The LXXVI Meeting of the Board of Directors and the XXXVIGeneral Assembly of the Inter-American Organization For Higher Education (IOHE) took place on November 25th, 2016, in Guadalajara, Mexico, thanks to the collaboration of the headquarter of Mexico Vice-Presidency, the Universidad de Guadalajara (UdG), led by its General President, Iztcóatl Tonatiuh Bravo Padilla.
The meetings were held in the framework of the definition of the IOHE Strategic Planning 2017-2022. This renewal process, initiated last April, was conducted under the leadership of the Presidency, led by Dr. Allan Cahoon, President of Royal Roads University (RRU), and the IOHE Executive Director, Dr. David Julien. Thus, the support of the eight Vice-Presidencies of the organization as well as the work and commitment of the Executive Directors of our programs, the College of the Americas (COLAM), the Institute for University Management and Leadership (IGLU), and CAMPUS has been indispensable, without forgetting the active participation of the Membership in the processes of consultation which allowed us to validate this final document.
“The IOHE is at a key moment in its history. With the implementation of the IOHE 2017-2022 Strategic Plan, we will be ready to face the new paradigms of university management and to support constantly the “Next Generations” in order to take their part of responsibility in modern and effective institutions,” said President Cahoon.
The IOHE Strategic Planning 2017-2022 has passed through several stages, such as consultations, workshops, and surveys, in order to identify the needs and challenges of our Membership which now counts more than 350 institutions and associations located in 27 countries of the Americas, as well as key partners in Europe and Asia. The process will conclude this year; therefore, the results will be implemented starting next year, and this will mark a new era for the IOHE.
Moreover, within the framework of these meetings, the IOHE’s Legal Framework was revised, following up the objective of responding to the realities and challenges faced these times and equipping the Organization with a tool adapted to the 21st century. As a result of this process, the role of the General Assembly of members, through which has been highlighted the importance of the commitment of each one of the institutions represented in the meeting, was emphasized.
On the other hand, the IOHE’s Board of Directors accepted the proposal of the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP) to be the new host of CAMPUS program that moves its new headquarters in Mexico. In this transitional process, the indispensable support of the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL) of Ecuador, host of the program from 2008 to 2016, was highly recognized, especially that it will continue to support CAMPUS from the Higher Council of the program and with an academic contribution to the work theme DOC-CAMPUS and, in particular, to the Chair Laudato si.
In addition, the authority has positively received the proposal submitted by the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP), which aims at transforming the Space for Women Leaders from Higher Education Institutions in the Americas (EMULIES) into the fourth permanent program of the IOHE, having its headquarter in Lima, Peru, in the Region of the Andean Countries. Since its creation and until the decision became effective, EMULIES has been an initiative driven by the COLAM. Dozens of women leaders in the Americas participated in the five meetings that were held and demonstrated, thus, the relevant need of granting them a greater independence as well as a certain margin of action, and ensured the transversal impact of their actions on an organizational level.