2019 Yearbook - Universidad ORT Uruguay

5 Our university aims to contribute to the country’s development through applied research, collaboration between academia and the private sector, and the training of professionals who can perform effectively in the knowledge society. We promote a commitment to quality, innovation, and respect for ethical standards in professional practice. Our graduates have the necessary training to adapt to change with flexibility, a proactive attitude, and a critical spirit; they value teamwork, understand the challenges posed by technological advances in their disciplines, and operate skillfully in an international context. We offer 68 professional degrees at the graduate, undergraduate, and technical levels in Architecture, Engineering, Biotechnology, Economics, Management, International Relations, Design, Animation, Communication, and Education. More than 11,000 students enroll annually in programs across five faculties and institutes. We have been pioneers in introducing new degree programs and educational technologies in Uruguay, and each year we allocate resources to improving teaching methods, educational infrastructure, and faculty training. Our academic staff includes more than 1,500 faculty members and researchers, selected for their professional excellence and commitment to teaching, more than a third of whom work full-time. Graduates and students are distinguished by their competent and creative contributions in their fields, winning awards and recognition, and achieving high levels of employment. INSTITUTIONAL OVERVIEW More than 19,000 graduates are successfully working in our country or abroad, in many cases in business or social ventures they have created themselves. The average employment rate for our university graduates in recent years is 96%. We have an academic infrastructure that includes practical and experimental laboratories in computer science, electronics, biotechnology, and audiovisual production, as well as design and construction workshops and a professional television studio. Students and faculty have access to two libraries with specialized collections and electronic databases. All areas of the university’s knowledge converge at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), where we foster an entrepreneurial spirit among students and graduates. We maintain academic cooperation agreements with more than 200 universities and international organizations worldwide to facilitate student exchanges and collaborative research and teaching projects, and we are members of major international academic associations, including the International Association of Universities (AIU) and the Union of Latin American Universities (UDUAL). Our university began its activities in Uruguay in 1942 as a technical school and was recognized as a university by the Ministry of Education and Culture in 1996. It is a member of World ORT, an international educational network founded in 1880 by the Jewish community of St. Petersburg, Russia.