The administrative vice-chancellor of the Industrial University of Santander (UIS), Gerardo Latorre Bayona, accompanied by other university executives, received a visit from Jerónimo Castro Jaramillo, director of the Foundation for the Future of Colombia (Colfuturo). The purpose of the meeting was to strengthen cooperation ties that will expand opportunities for internationalization and advanced training for UIS students and graduates.
“This meeting was held to discuss the results that UIS has achieved with Colfuturo, as well as to reiterate the invitation to continue cooperating in the coming years. This joint effort has achieved great results for Bucaramanga, Santander, and, of course, Colombia,” said Castro Jaramillo.
The director of Colfuturo emphasized that the UIS is a strategic ally and highlighted the institutional advances in infrastructure, research, expansion of academic offerings, and professional training.
“It has been a very organic alliance. Every year, Colfuturo receives a significant number of candidates from the UIS. The University has an excellent academic level; its graduates are highly valued for pursuing their master’s and doctoral degrees abroad. In addition, we have Colfuturo beneficiaries who are now professors at the institution, which further strengthens this cooperation,” he added.
The UIS directors welcomed the comments and the intention to strengthen ties with Colfuturo, which will enable new cooperation projects to be developed that will open up greater opportunities for the university community and continue to promote UIS talent abroad.
“This visit consolidates the alliance and encourages us to continue promoting the training of new talent so that they can study abroad. This meeting will generate new projects, such as strengthening the mentoring program—following up on graduates—and expanding dual degree programs, which, with Colfuturo’s support, could materialize in Italy, for example,” said Liliana del Pilar Castro, director of External Relations at UIS.
For their part, UIS professionals who expanded their training abroad thanks to Colfuturo’s support and now contribute significantly to the University celebrated this rapprochement, confident that more students and graduates will be able to access these opportunities.
“I was a Colfuturo scholarship recipient between 2010 and 2012, when I completed my master’s degree in Sustainable Resource Management at the Technical University of Munich in Germany. It is essential that the UIS continues to strengthen its ties with Colfuturo. In my professional experience and in my ongoing contact with students, I always encourage them to apply and take advantage of this great opportunity to study at the best universities in the world, with the support and guidance of Colfuturo,” concluded María Carolina Acevedo, a professional at the UIS Vice-Rector’s Office for Administration.
