Half a century of academic excellence

Half a century of academic excellence

Juan Cordero Iñiguez, first rector of this study center, is the author of the book: Twenty-five years (25): history and testimony, which presents a historical review of the creation of the UDA, which will now be reissued.

According to Cordero, Manuel de Jesus Serrano Abad, monseñor and first archbishop of Cuenca, felt the need for his students at the San Leon Magno Seminary to have university studies.

The religious wrote in 1964 to the Sacred Congregation in Rome, to ask for authorization to begin the procedures to guarantee a better formation for his students.

That same year he received a favorable response and thus began the management for the creation of a philosophy center at the university level. There was a higher education law that did not have precise rules on the opening of academic units.

The 9 of August of 1968 Giovanni Ferrofino, monseñor and Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Ecuador, authorized the Catholic University of Santiago de Guayaquil to give the sponsorship for the creation of a new institution.

First authorities

It was the Higher Institute of Philosophy and Education Sciences at the San Leon Magno Seminary. In order for the first Philosophy course to work, the authorities, professors and administrative staff were provisionally appointed.

He was appointed as director Agustín López Canessa, priest and as teachers: Claudio Malo González (Logic), Francisco Olmedo Llorente (Philosophy); Carlos Pérez Agusti (Language and Literature Castellanas) and José Castelví (French).

As secretary, Claudio Neira Garzón was appointed; and as accountant and treasurer Carlos Tapia Ochoa. It was the first concierge Hugo Mosquera Serrano. The first students were about sixty.

For Claudio Malo, one of the founding professors of the UDA, this institution "has contributed in a very important way to the human and material development of Cuenca ...".

To say of Malo at present the levels of growth of a town are not judged only by the natural resources neither the levels of industrialization but by the knowledge.

Academic excellence

He highlighted a permanent effort for academic excellence and development in different branches of knowledge from the human sciences, health, and even technology.

"In the sense, I consider that it has an important national and international recognition, which shows that it has carried out its task with responsibility within the limitations of the country ...", he added.

Among the main transformations of the UDA, according to this teacher, is the effort to achieve a balance between the technological and the humanistic to train qualified people.

"It can not be strictly limited to just the technological, even in technological areas, which has the university, it has always been sought that there is also a humanistic component.

In Malo's opinion, it is necessary to return what has been learned to society and to do it with a sense of seeking an improvement of the community by having access to the university is a privilege.

For this anniversary the message of this teacher is to continue with a growing contribution to society, in addition to students developing knowledge in different areas not only from the academic but also the service.

BETWEEN QUOTATION MARKS

Claudio Malo, Founder of the UDA

“Apart from the mere fact that the University of Azuay (UDA) has reached 50 years, it satisfies that 50 has been years of progressive growth and permanent improvement and of creating careers that address different areas of knowledge because society so it requires and besides that it is a duty… Students must return what they have learned to the community… ”

Mario Jaramillo Paredes, Former Director of the UDA

"The University of Azuay (UDA) was the first accredited university in the history of the country, it was the first university among the public and private universities that established the universal election of its authorities, that is to say with the vote of professors, students, employees and workers, They all voted by means of delegations ... He gave example of adapting to the new circumstances of the country ... ".

Francisco Salgado, Rector of the UDA

"We want to privilege above all the formation of the person, that has always been the sign of the university, the formation of the human being so that it is in tune with the very rapid changes that are taking place in the world ... The professions are changing, the occupations are changing ... The university needs to train people who are capable of transforming the world ... ".

The University seeks to maintain its autonomy

For Mario Jaramillo Paredes, former director of the University of Azuay (UDA), this was first annexed to the Santiago de Guayaquil Catholic University and later became part of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador.

In 1991 achieved autonomy and was born as the UDA, which qualifies as a milestone, because until that year was a center of studies but recognized but small and local.

"It was a university that set an example of adapting to the new circumstances of the country by creating, for example, careers that did not exist in the region ... There are careers that were pioneering ...", he explained.

He described as disastrous for the Ecuadorian university the changes introduced by the Law of Higher Education (LOES) because they took away autonomy and reduced independence.

"They tried to make it an appendix of the State and they applied the authoritarian, vertical and concentrating model of the Montecristi Constitution also to the universities ...", he said.

He insisted "the universities were submitted to this law, they were economically asphyxiated, a bureaucratic dome came in the Higher Education Council (CES) that totally drowned the universities ...".

For Francisco Salgado, rector of the UDA, he indicated that at the beginning they were at the San León Magno Seminary in the Monay sector, then they were welcomed by the communities of the Marianitas Sisters and the Dominican Sisters.

Later they went to the Pumapungo sector where the Rafael Borja Educational Unit was also, and finally they arrived at the current campus, on Avenida Veinticuatro de Mayo, in 1981.

Exchanges

Among the main changes that this university institution has had to say about Salgado is the implementation of its own educational model that accompanies the student in learning.

"We are emphasizing the importance of the English language so that they have the opportunity to study in their postgraduate courses and perform at an international level to promote the true internationalization of students ...", he said.

He said the UDA has six faculties, 28 careers and some 7.000 students. In addition, the Asunción Educational Unit, which has approximately 3.000 students, is part of this community.

For Salgado, the changes in the legal regulations of higher education allowed reflection for the better; however, he expressed that a hyperregulation was reached.

"This to the point that it was intended to put the same mold for all careers and for all universities, and now it is getting out of that and it is part of the universities themselves to do so ...", he said.

Alberto Machuca, one of the students of the first class of the UDA, said that he highlights the academic development experienced by this center of studies throughout this half century.