The meeting was organized by the Inter-American Organization for Higher Education (IOHE), in partnership with the Consejo Nacional de Rectores (CONARE).
The seventh edition of the Space of Women Leaders from Higher Education Institutions in the Americas (EMULIES) took place on October 13 and 14, within the framework of the Conference of the Americas on International Education (CAEI).
Dr. Maritza Rondón Rangel, President of the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia and President of the Inter-American Organization for Higher Education (IOHE), gave a welcome and opening message to the VII EMULIES Meeting, in which she highlighted the role of women in higher education and their significant contributions to the sector.
Dr. María Estrada Sánchez, President of the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (TEC) and President of CONARE, the host institution of the event, officially opened the meeting and shared important figures.
The table of honor also included Dr. David Julien, Executive director of the IOHE, who reaffirmed the Organization’s institutional commitment to the values of inclusion and expressed his gratitude to TEC/CONARE for their immense support as hosts of the week of activities.
The academic program of the VII Meeting began with remarks by Dr. Leticia Jiménez, Academic Director of the OUI, who introduced the Inaugural Conference “From Dream to Innovation: My Journey at NASA and Beyond” by Dr. Sandra Cauffman, former Deputy Director of NASA’s Astrophysics Division.
Cauffman shared her life story, recounting her childhood and youth, and told the audience how she managed to get into college and fulfill her dream of getting a job at NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. “It is important to pursue your dreams, listen, break down barriers between men and women, but above all, work as a team to achieve success.”
On the second day of the meeting, the expert panel “Breaking Barriers: Experiences of Women Leaders in STEM” was held, presented by Doris Bermúdez, Director of International Relations at the Universidad Área Andina de Colombia, moderated by Dr. Fanta Aw, Director General and CEO, NAFSA, and with the following panelists: Dr. María Estrada, President of the Tecnológico de Costa Rica; Dr. Kathy Baig, Director General, École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), Canada; and Dr. Cecilia Paredes, Rector, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL), Ecuador.
La agenda continuó con el Taller sobre buenas prácticas en STEM, a cargo de Laura Queralt, coordinadora de la Oficina de Equidad de Género del TEC de Costa Rica y posteriormente se realizó el Panel de Discusión Mujeres y liderazgo, con la presentación de la Dra. Karla Alejandra Escárcega, de la Universidad de Guanajuato, México; la moderación de la Dra. Leticia Jiménez, Directora Académica OUI, y las Panelistas: Dra. Daisy Carolina de Gómez, Rectora, Universidad Salvadoreña Alberto Masferrer, El Salvador, Dra. Jenifer Saffi, Reitora, UFCSPA, Brasil y la Dra. Lucie Laflamme, Directrice générale, Université TÉLUQ, Canadá.
Dr. Katalina Perera, Head of the Academic Division, OPES CONARE, presented the conclusions of the meeting, and Dr. Leticia Jiménez closed the event. The event was attended by more than 100 women, including rectors, directors, and representatives of the higher education institutions that are members of the OUI, as well as Costa Rican HEIs.
See all the photos here