Juan Luis Mejía Arango
President
A university that is constantly growing, transcending regional and national boundaries and connecting with the world, today’s EAFIT is a place where quality, pertinence and values are encapsulated in our institutional mission to form better women and better men who contribute to the country’s social, economic and scientific progress.
As a guarantee of that excellence, those who have entrusted their academic and personal development to EAFIT can take comfort in the high-quality Institutional Accreditation the university has received from the National Education Ministry after voluntarily submitting all of its processes to evaluation. First granted in 2003, EAFIT’s accreditation was reaffirmed in 2010 and now is valid until 2018.
The university also is part of a group of “third generation” institutions that not only generate knowledge but also deliver solutions and wellbeing to people in their areas of influence. To that end, it aims to ensure that its undergraduate, graduate certificate, master’s degree and doctorate programs in the schools of Management, Engineering, Sciences and Humanities, Law, and Economics and Finance incorporate an ethical component, encompassing both knowledge acquisition and the human element that underpins students’ chosen career path.
In addition to the young people and adults enrolled in formal education programs, children, older adults and the community at large also form part of the university dynamic by participating in continuing education courses and in the Children’s University. Learning is the common denominator and involves both coursework and research, two components being strengthened in keeping with EAFIT’s commitment to becoming a teaching and research university. In striving to achieve that goal, the university must set its sights on other areas of the world. In that regard, international agreements and language learning open new possibilities both for those in search of new horizons and those who decide to come to Colombia and find in EAFIT a space to learn and enjoy a highquality academic experience.
All of this occurs on a campus that some time ago was transformed into a University-Park, a place for students to spend time and share with their peers in an environment abundant in native flora and fauna. The university’s reach also extends beyond Medellín. EAFIT Bogotá, located on the Colombian capital’s north side; EAFIT Pereira, which serves the entire Eje Cafetero (Coffee Growers’ Axis); and EAFIT Llanogrande, notable for its social orientation, all speak to an institution whose scope is nationwide.
Students enliven these spaces by taking part in academic, artistic and sporting activities, whether as part of student groups or through opportunities provided by the Human Resources-University Wellbeing Division, bolstering their skills while complementing their academic coursework with actions that positively impact their physical and mental health. EAFIT also is a cultural reference point for the region and country. Exhibitions, film societies, reading spaces, concerts, recitals, plays and other activities are part of the schedule of events offered to different publics, most of them free of charge. In a similar vein, the institution reaches out to the community with consulting and counseling programs that impact the municipalities of the Aburrá Valley and other parts of Antioquia Department and Colombia.
Hand in hand with the concept of outreach is that of social responsibility, which the university understands as a way to give back to society all that it has received.
Yet another key factor is its participation in the University-Private Sector-Government Triple Alliance, aimed at bringing research developments to public and private organizations.
EAFIT is a university with a 52-year history that continues to grow, expand its presence globally and meet the ever-growing challenges the outside world presents.