April, 2017
Board of Friends of Catholic University in Chile, Inc.
Friends-UC board meeting was held in Chile, during the 3rd and 4th of April. In addition to the meeting, the work agenda included two thematic colloquia on Health and Education, meetings with scholarship recipients of the Leading The Way and Cristóbal Conde Scholarship programs, as well as other activities related to the UC Endowment Project.
The Board meeting was attended by the Board of Friends and Rector Sánchez, who referred, among other matters, to the Higher Education reform and the civil lawsuit filed by UC against the State of Chile. This action was taken due to a failure to comply with a permanent financing law, aimed at strengthening those institutions with high levels of performance and preference among students, which constitutes a patrimonial damage that directly affects the quality of the university project.
Additionally, the vice rector Patricio Donoso, referred to the progress of the UC Endowment Project and the launch of a fundraising campaign directed at alumni and friends of the University during the month of April. He commented on the strategic importance that this project has for long term development and sustainability. For its part, the board celebrated the beginning of this challenging project, committing its support to successfully reach the initial goal of US$30 million in 2018, when the University celebrates its 130 years.
The projects supported by the Friends-UC were reviewed in detail, including the Cristóbal Conde Scholarship and the Leading The Way Scholarship, providing guidelines for the 2017-2018 implementation.
The meeting agenda included a session with the Leading The Way scholarship recipients, who reported on the results of the 2016-2017 program and their English language learning experience during their internship at Drexel University.
A ceremony was also held for the presentation of the Cristóbal Conde Scholarship to 10 students who were admitted to the University in 2016 and Ms. Sava Thomas announced the delivery of a maintenance scholarship for all Conde scholarship recipients. The Friends-UC President said that thirty Conde scholarship recipients from various careers will receive US$300 a year to finance food, transportation, materials, among others. This means economic barriers will not be an obstacle for these hard-working and talented students to study and develop as professionals.
Once again, the meeting took place in a pleasant atmosphere of camaraderie in which there was also a discussion with special guests on the Chilean political and economic scene while enjoying the exhibition “From the table to the altar, vice royal silver”, in a tour guided by the curator of the exhibition, the historian Isabel Cruz.