University of Valle - Organization

Organization

The university highest government body is the University Council which is formed of eleven members: the governor of Valle del Cauca, the rector, the general secretary, and representatives for the President of the Republic, the Ministry of Education, deans, professors, alumni, students, former rectors, and the productive sector.

Academic affairs are overseen by the Academic Council, which is formed of seventeen members: The rector, the general secretary, the vice-rectors for Academics, Administrative Affairs, Research, and University Welfare; the deans of the eight faculties; the directors of the two institutes and the offices of Planning and Regionalisation; two representatives for the professors, one representative for academic programs, and two representatives for the students.

The rector is the chief executive officer and is elected for a four-year period with the possibility of reelection. The current rector is Iván Enrique Ramos Calderón, who started his term in 2003 and was reelected for a second term in 2007. The rectory has six dependencies: the Direction of Regionalisation, the offices of Information and Telecommunications, Internal Control, Institutional relationships, Legal Affairs, and Planning and Institutional Development; and the General Secretary.

The Vice-rector for Academics is responsible for the development and functioning of the academic affairs. The office is currently held by Martha Cecilia Gómez de García. The Vice-rector for Administrative Affairs deals with the administrative and financial process, making sure that they fit with the organization mission statement. The office is currently held by Edgar Varela Barrios. The Vice-rector for Research is in charge of formulation and proposing social and scientific research policies. The office is currently held by Carolina Isaza de Lourido. The Vice-rector for University Welfare is in charge of the welfare of the community regarding health, sports, and recreation. The office is currently held by Luis Fernando Castro.

Each academic division, either faculty or institute, has a directive council. These include the dean or director, the vice-deans or sub-directors of academics and research, the academic and administrative coordinators, the director of each school, department, or area; and a representative for the professors and for the students. Also, each division has an extension and communication office. The research centers or institutes affiliated to the academic divisions are independent organizations at the same level as the schools, departments, or areas.