August 21, 2023.- The Universidad Panamericana held the Opening Ceremony for the 2023-2024 academic year, on August 15, 16 and 17 in the three different cities where this institution is present: Mexico City (at the Ciudad Panamericana campus), Guadalajara y Aguascalientes.
Opening Ceremony
The university tradition (which arose under the protection of the Church in the thirteenth century) celebrates with an opening ceremony the annual completion of this constant cycle, to mark the end of a school year and announce the beginning of the new one, welcoming new students and gathering around the cloister the entire university community. Panamericana resumes these celebrations and invites the faculty and all the members of the university community to the first class of the new academic year.
Each of the ceremonies began with a parade of academic cloisters, in which the university authorities: directors, deans, doctors and rectors emeritus, wore their academic suits and medals awarded to give solemnity and recognize, as well as celebrate, the beginning of the new school year with the words of each Rector on their campus.
Challenges in the future of education
One of the main topics discussed was Artificial Intelligence and the challenges it poses for both the university community and society in general.
Dr. Santiago García Álvarez, rector of the Mexico City campus, spoke about the challenge of Artificial Intelligence and its relationship with truth: "The concept of truth has been in crisis for a long time, so the search for truth has become a process that is not only arduous but, at times, nebulous. Although it is difficult to know the truth, many of us think that it exists, that it gives hope, that it liberates, in this context we seek a truth that represents a protective shield against the risks of those who decide to direct Artificial Intelligence towards particular interests or ideological positions".
For his part, Dr. José Antonio Esquivias Romero, rector of the Guadalajara campus, suggested that change is an integral part of universities: "when universities have lost their institutional identity and have forgotten that innovation is their distinctive hallmark, they have fallen into academic stagnation and become outdated".
Antonio de los Reyes Moreno, rector of campus Aguascalientes, said: "We are living in a time of rapid change and technological advances, which means that we must prepare ourselves to face challenges that we are not yet aware of. The ability to adapt and the willingness to learn constantly will be fundamental for your success in the working world".
Artificial Intelligence
This year, the topic chosen for the keynote lectures was Artificial Intelligence. In Mexico City and Aguascalientes it was given by Dr. Félix Martínez Ríos, Research Professor C; while in Guadalajara it was given by Mtro. Jafet Rodríguez Muñoz, director of the Systems Engineering and Computer Graphics program at the Guadalajara campus; both academics from our Panamericana.
Dr. Martínez Ríos shared a historical and theoretical tour of Artificial Intelligence and talked about its challenges, in particular he pointed out: "the real challenge is not to oppose the incorporation of AI in professional life, but to accept the inevitable change of any practice involved, incorporating AI in the specialized workflow. The most likely danger is that we will do what computers tell us what to do, because we are in awe of them and rely on them to make important decisions."
"I am confident that the Universidad Panamericana andall its members, firmly anchored to our founding pillars, will be able to face all these new challenges with a humanistic and ethical perspective, free from their negative consequences," he concluded.
Mtro. Rodríguez Muñoz spoke about the different AI tools and their scope. He commented that Artificial Intelligence is everywhere, and that this is not a bad thing, but, rather, that it can become a set of instruments that we can use to our advantage. He reminded that there are very varied Artificial Intelligences: to generate images, sound, text, and all of them can be used to contribute to the advancement of humanity.
Panamerican Values
Finally, Dr. Fernanda Llergo Bay, Rector General of the UP-IPADE system, recalled the values that give integrity to our institution: "In today's global, collaborative and interconnected culture, the University carries out its institutional mission by upholding the commitment of all its members to its founding values, among which are respect for the dignity of people, charity and the search for truth.
He adds, regarding the community that must exist in the university, that "this mission is also consolidated each year when a new cycle begins. The faculty is the agent that generates and transmits the soul of the university through research, teaching and personalized attention. The faculty keeps us what we are. The students are the protagonists and center of university life, to whom the learning contents of the different areas of knowledge are directed by the professors, and who are also enriched by the exchange that exists between colleagues".
The Universidad Panamericana hears the call and opens its doors wide to welcome its faculty: professors from Mexico and the world who unite their personal mission with our institutional vision.
