The Rector of the Universidad AustralJulián Rodríguez was appointed Vice President of the Hemispheric University Consortium for the period September 2023-2025, during the Annual General Meeting held at the University of Miami. Rodríguez's new role means he will succeed the consortium's president for the 2025-2027 term.
On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the creation of the Hemispheric Consortium of Universities (HUC), the rector of the Universidad AustralJulián Rodríguez, a Master's degree holder, was elected Vice President for a two-year term, from September of this year until September 2025. His appointment means he will succeed the current President of the HUC, Ignacio Sánchez, Rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. The vote took place during the Annual General Assembly held at the University of Miami.
For five years, HUC has been working collaboratively with the most prestigious higher education institutions in the Americas, with the goal of improving the quality and scope of education and research, and developing innovative and impactful solutions to the new challenges facing the hemisphere.
“I value the collaborative work of the HUC, as it has given us the opportunity to collaborate with universities throughout the region on research and teaching projects, and has allowed us to think with a more regional perspective. A very concrete example is the WISE project, which, although it originated in the IAE Business School of the Universidad Austral“Today, the Consortium has made it possible to regionalize it and give it greater visibility with enormous speed, especially since it is a project that seeks to empower women,” Rodríguez points out.
The consortium is made up of the Universidad Austral (Argentina), York University (Canada), The University of the West Indies (Caribbean), Andrés Bello University (Chile), Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (Chile), University of the Andes (Colombia), University of Costa Rica, Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra (Dominican Republic), San Francisco de Quito University (Ecuador), Tec de Monterrey (Mexico), University of the Americas Puebla (Mexico), Cayetano Heredia Peruvian University (Peru) and University of Miami (United States).
The incoming Executive Committee was fully comprised of President Ignacio Sánchez; Vice President Julián Rodríguez; the representative for North America is Rhonda Lenton, President of York University (Canada); the representative for Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America is Secilio Espinal Espinal, Rector of the Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra (Dominican Republic); and the representative for South America is Enrique Castañeda, Rector of the Cayetano Heredia Peruvian University (Peru).
As the incoming Vice President of HUC, Julián Rodríguez was invited as a speaker on the panel of rectors at the event. eMerge Americas 2023 This year's event, which took place from April 20-21 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, featured the rector on the panel "Catalyzing Higher Education in the Americas," alongside Julio Frenk, president of the University of Miami, and Diego Quiroga, rector of the University of San Francisco de Quito.
During the meeting, which explored technology as a driver of higher education, the rector of the Universidad Austral He stated that to be at the forefront of knowledge and innovation, "it is necessary to deepen our roots as universities, since we are responsible for guaranteeing a broader and more comprehensive vision of the human being and society, avoiding the temptation of reductionism."
He also addressed technological advancements: “We must embrace technology without fear to improve the quality and impact of our students.” “Data can improve the service we provide to our students, and technology can have a significant social impact, as demonstrated in programs like WISE,” Rodríguez concluded.
Since 2014, eMerge has established itself as the leading business and technology event in Miami, sponsored by organizations and universities. It aims to be a benchmark for executive summits throughout the year, innovation challenges, startup launch competitions, masterclasses, webinars, and publishes reports on investments and venture capital activities. For the past decade, eMerge has served as a catalyst for innovation and investment in the Americas, working at the forefront of building South Florida's business and technology ecosystem.
