A woman who has faced pandemics, led educational reforms and consolidated key academic processes, now has in her hands one of the most strategic positions at the Universidad Industrial de Santander. Olga Mercedes Álvarez Ojeda, physician, pathologist and exemplary teacher, has been appointed as the new academic vice-rector of the UIS.
“I receive this challenge with great gratitude, first to God for opening this path for me and secondly to the rector for his confidence, for having placed his trust in me, which is simply trust due to the work I have done since I was in the Department of Pathology,” said Alvarez Ojeda, who has left a deep mark on the School of Medicine, where she was director for more than five years.
Fondly called ‘Doctor Olguita’, her leadership was decisive during the Covid-19 health emergency, managing to reorganize the Medicine program and achieve the renewal of its high quality accreditation for 10 years, an unprecedented achievement in eastern Colombia.
“With the work and effort of all the professors and students we have carried out very important challenges such as the pandemic, the high quality accreditation for 10 years, it is the only program in the entire university and in eastern Colombia that has this high quality accreditation of the medicine program and also now a quite ambitious curricular reform”, he says proudly.
Her vision for the Academic Vice-Rectory is clear: a student-centered education strengthened by collective work. “I am convinced that teamwork is what really gets us where we want to go,” she said.
Among her priorities are the effective implementation of the teaching mission, comprehensive teacher evaluation and educational expansion to remote areas. “There is a very big objective which is to support and implement the entire teaching mission, that is, that the professors take ownership of it and we can have a truly student-centered education (…) Likewise, support the headquarters, increase coverage and support in all attempts where the UIS can reach the most remote communities, not only in Santander, but in the country.”
Desde la UIS y desde la Facultad de Salud, donde han visto de primera mano su labor docente, se celebra con entusiasmo este nombramiento. En palabras de sus colegas, su “templanza, compromiso y dedicación” son garantía de una gestión académica que marcará diferencia.
La Universidad Industrial de Santander no solo suma una vicerrectora, sino una líder con visión, experiencia y vocación de servicio.
