Latin American rectors "call" ICT to assume its strategic role at the universities

Rectores en TICAL3Four rectors from different Latin American universities have “called” the Information and Communication Technologies to lead the internal processes in higher education institutions, at the enclosing session of TICAL2015 Conference, held between July 6 and 8, in Viña del Mar, Chile. The Rectors Board of TICAL2015 was coordinated and moderated by José Palacios, president of the Red Universitaria Nacional, of Chile (REUNA).

(Source: REUNA) In the opinion of the university authorities who were part of the discussion, it is currently unthinkable that decisions taking process in a serious institution is not linked to technical tools. "I call the ICT areas to take an active role in universities and to accompany the strategic tasks, leaving aside its role as mere support tools", said the rector of the Technical University Federico Santa Maria, from Chile, Darcy Fuenzalida.

On the same subject, Patricio Sanhueza, rector of the Universidad de Playa Ancha (UPLA), added that "globalization has the ICTs as its main instrument and now we have to think about how to make these technologies assume this role in our institutions."

Manuel Moreno, Rector of the Virtual University System of the University of Guadajara (Mexico), also focused on the required plan to convert ICTs into “leaders." "Information technology has some outstanding tasks with respect to the modernization of universities and we must find a way to give them that position. Among other things, the technologies allow us to move forward knowledge more than moving people, and that is what is needed".

The rector of the National University of Cuyo, Argentina, Daniel Pizzi, argued that even though ICTs are allowing the advance in many areas, such as international linkage, "what is required is a change of culture and politics so that ICTs assume their strategic role in the universities. "

After the panel, Fuenzalida pointed out that there is no doubt that ICTs should be leading actors in the institutions "because they are transversal and they affect the entire organization. So to take them from a support logic to a strategy , we must change the paradigm, what is a great task".

With the Rectors Board, the fifth edition of TICAL sought to go beyond its mission as a space for the ICT directors, devoted for their exchange of experiences and solutions for the university. The Chilean version of the Conference wanted to take the first step in this institutional recognition, in order to make the ICTs protagonists in future education.

About 300 professionals, including researchers, ICT directors, academics and students of higher education institutions in Latin America were in the "Garden City" to attend the three days of the Conference. TICAL2015 was organized by RedCLARA, REUNA and EDUTIC.

 

Successful first day of activities in TICAL2015

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Over three hundred participants, several presentations and demos, and a collaborative spirit are the balance of the first day of the fifth edition of TICAL Conference, the only one addressed to the ICT leaders of the Latin American universities.

The first speech of the Opening session was the one of the Executive Director of the Chilean NREN, Red Universitaria Nacional from Chile (REUNA), Paola Arellano, who celebrated the importance of hosting TICAL in Chile, country that was the first one to connect to RedCLARA. Ernesto Chinkes, president of the Programme Committee of TICAL2015, highlighted the maturity that the Conference has acquired in recent years, while Florencio Utreras, CEO of RedCLARA drew the attention of the participants to the importance of developing collaborative projects through the network infrastructure of the association.

A special mention deserves the participation of the rector of the Universidad de Playa Ancha, Patricio Sanhueza, representing the Council of Rectors of the Chilean Universities (CRUCH) who stressed the importance that an event like TICAL has in the challenging environment faced by the higher education institutions in Latin America.

The first day of the event continued with the plenary sessions, which count on the participation of two of the five international speakers invited to the conference. In the morning, the Msc. Manuel Moreno Castañeda, Rector of the Virtual University System of the University of Guadalajara, Mexico, shared his experiences through the exhibition "Education Trends and digital environments". In the afternoon, the guest speaker was the colombian Andrés Holguín Coral, coordinator for Technological Research and Innovation and Information Security at the University of Los Andes, who brought to the audience in the auditorium of the Enjoy Hotel, in Viña del Mar, the exhibition "Information Security Management ".

Between the two presentations, in addition to the parallel sessions, there was another important moment for TICAL2015: the announcement of the inclusion of Microsoft to the business membership of RedCLARA. The aim of the alliance is the joint contribution to make and offer to the youth of Latin America and the Caribbean a better education with technology and new opportunities for learning, and strengthen the research in different sectors of the region.

Remember that TICAL2015 is broadcasting its plenary sessions via streaming arranged by REUNA. Get access to the live broadcast in tical2015.redclara.net. Follow us also on @RedCLARA and @TICAL2015.

 

 

Can’t come to TICAL2015? Follow it LIVE through our website

play2Even those who are not in the Hotel, Casino and Events Center Enjoy Viña del Mar to participate in TICAL2015 may follow the Conference of Directors of Information and Communications Technologies of the Latin American Universities. Thanks to the support of the host network, REUNA, TICAL released in its website a link to the live broadcast of the event.

The broadcasts will mainly contemplate the plenary sessions, in which will be present the international guest speakers Andrés Holguín Coral (Colombia), the Msc. Manuel Moreno Castañeda (Mexico), Susan Grajek (USA), Eloy Rodrigues (Portugal) and Hans Pongratz (Germany).

TICAL2015 begins next Monday, July 6, but the organizers of the event are expecting the participants on Sunday 5, at the third floor of the Hotel for the delivery of materials and the finishing of the registration. The reception desk will open between 16h and 18:30h.

To follow the live broadcast and get more information about the conference, visit http://tical2015.redclara.net. Follow us also in Twitter: @RedCLARA and @TICAL2015.

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TICAL2015 Organizers:

RedCLARA
REUNA
Edutic

TICAL2015 in Twitter

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