As the result of more than a decade of sustained collaboration and the efforts led by the Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities (FECSH) at the Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO), the visit of the Rector of the Universidad de Caldas (Colombia), Fabio Hernando Arias Orozco, to UFRO enabled the consolidation of tangible advances in the cooperation agreement between both institutions, with a particular focus on undergraduate education.

One of the key initiatives is the implementation of the ‘Crossing Borders of Knowledge FECSH’ Academic and Cultural Mission Scholarship, which will allow 12 UFRO students to travel to Manizales, Colombia, to take part in an academic experience at the Universidad de Caldas.

This milestone is the direct result of the 2025 visit by the Dean of the Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities, Dr Luis Nitrihual Valdebenito, together with the Director of Undergraduate Studies and agreement coordinator, Dr Abel Soto Higuera, during which key agreements were established and are now being implemented.

‘This academic mission is not improvised; it is the result of rigorous work carried out over several years. Our visit to the Universidad de Caldas was essential in securing concrete agreements that are now directly benefiting our students’, said Dr Abel Soto.

One of the most significant aspects of the agreement is the commitment by the Universidad de Caldas to fully fund the stay of UFRO students during their time in Colombia under this academic mission scholarship. The programme includes not only academic activities but also a cultural immersion component aimed at broadening students’ perspectives and strengthening their professional development in an international context. A reciprocal visit by students from the Universidad de Caldas to UFRO is also planned for September, continuing this academic exchange.

UNIVERSITY COLLABORATION

Alongside student mobility, the visit of the Colombian Rector enabled progress on other strategic agreements promoted by the Faculty, including the development of joint publications, books and academic chapters, as well as the design of joint postgraduate degree programmes.

‘Each step we take in education also involves the generation of knowledge. Joint publications and joint postgraduate degree programmes are a natural part of this process of international cooperation’, stated the Rector of the Universidad de Caldas.

The visit of Rector Arias also made it possible to explore additional areas of collaboration with UFRO, opening opportunities for cooperation across different Faculties and in fields such as engineering, agri-food sciences and the environment.

The activities carried out during the Rector of the Universidad de Caldas’s visit to UFRO not only reaffirm a longstanding partnership but also demonstrate concrete outcomes from the coordinated work led by the Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities as a key actor in the internationalisation of the Universidad de La Frontera and in creating new opportunities for the academic and student community.

Karen Campus
Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities