Over the past 13 years, the Faculty of Applied Sciences and the city of Limeira have been getting closer through extension courses, partnerships, workshops and community actions
How do universities and society dialogue? In Brazilian public universities, in many ways: extension activities; undergraduate and postgraduate disciplines involving the external community; research that generates new knowledge and encourages debate on national issues. Over the past 13 years, the Faculty of Applied Sciences and the city of Limeira have been getting closer through extension courses for the external community; partnerships between research laboratories and student organizations with public and private entities; events, workshops and community actions that transform the landscape - physical, social, cultural and political -, inside and outside the campus. There is an increasing number of citizens who visit the campus for different purposes, as well as students, teachers and staff who go beyond the limits of the classroom and laboratories to work in multiple spaces in the city and region.
An example of a transformative interaction is the Colmeia Popular Course, coordinated by professors Josely Rímoli and Marcelo Maialle in partnership with Limeira City Hall. The initiative was born more than ten years ago and has helped hundreds of low-income young people enter higher education. FCA graduates teach classes supervised by Unicamp professors and acquire professional teaching experience.
The Course operated remotely during the pandemic. For Maria Helvira Andrade, from the Educational Social Service of the Municipal Department of Education, the partnership was very important for the defense of public and quality education in the municipality. “The program made several other projects possible in partnership with Unicamp de Limeira. It was a huge gain for the city.” The Cursinho operates at the Morro Azul Community Center, close to the campus, contributing to the movement of people and security in the neighborhood.
He is now carrying out a pilot project for indigenous pre-university entrance exams, with 186 applicants from 54 ethnicities. “Despite the connection difficulties, the need for a virtual course for highly vulnerable populations, such as indigenous people, quilombolas and children of family farmers and settlers, was confirmed,” says Rímoli.
Student organizations: interdisciplinarity and relations with society
Student organizations are associations structured voluntarily to bring academia and society closer together, enrich undergraduate courses and positively impact civil organizations, the market and public authorities. The engagement of approximately 30% of the Faculty's student body in organizations that bring together students and professors from different courses, in an interdisciplinary practice, is a characteristic of the institution. There are junior companies that provide consultancy in the areas of engineering, administration, sports and nutrition; volunteer groups; competition car construction teams; study groups on various topics; groups to promote sports, exchanges, etc. They all maintain a relationship with the community and play an important role in training students and fulfilling FCA's mission. (Look on this link the complete list of all organizations present at the Faculty).
In January 2020, several of them were recognized by Limeira City Hall as public benefit organizations. For lawyer Valmir Caetano, responsible for the recognition process and graduate of the Faculty, “mayor Mário Botion's decrees are the city's recognition of these organizations”.
An example is the Integrate. Composed by undergraduate students from FCA, the company provides engineering and management consultancy. “The work they developed allowed us to organize the company’s administrative and financial sector,” said Priscila Andrieto, owner of a children’s physiotherapy clinic. At no cost and carried out 100% remotely, the consultancy allowed the financial structuring of the clinic. “Their recommendations helped me divide my time between management and services, in defining financial goals and pricing the services I provide,” she explained.
Graduation, companies and public authorities
Innovative models of Course Conclusion Papers (TCC) involve the community and put undergraduate students in direct contact with professional practice, benefiting companies and public authorities. Since 2017, in the Manufacturing Engineering and Production Engineering courses, for example, students have developed TCC projects in partnership with local industry, through CIESP–Limeira. To date, 22 companies have brought 39 real problems to be analyzed by students and teachers.
For João Aldrigui, people manager at Máquinas Furlan, the rapprochement with the University allowed us to improve industrial processes. “The academy can contribute in terms of adding technology, as students and teachers dedicate themselves to the most up-to-date information in the area,” he said.
Another example of positive impact on the community comes from the Public Administration course. From the subject Public Policies in Brazil, a group of students managed to approve, in the Conchal City Council, a bill that gives visibility to a public utility service – number 180 – essential for combating violence against women. “The discipline was eminently theoretical and historical. Based on suggestions from the students, it began to involve practical work, in which they are actors in public policy. They must seek to facilitate the processing of a law in a municipal council in the region. To do so, they diagnose a problem, deepen their understanding of the process of a project and contact actors involved in the issue, such as mayors and councilors”, explains Paulo Van Noije, who coordinates the initiative.
As Milena Serafim, associate director of the Faculty and professor of the Public Administration course, highlights, interactions with society encourage the strengthening of citizenship and democracy in the country. “Universities must enter into dialogue with public authorities to produce knowledge that allows the improvement of public policies and the strengthening of democratic institutions and citizenship. The university does not replace the responsibilities of the State, but it adds efforts so that it fulfills its responsibilities in society”.