Legal nature of the organization of UANDES

UANDES is organized as a private non-profit foundation, established according to current Chilean Higher Education legislation and governed by its own By-laws. The By-laws of Incorporation were made into a public deed on September 6, 1989 and the legal personality was recognized on September 8, 1989, when the documents were filed with the Ministry of Education. It is currently governed by its Amended By-laws of July 2017.

The organizers of the University were a group of academics, professionals and outstanding businessmen who proposed to found a higher education establishment whose specific purpose was “to elaborate an organic and universal synthesis of the human culture, that integrates the dispersion of the specialties in the radical unity of the truth, enlightened and invigorated by the Catholic faith”, for this purpose there is an agreement with Opus Dei, an institution of the Catholic Church, to guarantee the Christian formation to be delivered in its classrooms and provide spiritual assistance to those who freely request it (article 2 of the By-laws).

The first organizers were Raúl Bertelsen Repetto, Elena Vial Correa, Matías Izquierdo Menéndez, Eduardo Fernández León, Francisco Ruiz-Tagle Decombe, Patricia Moya Cañas, Eduardo Guilisasti Gana, Jorge Peña Vial, Patricio Prieto Sánchez, Juan Ignacio González Errázuriz and Fernando Figueroa Elizalde. The By-laws named Raúl Bertelsen as first Rector, Óscar Cristi as Secretary General, Guillermo Varas as first General Manager and Jorge Peña as first Research Director.

Photo by Hernán Taito
“Explorando el mundo del conocimiento“

The By-laws determine the specific purposes of the institution and establish the governing authorities and bodies.

Government authorities of the University

According to the By-laws and the regulations set for the operation and development of the University, government is carried out through unipersonal and collegiate authorities.

Collegiate authorities

Governing Board

According to the By-laws, the higher authority of the University is the Governing Board, which is composed of the President and 10 academics and professionals appointed by the same board for five-year periods. The first members of the Board were nominally designated by the By-laws. The excellence of its members and their strong commitment to the goals of the University are the main foundation to justify an autogenerating mechanism.

Renewal is partial, so that two of its members are renewed every year, and these may also be re-elected.

The practical application of the By-laws has recommended that this body be integrated by both University academics and people who do not work in it, which favors the genuine knowledge of the institution and taking advantage of expertise in other areas of national task.

It should be noted that the members of the Governing Board are natural persons and not companies whose rights belong to persons outside the institution.

Presidential Council

The Presidential Council is the body that collaborates with the President to conduct the general government of the University. It is formed by the President, the vice-rectors, the Secretary General and two advisers, appointed for this purpose by the Governing Board. The Presidential Council, also known as the President, provides guidelines, determines institutional policies and regulations and adopts the necessary decisions for the operation and development of the University on matters that are not of the competence of other higher authorities. The
Presidential Council creates the vice-rectories, faculties, schools and institutes, appoints the deans, principals, managers and professors according to the Rules of Academic Career, creates diploma courses and specialty certificate programs and approves study plans and programs corresponding to the degrees and certificate titles granted by the University, it approves the annual budget and ensures that the University’s clinical hospitals are working adequately.

High Council

The High Council is a collegiate body to which the governing bodies of the university present, formulate and propose all those matters and issues considered pertinent and appropriate for the good progress of the University or for the improvement of University activities, it also is in charge of making decisions regarding the creation or modification of degrees and certificate titles, granting honorary academic degrees and appointing Emeritus and Honorary professors. It is composed of the President, the Vice Presidents, the Secretary General, the Deans and five directors appointed by the Board of Trustees, for three-year renewable periods, one of its members will preferably be a University graduate. The President of the University’s Student Federation, by himself or herself or by the person representing him or her, also has a right to voice in the Council.

Economic Council

The Economic Council is the technical body whose main mission is to advise the economic Vice
President on the annual budget and advise on budgetary and financial matters which have been submitted to his or her knowledge and consideration. It is chaired by the economic vice-rector and is composed of four advisers appointed by the Board of Trustees for a three-year renewable period.

The Board of Directors of the Clinical Hospital(s)

This Board is in charge of autonomously administrating and managing the respective clinical hospital, and of appointing the members of the Directing Council and its senior authorities. The appointment of the Director General and the Medical Director requires confirmation of the Rector’s Council. The Board of Directors is chaired by the President and consists of four members, one of whom is a Vice President.

Unipersonal authorities

The President

The President is a university professor elected by the Board of Trustees to perform the office for five renewable years. The President is responsible for directing the government and administration of the University in accordance with the By-laws and Regulations. For legal purposes, he is the judicial and extrajudicial representative of the University.

Vice Presidents

The By-laws stipulate that the University shall have vice-rectors in the number determined by the
President with the agreement of the Presidential´s Council. They are appointed for three renewable years. The most senior vice-rector in office subrogates the President.

Currently there are six Vice Presidents: The Academic Vice President, who is dedicated to collaborating in the university government in the area of teaching and in coordinating with the Councils of the academic units; the Vice President of University Relations, who is in charge of university relationship activities; the Vice President of Research and Postgraduate Studies, who is responsible for these two areas in addition to innovation and development; the Vice President of Communications, who is in charge of the institutional and corporate communication strategy. The Vice President of Students and Alumni, who is dedicated to students and graduates, and the Economic Vice President, responsible for the budget and financial matters of the University.

Secretary General

The Secretary General is the minister of faith of the University, in charge of the Minutes of the Board of Trustees and the High Council. The Secretary General is the custodian of documents and issues certificates, degrees and certificate titles. Her or she it´s appointed by the Board of Trustees for three-year periods, which may be renewed.

Government of Faculties, Schools or Institutes

The Government of Faculties, Schools or Institutes in which the teaching and research work of the University is carried out is exercised, in full coordination with the central authorities, through a collegiate body called the Council, whose highest authority is the dean or principal.

The Faculty Council is composed of the dean, the academic vice-dean and the Economic and Administrative director, in addition to a research dean and a student vice-dean, when appropriate. The School Council or Institute Council is composed of the director, the director of studies, the academic secretary and other professors appointed by the Presidential Council. They last three years in office and can be renewed.

  • Council of the Faculty of Economic and Business Science
  • Council of the Faculty of Communications
  • Council of the Faculty of Law
  • Council of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
  • Council of the Faculty of Medicine
  • Council of the School of Medicine
  • Council of the School of Postgraduate Medicine
  • Council of the School of Kinesiology
  • Council of the School of Occupational Therapy
  • Council of the School of Nutrition and Dietetics
  • Council of the School of Phonoaudiology
  • Council of the Faculty of Odontology
  • Council of the School of Service Administration
  • Council of the Faculty of Nursing and Obstetrics
  • Council of the School of Nursing
  • Council of the School of Obstetrics and Midwifery
  • Council of the Faculty of Education
  • Council of the School of Elementary Pedagogy
  • Council of the School of Early Childhood Education
  • Council of the School of High School Pedagogy
  • Council of the School of Psychology
  • Council of the Institute of Family Science
  • Council of the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities
  • Council of the Institute of Philosophy
  • Council of the Institute of History
  • Council of the Institute of Literature
  • Council of the Center of General Studies
  • Council of the Program of Baccalaureate
  • Council ESE Business School

Service and management support units

Inasmuch as the University project has consolidated, several service or management support units have been created that act in the best interests of the entire university community. Each of these units depends on one director who is appointed by the Presidential Council.

Academic support units: Teaching Directorate; Library Directorate; Research Directorate; Academic Processes and Services Directorate; Postgraduate Directorate; University Life Directorate; AlumniUANDES Directorate; Academic Support Directorate; International Relations Directorate; Innovation Directorate; Ongoing Education Directorate; Curriculum, Educational Innovation Center and Health Center of Universidad de los Andes Directorate.

Administrative support units: Undergraduate Admissions and Promotion Directorate; Planning and Development Directorate; Corporate Culture Directorate; People Directorate; Communications Directorate; Finance Directorate; Operations Directorate; Information Technology and Systems Directorate; Commercial Postgraduate and Continuing Education Directorate; Cultural Extension Directorate; Research and Business Intelligence Directorate, and Institutional Advancement Unit and Association of Friends.

Governance style

The governance style sought by the University is characterized by the following tones:

a) Collegiality in decisions: A basic principle of university governance is collegiality in decision-making. All the upper bodies of the University governance are collegiate, both at the central level (Presidency) and in each Faculty, School or Institute. Decisions are adopted by a majority of votes, after careful study by each and every member of the governing body. Thus, avoiding personalism and favoring teamwork and stewardship.

b) Immediacy and fluid relationship between the various authorities: the organizational structure is essentially flat, in the sense that there are few hierarchical levels or rankings: The
Presidential Council is at the highest level, and the next level is composed of academic units and the various supporting bodies.

c) “Scalable” structure: the management structure can be described as scalable, since it is not necessary to follow complex hierarchical procedures to reach the highest authorities. The flat nature of the organization enables this quality.

d) Matrix-based nature of support units: The support units are central (they depend on the
Presidential Council) and transversal (they provide services to all units).

e) Transparency and openness: The University intends to enable any director, professor, administrator or student to resort to the Faculty Council, Institute or School or the Presidency, to raise issues that affect him or her personally or have to do with normal university operations. In addition to informal conversations that take place without notice, the President provides instances of meeting and dialogue with the academic and administrative units. This easy access to authorities helps the existence of a single campus, cafeterias and common coffee shops for students, professors and administrators.

Current Bylaws – Check here  (Spanish version only)

Accesos Directos