Commitment to society
Marcelo Knobel and Teresa Dib Zambon Atvars (*)
Unicamp has built a successful trajectory, being the best university in the country in scientific productivity per capita and in citations per publication. Until it turned 50 years old, in 2016, it was among the 50 best universities in the world in the Times Higher Education ranking of higher education institutions under 50 years old and has consolidated itself as a national reference in the area of health, serving in an exemplary manner, exclusively through SUS, a population that goes beyond its region of coverage. In terms of patent registration, Unicamp occupies third place in the country (behind only Whirpool and Petrobrás). These are unique results in the Latin American context.
That is why we understand that, especially at this time, society in general and the academic community in particular need to defend the foundations for a free, quality and autonomous public university, which values dialogue and is attentive to the changes of our times. This defense is even more necessary at a time when the three public universities in São Paulo (USP, Unicamp and Unesp) are going through an unprecedented budget crisis, as a direct result of the recessive situation installed in the country in the last three years.
The risk of this crisis scenario is that the persistent dissemination of privatization proposals will take shape in public opinion as a way of solving the problem of financing and maintaining university activities. To prevent this, it is urgent to show not only that charging monthly fees will never solve the obstacles to Brazilian higher education, but, on the contrary, will increase them. This is because the costs of a university like Unicamp cannot be equated with monthly fees, as they are very high. And they are high mainly because Unicamp is much more than a space where classes are given: it is, above all, a place where knowledge is produced through the interaction of research, teaching and extension, providing its graduates with a scientific training that allows them face the challenges of contemporary times with creativity and competence, a broad, civic education, which since graduation allows them to contribute (in extension and assistance) to the scientific, social, cultural and artistic development of Brazilian society. A contribution, in fact, that comes not only from students, but also from professors, researchers and employees, whose efforts combine to build this unique space that is the public university.
There is no doubt that the public university is, par excellence, the institution capable of combining research, teaching and extension to offer society contributions that result in effective development. These actions must necessarily include innovation and strengthening academic activities, with policies that guarantee their sustainability, and the valorization of cultures and knowledge, with the implementation of programs that expand and qualify social inclusion actions.
The history of the three state universities in São Paulo shows that being public, free and having financial autonomy are essential conditions for meeting social demands with the necessary quality and social inclusion, as they allow for the stimulation and use of talents from the entire community, from Brazil or abroad, train them in the knowledge production environment and thus effectively contribute to the training of people committed to the constant updating of knowledge, democracy and social justice.
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The public university is an institution capable of contributing to the effective development of the country
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Based on the knowledge acquired in this fruitful experience of interaction with society, partnerships and cooperative research can and should now be increased, and expanded to other bodies and social organizations, including more strongly public areas and areas of broad social appeal. To achieve this, university management also needs to be attentive to the needs and interests of different sectors of society, qualifying them based on the central objectives of the public university, which is, above all, an institution that trains competent, critical, creative and proactive professionals. , capable of contributing to the construction of a fairer, less unequal, more democratic society.
With this objective in mind, the public university will be able to efficiently and responsibly promote the necessary actions, which include, for example, continued innovation in teaching, research and extension, through the appreciation of cultures, knowledge generated and appropriated by society, interdisciplinarity, internationalization, sustainability, affirmative actions, social inclusion and student retention in all its dimensions.
For this new qualitative and quantitative leap, some aspects of the university's life must be remodeled: management must focus on serving and increasing core activities, effectively supporting teachers, researchers, employees and students; teaching, research and extension support activities must be prepared and qualified to effectively meet multiple internal and external demands; the physical, material and communication infrastructure must be permanently updated and available for academic and scientific activities; and the instrumental park and its structure must be constantly updated to meet new models of national and international collaborative research.
It is our conviction that the university of the 21st century requires us to be supportive, inclusive, dynamic, innovative and to have responsibility, implementing an institutional and academic project in synergy with a society in constant transformation. The task is not easy and the variables at the moment are many. But Unicamp, like the other state universities in São Paulo, demands that we have boldness and responsibility to defend the public university, free, of quality and with autonomy, to support an institutional and academic project that honors its trajectory and strengthens its links with society .
*Respectively, rector and vice-rector of Unicamp
(O Estado de S. Paulo - May 4, 2017, page 2)
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