Universidad Veracruzana

Website | www.uv.mx/cosustenta/vinculacion/epic
Twitter | @CoSustenta
Facebook | @sustentabilidaduv

Universidad Veracruzana (UV) is a public university that commits to directing its substantial knowledge base towards the solutions of society’s needs.

Since its creation, UV has engaged with communities, governments, civil NGOs, and the productive sector to contribute to the welfare of people. Through its Sustainability Master Plan 2023, the university promises that: 1) Its student community of all academic fields relate their acquired knowledge to the social reality of their surroundings. 2) Its alums have the necessary competencies to practice consistent with the principles of sustainability. 3) It keeps a formal relationship with other organizations and institutions for joint action towards sustainability based on transdisciplinary, participatory action research and social impact. 4) Its community supports indigenous, rural, and suburban communities in their biocultural development, always with the recognition of their local knowledge and capabilities. The EPIC program at the Universidad Veracruzana adopts the EPIC Model as a strategy that integrates its teaching and outreach roles. Its purpose is to connect its students with the community to increase the social relevance of education and contribute to society and sustainability.

The focus of our program are the collaborative partnerships between the university and other societal groups, understood as interactions agreed upon by all parts with shared objectives, and which harness differences as complementary strengths for the search for solutions with more impact potential than individual actions. The collaborative approach to university outreach entails 1) acknowledging diversity, complementarity, and legitimacy of knowledge systems, capabilities, and interests in groups and sectors of society 2) the dialogue with communities, recognized as actors with intellectual property, in the scoping of their development objectives, and with agency to achieve those objectives 3) the joint definition of problems to be addressed, the actions to develop, and the scope of the collaborative relationship 4) the coordinated development of actions, to which each part contributes according to its capabilities 5) the joint evaluation of the partnership outcomes, ensuring their academic, social relevance, and usefulness. UV will adopt the EPIC Model via the Coordination for Sustainability, with the support of strategic allies inside and outside the university.

The program’s mission is to foster collaboration, mutual support, and social learning between our university community and different social partners to create sustainability solutions for local and regional social-environmental needs.

Fun Facts about the Universidad Veracruzana

Public or Private Institution | Public
Number of students at institution | 87,034

Year Program Established | 2023
Country | Mexico

Past City Partners

Universidad Veracruzana has a long history of partnerships with communities and governments. Since 1996 it has partnered with 11 local and indigenous communities to establish outreach facilities (“casas UV”) in their territories to enable students and teachers to engage with the communities and exchange knowledge. The university has also created links with local NGOs to jointly act in the development of strategies for an integrated collaborative management of watersheds in the region. Partnerships with international organizations to drive local solutions to sustainability have also occurred, such as with the City Adapt project of the United Nations Environmental Program, and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network in Mexico.

Contact Info

José Antonio Pensado Fernández
Coordinador de Programa EPIC
+52 1 (228) 186-1903
apensado@uv.mx

Laura Odila Bello Benavides
Coordinadora Universitaria para la Sustentabilidad
+52 1 (228) 812-4626
labello@uv.mx

Coordinación Universitaria para la Sustentabilidad
+52 1 (228) 812-4626
cosustenta@uv.mx