The Regional Meeting of the Space for Women Leaders of Higher Education Institutions of the Americas (EMULIES) in the Andean Countries was held on October 6-7, 2016, thanks to the collaboration of the Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana (UTEM).  This initiative was launched by the College of the Americas (COLAM), an Inter-American Organization for Higher Education (IOHE) program. The main theme of the event was “Gender Equality and Leadership in Higher Education: Experiences, Accomplishments and Challenges”.

The event’s program included plenary debates and round table discussions moderated by managers of Argentinean, Costa Rican, Chilean, Peruvian and Dominican universities. The meeting also counted with the presentations of the Linkage and Communications Vice-President at the Universidad de Chile, Dr. Faride Zerán; the Director of the Gender Affairs Division at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations (ECLAC), Dr. María Nueves Rico; the Professor at the Universidad de Concepción, and Director of the Forestal Products Laboratory and the Environmental Engineering Diploma, Dr. Claudio Zaror; among others.

“We are thrilled to see that in only five years of existence, EMULIES has evolved into a reference of female leadership in the Americas, where we still face many challenges in relation to gender equality”, explained the IOHE Executive Director, Dr. David Julien, who attended the event.

Meanwhile, Dr. Marisol Durán, President of the Meeting’s Academic Committee and Academic Vice-President at the UTEM, expressed that “the UTEM is a pioneer in opening gathering spaces for women who participate in leadership positions. It is relevant that today, throughout the Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana, we are able to open networks between national and foreign universities”.

EMULIES offers a space to women with leading positions in higher education in the Americas where they can develop academic relations, inclusive and socially responsible university management capabilities, as well as exchange with agencies and international associations that promote women’s leadership in the field.

The initiatives of this space are articulated around three axes of work: applied research, capacities building, along with cooperation and exchange. To the date, four EMULIES meetings and different activities in various countries of the Americas have taken place. The next event is planned for July 6-7, 2017, at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP).

We invite keep abreast of the IOHE activities by consulting our yearly plan, to find out about all the details of this and further events.