On January 14, 15, and 16, PUCRS leaders plan strategies to strengthen administration and face challenges of the future
Foto: Giordano Toldo
On Tuesday (14), the PUCRS Planning Week 2025/1 began, an event that gathers around 60 University leaders to discuss, reflect and trace strategies for 2025. The meeting aims to begin the review of the Strategic Planning for the 2023-2027 cycle, learn about the University’s new administration structure, and reflect on the University’s horizons for the coming years.
“In 2025, we will experience a moment of change in the administration of our university. This meeting is an opportunity to recognize ourselves within this new structure, strengthening trust and collaborative work. It is crucial that, as administrators, we understand our role and promote the university’s strategic options and guidelines, and apply them strategically in our day-to-day activities and in the initiatives developed by the schools and units. Not every answer will come up immediately, but this process is crucial for creating a cycle of exchange, learning, and innovation, always aiming to create what is best for PUCRS,” pointed out Silvio Langer, Director of Planning and Evaluation at PUCRS.
The President of PUCRS, Br. Manuir Mentges, addressed the theme “Horizons of Governance and Administration” in a structured panel in three reflexive moments. The first, titled “Looking at the past with gratitude,” revisited the University’s journey, marked by the legacy of the Marist Brothers and Saint Marcellin Champagnat, highlighting the Marist Way of Educating in Higher Education. The second moment, “Living the present with passion,” brought reflections on the challenges and possible ways to overcome them. Finally, the third moment, “Embracing the future with hope,” emphasized the crucial role of the leaders in creating a sustainable institution and in continuing education as a collective project.
“Throughout the year, we faced several challenges and their solution is often here, within our own community. It does not depend on external structures or on extraordinary tools. The fact that we do not have an immediate answer does not mean that it does not exist. Therefore, it is essential that we integrate, challenge ourselves to step out of our comfort zones, occupy new spaces, interact with people we don’t often talk to, and connect with areas we are not directly involved with. This is one of the main purposes of this Planning Week: creating a space of participation and collecting construction. This is our moment,
a valuable opportunity to collaborate and build together the future we want. Additionally, I want to take this moment to warmly welcome those who are taking on new roles or beginning their journeys at PUCRS. This is the place where we grow, learn, and evolve together,” stated the President.
On Wednesday (15), the panel on internationalization will be held, moderated by coordinator of the Office for International Cooperation, João Fett. As panelists, world-renowned specialists were invited: professor Ignacio De la Vega García, from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (Mexico), professor Daniel Alberto Vega, president of Columbus Association, and professor Marcelo Távora Mira, from the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR).
On Thursday (16), there will also be a panel on Artificial Intelligence, in which the panelists will discuss the challenges and opportunities of this field of science. The Vice President for Undergraduate Studies and Continuing Education, Adriana Kampff, will moderate the guest panelists: the Superintendent for Innovation at PUCRS, Jorge Audy, the co-founder of Founder Club, Rafael Wainberg, and professor at the University of São Paulo (USP), André Carlos Ponce de Leon F. de Carvalho.
The Strategic Planning Week is a semester tradition at PUCRS, always held in January and in July. In addition to being a moment of alignment and collective building, the initiative reinforces the University’s commitment to academic excellence and innovation, preparing for the challenges and opportunities that shape the future of higher education.
