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High-quality public education: the mission that continues to bring us together wi...

High-quality public education: the mission that continues to bring us together with commitment and hope!

The challenges that the public university has had to face, and particularly our own institution, have been great. Thus, in the past year, our long-awaited purpose of contributing to this country with a project that bets on excellence and solidarity has also led us to continue convening diverse actors so that, as an educational community, we can continue transforming lives.

Our University, which is approaching its 200th anniversary, has traditionally enjoyed financial stability that has allowed it to fulfill its core missions of teaching, research, and outreach, while also ensuring the well-being of its academic community. This financial stability has relied on prudent and transparent management of public resources, as well as a prioritization process that has enabled the University to meet certain commitments while deferring others. However, the need for additional resources is becoming increasingly urgent, as the funds allocated are insufficient to cover all necessary expenses.

These financial challenges place us at a crossroads: addressing the most urgent needs while simultaneously meeting the requirements of a high-quality accredited institution. A large proportion of our resources is devoted to payroll, which now exceeds 80% of the annual budget. The remaining resources are invested in critically important areas such as student and faculty mobility (both incoming and outgoing), the implementation of improvement plans, maintenance of existing infrastructure, investment in new facilities required for our academic activities, research, cultural, and well-being programs, and other cross-cutting expenses.

In addition to these financial challenges faced by public universities, our beloved Universidad del Cauca is also affected by public order disturbances in our department, particularly considering the significant presence we maintain in the territories where the University operates.

And since our University is, above all, a University for Peace, this commitment has always been unwavering. We have advanced with the conviction that our educational mission helps mitigate some of the structural causes of war. We have reiterated this commitment in multiple ways, including signing agreements with various municipalities in Cauca so that young people can access differential entry to our University and experience a reality different from marginalization and violence. We have also signed agreements with the Escuelas Normales Superiores to strengthen our regional presence. Through the Peace Commission, we have honored our commitment by disseminating the Peace Commission Report and participating in spaces where collective aspirations for peace are being pursued, ensuring a strong political impact, among other initiatives.

However, 2024 has unfortunately been a year in which the conflict in our department has intensified, with significant consequences for the territory, generating an atmosphere of uncertainty, fear, and anxiety that directly affects our beloved institution. Some members of our student community have been direct victims of violence, and incidents have occurred that illustrate how this violence permeates our campuses and shapes interactions beyond the classroom.

Despite these challenging circumstances that we have faced this year, we are guided by the social and academic commitment to remain steadfast in our goals. While our path is not easy, it is deeply moving to witness in our professors, students, and staff the determination to continue building the country despite adversity. When the purposes guiding our journey are clear, each day becomes an opportunity to keep accomplishing great things.

Because it is in the midst of difficulty that we become more creative, more sensitive, more supportive, and more resilient; it is in this complex scenario that we are compelled to be more compassionate and open to others, more persevering, and more imaginative.

As this year comes to a close, I would like to share with every Unicaucano and Unicaucana, as well as with everyone who feels this university as their own, the images and moments that, through academia, research, and social outreach, remain for posterity; moments in which we proudly carry the name of the University of Cauca across the local and regional territory, and even beyond borders, conquering international stages. These experiences nourish the spirit and instill hope. Such efforts, reflecting multiple ways of thinking, demonstrate that we are neither defeated nor resigned to violence. Our commitment to rebuilding social fabric and contributing to peace is rooted in doing what we do best, working from a University, nearly bicentennial, of excellence and solidarity! This commitment aligns with the pride we feel and the privilege of being part of an institution that transforms lives and realities.

I conclude my message by raising a toast to a 2025 filled with shared achievements, learning, and the confidence that we are on the right path. I wish you happy holidays, surrounded by your families and loved ones, and I invite you to continue strengthening, through our work, this unique and diverse space where dreams become reality.