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On September 11, 2020, Laureate International Universities announced its decision to transfer control of its universities and sell its professional institutes in Chile.
With the announcement made, all Chilean universities and the Modern School of Music Professional Institute will have as supporters the Education and Culture Foundation, a Chilean non-profit entity, constituted for these purposes by Jorge Selume Zaror and Juan Antonio Guzmán Molinari, both professionals with long experience in the higher education system.
In the case of the AIEP Professional Institute, it was acquired in its entirety by the Andrés Bello University, which through this operation seeks to reinforce its inclusive institutional seals and strengthen the articulation in its different careers and programs with the professional technical sector.
With the aforementioned movements, all the entities that formed the Laureate Network in Chile will be controlled by a non-profit entity.
Laureate’s decision takes place within the framework of the series of strategic movements that the Network is carrying out globally, and which include its exit from various operations and countries such as Australia, Costa Rica, Spain, among others.
Prior to this announcement, a few weeks ago Laureate had already lowered the valuation of its operations in Chile, as a consequence of the new regulations for the sector and the existing uncertainties in this matter.
“We are tremendously proud of the level of quality and solidity of the educational project of each of the educational institutions that formed the Laureate Network in Chile. During our 20 years in the country, we became an important actor in the Chilean educational system and contributed significantly to the expansion of coverage at the national level, thus promoting social mobility in the country and giving thousands of opportunities for young people and adults to fulfill their dream of improving their lives through higher education, ”said Laureate Latin America CEO Jesús Villate.
At the date of the operation, the Laureate Network in Chile grouped 5 institutions of higher education, all of them accredited: Andrés Bello University, Las Américas University, Viña del Mar University, AIEP Professional Institute and the Modern School of Music and Dance.
The rector of the Andrés Bello University (UNAB), Julio Castro, affirmed through a statement that “we see in this new stage the beginning of a positive path for all our students, academics and collaborators in which, as a university, now with a non-profit foundation as a supporter, only reinforces our commitment to excellence and the fulfillment of our mission “.
The university authority also pointed out that “the new supporters have declared that their purpose is to be a contribution to the development of Chile through the promotion and improvement of higher education, so the constitution of a non-profit foundation is carried out precisely to give confidence that all the resources and efforts will be used to achieve this goal. “
AIEP valued his transfer to UNAB and declared that “with this important milestone, AIEP begins a new path together with the Andrés Bello University, a non-profit institution and one of the best and most prestigious universities in the country, with an educational project solid that will seek, now as supporter of AIEP, to deepen its ties with the professional technical sector, consolidating and strengthening the academic alliance that has united us for years. “
They clarified, of course, that “this announcement does not imply changes in AIEP’s structure, since we will remain as we operate to date, that is, as an independent and autonomous entity. Our plans and projects are all kept as planned. “.
The rector of the UDLA, Pilar Romaguera, affirmed that “we are sure that this announcement is the beginning of a new stage in which we will strengthen ourselves as an institution and as a university community.” She also indicated that in the period in which she was linked to Laureate, “the university has been strengthened and has consolidated an inclusive and quality training model, so we are proud of what we have achieved in these years.” She added that “we now have an ambitious path ahead, which is focused on continuous improvement” and that “we are entering a new stage where we will maintain our commitment to strengthen the quality of our training, as well as to be a contribution to.
The rector of the University of Viña del Mar, Carlos Isaac, also told the university community that “after 11 years of being part of this educational network that strengthened us as an institution, UVM begins a new stage with a Chilean supporter”, highlighting that “This non-profit foundation reflects the hallmarks” that characterize the institutions that were part of Laureate, such as “freedom of thought, accessibility, inclusion and diversity.”
The head of the UVM added that “with this announcement we leave behind a very important stage of development for the university and we welcome a new cycle, which comes at a time when as a country and as a university we are going through great challenges.”
The Education and Culture Foundation referred to the news and pointed out that “the constitution of a foundation – a non-profit entity – allows and ensures strict compliance with current legislation, both in its letter and in its spirit” and “full delivery confidence that all the surpluses and assets of these institutions are used exclusively to achieve their founding purposes: to be a contribution to Chile through the development and improvement of higher education “.
“Without a doubt, the fact that a Chilean non-profit entity acquires the capacity of supporter of these higher education institutions, constitutes good news for students, teachers and administrators, by ensuring the projection of each of them and their attachment to its mission and purposes “, they indicated.
The president of the foundation, Jorge Selume, said that “we are committed to each academic community and its students, in the consolidation and continuous improvement of each of their educational projects. UNAB, UDLA, UVM and the Modern School of Music They are very different institutions, with educational projects oriented to different purposes, but all with principles and values that converge with our founding objectives. “
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