instituto de Estudios Internacionales, Universidad de Chile.

169. Patricio Navia, Universidad Diego Portales

170. Jorge Rueda Castro, Universidad de Santiago de Chile.

171. Elizabeth Lira Kornfeld, Universidad Alberto Hurtado

172. Félix Briones, Universidad del Bio Bio

173. Jorge Larraín, Universidad Alberto Hurtado

174. Martin Hopenhayn, CEPAL

175. Olga Ulianova, Universidad de Santiago de Chile

176. Carlos Sandoval, Fundación Educador Paulo Freire, Universidad Metropolitana de ciencias de la Educación.

177. Javier Pinedo, Universidad de Talca.

178. Marcela Cubillos, Instituto de Historia y Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Valparaíso

• According to this international survey that included the 300 best universities in Latin America, Universidad de Santiago de Chile was ranked the 17^th place in the region, before other universities like Universidad Católica de Valparaíso and Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, among others.

Universidad de Santiago de Chile is in the fourth place nationwide in the ranking of Latin American universities 2016, according to Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), the international company specializing in education.  Universidad Católica de Chile led the survey, followed by Universidad de Chile and Universidad de Concepción.

In Latin America, Universidad de Santiago was ranked the 17^th place, falling one place since the 2015 ranking. The survey included 300 Latin American Universities and it was topped by Universidade de Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

QS highlights that four Chilean higher education institutions are considered “among the elite of Latin America”, as they were ranked among the 20 best regional universities. Other Chilean universities included were the following: Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (31), Universidad Austral (36), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (37), Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María (43), Universidad Diego Portales (46), Universidad de Valparaíso (76) and Universidad Católica del Norte (94).

The QS University Rankings Latin America is based on a methodology that evaluates universities according to different criteria, “recognizing the particular opportunities and challenges of each university in its own context to become regional and global institutions.” The survey included more than 40 subjects and criteria like academic and employer reputation, faculty/student ratio, citations per paper and papers per faculty, among others. It is worth to mention that Universidad de Santiago de Chile was ranked the tenth place in academic reputation in Latin America.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• Researchers, professors, students and authorities of Universidad de Santiago de Chile participated in the ceremony in which the American professor and researcher Michael W. Apple was awarded a degree honoris causa.

   

  Michael W. Apple is one of the most prominent representatives of the Critical Pedagogy approach. He has been considered among the most influential figures in the field of education of the 20^th century, particularly for his research on ideology and curriculum and the development of democratic schools in addition to his questioning over neoliberal education.

  He is currently the John Bascom Professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin, USA, where he has done an extensive work in relation to power, knowledge and school. 

  In the ceremony, President Juan Manuel Zolezzi Cid and General Secretary Gustavo Robles Labarca awarded Dr Apple the Universidad de Santiago de Chile’s gold medal and diploma that certifies this high academic distinction.

  Master class

  On the occasion, Dr Apple gave the master class “Educational Realities and the Role of the Critical Educator”. “Neoliberal and conservative policies have had many impacts on schools, promoting the idea that public is bad and private is good. It is a form of censorship, a lack of respect for those who work for the public sector. Don’t they have the possibility of deciding about this?” the expert said. 

  In this context, he referred to the powerful groups that define the knowledge that has to be transmitted. “There is a similar situation occurring in Chile. Education has become a space for struggle, where controlling groups try to reduce criticism. All policies acknowledge that there is a crisis in education, but these groups have used this speech to move the debate to their own ground and for their own benefit.”

  With regard to what he described as an agreement on what is to be considered as official knowledge, he said that important questions should not be hidden. “What are we teaching and to whom are we teaching? In Education we should ask questions constantly. If we do not understand why students and teachers are upset, then we cannot give answers. We should empathize with the social and political context. In addition to criticizing, we should provide alternatives.”

  He finally suggested “Understanding that we are not perfect and that we need to work collectively. Neoliberalism will anyway attempt to change our identities so that we see ourselves individually.”

  “If we allow capital and the governments to destroy our memories, things will get worse very quickly,” Dr Apple said. 

  Commitment to inclusion and democratization

  President Zolezzi said that the University decided to award Dr Apple a degree honoris causa “Because of his countless merits and contributions and for  some of his works that have had a world impact.”

  In addition to stressing the importance some of his written works, president Zolezzi said that he appreciated the strong commitment Dr Apple has with professors that seek to democratize research, politics and education practices. He described this commitment as an inspiration, “Because he encourages us to train teachers who constantly question themselves about their pedagogical practices and who are aware of their potential as agents of social change.”

  Translated by Marcela Contreras

• The highest authority of Universidad de Santiago de Chile will lead for the following term the Montevideo Group Association of Universities, a network formed by 31 public institutions in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Dr Juan Manuel Zolezzi Cid, President of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, is the unanimously elected new president of the Montevideo Group Association of Universities for the May 2016-May 2017 term.

The handover ceremony was held at Universidad de Santiago, with the attendance of diplomatic guests, higher education authorities and representatives of the Council of Rectors of this entity.

Dr Eduardo Rivero, President of Universidad San Francisco Xavier de Chuquisaca of Bolivia, was unanimously elected vice-president.

This year, this association of state, public, autonomous and self-governing institutions will celebrate 25 years of its foundation. 

New challenges

“We need to strengthen higher education with regard to teaching, scientific research, technological innovation, and outreach and engagement, involving universities, research centers, productive sectors, governments and society all together,” Dr Zolezzi said. He also referred to the need for “establishing a policy for relations with other networks.”

Regarding the national context, Dr Zolezzi said: “As state and public universities, we have made efforts so that the country can declare again education as a social right and not as a consumer good. Higher education cannot be determined by the supply and demand criteria that govern the market’s logic.” 

A new state and public development hub

Having in mind the challenges faced by the state and public universities of the region and reaffirming their commitment, with a special emphasis upon strengthening the Latin American and Caribbean Higher Education Space, the university presidents of AUGM confirmed a new step to favor inclusion, equity, social cohesion and cultural diversity: the new Escuela Internacional de Postgrados (International School for Graduate Studies).

The Escuela Internacional de Postgrados will be located in Valparaíso, Chile, in a heritage building recently acquired by the AUGM. In its first stage, the school will be focused on promoting education and culture.

Strengthening student and teacher exchange

According to Dr Eduardo Rivero, president of Universidad San Francisco Xavier de Chuquisaca of Bolivia and current AUGM’s Vicepresident, “it is important to strengthen student and teacher exchange, but not only at an undergraduate level. The Escuela Internacional de Postgrados will allow us to include more teachers and in turn, respond to the needs of our countries.”

“Being part of the Montevideo Group is something important. It is one of the most recognized networks worldwide and it could include other universities. It is important that institutions grow, buy it is even more significant the impact they may have on society,” he said.

It will be a center to promote development, research and innovation that will allow increasing student and teacher exchange among the 30 state universities that are part of this network.

In the past 13 years, the AUGM has enabled the exchange of 5,000 students. Besides its 26 research groups distributed in Academic Committees and Think Tanks that involve different areas of scientific knowledge, the AUGM organizes the Jornadas de Jóvenes Investigadores (Young Researchers Conference) that have gathered 500 students in the past 5 years.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• According to this prestigious international survey that includes more than 4,000 universities, our university is the third best higher education institution in Chile. In South America, it is in the 14^th place, just like in 2015, ahead of Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Universidad de Concepción and Universidad Diego Portales, among others. Data provided by the survey show that our university stands out in subjects like Education and Training, English Language and Literature, and Mathematics.

The QS World University Rankings 2016 included Universidad de Santiago de Chile in the 451-460 rank, ahead of New York University (USA), University of Lisbon (Portugal), Michigan Technological University (USA), Bielefeld University (Germany) and the University of Houston (USA), among others.

According to the survey that includes more than 4,000 higher education institutions worldwide, our university kept the third place nationwide, just like in 2015, after Universidad Católica de Chile (170) and Universidad de Chile (209).

Universidad de Santiago was also ranked ahead of other Chilean institutions like Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Universidad de Concepción and Universidad Diego Portales, among others.

The well-known ranking states that Universidad the Santiago particularly stands out in English Language and Literature, a subject in which it is featured in the 251-300 rank, and also in Mathematics (301-350).

Universidad de Buenos Aires (Argentina) led the South American ranking, followed by Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil) and Universidad Católica de Chile. Our university kept the 14^th place in the region, just like in 2015.

The QS University Rankings survey 42 subjects and other indicators like academic and employer reputation, student-to-faculty ratio, citations per faculty and others. On this occasion, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, was ranked the best higher education institution worldwide.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• Students with unemployed parents, students from low income households, single mothers or students who have to work to support their families: this is the situation of more than 2,300 youngsters who entered Universidad de Santiago this year, thanks to the tuition-free education program enacted by the Government. All of them have something in common: they had lost all hope of pursuing higher education.

This important benefit bridges gaps and opens new paths to inclusion and promotes equity and social mobility, confirming that education is a right and not a consumer good.

“As a mother, I thought I had to quit my future, because you cannot afford a degree when you are paid the minimum wage. My parents could not help me either. This is as a godsend, because the possibility of studying at no cost was just a beautiful aspiration,” Eillene Zúñiga, a student at the Computing and Informatics Engineering program, said.

“I come from another university and this is an incentive to complete my program. I am being provided with the tools I require to focus on studying,” Gustavo Hurtado, a student at the Informatics Civil Engineering program, said.

“It is important to us to have access to tuition-free education, without grants or complementary loans, because you start feeling that education- although the benefit is still  for some students- is for us, that it is not a business for which we have to pay millions,” Catalina Yáñez, another student at the Informatics Civil Engineering program, said.

For his part, Alejandro Marín says that his father is currently unemployed, so he could not think of any possibility of entering the university. “This will help me to focus on studying and my only goal will be to complete the Publicity program,” he said.

Finally, Alejandra Gallardo’s case is not different from the ones above. She is the first person of her family to enter higher education. “I am very happy. I have never thought of it, as my mother works at a fruit and vegetable market. She considers attending the Building Technology program a “big challenge”.

Thanks to the tuition-free education program enacted by the Government, they have now the possibility of pursuing higher education.

Translated by Marcela Contreras