Aguascalientes, Ags. September 12, 2023.- Smart Center is an initiative promoted by the PanamericanaIts objective is to promote leaders who contribute to the improvement of Mexico and the world, as well as to complement the academic development of students and strengthen the competencies they will need as future professionals.
SMART Center is a service center for students at the different Panamericana campuses and serves as a contact point for students from their high school through the vocational orientation test, until they graduate from college with their Exams for Graduation from the Bachelor's Degree (EGEL).
According to the story behind SMART Center in the 2016-2022 strategic planning of the UP campus Mexico, the Vice Rector for Academic and Educational Innovation Dr. Teresa Nicolas, is in charge of creating and developing a student center in order to strengthen the integral formation of students and provide them with more and better competencies (soft skills).
In the process of designing the center, different student care centers in prestigious British and North American universities were visited in order to identify good practices. Based on the aforementioned visits and the study of documents on the future of education and innovation practices, a base document was developed.
After a planning period -under the Lean Startup methodology- the plan for the creation of a center that would offer extracurricular academic experiences for students was presented to the Campus Board of Directors. The plan for the new center included and enhanced some of the existing areas as well as the development of new areas and services for students.
Objectives and philosophy
Its main objective is to provide tools to develop the talent of students regardless of the career they study; also to offer a service of excellence for the constant improvement of academic, personal and professional skills of the students of the institution.
In addition, its purposes also include promoting personalized attention through university counseling, coaching, mentoring or other individual assistance resources for both students and professors, and finally, promoting and supporting academic student activities and initiatives that contribute to the integral formation of UP students.
Rooted in the values of leadership, innovation, flexibility, synergy, integrity and transcendence; likewise, its mission seeks to complement the academic development of students and strengthen the competencies they will need to become professionals who meet social demands, promoting leaders who contribute to the improvement of Mexico and the world.
The center's motto - Empower your ideas - reflects its purpose: to empower students to be the protagonists of their educational experience. The official launch of the SMART Center took place during the university's 50th anniversary commemoration on October 26, 2017. It has since become a key player in the University's Educational Innovation ecosystem.
Acronym SMART
Success learning skills: development of soft skills for life and work through "learning by doing" activities that challenge them to do their best.
Meeting point: gathering of students with similar interests and looking for a space to express themselves (if you have an idea for a new group, come to us to plan it).
Advisory: university counseling, psychological and emotional support.
Reload and Talent: attention to particular needs such as vocational reorientation, academic counseling, talent development, courses and workshops, among others: art therapy, anxiety management, mindfulness, development of study habits, etc.
Likewise, the director of the SMART Center at the Aguascalientes campus, Liliana Medina de la Torre, comments that this space offers the possibility of peer counseling (a student who supports another student in the most complicated subjects), as well as the support of two psychologists and a pedagogue who are always at the service of the students.
If you are interested in learning more about SMART Center, please contact us Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. or send us an e-mail to: smartupags@up.edu.mx.
