Nur University Honors & Grants
Mona Foundation Grants Software Lisence
In 2003 the Mona Foundation provided $341,671 worh of software to Nur University.
Nur University Scholarship Recipient
Vidal Hurtado
Vidal, 23, is the third child out of six in his family and the first one to attend college. He is from a pueblo called Huanuni outside of Oruro, Bolivia, a mining town in the mountains. When Vidal graduates, he will be the first university graduate from his home town. His mother died several years ago and he has three younger siblings. His two older brothers were not able to attend university because they were not prepared to do so academically and had no means of support to enroll. Vidal is majoring in Computer Science at Universidad Nur and plans on returning to his community after graduation.
His primary concern is for the welfare of his younger brothers and sister, ages 17, 15, and 11. Vidal often feels an emotional pull to return to his village to help raise his siblings and protect them from the difficulties they face daily living in absolute poverty and with problems of alcoholism that confront the family and the community. However, he knows that the best option is to complete his university education and be in a better position to earn a livelihood, which would help his family members and his community as a whole.
His principal goal is to be able to send his brothers and sister to university within a few years. Vidal says that another of his goals is to return home and help teach Spanish to community members, who will have no opportunities to progress economically unless they speak Spanish as well as their native language, Quechua. In addition, he would like to use his computer skills to teach Computer Science in his community after graduation.
Vidal faces academic challenges -- often struggling with his classes. But he is very much a part of the Universidad Nur community and receives support from friends and professors to face those challenges and is committed to successfully completing his university career.
topPioneers in Education Award
On Friday, June 30th, in the Hotel Paris in La Paz, Nur University received the "PIONEERS IN EDUCATION" Award, granted each year by the Bolivian Center for Educational Research. Nur's Educational Leadership Team received the award for its program to train rural school teachers as facilitators of community development. Dr. Manigeh Roosta, the Universityâs Academic Director, accepted the award trophy from the hands of Minister of Education, Culture and Sports, Tito Hoz de Vila.
With the enactment of the Laws of Popular Participation and the Educational Reform, Nur University set two objectives for supporting the implemention of these reforms: first, to train teachers to design and implement informal education workshops with grassroots organizations and members of the community in general, aimed at develping the capacity of community organizations to administer their own development process; and second, to improve teaching in the classrooms, in keeping with the demands of the educational reform.
Between 1994 and 1999 one thousand rural teachers were trained in the departments of Santa Cruz, Tarija, Caracollo, and Sucre.
In 1996, the Chamber of Deputies of of the Province of La Rioja, Argentina, legislated the implementation of Nurâs Rural School Teacher Program in the interest of the province, resulting in the training of 325 rural school principals.
In 1998 and 1999 Nur trained 1000 facilitators of the Educational Reform in Ecuador in coordination with 13 Ecuadorian Universities.
The adaptability of the Rural School Teacher Taining Program to respond to the needs of different education systems has resulted in a growing demand to provide similar training program in Paraguay, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico and China.
Nur University receives the Municipal
Medal of Merit
Receiving on behalf of the University and UNIRSE was the Rector of Nur University, Mr. Manoutchehr Shoaie. The Municipal Medal of Merit is given to individuals and institutions in diverse fields of human endeavor that quietly carry out positive actions for the benefit of the community.
On September 22, 2000, the Municipal Medal of Merit, the maximum distinction granted by the Municipal Government of Santa Cruz, was presented to UNIRSE, Nur University's Student Community Service Program. The event took place in a formal ceremony presided over by the Municipal Council of Santa Cruz and with the presence of Bolivian President, Hugo Banzer Suarez and a number of state ministers.
Councilwoman, Gabriela Ichazo,
presents the Municipal Medal of Merit
to Rector, Manoutchehr Shoaie
The Municipal Medal of Merit is given to individuals and institutions in diverse fields of human endeavor that quietly carry out positive actions for the benefit of the community. Receiving on behalf of the University and UNIRSE was University Rector, Manoutchehr Shoaie, as well as student, academic and administrative representatives.
Nur University created UNIRSE in 1991 in keeping with its mission to form human resources for the future Bolivian society. Consistent with this mission is the vision of a society based on moral and social principles, in which the value and ethic of serving the community is a basic verity of professional people.
UNIRSE facilitates service opportunities between students and the community, coordinating its efforts with different academic departments so that students have both the individual personal preparation and adequate knowledge to be able to carry out quality service. In addition, self-evaluation is an intrinsic component of each student's participation.
Art and Culture, Ecology and the Environment, Educational Upgrading, Nutrition and Physical Education, Youth Leadership, Family Wellbeing, and Literacy are some of the fields of action through which UNIRSE serves the community and the poor urban neighborhoods y rural hinterland of Santa Cruz.
In the short term, the community benefits from the voluntary service of thousands of students who are prepared to respond to the basic needs of local citizenry. In the long term, the community of Santa Cruz and the Bolivian society in general can count on a growing number of professionals who have identified with the social and economic development issues in the country, and who are conscious of their responsibility and the opportunity that they have as professionals to contribute to the wellbeing of the community, especially those in less favorable circumstances.
Almost ten years have elapsed since UNIRSE was created and the benefits are self-evident. Since 1991, 3228 students have given more than 270,000 hours of community service, benefiting thousands of people and grassroot organizations.