Forum Advances the Election Process for Faculty Representation on the Consejo Superior

Professor Edga Mireya Uribe Salamanca

Campaign slogan:

A Faculty Voice Within Diversity

Proposal for Faculty Representation on the UIS Superior Council

Given that university representation should go beyond mere attendance at governance meetings,Professor Uribe proposes an active and independent commitment to the academic community, while recognizing the work carried out by colleagues who have previously held this position.

Considering that faculty work requires representatives who can transform the priorities of the public university into tangible solutions for its schools, campuses, faculties, and institutes, Professor Uribe proposes five fundamental pillars:

• Listen to and engage with faculty members.
• Preserve university autonomy.
• Participate in and influence public policy.
• Promote academic quality.
• Strengthen the Schools and social engagement in order to advance the University’s core functions, culture, art, and the social appropriation of knowledge, while recognizing that expertise and the starting point for the University’s core missions and internationalization lie within the Schools.

From Commitments to Action: 7 Action Strategies

To turn these priorities into concrete actions, the work will be structured around seven lines of action focused on participation, dialogue, and transparency, each guided by corresponding principles:

1. Direct listening and support: Continuous communication channels (WhatsApp, telephone, and institutional email) and regular meetings—virtual or in person—at the different campuses to provide support on labor and academic matters.

Principle: Listen in order to represent, not merely to respond.

2. Ongoing communication: Brief reports following each Consejo Superior meeting, explanatory audiovisual materials, and an accessible digital repository.

Principle: Information should neither arrive late nor remain within governing bodies.

3. Consultation and deliberation: Rapid consultation mechanisms and spaces for discussion prior to major decisions, recognizing that, unfortunately, not every matter can be consulted or deliberated upon due to time constraints or other circumstances.

Principle: Develop independent judgment by listening to diverse perspectives.

4. Expert knowledge from the Schools: Working groups with faculty experts, according to the topics under discussion, to provide a technical foundation for the representative’s positions.

Principle: The knowledge needed by the Superior Council is found within our Schools.

5. Monitoring public policies: Ongoing monitoring of measures adopted by the Ministry of National Education (MEN) and legislative initiatives concerning higher education.

Principle: Anticipate changes, preferably before they are adopted.

6. Strategic coordination: Dynamic dialogue at the regional (Santander), national, and international levels regarding trends in higher education.

Principle: Representing faculty members means knowing what is happening both within and beyond UIS.

7. Continuous accountability: Periodic action reports following the methodology of before, during, after, and follow-up.

Principle: Representation is a responsibility that requires clear accountability.

Ultimately, Professor Edga Mireya Uribe Salamanca proposes building a close and participatory form of representation that brings together ideas and continues to strengthen the public university.

Campaign slogan:

For Committed and Transparent Representation

2026–2028 MANAGEMENT PLAN

Defending, Dignifying, and Promoting Faculty Well-Being

• Full formalization for faculty members who joined the permanent staff under Decree 391 of 2025.
• Defend before the MEN the acquired rights of faculty members under Decree 1279, which grants salary points for intellectual production.
• Promote research and ensure the efficient processing of salary-point allocations and their timely payment.
• Promote faculty participation and commitment to institutional strengthening and university governance.
• Manage and support initiatives that contribute to faculty well-being.
• Promote better conditions and greater accessibility in professional development plans for pursuing doctoral and postdoctoral studies.
• Promote healthy work environments that are smoke-free, alcohol-free, and noise-free, with appropriate safety conditions and educational campaigns.

Strengthening, Governance, and Institutional Development

• Monitor and disseminate information regarding the implementation of the reform of Articles 86 and 87 of Law 30, which replaced budget indexation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) with the Higher Education Cost Index (ICES).
• Support efforts with the Government of Santander to ensure the timely transfer of resources owed under Ordinance 016 of 2008, which are essential for technological investment and research at the University.
• Work through the Superior Council to promote student retention, supporting the Academic Excellence System (SEA).
• Support efforts to consolidate strategic infrastructure: the Physical-Mechanical Engineering II building, the new Málaga campus, the Saravena campus (Arauca), and the San Gil campus.
• Work toward the reform of the remaining chapters of the General Statutes to consolidate participatory democracy throughout the institution.
• Quality standards in the territories comparable to those in place at UIS’s main campus: Saravena, Puerto Carreño, Inírida, and Mitú.