Over Spring Break, Dean Allan Cole and Associate Dean for Global Engagement Rubén Parra-Cardona traveled to Santiago, Chile, to visit the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. During their time, they met with various faculty members and university leaders, including the Dean of the School of Social Sciences, to discuss programmatic offerings and the potential for new opportunities through academic and research partnerships. A main event held during the visit consisted of a symposium to reflect on the history and future of this collaboration. Former Dean Luis Zayas presented on the origins of this collaborations and the substantial investment committed by the SHS to solidify the academic offering of their Social Work Clinical Masters program. He was followed by Professor Liliana Guerra, who described the successes of the program and the ways in which it has positioned the Pontificia’s Social Work program as an academic leader in Chile and South America. She was followed by Dean Allan Cole speaking on the future of the program and multiple opportunities for research and academic projects, closely aligned with the Center for Societal Impact. According to Dean Cole, this represents a timely collaboration between Pontificia and the SHS as the CSI’s investment in community-based research offers a window of collaboration for students and faculty, which will bring great opportunities for growth for both academic programs, as well as the opportunity to create impactful social change around the world.
This trip solidifies an eleven-year alliance between the Steve Hicks School of social work and Pontificia University, which has resulted in several achievements, with the most notorious being the establishment of the first clinical Masters in Social Work program in the entire country. There is much to gain through the established global social work educational partnership with the Universidad. The strategic relevance of this partnership lies in the accreditation that the Social Work program in Pontificia gained for their masters program, and the global impact education our school receives. There are many opportunities for increasing reach in Chile, including academic exchanges for students and faculty to expand the knowledge base and experience of both schools.
In addition, Associate Dean of Global Engagement Ruben Parra Cardona has nurtured a four-year history of collaboration with one of the most influential private foundations in Chile: The San Carlos de Maipo Foundation. This organization is strongly committed to the cultural adaptation and implementation of prevention parenting programs for the Chilean population. As a cultural adaptation and parenting intervention expert, Parra-Cardona has supported the foundation in the cultural adaptation of interventions for implementation in Chile, according to the contextual realities of the country, as well as cultural strengths and idiosyncrasies. This work will hopefully lead to a funded program of research in the future, aimed at achieving large-scale implementation of parenting programs in the country.
In closing, UT’s impact in Chile helps to emphasize the importance of the social work profession in a country that has overcome a dictatorship but continues to face important socio-political challenges. More than ever, the contributions of clinical social workers is essential for the country.. The strategic collaborations and our ties with Chile stand as a baseline for expansion into other regions, and as the partnership continues to grow, so does our impact. Likewise, our counterparts have extremely valuable lessons of resilience and perseverance to teach our faculty and students. For these reasons, this partnership only affirms that increasing global impact is the correct path forward for the Steve Hicks School and the Center for Societal Impact.
