Fusion of Talents: UCundinamarca and U. de Cartagena

By: Alejandro García Suárez – Advisory Office of Communications

The Fusagasugá campus hosted a visit from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Education of the University of Cartagena on October 7th and 8th, as part of the Forum on Geographical Thought. This initiative, led by the Bachelor's Degree Program in Social Sciences at UCundinamarca, strengthens a strategic alliance between the two public institutions.

Jorge Leonardo Tapias Ordoñez, the program coordinator, explained that “the fundamental objective of this alliance is to facilitate various exchanges of knowledge, both projective and progressive, where our students share educational experiences in the laboratory and throughout the university campus.” He emphasized that students from both institutions are already participating in knowledge exchange exercises that strengthen their mutual academic development.

One of the most important initiatives of this alliance is the publication of a joint book that will include articles by students from both universities. “We are going to publish a book with articles by students from Cartagena and Cundinamarca at the end of 2025,” announced Tapias Ordoñez. This publication represents the shared research and academic commitment between the two Colombian public institutions.

Tours of the territory

During the visit, the students from Cartagena participated in tours that extended beyond the university campus. They explored the Sumapaz moorland, the city of Fusagasugá, and several municipalities in the region, such as Pasca and Arbeláez. These excursions complemented their academic experience with cultural and geographical insights into the Cundinamarca region.

Lina Tapias, a student pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Education with an emphasis in Social and Environmental Sciences from Cartagena, expressed her satisfaction: “This venue has provided us with a co-creative space to transmit and share reflective, pedagogical, and social experiences.” The student highlighted “the strong sense of ownership they have here regarding the geography and historical understanding of Bolívar and the Caribbean Coast. We left with a lot of valuable information.”.

For his part, Jhon Jairo Martínez, a professor at the University of Cartagena, highlighted that “this interaction between two public universities has been very beneficial from an academic and traditional perspective, as well as from the shared fields of physical and human geography that unite our programs.” He emphasized that this exchange allows for “growth in the teaching of education and social sciences, while learning about the culture and traditions of Cundinamarca and the Sumapaz region.”.

The forum established itself as a space for co-creation where students and Knowledge and Learning Managers shared methodologies, pedagogical approaches, and perspectives on teaching social sciences from different regional contexts in Colombia. This experience enriches the training of future graduates who will better understand the country's cultural and geographical diversity.

Strengthening public education

This strategic alliance demonstrates the commitment of both public universities to educational quality, collaborative research, and holistic development. The exchange of knowledge between the Caribbean region and the Cundinamarca highlands enriches the academic and cultural perspectives of the university communities.

UCundinamarca reaffirms its commitment to building national academic networks that strengthen public higher education and the understanding of the Colombian territory from multiple disciplinary perspectives.

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