2020-2025 New Development Plan

The 2020-2025 Development Plan presented last December to the university community is structured around ten significant areas of action that constitute UC's lines of work for the next five years: 

• Catholic Identity, 
• UC Community, 
• University Governance, 
• Challenges and Academic Innovations, 
• Research and Creation, 
• Deepening Internationalization, 
• Expanding Opportunities, 
• Digital Transformation, 
• Public Role and Commitment to Society, 
• Institutional Management.

The challenge is to enhance each of these lines of action: The idea is to conduct quality academic work, to increase university inclusion and diversity, and to expand the institution's international projection and public presence in our country. 

Furthermore, the University seeks to incorporate this institutional plan into the development project of each of the faculties, areas, and units.

The University created this plan for the coming years with the university community's participation in a process led by Provost Guillermo Marshall. 

The topics that have been prioritized for the period are those that require special attention in the next five years.

"This prioritization does not imply, however, that those pillars that were part of the 2010-2015 and 2015-2020 plans are not still relevant matters for our institution. They continue to be so as they are subjects of permanent concern for the University and its members. The current proposal persists in certain fundamental concepts of our mission while pressing on aspects that have reached a certain degree of maturity and should follow their natural course. We cannot forget that what was important yesterday is still significant today, particularly in university work," said Guillermo Marshall.

The Road to Consolidation: The Sense of Community

This new UC Development Plan for 2020-2025 is a continuation of the 2010-2015 and 2015-2020 plans. Consolidating issues the University has been working on, the new list commits to areas that the University has decided to address.

Like the previous two, the University created this plan based on the community's feelings and opinions. 

The University President Search Committee's work, which actively listened to students' opinions, faculty members, professionals, and administrative staff about the current state and development of UC, was fundamental in its preparation.

This Committee held 125 meetings with members of the community, in which more than 1,600 people participated and submitted their proposals, hopes, and desires for the future of our institution.

In the opening speech of his new term, the University President outlined the priority issues to be addressed over the next five years, most of them taken from the Search Committee's document, based on its permanent contact with the community and the environment we face. These concerns are summarized in 10 pillars that make up this new plan for 2020-2025.

Ten committees were formed in which 80 people from our community participated to deepen the discussion of these issues. As a result of this reflection, these committees developed proposals for each of the plan's pillars. The recommendations were presented and discussed in plenary sessions, in an extended meeting of the Leadership Council.

Subsequently, the Office of the Vice President for Communication organized online days of reflection and discussion of some of the topics in UC Dialoga, with 500 members of our community. Finally, the councils of the 18 faculties, College and Villarrica, reviewed the document.

According to the Provost, "the 2020-2025 Development Plan brings together different views regarding the University's future and its challenges to persevere in serving the Church and country effectively". 

UC Identity: A Permanent Challenge

When referring to the new 2020-2025 Development Plan, University President Ignacio Sánchez stated that the University's identity is a permanent challenge that must prioritize constructing a new development plan. 

We are a university community with a Catholic identity, inclusive and welcoming, open to believers and non-believers, deeply rooted and committed to society. 

The community includes professors, students, professionals, and administrative staff, together with the alumni, who make a renewed and significant contribution. 

Based on our principles and values, the challenge is to deliver a substantive and original contribution to the country in the scientific, social, cultural, economic, and artistic fields, among others.

University's sustainability and its proposals to the country are at the center of this development plan. In this regard, President Ignacio Sánchez stated that we had implemented several measures that are oriented to lead this process in the aspects of teaching, research, and concrete and real implementation inside UC. 

"Achieve carbon neutrality by 2038, upon the University's 150th anniversary, is guiding our tasks and processes," he said.  

Aware of the centrality and priority role of teaching, all efforts must focus on students' comprehensive development and provide the best tools for their growth in a close relationship with their professors. 

According to the President, this plan incorporates new challenges that include academic integrity and advancing teaching innovation through online methodologies. Establishing an internal quality assurance system, gender equality policies, and strengthening academic careers will be carried out.

In the research area, UC has a special responsibility within the country as it is responsible for significant contributions in science, technology, arts, and humanities. 

We must continue on the path of deepening research in the basic sciences, strengthening research in social sciences and humanities, and cultivating and innovating art and beauty. 

"We have made a great effort in the professionalization of our doctoral programs as well as in the application and transfer of research-oriented to the country's reality, new public policies, innovation, and entrepreneurship," said the President.  

The new Adjunct Office of the Vice President for International Affairs has the mission of consolidating the Internationalization of UC. Some of the aspects that can potentially develop in this area include student exchanges, a growing number of foreign professors, collaborative research projects, competitive projects and international funds, and global networks. 

In terms of inclusion, UC has implemented measures to eliminate entry barriers, academic progression, and university life development to have a more inclusive and diverse institution. According to President Sánchez, we are still far from what we want to achieve. However, we are moving steadily with a clear idea of where we are heading. 

"We will continue to implement measures to increase the presence of students from all educational areas, with special educational needs, by stimulating all avenues of inclusive access," he said.

Present and Future: Urgency of Digitalization

According to the President, the University's digitalization is urgent, manifested by the present need and future challenges. Undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, together with continuing education, have developed significantly in traditional and online formats. 

We hold a position of leadership in Latin America in alliance with renowned universities of the region. 

Recently, remote work has pushed us to modify the way we operate. With the support of technological systems and new internal management, we will improve the administrative, financial, and management aspects to have a more interconnected and integrated university.

In the public sphere, the recent social crisis demands deep reflection and self-criticism within universities. 

"The reflection must include new politics and a new organization within society, making the person's dignity and integral development the main objective. The Constituent process that will take place in the coming months will be a great opportunity to contribute to the issues that are a priority to achieve the objectives described", said President Sanchez.

According to him, the University's sustainability and projection will be based on making the necessary efforts to provide the University with the resources to fulfill its tasks. 

Together with the generation of our resources, state contributions, and national and foreign competitive funds, we have strengthened the measures to create an Endowment, which allows us to look at the institution's development in the long term. This project is vital for present and future institutional development. 

He also highlighted that one of UC's strengths that sets it apart in the country's Higher Education system is undoubtedly its contribution to different aspects of life and culture. This work emerged from UC and has been carried out with affiliated institutions in educational, health, sports, scientific, technological, and artistic fields. 

"We desire to strengthen this joint work that allows us to promote the contributions of the university in areas that are of great benefit to society," said Sanchez.

Finally, the rector pointed out: "We are planning a university that, in the next twenty years, will enhance its work based on our identity, and make a quality contribution in the comprehensive education of its students, in the creation of new knowledge and its transfer to society. 

We prioritize advancing in the inclusion and diversity of our community. We seek a comprehensively sustainable UC, responsible for being a national cultural heritage at society's service. The idea is to position the University as a leader at a regional level and also worldwide. These are great goals to be achieved with the help of the university community."

Learn about the new 2020-2025 UC Development Plan (in Spanish)