November 2019
Friends of Catholic University in Chile, Inc. celebrated a new board meeting in New York City, the second of the year, with the main objective of overseeing and discussing the progress of projects sponsored by the Foundation.
The meeting, which was held in early November, started with two very interesting colloquiums. Richard Hornik, journalist specialized in global economy, and UC professors and researchers, Sebastián Claro and Rodrigo Valdés, analyzed the China-US trade dispute and its impact on Latin America and Chile. Additionally, Julián Varas, MD and entrepreneur, presented his research, which has been focused on the development of hardware and software for training skills with simulated models, for example in laparoscopic surgery. Besides board members and special guests, both activities were attended by a group of UC alumni living in the United States.
After the colloquiums, the board meeting took place, led by the President of Friends UC, Sava Thomas. During the session, Patricio Donoso, Provost of Institutional Managerial Affairs and treasurer of Friends UC, made a presentation on the current situation of the university – including the results of the 2019 version of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) ranking, which recognized the Catholic University as the Chilean institution with the highest number of disciplines and ranked amongst the best in the world – and also spoke about the status of the Endowment Project and the process of appointing a new President of the university. At the same time, Provost Donoso also analyzed the situation of UC in the context of the social unrest that arose in Chile in October 2019.
With regards to the projects of Friends UC, the board went through both the Conde Scholarship and the Leading the Way program, which have been successful initiatives that have helped many students that come from vulnerable areas to develop their potential. Regarding the latter, the board talked about starting a mentorship program that would help Leading the Way alumni jump-start their careers with the aid of mentors from their same field of study.
The meeting finished with a concert featuring three young and accomplished musicians: pianist Kanae Matsumoto, violinist Kevin Zhu and cellist Daniel Hass.