The Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS) continues to strengthen its emotional education and mental health strategy through the Center for Listening, with the implementation of the project “Implementation of a community mental health guidance model that promotes the academic retention of undergraduate students.”
The municipality of Socorro was selected to host the semester meeting and follow-up visit aimed at reviewing progress, actions implemented, and results achieved within the framework of the agreement led by the UIS Center for Listening.
As part of this process, Edward Blanco Vega, a representative responsible for support and oversight from the Ministry of National Education (MEN), met with university administrators and professionals to present the results achieved at the different campuses, the actions implemented to support the community, and the facilities of the Convento and Bicentenario campuses.
Results of the UIS Center for Listening in the Territory
To date, a total of 3,611 participants have been recorded at the regional campuses in Socorro, Barbosa, Málaga, and Barrancabermeja, as well as at the Main Campus and the Faculty of Health in Bucaramanga. This result was achieved through the participation of five multidisciplinary professionals, including psychologists and social workers, who carried out activities aimed at strengthening personal resources to help students cope with their university experiences.
Julio Alfonso Martínez Molina, coordinator of the UIS Socorro campus, highlighted the importance of the project for the community: “To enable students, in their different contexts, to express what they are feeling at the social, family, and academic levels and, through the professionals, to guide them and help them overcome difficulties so they can move forward with their life plans.”
This interinstitutional work is carried out within the framework of Special Agreement BID No. CO1.PCCNTR.9534091 of 2026, corresponding to the project “Strengthening the psychosocial guidance model, with an emphasis on emotional coping,” aimed at UIS undergraduate students to promote student retention.
“Today, at the UIS Socorro campus, we were able to observe the activities with the participation of the team, professionals, and the community. The results of the strategy were satisfactory, and we identified significant acceptance among students of the different activities developed as part of the project,” said Edward Blanco.
The implementation will conclude next Friday, November 20, with the presentation of the results for the 2026-II semester, reaffirming the commitment to student retention and the strengthening of emotional well-being.
