Organization
Legal nature of the organization of UANDES
UANDES is organized as a private non-profit foundation, established according to current Chilean Higher Education legislation and governed by its own By-laws. The By-laws of Incorporation were made into a public deed on September 6, 1989 and the legal personality was recognized on September 8, 1989, when the documents were filed with the Ministry of Education. It is currently governed by its Amended By-laws of July 2017.
The organizers of the University were a group of academics and professionals who proposed to establish a higher education institution whose specific purpose was “to elaborate an organic and universal synthesis of human culture, that integrates the dispersion of the specialties in the radical unity of the truth, enlightened and invigorated by the Catholic faith”, for this purpose there is an agreement with Opus Dei, an institution of the Catholic Church, to guarantee the Christian formation to be delivered in its classrooms and provide spiritual assistance to those who freely request it (article 2 of the By-laws).
The first organizers were Raúl Bertelsen Repetto, Elena Vial Correa, Matías Izquierdo Menéndez, Eduardo Fernández León, Francisco Ruiz-Tagle Decombe, Patricia Moya Cañas, Eduardo Guilisasti Gana, Jorge Peña Vial, Patricio Prieto Sánchez, Juan Ignacio González Errázuriz and Fernando Figueroa Elizalde. The By-laws named Raúl Bertelsen as first President, Óscar Cristi as Secretary General, Guillermo Varas as first General Manager and Jorge Peña as first Research Director.
Photo by Hernán Taito
“Explorando el mundo del conocimiento“
The By-laws determine the specific purposes of the institution and establish the governing authorities and bodies.
Governance of the University
According to the By-laws and the regulations set for the operation and development of the University, its governance is carried out through unipersonal and collegiate authorities.
Collegiate authorities
According to the By-laws, the higher authority of the University is the Governing Board, which is composed of the President and 10 academics and professionals appointed by the same board for five-year periods. The first members of the Board were nominally designated by the By-laws. The excellence of its members and their strong commitment to the goals of the University are the main foundation to justify an autogenerating mechanism.
Renewal is partial, so that two of its members are renewed every year, and these may also be re-elected.
It should be noted that the members of the Governing Board are natural persons and not companies whose interests are external to the institution.
The Presidential Council is the body that collaborates with the President to conduct the general government of the University. It is formed by the President, the vice presidents, the Secretary General and two advisers, appointed for this purpose by the Governing Board. The Presidential Council, also known as the Rectorate, provides guidelines, determines institutional policies and regulations, and adopts the necessary decisions for the operation and development of the University on matters that are not of the competence of other higher authorities.
The High Council is a collegiate body responsible for presenting and proposing to the University’s governing bodies all matters and issues it deems pertinent and appropriate for the proper functioning of the University or the improvement of university activities. Additionally, it adopts decisions related to the creation or modification of degrees and titles, confers honorary academic degrees, and appoints emeritus and honorary professors. It is composed of the President, the Vice Presidents, the General Secretary, the Deans, and five counselors appointed by the Board of Directors for renewable three-year terms, one of whom shall preferably be a University alum. Furthermore, a tenured professor elected by their peers and the President of the University Student Federation, or their representative, also join the Council with the right to speak and vote.
The Economic Council is the technical body that advises the Economic Vice President on budgetary and financial matters which have been submitted to his or her knowledge and consideration. It is chaired by the Economic Vice President and is composed of four advisers appointed by the Board of Trustees for a three-year renewable period.
This Board is in charge of autonomously administrating and managing the respective clinical hospital, and of appointing the members of the Directing Council and its senior authorities. The appointment of the Director General and the Medical Director requires confirmation of the Presidential Council. The Board of Directors is chaired by the President and consists of four members, one of whom is a Vice President.
Unipersonal authorities
The President is a university professor elected by the Board of Trustees to perform the office for five renewable years. The President is responsible for directing the government and administration of the University in accordance with the By-laws and Regulations. For legal purposes, he is the judicial and extrajudicial representative of the University.
The By-laws stipulate that the University shall have vice presidents in the number determined by the President with the agreement of the Presidential Council. They are appointed for three renewable years. The most senior vice president in office subrogates the President.
Currently there are six Vice Presidents: The Academic Vice President, who is dedicated to collaborating in the university government in the area of teaching and in coordinating with the Councils of the academic units; the Vice President of University Relations, who is in charge of university relationship activities; the Vice President of Research and Postgraduate Studies, who is responsible for these two areas in addition to innovation and development; the Vice President of Communications, who is in charge of the institutional and corporate communication strategy. The Vice President of Students and Alumni, who is dedicated to students and graduates, and the Economic Vice President, responsible for the budget and financial matters of the University.
The Secretary General is the minister of faith of the University, in charge of the Minutes of the Board of Trustees and the High Council. The Secretary General is the custodian of documents and issues certificates, degrees and certificate titles. He or she is appointed by the Board of Trustees for three-year periods, which may be renewed.
The Government of Faculties, Schools or Institutes in which the teaching and research work of the University is carried out is exercised, in full coordination with the central authorities, through a collegiate body called the Council, whose highest authority is the dean or principal.
The Faculty Council is composed of the dean, the academic vice-dean and the Economic and Administrative director, in addition to a research dean and a student vice-dean, when appropriate. The School Council or Institute Council is composed of the director, the director of studies, the academic secretary and any other appointed professor. They last three years in office and can be renewed.
- Council of the Faculty of Economic and Business Science
- Council of the Faculty of Communications
- Council of the Faculty of Law
- Council of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
- Council of the Faculty of Medicine
- Council of the School of Medicine
- Council of the School of Postgraduate Medicine
- Council of the School of Kinesiology
- Council of the School of Occupational Therapy
- Council of the School of Nutrition and Dietetics
- Council of the School of Phonoaudiology
- Council of the Faculty of Odontology
- Council of the School of Service Administration
- Council of the Faculty of Nursing and Obstetrics
- Council of the School of Nursing
- Council of the School of Obstetrics and Midwifery
- Council of the Faculty of Social Sciencies
- Council of the School of Education
- Council of the School of Psychology
- Council of the Institute of Family Science
- Council of the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities
- Council of the Institute of Philosophy
- Council of the Institute of History
- Council of the Institute of Literature
- Council of the Center of General Studies
- Council of the Baccalaureate Program
- Council ESE Business School
In as much as the University project has consolidated, several service or management support units have been created that act in the best interests of the entire university community. Each of these units depends on a director who is appointed by the Presidential Council.
The governance style sought by the University is characterized by the following:
a) Collegiality in decisions: A basic principle of university governance is collegiality in decision-making. All the upper bodies of the University governance are collegiate, both at the central level (Presidency) and in each Faculty, School or Institute. Decisions are adopted by a majority of votes, after careful study by each and every member of the governing body. Thus, avoiding personalism and favoring teamwork and stewardship.
b) Immediacy and fluid relationship between the various authorities: the organizational structure is essentially flat, in the sense that there are few hierarchical levels or rankings: The
Presidential Council is at the highest level, and the next level is composed of academic units and the various supporting bodies.
c) “Scalable” structure: the management structure can be described as scalable, since it is not necessary to follow complex hierarchical procedures to reach the highest authorities. The flat nature of the organization enables this quality.
d) Matrix-based nature of support units: The support units are central (they depend on the
Presidential Council) and transversal (they provide services to all units).
e) Transparency and openness: The University intends to enable any director, professor, administrator or student to resort to the Faculty Council, Institute or School or the Presidency, to raise issues that affect him or her personally or have to do with normal university operations. In addition to informal conversations that take place without notice, the President provides instances of meeting and dialogue with the academic and administrative units. This easy access to authorities is facilitated by the existence of a single campus, cafeterias and common coffee shops for students, professors and administrators.
Current Bylaws – Check here (Spanish version only)
