University Leadership in Tachira Rethinking University

Caracas, October 2008
Year III No. 26
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Executive Secretary Newsletter. Latin American Universities Entrusted to the Society of Jesus
University Leadership in Tachira
The «Universidad Catolica del Tachira» hosted the 2nd Latin
American Conference on University Leadership which
gathered coordinators, trainers and students of the Latin
American Program on Ignacian University Leaders, from
September 14 to 19.
The event included three activities: the Program’s general
evaluation, the second training session for new trainers, and
the 2nd Latin American Conference of Ignacian University
Youth that included the participation of some of the program’s
students coming from Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela.
Previously, the students had the chance to meet the work of
the Jesuit Service for Refugees and other Jesuit works in El Nula y Guasdualito, in the Colombian-Venezuelan
border.
The participants attended the conference of Arturo Sosa s.j. UCAT’s president who pointed out the changing
world in which we live in, which is characterized by an increasing acceleration, a polarization between globalizing
tendencies and nationalisms, and a communications’ explosion. He also mentioned a change in the political
schemes which demands the need for a democracy that is able to meet the need of a local and national
government. Father Sosa organized a meeting to recall the 35th General Congregation and the election of Adolfo
Nicolas s.j. as General Father.
With this meeting ends the second edition of the program and starts the work for the following edition which will
include the participation of 10 universities, once UCA from El Salvador and UCA from Managua are incorporated
Rethinking University Pastoral
The 9th Meeting of the AUSJAL Network of Peers on Pastoral was held in the Universidad Catolica del Tachira
(Venezuela) from September 22 to 26. It included the participation of representatives from the Universidad
Javeriana of Bogota and Cali, UCA of El Salvador and Managua, ITESO, UIA of Mexico City, Universidad
Rafael Landivar of Guatemala, PUC-Rio, IUJO of Caracas and Barquisimeto, UCAB of Caracas and Guayana,
besides the host university. The group pointed out the need to clarify and rethink the mission of the university
pastoral in Latin America taking into account a common reflection among the members of the Network of Peers and
the academic vice-presidents, based on the document on University Pastoral written by Valentin Menendez s.j.
In order to identify common projects, it is expected, during a second phase, to systematize the university-pastoral
work in five action areas: university’s human and spiritual formation; sciences humanization; organizational
environment; Pastoral fundamentals and Pastoral influence in the university environment.
The agenda included the conferences and reflections on Globalization and Exclusion coordinated by Arturo
Sosa s.j. UCAT’s president as well; these were: the conference «What do Ignatius and the Society of Jesus
propose in the 34th and 35th Congregations about this specific situation?», presented by Wilfredo Gonzalez s.j.,
and «The Role played by laymen on the university pastoral» presented by Luis Roberto Rivera. Also, it
incorporated the experiences’ and management sphere through conferences and worktables.
Leaders for Latin America
A total of 123 participants graduated from the AUSJAL Program on
Latin-American University Leadership, during the program’s 2007 and
2008 editions. According to the participant universities, the students’
distribution was: 15 students from Universidad Javeriana of Cali; 31
students from Universidad Javeriana of Bogota; 8 students from
Universidad Catolica del Ecuador; 12 students from Universidad Catolica
del Tachira; 17 students from UCAB-Caracas; 13 students from UCABGuayana; 13 students from Universidad Iberoamericana of Mexico City;
and 14 students from the Universidad Iberoamericana de Leon.
AUSJAL en Breves
University Social Responsibility in the
Universidad Javeriana de Bogota. The AUSJAL
President Luis Ugalde s.j. participated as speaker in
the Reflection Conferences of the Universidad
Javeriana de Bogota from September 22 to 24. The
conference of Ugalde s.j. was about the «Document
on Policies and Indicators for University Social
Responsibility of the AUSJAL universities. Around 200
participants among directors, teachers, researchers
and alumni graduated from the host institution meet in
these conferences. The purpose was to bring out
fundamental elements for the University Social
Responsibility’s development in the university’s activity.
Meeting of the Catholic-Universities’ Presidents.
Luis Ugalde s.j. AUSJAL president attended the 14th
Meeting of Catholic Universities Presidents held in
Mexico. Representatives from 15 countries exchange
pastoral experiences in the university environments.
The participant presidents established cooperation
agreements in order to enrich the very important role
that they must undertake concerning the dialogue
between science –faith and the indelible mission of
evangelizing our continents’ cultures. From AUSJAL
universities participated Joaquin Sanchez s.j.
(Universidad Javeriana of Bogota), Antonio Ocaña
s.j. (Universidad Catolica del Uruguay), José Morales
Orozco (UIA-Mexico City) and Theodore Peters s.j.
AUSJAL’s former president.
Alumni from the Edutic Network’s Diplomas. The
Formation Diploma for On-Line Tutors and the
Formation Diploma for University Staff on ICTs,
celebrated their 5th and 4th editions, respectively. Both
programs are part of the activities and projects of the
Network of Peers on Education and Communication
Technologies (EduTic) which has planned, in order
to end the year, a series of audio conferences to
discuss the initiatives that will take place beginning in
2009.
Audio on University Social Responsibility. The
Network of Peers on University Social Responsibility
celebrated a Virtual Conference to discuss about the
indicators on university management and university
environmental management (environmental impact);
these indicators are included in the «Document on
Policies and Indicators for University Social
Responsibility.» More than a dozen peers participated
in the meeting to comment and propose changes on
the document.
Redesign Workshop for the Environment
Course. An evaluation and redesign workshop for
the Course on Environment and Sustainability,
supported by the Network of Peers on Engineering,
will take place in the Universidad Javeriana of Bogota
during November 12 and 13. The Course’s
coordinators and teachers will attend the workshop
and they will also program the editing and publishing
of a technical series on environment and sustainability.