The Faculty of Economics at the National University celebrated seven decades

In 2022, the Faculty of Economics (FCE) of the National University of Colombia celebrated its seventieth anniversary, after January 22, 1952, by Agreement No. 9 of the Supreme Council of the University, and the Faculty of Economics was established at that time. And today in economic sciences.

As part of the celebration, an opening ceremony was held which included a keynote speech from the economist Thomas Piketty. In this regard, the Dean of the College, Jorge Armando Rodriguez, stated that the College has a “historical character”, built on the premise of being part of a public university, “with its model of academic freedom and expression and with the authority and responsibility that education entails thanks to the support provided through funding received by Colombian taxpayers.

He also pointed out three aspects that constitute for the Dean the characterization of the FCE, with which the teaching community agrees, this is a theoretical and methodological pluralism, despite the fact that he recognizes that in the 1950s there were more professors than the Conservative Party then in the 1970s there were excesses in the struggles of the currents Marxism.

In second place will be the construction of critical thinking, and “the third characteristic that I consider important to cultivate is the commitment to Colombia. Rodriguez emphasized that the concern for development with equity, for a more equitable, productive and democratic society was present.”

For the Doctor of Economics, Professor and former Dean of the same House of Studies, Alvaro Zerda, one of the differences in the FCE is that it consists of three programmes, Economics, Business Administration and Public Accountancy, at the undergraduate level. He pointed out that in other faculties, the Faculty of Economics and Management is usually separated, and the reason for merging three disciplines in the FCE is that they “correlate with the field of knowledge of economic sciences and share basic and intermediate uses, and this gives it a more comprehensive professional view of each of these disciplines.”

Another important difference for Zerda is “the focus on the content of the teachings of each of the programs,” which he said gives students a perspective beyond established paradigms. In the case of economics, he says, for example, “Students are given the opportunity to access other schools of thought in addition to the neoclassical Keynesian school, in such a way that they are endowed with critical insight, so that they do not swallow it all up,” he completed.

That is why Jorge Ivan Paula, who is also a professor at the college and former Dean, emphasized that the great contribution of FCS is the graduates, “They produce well-qualified professionals, are independent in their workplaces, and have an outstanding ability to analyze and think critically, meaning that in In some cases, in the public and private sectors they have a strong tendency for our students.”

But regarding the college’s contribution to public policy, he noted that the academic community has sought to reflect on the country’s economic development problems, “the main goal is to continue to contribute from a conceptual and empirical point of view about the issue. In this sense, publications have been issued that contribute to national discussions,” Paula said. .

Facing the challenges facing the College in the coming years, he emphasized “to keep pace with what his academic colleagues produce in other latitudes, to be present in the academic debate at the regional level” and finally the ability to influence decisions for both national and international economic policy, stressing that the impact On decision-making has indeed been an ongoing challenge throughout its 70-year history.