UC, a primer

A glimpse of UC's Villarrica Regional Campus. Located 750 km south of
Santiago, in “La Araucanía” Region, the Villarrica Regional Campus
focuses on the training of general Elementary Education

Margo and I are putting together a brief overview of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile to share with our GPP Chile colleagues during our final pre-trip meeting. What follows is a quick summary of the highlights we plan to cover.

Mission Statement

To achieve excellence in the creation and transfer of knowledge and training of people, inspired by a Catholic understanding and always at the service of the Church and Society.

History in Brief

• Founded on 21 June 1888 by the initiative of the Archbishop of Santiago, Monsignor Mariano Casanova
• Initial Goal:
• create an institution that integrated academic excellence and inspired training in Christina doctrine
• Declared a pontifical university by Pope Pius XI in 1930
• Granted full academic autonomy by the Chilean government in 1931
• First two schools were for Law and the Physical Sciences and Math
• First graduates were civil engineers, architects, and law graduates

Demographics

• Enrollment (2010): 22,122
• ~ 2400 masters students
• ~ 800 doctorate students
• ~ 800 post-doctorate students
• ~ 1,500 full-time faculty

Faculties (roughly equivalent to "colleges" in the US university system)

• College UC
• Bachelor of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
• Bachelor of Social Science
• Bachelor of Arts and Humanities
• Faculty of Agronomy & Forest Engineering
• Faculty of Architecture, Design, and Urban Studies
• Faculty of Arts Faculty of Biological Sciences
• Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences
• Faculty of Social Sciences
• Faculty of Communications
• Arts Faculty
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Language and Literature
• Faculty of Education
• Faculty of Engineering
• Faculty of Philosophy
• Faculty of Physics
• Faculty of History, Geography, and Political Science
• Faculty of Mathematics
• Faculty of Chemistry
• Faculty of Theology

Interesting Facts

• 1 of 6 Catholic Universities in Chile
• 1 of 2 Pontifical Universities in Chile
• Catholic University established by and directly under the authority of the Holy See
• Licensed to grant academic degrees in sacred faculties, the most important of which are:
• Sacred Theology
• Canon Law
• Sacred Scripture and Philosophy
• Pontifical universities follow a European system of degrees in the sacred faculties, granting the baccalaureate, the licentiate, and the doctorate
• 4 Campuses in Santiago
• “The four Santiago campuses have been selected, adapted, and designed to meet the needs of the fields of study offered on each campus within a rapidly developing urban setting.”

Villarrica Campus

• “The Villarrica Regional Campus is located 750 km south of Santiago, in “La Araucanía” Region, where the density of the Mapuche population living in Chilean rural areas is the highest.”
• “The main activity of this campus is the training of general Elementary Education teachers who attain a solid humanist emphasis, commit to Christian values, and have the competencies to conduct themselves in a globalized, culturally heterogeneous world that is marked by the use of new technologies.”

More Fun Factoids

• Virtual campus which enables students to contact scholars from other parts of the world
• 2009 - ranked best Chilean university and the second best in South America
• Law school is currently ranked 1st in Latin America
• Alma mater of Sebastían Piñera (current Chilean president)
• Offers several double degrees at the graduate level with universities in other countries