At the threshold of a new cycle, our institution reaffirms its commitment to quality and excellence, renewing and strengthening a global vision capable of integrating all the functions of the Academy, alongside the challenges of the territory we are called to serve. For the Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO), a public, state and regional institution, internationalisation constitutes a cross-cutting pillar and a strategic function, insofar as it contributes to safeguarding two essential dimensions of our mission: the generation of socially relevant knowledge, and the maintenance of the highest standards in carrying out the tasks required by both the University and the region.
In a historical period marked simultaneously by expanding opportunities for development and growing uncertainty, transcending borders constitutes an unavoidable public commitment. From this perspective, we embrace internationalisation as an ethical responsibility aimed at reducing risks in changing environments, learning from successful experiences, and adding value both to institutional functions and to those connected with the territory and its people.
International integration strengthens every dimension of our work. In undergraduate and postgraduate education, it enriches learning pathways, enabling our students to develop critical competencies such as adaptability, intercultural communication and complex problem-solving. In the fields of Research and Innovation, it represents the highest expression of collaborative Science by promoting and consolidating interdisciplinary academic cooperation networks, expanding the reach of our scientific and technological development in order to contribute to solving global challenges.
Our goal is to consolidate an International Campus: an institutional experience that permeates the everyday life of the entire university community. This is not solely about mobility, but about cultivating an environment where diversity, collaboration and innovation become the norm. This ecosystem promotes a global citizenship capable of engaging across cultures and learning mutually, preparing our professionals to operate effectively in diverse and complex environments.
UFRO’s international projection is the definitive tool for expanding our institutional capacities. By strengthening our global connections, we not only enhance our academic standing, but also reaffirm our role as a driver of regional development. In this new stage, openness and international collaboration will serve as catalysts for transforming uncertainty into opportunity, ensuring that our University continues generating knowledge, fostering innovation and promoting social progress.
In line with one of the pillars of our Educational Model, namely GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP, we recognise that the challenges currently facing humanity have both local and global repercussions, making it essential to address them collaboratively on a regional and global scale through an intercultural approach. The active, critical and contributory participation of citizens in solving the problems affecting the region, the country and the international community is essential in helping to build a more just, sustainable and democratic society, inspired by ethical, civic and social solidarity values.
Global citizenship connects a multiplicity of actors from different backgrounds, bringing together their diverse ways of thinking, acting and living. Respecting this diversity, developing intercultural awareness, and possessing digital and linguistic skills are fundamental requirements for coexistence in a globalised society. Interculturality is understood as a relational process through which individuals recognise and value both their own cultural identity and that of others, within an environment of respect, inclusion and social justice.
In this regard, one of the ways in which the Universidad de La Frontera contributes is by placing emphasis on sustainable development from a perspective of intra- and intergenerational solidarity. This seeks to ensure that all people are able to meet their needs while remaining conscious of planetary boundaries and their social consequences, without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same.
Dr. Juan Manuel Fierro Bustos
Rector, Universidad de La Frontera
