Education, Science and Quality | The viewer

The work done by universities in the Caribbean for several decades is paying off and prominently in their research and contributions to meeting the needs of societies.

For several decades, universities in the Caribbean have proposed managing their institutions to bet on development, research and innovation to train people who can understand the realities of societies and Offer them solutions and suggestions that have a positive impact on their knowledge.

These goals, with the circumstances of the pandemic, become more important, as it was evident that this detailed work between the academy, the company and the country could find solutions that benefit the entire community and save lives.

This challenges universities to follow this path of quality and innovation in an ever-changing scenario, but as Tito José Chrissian, President of the University of Lacosta admits, “It is a road that must be built day in and day out, and the achievements we have achieved today as a university are the result of the fact that 16 years ago We started looking for such high quality that focuses first on human talents to train them, thus being able to influence students and society. “

The panorama of Sahel University at that time was a scenario in which there were 37 teachers, and today there are 680 teachers. Few of them hold postgraduate studies, and currently 70% of them have master’s or doctoral degrees. All this implies good results for the university and the quality of education.

In line with this quality strategy, Simón Bolívar University embarked on the path towards a culture of quality and excellence that has achieved achievements and recognition, such as the creation of new, relevant and relevant academic programs that allow the introduction of 117 programs at the Barranquilla and Cucuta campuses, which include 30 majors, 10 medical and surgical specialties, 29 master’s degrees, and seven doctoral programs.

At the Universidad del Norte, among its tracks, academic excellence, as clearly illustrated by its development plan, where the University’s president, Adolfo Meisel, has clearly stated that excellence must be the engine that guides them in the present and this construct in the future. , This is going on “Innovative research does not stick to texts that have succeeded elsewhere. Rather, it uses knowledge as its main tool.”

All of these strategies are bearing fruit, for example, through the distinction in the recently published U-Sapiens 2021-1 ranking, with nine Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) from the Caribbean coast able to enter, out of 72 rankings, out of the most From 360 analyzed.

These are the nine IES from Atlántico, Bolívar, Córdoba and Magdalena. In contrast, there are currently 277 magazines indexed in IBN. Ranked higher education institutions on the Caribbean coast contributed 13% of the total magazine variable scores, with the journals rated in categories B and C (according to Call 830-2018).

According to Carlos Roberto Peña Barrera, CEO of Sapiens Research, “The third variable studied is the number and category of research groups ranked by Minciencias. The degree offered by the nine ranked higher education institutions in the Caribbean contributes just over 12% of the total educational institutions. Among these, we also find that those who contribute the most to their A1 groups are Universidad del Norte, Universidad Simón Bolívar and Universidad de Cartagena, ”he said.

commitment

The university embarked on its path towards a culture of quality that was recognized through the high-quality accreditation of 11 of our academic programs and institutional accreditation by the Ministry of National Education.

The fact that the Ministry of Science received the appreciation of our professors and research groups is another testament to the high quality of our operations, as it allows us to generate knowledge of the highest level that is applied to the needs of the environment. We are proud to show the recent recognition that Minciencias gave to José Consuegra Higgins Social Sciences Research Center, which illustrates the work of research groups related to this area of ​​knowledge, which in turn has been ranked in the highest categories by Minciencias: “U Simón Bolívar.

Educational quality

“One of the major pathways is academic excellence, where knowledge is used as a main tool. That is why, among our strategies, we are betting on new undergraduate and postgraduate programs that respond to the needs that have been discovered to respond to the challenges posed by society. We will do so responsibly, according to our institutional capabilities and market needs. .

We must also be attentive to the progress and challenges that higher education poses for us. Also, be in conversation with the best universities in the world and make an effort to bring in world-class personalities, so that students interact with these people, and this is part of the academic life of our institution, ”Adolfo Meisel, President of the University of the North.