Ojo de Plata 2017 will be given on Sep 5, in Lima, Peru
Photo: Camila Cunha
PUCRS has won the Ojo de Plata 2017, a prize that recognizes the good practices and experiences of the University in social responsibility by the Social Responsibility Regional Center for Latin America and the Caribbean (Orsalc), accountable to the Unesco International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean. The annual prize, is scheduled to be given on Sep 5, at the o 5th Regional Latin America and the Caribbean Forum – Territorial Social Responsibility, at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, in Lima (Peru). The Universidad Nacional de Educación, from Ecuador, is another winner of the prize, in recognition of its efforts in inclusive education.
Orsalc’s coordinator, Humberto Grimaldo-Durán, adds that the prize, created 2012, recognizes the most relevant institutions in the area of social responsibility. “PUCRS projects are relevant for they change communities. In addition to internal work, the institution works with the most socially vulnerable populations”, explains he.
Grimaldo-Durán met with President Br. Evilázio Teixeira at the 7th Meeting of University Networks and Board of Presidents of Latin America and the Caribbean, from Aug 27 – 29, in Porto Alegre.
The transformational impact of knowledge
According to Br. Evilázio, the institution is very proud and honored for receiving the award. “It means that our professors, staff members, researchers and students are committed to social responsibility. Similarly, it is an encouragement for us to do more and for the knowledge produced at the university to have a transformational impact in the construction of a fair and fraternal society. Br. Evilázio claims that “we will only be able to grow if we recognize we are part of a whole and belong to a community and that social inequality affects everyone, so we have to make out contributions to change society”. In his opinion, universities must expand their horizons by offering mandatory and extracurricular activities to the communities they are in. “They can’t be closed off. They need to connect with businesses, governments and the society. An innovative and modern university must play a leading role in the process of development of their country.”
Regional Observatory
PUCRS is a candidate university to host the Observatory, which has been designed to encourage public policies. Brazil still does not have any representatives in it. The observatory was conceived by Unesco in partnership with universities and companies, in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Paraguay.
