On Wednesday, September 17, President Gustavo Petro Urrego presided over the inauguration of the new Language Institute of the Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS), located on the central campus. The event marked a historic milestone for both the university community and the department of Santander, symbolizing the transformation of education and the internationalization of knowledge in the region.
“I have no doubt that the campuses we have inaugurated in Bucaramanga are the most beautiful in Colombia. We should hold an architectural competition to see who wins, but I fear that we have already inaugurated the most beautiful campuses in the country. Each has its own special beauty, and that is because they are temples of knowledge,” said President Gustavo Petro.
“This building is not only for the UIS student community, it is for all of Santander. Here, elementary and high school students, professionals, and workers attend classes. Our goal, as has been stated, is to expand the multiculturalism that is part of our university mission and to strengthen multilingual education,” said UIS Rector Hernán Porras Díaz in his address.
The building, which stands proudly with 7,020 square meters of construction and 2,500 square meters of urban design, will become the home of language learning for thousands of young people who each year seek to open doors to the world through languages. With interactive classrooms, augmented reality resources, and self-learning spaces, the institute will allow more than 8,000 students per year to access education with international standards.
The project is not only an architectural achievement—it is also a story of human effort: more than 150 workers labored for nine uninterrupted months to bring this building to life in record time. Among them was Astrid Loreli Peña, the only woman polisher on the project, who proudly stated: “I am Astrid, and here I am building a nation.” Or Miguel Gutiérrez, a marble installer who, at 67 years old, declared: “I am leaving history behind without writing a single word.”
At the inauguration, Minister of Education Daniel Rojas Medellín highlighted the university’s role as an educational engine that transcends Santander to become a national benchmark: “UIS is no longer just from Santander; it belongs to eastern Colombia and to the entire nation.”
He also emphasized the government’s commitment to public education and national sovereignty: “Defending Colombia’s sovereignty means defending the dignity of more than 50 million people, with our heads held high, without bowing to any external power.”
On November 21, 2024, the old Language Institute building, which had served for several decades, was demolished. Its walls, first erected in the 1950s and remodeled in 1994 with terrace expansions, had witnessed generations of students learning their first words in foreign languages, despite the limitations of an outdated structure. That day, amidst dust, machinery, and rubble, history was not lost—it was reborn as a promise. A promise of renewal, modernity, and academic dignity. A promise that language learning, already deeply rooted in Santander, deserved a space worthy of its importance.
That symbol of change became a reality thanks to a 25 billion-peso investment, made possible by the joint efforts of UIS, the Pro UIS Stamp initiative, and support from both the National and Departmental governments. What was once just a dream was transformed into a modern, sustainable, and bioclimatic building that honors history while opening doors to the future.
“Today we are here to celebrate the materialization of a historic struggle. The opening of this Language Institute and the creation of the Scientific Complex for Health and Life Sciences research represent much more than infrastructure. They are the fruit of decades of student mobilization that has insisted and shouted that public education deserves real investment,” said Nicolás Serrano, student representative on the University Council.
The new Language Institute will not only be a classroom space. It will be a place of dreams, a bridge to internationalization, and a driver for reducing social gaps through bilingualism. Children, young people, and adults will be able to access a second language here, and with it, new life opportunities. As construction worker Ricardo Gutiérrez expressed with emotion: “I am Ricardo, and I am building so that my grandchildren can study here at UIS.”
Today, with the joy of a mission accomplished, the bricks of the UIS Language Institute are more than just walls—they are footprints of collective dreams. Every classroom remembers the hands that made it possible, every hallway speaks of the sacrifice of those who worked day and night, and every window reflects the hope of a future without borders.
Key Figures
- Total investment: More than 25 billion pesos
- Over 10 billion pesos in structural work
- Over 15 billion pesos in finishes and furniture
(Funding sources: extension services revenue, Pro UIS Stamp, and contributions from the National and Departmental governments. Additionally, about 5 billion pesos allocated by the National Government through the Comprehensive Coverage Plan 2025). - Inauguration date: August 25, 2025
Students – Metropolitan Area and Regional Campuses
- 3,228 undergraduate and graduate students (Central campus)
- 3,348 extension course students (children and adults, Central campus and UIS Floridablanca)
- 1,653 students at regional campuses in Barrancabermeja, Barbosa, Socorro, and Málaga
Total: More than 8,000 students
Faculty – Metropolitan Area and Regional Campuses
- 57 professors for curricular programs (undergraduate and graduate)
- 179 professors for extension courses
From now on, as its doors open, a universal greeting will echo within: hola, hello, bonjour, olá, 你好. Because the new UIS Language Institute doesn’t just teach languages—it teaches the language of the future.
University Childcare
During the inauguration of the UIS Language Institute, President Gustavo Petro emphasized the importance of advancing policies that guarantee equal opportunities in higher education. In his address, the president highlighted the need to support young mothers so that they can complete their professional studies without motherhood becoming an obstacle.
He stated: “Sometimes studying is a barrier for many women, more than for men, although there are also men who raise their children alone. But in general, according to the figures, women with children face greater demands on their time. A daycare near university campuses allows young mothers, in general, to pursue their university careers.”
