Author: SG CSUCA

Closing Ceremony of the Diploma in Economic Integration

Central America, November 18, 2022

Today marked the end of the Diploma in Economic Integration, which aimed to train more than 160 teachers from the universities that make up the Central American University Confederation, with the purpose of integrating university teachers into the subject in order to be able to replicate the importance of integration in the students of the public universities of the SICA region.  This initiative being one of the actions to be carried out collaboratively between SIECA and CSUCA.

In her closing remarks, Edith Flores, Director of the SIECA Center for Knowledge Generation Studies, expressed the importance of the diploma program in economic integration, noting that it is now a valuable tool for a significant group of teachers. She stated, “The goal was to promote economic integration among the faculty of the universities that make up CSUCA. This training activity involved 181 teachers, with the aim of making economic integration available as an input for the new generation of experts who will lead the states of the region.”.

For his part, Carlos Alvarado, Secretary General of CSUCA, called on the participants to share their impressions of the diploma course, taking into account that this is only the first step in a collaborative effort with SIECA.,  “The opportunity was seen to exchange efforts through this training exchange, allowing the necessary changes for the Central American region, building a representative space of substantive aspects, where we have a meeting point between peace and justice in our societies,” mentioning that this exchange generates greater articulation that promotes its own discourse of integration, being a true development in the face of joint collaboration scenarios.

The closing ceremony culminated with two conferences, the first being “State of the Central American Economic Integration Process, Perspectives” by Edith Flores, Director of the Center for Knowledge Generation Studies of SIECA, and the second “Initiatives and Importance of Central American Integration in Higher Education” by Francisco Alarcón, Deputy Secretary General and Academic Director of CSUCA.

XXVI Meeting of SIIDCA

On Thursday, November 10, the XXVI meeting of the Central American Integrated Documentary Information System -SIIDCA- was held virtually, with the purpose of consolidating the interconnection processes of the Library Systems of the universities that make up the Central American Higher University Council.

SIIDCA seeks to enrich the collections, strengthen the services to offer information that responds to the needs of the university community, giving special attention to the control, digitization, safeguarding and dissemination of the Central American university institutional memory.

Among the actions carried out at this meeting, the conference “CSUCA Perspectives on the Challenge of Open Science” was presented by Francisco Alarcón, Deputy Secretary General of the Central American Higher University Council, as well as the presentation of the report of the General Secretariat of CSUCA, by Aníbal Martínez, Director of Administration, Finance and Management of CSUCA.

To generate this meeting, it was sought to work from two spaces within which the work has been developed collaboratively, the first being a space for the directors of libraries where the objective 4 of the program “Research, science, technology and innovation for integration and regional development” of the Fifth Plan for the Regional Integration of higher education in Central America and the Dominican Republic was presented, as well as the presentation of the report on repositories and collective catalogs and new competencies in the services of hybrid Libraries.

Within the second space, a space was created for computer scientists and catalogers where they presented the monitoring and tracking of the repository and collective catalog by country, as well as the update of the metadata guide. They also reviewed the cataloging section of the metadata policy guide, with the aim of presenting proposals to organize the metadata guide.

Finally, the report on computer scientists and catalogers in the joint space was presented, and the agreements from this important meeting were developed.

IV REDCUPS

During the days of November 9, 10 and 11, the IV Meeting of the Central American and Caribbean Network of Health Promoting Universities -REDCCUPS- is taking place with the purpose of generating a space for cooperation, exchange of experiences and knowledge to promote the Health Promoting Universities movement among the higher education institutions of the Central American Higher University Council -CSUCA-.

To open the meeting, Ayax Irías, Vice-Rector of Student Affairs and Guidance at the National Autonomous University of Honduras, spoke, saying, “We hope that this event will foster and generate a rich and beneficial exchange of experiences that consolidates strategic alliances between universities and local governments, deepening the processes of intra- and inter-university integration.”.

For his part, Carlos Alvarado, Secretary General of CSUCA, stated in his address that “Through the network of health-promoting universities, institutional foundations of support and collaboration are created to become healthy universities,” referring to the collaborative work that exists at the regional level through the 24 public universities that make up CSUCA and that is generated through its various systems. Meanwhile, Jorge Cortez, President of the Regional Council for Student Life, reflected, “The issue of mental health is important; that is what we must focus on: having well-rounded students who can maintain good health for their academic development,” taking into account the crisis that the pandemic caused in the mental health of the world's population. At the same time, Piedad Huerta, PAHO representative in Honduras, commended the role that universities have played in the development of the COVID-19 pandemic, stating, “It is important to promote health from within universities.”.

To conclude the opening remarks, Francisco Herrera, Rector of the National Autonomous University of Honduras, commented that "Prevention is not Latin America's strong suit, so the formation of these networks obliges us to prepare the university community on this issue," mentioning the importance of universities and their support in contributing to the development of Central American societies.

The Meeting is being held in a hybrid format, with in-person sessions at the National Autonomous University of Honduras, featuring 12 presentations, which cover topics such as “Student Leaders in Health: An Experience from the University of Panama”, “A Bonus in a Pandemic: Promoting Health and Self-Care in the Face of the COVID-19 Health Crisis”, “Empathy and Synergy: Pillars in the Training of Student Leaders in Health”, “Back Again! Experience of the Costa Rican Network of Health Promoting Universities, Post-COVID-19 Pandemic”, among others.

This meeting seeks to establish the National Networks of Health Promoting Universities, the integration, implementation and execution of a Regional Action Plan, as well as to promote research in the health promotion component in the universities that make up the REDCCUPS and the National Networks of Health Promoting Universities of the CSUCA.

 

LIII General Assembly of SICEVAES

The 8th and 9th of November 2022 gave rise to the development of the LIII General Assembly of the Central American System of Evaluation and Harmonization of Higher Education -SICEVAES-, which brings together Vice-Rectors and Directors of Teaching from the universities of CSUCA.

SICEVAES is the system that promotes a culture of quality, evaluation, and accountability to society in member universities, using evaluation and accreditation as a strategy for managing change, modernization, and improvement of universities.

The opening of the General Assembly included the participation of Francisco González, President of CSUCA and Rector of the National University of Costa Rica, who stated, “As CSUCA, we are about to celebrate 75 years of working on higher education at the regional level, being the oldest institution working on integration in the region. This should encourage us to recognize our actions and the role of higher education for our societies.”.

For his part, Felipe Alpízar, President of SICEVAES and Vice-Rector of Teaching at the University of Costa Rica, stated, “We are beginning the assembly of this body, where I hope that the challenges facing our universities will be discussed, taking into account that activities began yesterday with the University Education Workshop, “Innovating in a Simple and Fruitful Way,” which demonstrates that the innovation that unites us today is the result of a scenario that allows us to share our ideas.”.

The session will include the presentation of the conference “Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Educational Practices (OEP), as well as a dialogue between the members of SICEVAES and the participants of the University Education Workshop, in order to present the results obtained from said meeting of teachers.

Also, a report will be presented by the General Secretariat of CSUCA on the project “Strengthening inclusive science and innovation systems in Latin America through a collaborative research network”, the election of members of the Technical Commission and the work in permanent commissions by strategic objective.

It is important to note that the General Assembly is being held in a hybrid format with in-person attendance at the University of Costa Rica.

University Education Workshop “Innovating in a simple and fruitful way”

On November 7 and 8, the University Education Workshop “Innovating in a simple and fruitful way” will take place, which will be held in a hybrid format, with in-person attendance at the University of Costa Rica. The objective is to share diverse experiences that encourage reflection on the academic processes of the member universities of the Central American Higher University Council.

With words from Felipe Alpízar, Vice-Rector of Teaching, the workshop began, welcoming all those teachers present at the University of Costa Rica facilities and extending a warm greeting to the authorities and teachers participating virtually.

In her opening remarks, Gabriela Valverde, representative of the Vice-Rectorate of Teaching at the University of Costa Rica, stated, “Innovation is a word that is often given a meaning focused on technology, when in reality we can innovate from different perspectives, as you are doing and sharing with us in this workshop. One of the most valuable expected contributions of this activity is that you can build contributions as a community.”

For his part, Francisco Alarcón, Deputy Secretary General, stated, “I congratulate you for going the extra mile, for innovating in the teaching methods you share in education, simple yet realistic and sustainable innovations, aimed at contributing significantly to didactics, focused on developing skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, responsibility, moral and ethical development, leadership, entrepreneurship, among others, human skills that are needed today more than ever in the age of automation.”.

Likewise, Iris Danowski, representative of the German Rectors' Conference (HRK), stated, “Scientific knowledge, personal development, and social commitment are objectives of university education. Therefore, universities must be attentive to new challenges and needs with a commitment to quality and constant growth. The impact on processes is imminent; it is essential to continue developing and updating university teaching processes to create space for innovation and strengthen students' academic processes.”.

Meanwhile, Carlos Alvarado Cerezo, Secretary General of CSUCA, reflected, “Today, public universities are experiencing a new reality, a situation that forces us to develop new skills. Undoubtedly, we face significant challenges, but integrated work will help us achieve these goals through the development of tools that allow us to find answers and propose solutions in the short and medium term for our societies.”.

The workshop methodology consists of presenting the projects that each of the teachers has worked on, with the purpose of offering the different innovation processes and that other teachers can join in using these innovative methodologies within the different universities and at the same time find joint mechanisms to develop inter-university innovation processes.

XIX Sesión Ordinaria del SIESCA

Los días 27 y 28 de octubre darán lugar a la Decimo novena sesión ordinaria del Sistema de Internacionalización de la Educación Superior -SIESCA-. Siendo el órgano de la Confederación Universitaria Centroamericana que impulsa la institucionalización de la internacionalización como un instrumento estratégico para promover la calidad de las universidades miembros de CSUCA.

Para dar inicio a la sesión, Roger Arias, Rector de la Universidad de El Salvador expresó “Es grato y muy emotivo recibirles en nuestra sede, sabedores que una de las grandes limitantes que tenemos como universidades públicas de la región es el presupuesto que los estados asignan a nuestras casas de estudio, siendo una lucha histórica que vivimos por la consecución que tenemos a nivel regional para poder cumplir con las funciones sustantivas de la educación superior. Hay mucho camino que recorrer aún en materia de internacionalización, ya que hay que avanzar en la construcción de carreras de grado, posgrado, maestrías y doctorados conjuntos, con un currículum que permita la movilidad de nuestros estudiantes”.

Por su parte Carlos Alvarado, Secretario General de CSUCA mencionó “La internacionalización es una estrategia importante, ayuda a contrarrestar esos retos y desafíos que se generan día con día, ampliando esa visibilidad y reconocimiento de las universidades, en apoyo a la tecnología y la educación a distancia, han favorecido de manera notable la internacionalización a través de la combinación hibrida y presencial a través de la internacionalización abierta”.

Mientras que Maynor Barrientos, Presidente de SIESCA reflexionó “Unir condiciones y talentos, para poder estrechar los lazos de colaboración en nuestros países y proyectar hacia el mundo lo que hacen nuestras universidades. Esta luz de trabajo del PIRESC V nos brindará la oportunidad de trascender las fronteras internacionales hacia el mundo entero y así poder resolver los grandes retos que tenemos en nuestra región”.

El desarrollo de la sesión ordinaria dará lugar a la presentación del informe de la Presidencia de SIESCA para el período julio de 2021 a junio de 2022, así como el trabajo grupal por objetivos estratégicos del programa 5 que indica “Regionalización e Internacionalización de la Educación Superior Centroamericana” del Quinto Plan para la Integración Regional de la Educación Superior de Centroamérica y República Dominicana -PIRESC V-, para la revisión de los avances y planes de acción, formulados a partir de cada objetivo estratégico.

Asimismo, se desarrollarán las conferencias “Los Efectos del Covid-19 en la internacionalización de la educación superior” por el Dr. Giorgio Marinoni de la Asociación Internacional de Universidades, Francia y “La Internacionalización de la educación superior, caso del MERCOSUR” por la Dra. Andrea Hassen, Vicerrectora de Relaciones Internacionales, Concepción de Uruguay, con el propósito de motivar a las y los miembros de SIESCA.

Espacio propicio en el cual se desarrollará la presentación e intercambio de buenas prácticas para la internacionalización de la Universidad a través de la experiencia de la Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá -UTP-, Universidad Pedagógica Nacional Francisco Morazán -UPNFM-, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras -UNAH- y Universidad de Costa Rica -UCR-.