Four 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.
