Last Year's Most Notable Moments at UC Chile

2024 witnessed significant moments that reflected the University's renewed commitment to our public role, culture, Catholic identity, and the UC community.  

Public Engagement

UC Chile created many new opportunities for conversation and integration through initiatives such as the first "Encuentro x Chile" (Meeting for Chile) event.

The event, organized by UC Chile and Universidad de Chile, brought together over a thousand people to identify priorities and jointly shape the country's future. The initiative was led by UC Chile President Ignacio Sánchez and University of Chile President Rosa Devés, and was coordinated by the collaborative platform Tenemos que Hablar de Chile (We Need to Talk About Chile).

The event also featured the presentation of the book "Chile 2050: Un país. Cuatro Presidentes" (Chile 2050: One Country. Four Presidents) accompanied by a panel led by:

• President of Chile, Gabriel Boric,
• UC Chile's President Ignacio Sánchez,
• Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos,
• the President of the Chilean Senate, José García Ruminot,
• Ediciones UC (UC Chile Publishing House) Director, María Angélica Zegers,
• CLAPES (UC Chile's Latin American Center for Economic and Social Policies) Director, Felipe Larraín.

Verónica Guarda, Director of Communications at UC Chile noted:

"The discussions on higher education, finding common ground through Encuentro x Chile, expanding cultural access to diverse audiences, and engaging with local issues are all part of UC Chile's public mission. These experiences inspire our authorities, researchers, and multidisciplinary teams." 

Another significant milestone was the launch of the "Iniciativa Mayor UC" (UC Chile's Elder Initiative), a collaborative, interdisciplinary, and cross-campus initiative to foster a more inclusive and respectful university and society across all age groups. 

Catholic Identity

In Catholic identity, UC Chile hosted events promoting reflection on its role in fostering interdisciplinary and cultural dialogue and the importance of offering holistic education. 

Among these events were:

• "Somos Iglesia" (We are the Church), a gathering of young Catholic leaders from over 50 schools;
• The sixth "Seminario de Comunicaciones de Iglesia" (Church Communications Seminar);
• The 10th-anniversary celebration of "REC Razón en Cristo" (Reason in Christ)
• The seventh "Congreso Social UC" (UC Chile's Social Congress) was held under the theme "Human Dignity Always and Everywhere."
• Hundreds of UC Chile's Pastoral students traveled across Chile on catholic missions in January and July, building churches and forging connections with local communities. 

On December 7, the Chilean Church celebrated a historic milestone: Monsignor Fernando Chomali, Archbishop of Santiago and UC Chile's Chancellor, was appointed Cardinal. His appointment makes him the ninth Cardinal in Chile's history and highlights his role as a diocesan archbishop. 

Cultural Initiatives

Culture was at the center of many of our activities this year. Several initiatives highlighted UC's commitment to culture and heritage, including:

• the public exhibitions at the Centro de Extensión Alameda (Alameda University Cultural Outreach Center),
• the opening of the UC Chile Picture Gallery,
• The opening of the new Traveling Art Exhibition Hall at the San Joaquín Campus, which debuted with a collection from the Chilean Toy Museum;
• The opening of a Numismatic Cabinet. In this new place, ancient coins are displayed, and academics, students, and the general public can study them;
• the new Arts and Crafts Classroom at the Oriente Campus;
• And unveiling a new sculpture a new sculpture dedicated to the Virgin Mary by renowned artist Claudio Di Girolamo at the Villarrica Campus.

Additionally, the University received significant donations, including President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo's presidential archive and a collection of photographs from UC Chile's Emeritus Professor of Astrophysics, Hernán Quintana. 

Other significant moments

The UC community also had its share of notable moments, such as:

• The search process for the next university president started, involving over 1,600 participants and resulting in more than 160 meetings. The new president will be announced in January 2025.
• Four students representing Chile in the 2024 Paris Olympics—Arantza Inostroza, Mary Dee Vargas, Clemente Seguel, and Mariana Zúñiga—,
• We also initiated the University's institutional accreditation renewal process to gain another seven years of certification from the National Accreditation Commission (CNA).  

"2024 was a year in which the University played a key role in important national events, and these photographs reflect that," stated Verónica Guarda, Director of Communications at UC Chile.

Office of Communications photographers Karina Fuenzalida and César Dellepiane captured the images of these moments.

Check out the full gallery here (in Spanish):