Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC): Print and digital edition of Vision UC is now available this spring

With spring in the background, a new issue of the university community newspaper, Vision UC, is already circulating . “Academic integrity must be a fundamental pillar that crosses the university’s work”, emphasizes the Academic Vice Chancellor Fernando Purcell, in the editorial dedicated to the challenges of the university’s educational project.

In its printed and digital version, the 297th edition reveals on its cover the three new careers for Admission 2023: Natural Resources Engineering, Bachelor of Computer Science Engineering and Special Education Pedagogy are added to the academic offer with emphasis in interdiscipline.

“With these degrees we expand the training possibilities, we provide professionals for critical areas that are increasingly necessary in society, and we do it with interdisciplinary training proposals, something necessary due to the complexity of current social problems ”, says Academic Vice President Fernando Purcell.

How UC promotes universal access through various improvements in infrastructure is what makes visible a report dedicated to the “Universal Accessibility Plan”. Accessible routes, elevators, bathrooms and parking lots are some of the works that the Infrastructure Department has been carrying out in recent years . “We set ourselves the goal of making the university truly accessible. In other words, we want the access that a person without any disability has to also be available to those who do have it”, says Tomás Dalla Porta, director of this department.

“Academic integrity must be a fundamental pillar that crosses university work” – Fernando Purcell, Academic Vice Chancellor

Through extensive interviews, Vision also reveals the profiles and challenges of the two new deans, Loreto Valenzuela, of Engineering, and Valeria Palanza, of History, Geography, and Political Science . Loreto Valenzuela became the first woman to take office as dean of the Faculty of Engineering in the 130-year history of UC, a milestone not without challenges, such as fostering collaboration and teamwork . “Interdiscipline should be promoted, as well as diversity. The great problems of society are not solved with people all the same, they require different views, and this not only means solving challenges faster, but better, because the impact of engineering is social”, says the dean.

Valeria Palanza, the new dean of History, Geography and Political Science, meanwhile, also wants to promote academic collaboration within a faculty where three institutes coexist . Between 2014 and 2016, she was head of the Ph.D. program in Political Science and, until she was elected dean, she held the position of deputy director and head of the Institute of Political Science. “At a time when collaborative work in academia is so powerful, our faculty is in a unique position to promote that interdiscipline. It’s a strength,” she notes.

And, in terms of training, the UC Spanish Program strengthens its language crusade in its more than 30 years of existence. International students of various nationalities and Afghan refugee families and, soon, Ukrainians, pass through its classrooms. In order to facilitate linguistic and cultural integration, “for UC Spanish professors it is essential to provide guidance and orientation to our international students at UC,” says Gloria Toledo, head of the program.