As part of the World ORT Global Summit, held from May 6 to 8, 2018, in Argentina, a delegation of 48 representatives from institutions in various countries visited Montevideo to tour Universidad ORT Uruguay Wednesday, May 9.
Among the visitors were World ORT President Dr. Conrad Giles, ORT France President Lucien Kalfon, and ORT Director General Avi Ganon, who were welcomed by Director General Prof. Charlotte de Grünberg and rector Dr. Jorge Grünberg.
Professor de Grünberg gave them a warm welcome and highlighted ORT’s role as a major international network.
Dr. Grünberg gave a brief overview of the university’s operations and academic performance and spoke about what ORT aims to instill in its students.
“In higher education, we are in a constant state of change, constantly seeking new discoveries, because we don’t know what the market will bring in five years—which technologies will be important and which will disappear. That’s why we’re always trying to predict what will be relevant in the future. The market will be very ruthless and will leave many people behind if we do things wrong. That’s why we really need to keep an open mind; we have to look beyond our borders,” he said.
Next, the Israeli Consul in Uruguay, Ariel Bercovich, spoke with the guests and mentioned the “hundreds of projects,” visits by Israeli experts, scholarships, and workshops that the embassy has organized in collaboration with the university. “There is one constant in our work with ORT Uruguay, and that is our confidence that things will be done right,” he emphasized.
The group then took a tour of the Centro campus facilities, which included a visit to the university’s Biotechnology Research and Innovation Center (CBI+I).
Later, the guests attended a lecture by Miguel Brechner, president of Plan Ceibal, titled “The Ceibal Project: History and Future of a Nationwide Educational Technology Initiative.”
Afterward, the visitors toured the Memorial to the Holocaust of the Jewish People alongside architect Gastón Boero, dean of the School of Architecture and a member of the team of professionals who designed and created the monument.
Finally, they visited the Pocitos campus, where the Minister of Education and Culture, Dr. María Julia Muñoz, addressed the gathering, highlighting “the importance of Universidad ORT Uruguay its contribution to the development of higher education, research, and innovation.”
Minister Muñoz also cited figures regarding ORT students and graduates and noted that the university has “more than 15,000 graduates with a very high employment rate.”
He also emphasized that Universidad ORT Uruguay innovation and the development of an entrepreneurial spirit into its academic activities” and noted that it established “Uruguay’s first technology-based business incubator in partnership with LATU,” referring to Ingenio.
“We understand that private funding in higher education is of real importance for the growth, development, innovation, and new technologies that the 21st century presents as a challenge,” the minister said.
For his part, Isidoro Hodara, an economist and academic coordinator of Foreign Trade, spoke on the topic “Uruguay and the Regional Context,” highlighting the characteristics that make the country part of the region, as well as the aspects that set it apart. In this regard, he referred to the strength of its democratic system and its strong standing on the global stage in terms of press freedom and other civil rights.
In addition, Enrique Kramer, academic coordinator of the Bachelor’s Degree in Management and Administration, and Enrique Topolansky, coordinator of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), gave a presentation on “Entrepreneurship and Initiatives at Universidad ORT Uruguay.”
Kramer introduced the CIE, which he described as “a university-wide initiative that embodies the spirit ORT aims to instill in all students: an entrepreneurial mindset.”
“As a university, we strive to bring together various stakeholders—including angel investors, the community with its demands and needs, and the media, which keeps the public informed about what is happening within the system.”
In pursuit of that mission, Kramer explained, the CIE organizes conferences, presentations of success stories, activities that connect students with entrepreneurs, networking events, courses for undergraduate and graduate students, and workshops that support women entrepreneurs, among other activities.
The day was intense, but there was also time for pleasant conversation between hosts and visitors, who praised the richness of the day’s exchange, the functionality and elegance of the spaces, and even highlighted the contribution of the artwork that adorns and adds warmth to both campuses.
At the conclusion of the event, Mr. Lucien Kalfon, president of ORT France, expressed his “satisfaction at having been able to see firsthand the true scope of your institution, its growth, and, above all, its modernity.”
https://youtu.be/6uCafX9_-m4?si=jj5UPywx9EI6nnxQ
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