Public Higher Education Response to COVID-19

The Case of Federal Institutions in Southern Brazil

Authors

  • Kelber Tozini The George Washington University
  • Claudia Schiedeck Soares de Souza
  • Fernanda Leal
  • Bernardo Sfredo Miorando

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected higher education around the world in unprecedented ways. Given the historical centrality of federal higher education institutions (HEIs) for Brazil’s development, the purpose of this chapter is to discuss the initial response of Southern Brazilian public federal HEIs to COVID-19 regarding their social role. We characterize the actions performed in these institutions to mitigate the effects of the pandemic as described in their institutional websites. Results highlight the importance of extension activities and the need for federal public HEIs’ autonomy, assuring them the possibility to construct human development capabilities for the public good.

How to cite: 

Tozini, K., de Souza, C. S. S., Leal, F., & Miorando, B. S. (2022). Public higher education response to COVID-19: The case of federal institutions in Southern Brazil. In J. S. McKeown, K. Bista, & R. Y. Chan (Eds.), Global higher education during COVID-19: Policy, society, and technology (pp. 25-38). STAR Scholars. https://starscholars.org/product/global-education/

Author Biographies

  • Claudia Schiedeck Soares de Souza

    Claudia Schiedeck Soares de Souza, Ph.D., is an emeriti professor of Federal Institute of Rio Grande do Sul (IFRS)—Campus Bento Gonçalves, in Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. She is also the first Rector of IFRS (2008–2015) and was a visiting scholar at Ontario Institute for Studies in Education—OISE—University of Toronto. She holds a Ph.D. in Education from Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS). Her research interests are internationalization and comparative studies in vocational education and training. E-mail: claudia.souza@bento.ifrs.edu.br

  • Fernanda Leal

    Fernanda Leal, Ph.D., is an executive assistant at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Brazil, and was a visiting scholar at the Center for International Higher Education (CIHE), Boston College, United States, from August 2018 to March 2020. She holds a Ph.D. in Administration from Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC). Her research interests comprise internationalization, South-South relations, and (De)coloniality in higher education. E-mail: fernanda.leal@ufsc.br

  • Bernardo Sfredo Miorando

    Bernardo Sfredo Miorando, Ph.D., is an institutional development fellow at Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and was a visiting scholar at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research (FIER), University of Jyväskylä, Finland. He holds a Ph.D. in Education from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). His research interests involve evaluation, innovation, and politics in comparative and international higher education. E-mail: bernardo.sfredo@gmail.com

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Published

2021-09-19

Issue

2022: Global Higher Education During COVID-19: Policy, Society, and Technology

Section

COVID-19 and Global Higher Education (Completed)

How to Cite

Public Higher Education Response to COVID-19 : The Case of Federal Institutions in Southern Brazil. (2021). Comparative & International Education Series, 25-38. https://ojed.org/cies/article/view/2292