It is being held at the University City with multiple working groups, panels, conferences and presentations.

La Universidad Nacional de Rosario Rosario is hosting the 11th National Congress of University Extension, one of the most important gatherings of the Argentine public university system. From June 10 to 12, 2026, the city will become a focal point for the exchange of experiences, knowledge, and practices that connect universities with society. Faculty, students, and staff from universities across the country will participate, sharing projects, research, and discussions about the social role of higher education over three days. Within this context, Rosario welcomes the university community with a diverse agenda that highlights the territorial commitment of public institutions.

The Rector of the Universidad Nacional de Rosario Franco Bartolacci, the head of the Extension and Territory Area of ​​the UNR, Ianara Hummel, the Coordinator of the University Welfare Network of the CIN and Rector of the National University Guillermo Brown, Pablo Domenichini and the Coordinator of the University Extension Network of the CIN and Rector of the National University of the Center of the Province of Buenos Aires, Marcelo Aba.

Ianara Hummel stated that in an adverse context of budget cuts and underfunding, the university community is committed to keeping the public university alive by demonstrating its value and transformative capacity to society. “We intend to make this meeting a space to strengthen and reaffirm university outreach as a fundamental pillar of the university system, and also to make outreach that wonderful tool for reflecting on and intervening in a present of profound social transformations in a country marked by enormous fragmentation and social inequality.”

For his part, Pablo Domenichini emphasized that informing society about the contributions universities make to the exchange of knowledge, the significance of university outreach in Argentina, and the high quality with which it is carried out, is a very significant contribution to upholding the banner of Argentina's public universities, demanding compliance with the university funding law, and clearly demonstrating that the budget is an investment, and that providing free and open higher education to anyone who wants to pursue it should never be a problem. "Universities are part of the solution to Argentina's problems, and their outreach and student welfare work is distinctive and fills us with pride."

In the same vein, Marcelo Aba affirmed that Argentine universities are undergoing a process that necessitates modifications, adaptations, and changes occurring globally. “This university, which is connected to the society that supports us and demonstrates through its backing and affection that it sees us as a tool for social progress, has the opportunity to look ahead with that support, while deepening the paths to make that dialogue increasingly intense. We will move towards a university with more of that dialogue, outreach, and territorial engagement.”

Finally, Franco Bartolacci argued that our generation has the responsibility to bring the Argentine university system to a better and more vibrant context, and this requires addressing three challenges: demanding, reforming, and safeguarding. “Demanding,” without compromise, the minimum resources that the University needs to function properly. “Reforming” to bring it in line with a rapidly changing world, with a country facing new challenges, where the University cannot continue doing the same things to fulfill its mission effectively. “Those of us who uphold the reformist spirit of the Argentine university system, upon which outreach work rests, cannot lean into conservative positions. Outreach, understood as the exchange of knowledge, is a backbone, a substantial, strategic, and priority task.” Finally, “Safeguarding” the recognition and legitimacy of the public university system. “Those of us who had the privilege of attending public universities cannot fail to take action to guarantee future generations the same opportunities and the same rights.”

The Congress is a key forum for showcasing university outreach, understood as one of the university's core functions alongside teaching and research. Through workshops, panels, conferences, and presentations, experiences in community engagement, social outreach initiatives, interdisciplinary projects, and proposals addressing current issues from a critical and committed perspective will be presented.

In addition to the exchange of knowledge, the event promotes collective reflection on the challenges facing public universities in the current context, reaffirming their role in building a more just, inclusive, and democratic society. The activities take place at the University City of Rosario, which will serve as the epicenter of the Congress and the venue for numerous academic and community exchange opportunities.

The agenda will feature three central sessions for debate and reflection on the present and future of higher education, bringing together renowned specialists to address the challenges currently facing Argentine universities. All three talks will be streamed live on the YouTube channel of the [university name/organization]. Universidad Nacional de Rosario, expanding access to the university community and the interested public.

On Wednesday the 10th, at 10:00 AM in the auditorium of the Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Design, the panel “Future Scenarios for the Argentine University: Between Global Challenges, Attacks from the Far Right, and the Inertia of Systemic Trends” took place. Claudio Suasnábar, Alejandro Vila, and Juan Pablo Itoiz participated, analyzing the main political, social, and academic challenges currently facing the university system.

The program continues on Thursday the 11th, at 11:00 AM in the Architecture Auditorium, with the panel “Curriculum Design, Credit System, and University Extension,” featuring Professor Carlos Pérez Rasetti, Dr. Paulo Falcón, and Specialist Carina Gerlero. Finally, on Friday the 12th, at 1:30 PM in the Auditorium of the Faculty of Political Science and International Relations, the closing panel, “Current Challenges in University Professional Training,” will take place, with the participation of Master's degree holder Lía Bentolila, Bachelor's degree holder Raúl Di Tomaso, and Architect Agustín Sattler.

With a nationwide reach and a program that brings together experiences, debates, and perspectives from across the country, the 11th National Congress of University Extension reaffirms the role of public universities as fundamental actors in social development, knowledge production, and the building of citizenship. For three days, Rosario will be the setting for a strategic discussion on the present and future of Argentine higher education and its commitment to the communities it serves.

Journalists: Gonzalo J. García and Victoria Arrabal / Photography: Camila Casero.