On September 11, 2020, Laureate International Universities announced its decision to hand over its universities and sell its professional institutes in Chile.
With the announcement made, all Chilean universities and the Instituto Profesional Escuela Moderna de Música will become a supporter of the Education and Culture Foundation, a Chilean non-profit entity, constituted for this purpose by Jorge Selume Zaror and Juan Antonio Guzmán Molinari, both professionals with a long history in the higher education system.
In the case of the AIEP Professional Institute, it was acquired in its entirety by the Universidad Andrés Bello, who through this operation seeks to strengthen 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 become controlled by a non-profit entity.
Laureate’s decision comes within the framework of the series of strategic movements that the Network is making globally, including its departure from various operations and countries such as Australia, Costa Rica, Spain, among others.
Prior to this announcement, a few weeks ago Laureate had already defied the valuation of its operations in Chile, as a result of the new regulations for the sector and the uncertainties in this area.
“We are extremely proud of the level of quality and strength 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 player in chile’s education system and contribute significantly to the expansion of coverage at the national level, thus fostering the social mobility of the country and giving thousands of opportunities for young people and adults to fulfill their dream of improving their lives through higher education” , said CEO Laureate Latin America, Jesús Villate.
At the time of the operation, the Laureate Network in Chile grouped 5 institutions of higher education, all accredited: Universidad Andrés Bello, Universidad de Las Américas, Universidad Viña del Mar, Instituto Profesional AIEP and the Escuela Moderna de Música y Danza.
The rector of the Universidad Andrés Bello (UNAB), Julio Castro, stated through a statement that “we see at 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 sustainer, it only reinforces our commitment to excellence and to the fulfillment of our mission”.
The university authority further noted that “the new supporters have stated that their purpose is to be a contribution to the development of Chile through the impetus and improvement of higher education, so the establishment of a non-profit foundation is carried out precisely to give confidence that all resources and efforts will be destined for this purpose”.
From AIEP they valued their transfer to UNAB and stated that “with this important milestone, AIEP begins a new path together with the Universidad Andrés Bello, a non-profit institution and one of the best and most prestigious universities in the country, with a solid educational project that will seek, now as a holder of AIEP, to deepen its ties with the professional technical sector , strengthening and strengthening the academic alliance that has united us for years.”
They clarified, however, that “this announcement does not imply changes in the structure of IEPDs, as 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.”
UDLA rector Pilar Romaguera said that “we are confident that this announcement is the beginning of a new stage in which we will strengthen ourselves as an institution and as a university community.” He further noted that in the period when it was linked to Laureate, “the university has been strengthened and has consolidated an inclusive and quality formative model, so we are proud of what we have achieved in these years”. He added that “we now have an ambitious path ahead of us, which focuses on continuous improvement” and that “we start a new stage where we will stand firm our commitment to strengthen the quality of our training, as well as to be a contribution to the growth of our society and Chile.”
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”, stressing that “this non-profit foundation reflects the stamps” that characterize the institutions that were part of Laureate , such as “freedom of thought, accessibility, inclusion and diversity”.
The UVM’s command added that “with this announcement we leave behind a very important stage of development for the university and welcome a new cycle, which comes at a time when as a country and as a university we face great challenges.”
The Education and Culture Foundation referred to the news and noted that “the establishment 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 assurance that all surpluses and the assets of these institutions are intended exclusively for the achievement of their founding purposes : to be a contribution for Chile through the development and improvement of higher education”.
“Without a doubt, the chilean non-profit entity acquiring the quality of supporter of these higher education institutions is good news for students, teachers and administrators, by ensuring the projection of each of them and their adherence to their mission and purposes,” they said.
The president of the foundation, Jorge Selume, argued that “we are committed to each academic community and its students, in the consolidation and continuous improvement of each of his educational projects. UNAB, UDLA, UVM and the Modern School of Music are very different institutions, with educational projects oriented for different purposes, but all with principles and values that converge with our founding objectives”.
