November 08th, 2022

Buenos Aires, October 2022 – The Faculty of Communication of the Universidad Austral It celebrated its 30th anniversary with Open Campus, a professional event that brought together national and international leaders in communication and design, with over 600 people participating at its headquarters in Pilar. More than 60 speakers and 40 simultaneous sessions took place throughout the day, creating a large, open dialogue.

The experience, open to the community, featured seven simultaneous spaces offering talks, workshops , conferences, and panel discussions, which were attended by students, graduates, professors, and interested professionals. Among the activities, university students even offered a virtual reality tour of a world constructed as part of their World Building course.

The topics discussed? As broad as the professional field of communicators and designers. Artificial Intelligence and the metaverse, journalism and public affairs, sustainability, NGO communication, political communication, communication for change management, content creation, entertainment, influencers and photography, future design scenarios, storytelling and worldbuilding , brand identity and digital reputation, political communication and crisis communication, organizational culture, entrepreneurship, and digital advertising.

Among the exhibitors who participated were Wanda Weigert, global brand director at Globant and executive director at Globant Argentina, the Italian architect and designer Michele De Lucchi, the professor at Pompeu Fabra University Carlos Scolari —who participated by videoconference—, the spokesman for the Argentine Navy during the ARA San Juan tragedy, Enrique Balbi, and Alex McDowell, researcher at the University of Southern California, creative director of films by Steven Spielberg and Tim Burton and creator of the World Building method, who also joined by videoconference.

The day began with an opening speech by the Dean of the Faculty of Communication, Marcela Pizarro: “Today we are a different faculty than the one in the building on Garay Street, but we maintain the same purpose: to transform students through communication, so that they become excellent people and professionals, to make a better world.”

One of the panels, “Communicating the Painful Country,” featured Fernando Ruiz, a professor at the Faculty, member of the Academy of Journalism, and former president of FOPEA, and Professor and former Dean of the Faculty, María del Carmen Grillo. They discussed the reality of Argentina and its communication. In Ruiz's words: “I would prefer journalism that focuses on solutions and nuances, and not one solely driven by somber emotions, promoting anger, resentment, and fear. That creates segregation and isolates people. I would prefer journalism focused on joyful passions, on effort, responsibility, and hard work.”

Entrepreneurs also had their own space, with workshops and discussion panels. Santiago Bibiloni, a graduate of the Faculty and CEO of The Cor Project, a company he founded in Silicon Valley, spoke about the challenges of launching one's own business. He left the day's motivational quote: “Start believing in yourselves. Everything is possible. With perseverance, you can achieve anything.” There were also testimonials from ventures that go beyond the digital revolution, such as Eduardo Torras, a graduate and general manager of Delta Patagonia SA, the energy company behind the Gulf brand.

The Open Campus also had its emotional side. It closed the day with an after-party where the founding professors shared their stories. In the words of the Faculty's first dean, Gonzalo Peltzer: "Back then, we said we had to put the genetic code into an institution that could last for centuries." To which former dean Professor Luciano Elizalde added: "The DNA Gonzalo spoke of is here today." It's "a legacy that its graduates carry with them wherever they go."

Professor María del Carmen Grillo also commented: “The first teachers taught us that the classroom is a space for humanity, for meeting others and for bringing out the best in everyone.”

30 years ago, the FC was born. 30 years later, the Open Campus was celebrated, a space for the convergence of cutting-edge design and communication professionals who want to continue contributing to the improvement of the country through their profession.