The Newman Framework: Participation of the Universidad Católica Silva Henríquez
Dr. Fernando Vergara Henríquez,
Vice-Rector for Student Identity and Development
Dr. Francisco De Ferari Correa,
Director of Outreach and Community Services
What encouraged you to participate in the IFCU Newman Assessment System on social responsibility?
How useful was it for you to have a benchmarking framework such as the Newman framework?
Has it been time-consuming to gather the necessary information to be evaluated?
How do you plan to use the results and the labels obtained?
How does your participation in the Newman evaluation fit in with the university’s commitment to social responsibility?
The Newman Framework: Testimony of the Pontificia Università Gregoriana
Dr. Mabel Mercado
Executive Secretary, Quality Commission
When the academic authorities became aware of this evaluation they enthusiastically welcomed the opportunity to participate because it was an initiative different from the others, whose objective was to promote criteria and values in harmony with the identity of a Pontifical University such as ours.
Our University does not have large numbers, but it is in the heart of Rome and has a markedly international character, with students – around 3000 – and teachers from around 120 countries. In a multicultural environment, where centre and periphery meet, the Gregorian University has a diversified educational offer in its six Faculties, two Institutes and six specialised Centres.
The collection of data and the processing of responses for each part of the evaluation involved the collaboration of many offices and their respective managers. This was an important moment for our university: firstly, this cross-departmental collaboration was a fruitful example of collaboration within the University Community, and secondly, it provided an opportunity to reflect and explore the activities we carry out, the motivations behind them and the ways in which we carry them out.
Some of the Newman questions helped us to make more explicit what we do in the different subject areas but which we often do not communicate publicly in an adequate way, for example, on our institutional website or within the university. Other questions helped us to realise that we need to go deeper into certain aspects.
The evaluation has made us reflect on the added value that our University can offer to the world and to society, and – through the evaluation results and labels we will receive – gives us the opportunity to communicate this to others. We are very pleased to have been able to participate despite the difficulties linked to the pandemic period we are experiencing.
The Newman Framework: Testimony of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa
The Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Lisbon is one of the Catholic universities having participated in the Newman evaluation.
Prof. Isabel Capeloa Gil,
University’s Rector and IFCU President:
At Universidade Católica Portuguesa we believe that social responsibility is what prompts us to stand before others and give witness to our humanist matrix and Christian values. The moral responsibility of each one of us is always lived in a social dimension. Similarly, social responsibility cannot be considered as if it were a matter for each organisation in isolation. Thus, we wish to maintain an open and fraternal dialogue, placing ourselves at the service of others, learning from others and from the community in which we are inserted, responding to the clamour of the earth and the clamour of the poor. Called to uphold an “ecological citizenship” (Laudato si’, n. 211), we are committed to educate our academic community and work towards a new global model that is more dignified, just and sustainable for all.
Living coherently with this commitment implies, as a first step, a fruitful internal dialogue and the Newman framework emerges as an excellent opportunity to reflect on what the University is already doing that allows us to live our values consistently, but also to identify areas for improvement and define new objectives and goals to achieve them. In 2017, Pope Francis challenged UCP to “get down to the concrete” and it is in this mission to live and work, on a daily basis, with and for the people, that we want to be a Transforming University at the Service of the Common Good. The USR labels thus achieved will undoubtedly steer us is in the right direction.
