Ubaté closes 2024 with outstanding progress

By: Alejandro García Suárez – Advisory Office of Communications

In an interview with the UCundinamarca News Agency, Dr. Johanna Andrea Gil Palacios, administrative director of the Ubaté branch, shared a positive assessment of the achievements made during 2024. In a context full of challenges, the branch has stood out for its significant progress in the academic and administrative fields, consolidating itself as a benchmark in technological education and the comprehensive training of its students.

Among the most significant milestones, the Ubaté campus hosted the Third National STEAM Camp Meeting, an event that brought together 12 schools and 215 students, highlighting the university's collaboration with the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation. Furthermore, the Public Accounting program received recognition for its contribution to tax awareness, while the Business Administration program stood out nationally for its innovative use of business simulators. These achievements reflect the Ubaté campus's commitment to educational quality and its impact on the community.

News Agency (AN): In your role as administrative director, what is the overall assessment of your management during the year 2024?

Johanna Andrea Gil Palacios (JAGP): It has been a challenging year, but the results have been quite positive. We have made significant progress in the Ubaté branch and have had outstanding participation in our educational process.

AN: What do you consider to have been the main academic achievements obtained in 2024?

JAGP: A significant milestone was the participation of the University of Cundinamarca, Ubaté Campus, in the Third National STEAM Camp Meeting of Colombia Más Robótica, organized by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. This event, held at our campus, brought together 12 schools from the municipality of Ubaté and included the participation of 215 students. The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation was present and highlighted our university's contribution to technological education.

We also received recognition for the Public Accounting program for its contribution to tax culture through the DIÁN project, which has been running for five years. This program was recently acclaimed at an event in Bogotá, where we received three awards in categories such as strengthening public policies and citizen training. This recognition positions the program as a leader in teaching tax competencies and fiscal ethics in Colombia.

Furthermore, the Business Administration program achieved second place nationally and internationally in the use of business simulators, a strategy aligned with the Transmodern Digital Educational Model (MEDIT) that allows students to experience practical situations outside the classroom. We are also excited about the upcoming publication of a book highlighting the culinary traditions of the Ubaté province, within the framework of our Cultural Learning Field.

During University Week, we held the Expo UCundinamarca fair, featuring over 40 entrepreneurial ventures. This event included not only students but also the wider community, providing a platform to showcase promising business plans. Finally, our pilot social innovation lab project brought together 64 dairy farmers from the region, where we worked collaboratively to address the sector's challenges.

AN: From an administrative perspective, what advances or outstanding achievements were made during the year 2024?

JAGP: We are pleased to announce that this year we officially received the land for the El Tíbar Agro-environmental Unit, located on the Novilleros farm. Following a donation process that began last year with the Ubaté mayor's office, we can now work directly with this resource. This has facilitated the development of several projects, including three laboratories funded through royalties. Approximately 500 million pesos were invested in laboratories for milk quality, animal genetics, and reproduction. We are also moving forward with the launch of the Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science program, which received accreditation for its in-person modality after a peer review visit from the Ministry of Education.

In terms of community engagement, we have achieved a 91% implementation rate for operational projects, maintaining our facilities up-to-date for the well-being of students. Furthermore, we reached a 94% implementation rate for investments that address the needs of our university welfare programs, notably our collaboration with the Agro-environmental Unit, which has received an investment of approximately 400 million pesos for improvements to its livestock production units.

AN: Besides what has been mentioned, what other relevant aspects marked this period?

JAGP: Finally, in alignment with the university's quality objectives, this first semester we obtained certification in health and safety at work, an important milestone for our branch that allows us to be part of the benchmark of good practices at the University of Cundinamarca.

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