New GUNi regional office in Latin America and the Caribbean recently stablished in the University of Guadalajara, in Mexico.

On July 18, 2014, The University of Guadalajara (UDEG) and GUNi signed an agreement to settle a permanent office in Latin America and the Caribbean (GUNi-LAC). The establishment of this regional office aims to empower the regional network and strengthen collaboration with the activities of GUNi in the region. In that sense, GUNi-LAC will launch the regional working plan, promote networking among members and endorse involvement in GUNi activities. This new office will also organize the activity of the network in the region and actively take part of the main activities of GUNi, enriching the Latin America and the Caribbean point of view.

The regional office has been made possible thanks to the leadership of the rector of UDEG, Mtro. Itzcóatl Tonatiuh Bravo Padilla, Dr. Axel Didrikson, President of GUNi-LAC at UNAM (Mexico), and Dr. Denise Leite, Secretary of GUNi-LAC at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). We at GUNi would like to thank them for their commitment to this project and their belief in the relevance of GUNi for Latin American universities.

The signature of the agreement was accompanied by the presentation of the report Higher Education in the World 5. Knowledge, Engagement and Higher Education: Contributing to Social Change by Axel Didrikson, who is co-author of the chapter Rebuilding University Social Engagement, together with Juan Ramón de la Fuente, President of ASPEN Institute Mexico and former President of the International Association of Universities (IAU). Didrikson underlined the relevance of this report for Latin American universities and pointed out the main ideas that this collective work addresses for higher education institutions in the region. Also, Prof. Juan Ramón de la Fuente addressed some words to participants with regard to the need to rebuild the social role of universities in Latin America and the Caribbean.