Chile - Access & quality in higher education

I was recently invited to Santiago, Chile, to address the Latin American Summit on Education. I was the fourth in a series of first-day keynote speakers/panels and I focused on the “Challenges and Opportunities of Enhancing Student Learning and Development in Chile.” The content was substantially based on the most recent book co-edited by Susan Komives and me (2016) with related title.

Having spent seven years working outside the U.S.A. in higher education, I was all too familiar with the pitfalls of westerners swooping in to offer advice to higher education leadership in a different cultural or national context. This drew me to ask for the opportunity to visit some of the existing higher education institutions and talk with their student affairs staff so that my comments to the Summit would be at least modestly grounded in the local context. My hosts, William Young and Daniela Calderon, were extraordinary in their hospitality and devised an itinerary that introduced me not only to higher education in Chile but to the culture itself. William and Daniela served as primary informants who were complemented by a current law student at Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Andres Heresi (pictured); Andres served as my culture and tour guide. The combination of experiences over a week in Santiago offered an incredible introduction to the opportunities ahead for Chile.

I surmised from reading before traveling to Chile that the greatest challenges to higher education are; 1) expanding access to increase opportunity for more and a broader diversity of students and 2) enhancing the quality of the experience for all. Every individual and group I met reinforced the importance of these two central priorities. Visiting five campuses demonstrated the diversity of ways universities are addressing these challenges. The degree to which student affairs research/theory is being adopted or adapted to Chile’s needs varied a great deal. What was clear, each institution strives to address the unique needs of their students within the context of the mission/purpose of their institution. The examples provided amazing evidence of grounded quality enhancement for specific local and cultural needs.

Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, the host for my visit and first university I visited, was founded in 1842 as a public national university. Public in this case means publicly supported rather than publicly defined and managed. There are a limited number of “traditional” universities that have this distinction in Chile and they are generally of higher quality than those that are private sector providers. Catholic University (the popularized name for the university) has multiple campuses that range from old and established to sleek and contemporary. The campus of San Joaquin is where William and Daniela are carving out a student affairs focus, which includes student engagement, sports, counseling, service learning, and more. A couple of the most impressive initiatives involved assessment (using adaptations of NSSE and the Multi-Institution Study of Leadership), professional development for staff and faculty, and an incredible innovation center (see picture). Assessment is new and will establish the baseline for the future as well as test whether instruments from the U.S.A. are directly applicable or need to be modified for use in Chile. The innovation center is an entrepreneurial hub where students come together with faculty to devise plans for products and services and then bring them to market.

Universidad Adolfo Ibanez was my next stop. Nestled at the foot of the Andes mountains east of Santiago, the campus commands a stunning view of the city. The Adolfo Ibanez course schedule is designed so that there is a no-class break once per week to allow for all students to engage in social and cultural activities. Personal and academic counseling are fused in their model, blurring the lines between intellectual and social questions and offering a focus on holistic development. One of the most interesting innovations they have begun is the implementation of a liberal arts curriculum. The design of the curriculum and the texts used in courses is based on Columbia College of Columbia University’s approach. While the interplay of liberals arts with the experience-based learning available outside of class has yet to be fulfilled, there are promising opportunities to bridge academic and student affairs offices through this initiative.

Universidad de los Andes was the third institution I visited. Student affairs as an area emerged from within this young institution, beginning with cultural activities and sports. The idea was to start small and then grow in directions that students advocated. De los Andes now offers considerable resources and attention on internationalization and on leadership development. While I was there I observed groups of international students visiting for short periods of study to allow them to see Chile and to take short courses to complement their home institutions’ curriculum. This campus was the most modern of the campuses I visited and is an institution growing in reputation, especially for its academic program in business.

Universidad de Chile is the largest higher education institution in Chile, was founded in 1842, and has great prominence as a historic provider of educational opportunity for elite and privileged students. This history of prestige is now being buttressed by expanding opportunity. “Equity in access, progression, and graduation” is a broad value commitment that seeks to be truly inclusive and Universidad de Chile proclaims that inclusion is an inalienable attribute of excellence and quality. The proof of their effort is that enrollment of vulnerable groups has increased from 16% to 30% of the total student population over the last 6 years. A variety of initiatives have been launched to make sure that the growing diversity of students will also be successful in completing their degrees. A database available to all faculty members allows faculty to see the demographics of their classrooms and to understand more deeply the challenges and opportunities their students bring to the classroom.

The final visit was to Universidad de Valparaiso. This university was previously part of Universidad de Chile but spun off as an independent institution. Valparaiso is the coastal town that was founded when explorers realized that Chile had potentially lucrative coastal access. The faculty member with whom I met in Valparaiso is conducting research using NSSE and plans to use the data to inform policy for the Chilean higher education sector. It was a delight to share my experience in using NSSE at Miami University as well as in Qatar. The proposed solutions for Universidad de Valparaiso include; more diversity of approaches, measurement of outcomes, and not counting on systemic solutions to bring change. These are interesting and big-picture ideas that will be informed by data as the institution moves forward.

An added bonus of visiting Valparaiso was that I was able to visit the home of famed Chilean author and political activist, Pablo Neruda. Neruda was particularly influential during the Allende socialist era and was likely assassinated when Pinochet’s military government took power from Allende. Reflections on Chile’s political and cultural context are at PursuingLeadership by Denny.