UC delegation participates in the annual meeting of the Universitas 21 network

Una delegación de la UC liderada por la vicerrectora de Asuntos Internacionales, Lilian Ferrer, participó de un encuentro internacional con universidades líderes del mundo. (Fotografía: Universitas 21)

The Universitas 21 network’s 2024 Annual Global Education and Senior Leaders Meeting was recently held in Shanghai, China, hosted by Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The event brought together authorities and directors from member universities to present advancements in student experience, education, and innovation, including representatives from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

The meeting was attended by Lilian Ferrer, Vice-Rector of International Affairs at UC, as Senior Leader U21, along with Cristian Díaz, Director of Global Mobility, Maribel Flórez, Director of Global Training at UC, and Chantal Jouannet, Director of the UC Teaching Development Center .

The Vice-Rector for International Affairs, Lilian Ferrer, highlighted the prominent presence of the Catholic University of Chile (UC) at this meeting, where the university presented its working model for collaborative global teaching and inclusive international mobility. “Without a doubt, this meeting allowed the UC to showcase its progress in internationalization, integrating the academic sphere and its impact on the student profile. This reinforces our vision of a globalized future that increasingly demands a perspective of professional collaboration that transcends borders,” Ferrer stated, referring to the event.

“This meeting allowed UC to showcase its progress in internationalization, integrating the academic sphere and its impact on the student profile. This reinforces our vision of a globalized future that demands a perspective of professional collaboration that transcends borders.”

– Lilian Ferrer, Vice-Rector of International Affairs, UC

Founded in 1997, the Universitas 21 Network is one of the most important globally and comprises 29 leading universities in the development of new knowledge, research, internationalization, and innovation. The Catholic University of Chile (UC) joined the network in 2012, becoming one of only two Latin American universities in U21. For the first time, the network convened a global meeting of U21 Senior Leaders along with academic and internationalization representatives from member universities to share progress and experiences in the Student Experience and Educational Innovation clusters.

Within the framework of internationalization strategies and policies, a fundamental pillar of the UC Development Plan 2020-2025 , the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile has assumed an active role in implementing globally focused initiatives across curricular, extracurricular, international engagement, and global mobility dimensions. This has positioned the university as one open to global dialogue and collaboration with institutions in other countries.

At the U21 Senior Leaders meeting, Vice-Rector Ferrer led the discussion on the commitment of higher education institutions as agents of dialogue in the face of current global conflicts, emphasizing that UC Chile has focused on creating permanent spaces for reflection and dialogue. The Director of Global Mobility, Cristian Díaz Castro, and the Director of Global Education, Maribel Flórez, conducted two workshops in different clusters, focusing on UC Chile’s track record in internationalization initiatives at home and international mobility.

The future of education in a globalized world

The workshops, delivered by the Directorate of Global Training and the Directorate of Global Mobility, along with other international partners, focused on reflecting on the future and how internationalization work impacts the curriculum and experiences in favor of the personal and professional development of university communities, from an intercultural, inclusive and innovative perspective.

“COIL: Comparing Experiences and Insights from Across the Globe” was the first workshop and aimed to explore the field of Global Teaching Collaborations (COIL), presenting the experience of UC Chile, sharing definitions and examples to build common lines of work as a network.

Maribel Flórez, Director of Global Training, led the workshop on behalf of UC Chile and highlighted this space as a valuable opportunity to compare experiences and build a path to enhance this methodology in the network and its value in developing global skills.

La directora de Formación Global UC, Maribel Flórez y el director de Movilidad Global UC, Cristian Díaz, realizaron dos talleres durante el encuentro sobre estrategias de movilidad inclusiva y docencia global.

“It is extremely gratifying to see how today we, as UC Chile, can lead a workshop on global teaching in a network as important as U21, and seek ways to meet with other member universities to improve based on shared experiences,” said Maribel Flórez.

“It is extremely gratifying to see how today we, as UC Chile, can lead a workshop on global teaching in a network as important as U21, and seek ways to connect with other member universities to improve based on shared experiences.”

– Maribel Flórez, Director of Global Training

Cristian Díaz, director of Global Mobility, represented the UC in the workshop “From Chile to New Zealand: Case Studies for Enhancing International Experiences for Indigenous Students and Students with Disabilities.”

With a focus on inclusion, interculturality, and innovation, UC has been a pioneer in developing mobility programs aimed at diversifying access pathways for students from Indigenous communities or with disabilities. This workshop presented real-world examples from the institution and how planned interaction among university stakeholders, combined with design thinking methodologies (a methodology that seeks to propose solutions based on challenges), has resulted in success stories in mobility programs, especially for groups of students with disabilities or from Indigenous communities.

The workshop generated various conversations among the participants about the challenges that arise when thinking about global mobility from an approach of equity, interculturality and inclusion, inviting them to continue working collaboratively among partners in a global commitment to these fundamental axes for higher education of the present and the future.

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