The meeting brought together university leaders from North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean in Bogotá to review the Consortium’s progress and formally welcome new member institutions.
The 2026 General Assembly of the Hemispheric University Consortium (HUC) was held from August 30 to September 1 at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. The event brought together university leaders and institutional representatives from North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean to review the Consortium’s progress, formalize the incorporation of new member universities, and define cooperation priorities for 2027.
Sustainability, research collaboration, the development of globally conscious leaders, and the need to transform university knowledge into socially impactful action were the Assembly’s main cross-cutting themes.
Institutional Opening
The first formal day of the Assembly began with the reception of university delegations and opening remarks by Raquel Bernal, President of Universidad de los Andes, the host institution, and Julián Rodríguez Priore, President of Universidad Austral and Chair of the HUC.
During their remarks, both leaders highlighted the Consortium’s current stage of growth and institutional consolidation, marked by increased participation from researchers, faculty members, students, and professional staff across its member universities.
Three main objectives were established for the Assembly:
- Review the progress achieved over the past year, recognizing both accomplishments and challenges.
- Define shared priorities and concrete commitments for the coming period.
- Expand participation in HUC beyond university leadership and international offices, bringing its opportunities closer to faculties, research centers, faculty members, students, and professional staff.
The opening session framed these objectives within the major shared challenges facing the Americas: climate change, inequality, public health, migration, technological transformation, and the future of education. Participants emphasized that none of these challenges can be addressed by a single institution, country, or discipline alone.
MOU Signing Ceremony and New Member Institutions
One of the Assembly’s key institutional milestones was the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), through which member universities reaffirmed their commitment to academic and scientific cooperation across the Americas.
During the ceremony, two new institutions were formally welcomed into the Consortium: Université de Montréal and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Valérie Amiraux, Vice-Rector for Global Engagement and First Peoples at Université de Montréal, and C. Cindy Fan, Vice Provost for International Studies and Global Engagement at UCLA, introduced their institutions and shared their expectations regarding participation in the Consortium.
The addition of these universities strengthens HUC’s representation in North America, brings an important Francophone perspective to the network, and adds new capabilities in research, mobility, diversity, international engagement, public service, and innovation.
With these additions, HUC now brings together 13 universities from across the Americas.
