NAMED AFTER JOAQUIM José da Silva Xavier—the 18th-century Brazilian revolutionary, known as Tiradentes, who sought independence from Portuguese rule—Universidade Tiradentes (UNIT) has long been recognised for its commitment to developing the community it serves and broadening access to education through distance learning. “The university is undertaking significant efforts to develop and to


improve innovation in our education delivery,” says Professor Matheus Batalha Moreira Nery, UNIT’s Director of International Relations. “We are increasing our connections with institutions around the world to give our students new opportunities but also to develop our processes, to ensure that we are providing our students with the very best approaches in education.”


WIDE-SCALE LEARNING Established as a college in 1962, UNIT was awarded university status in 1992. Today, it offers more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degrees and technical courses. The university has a main campus in Aracaju, the coastal capital of the Brazilian state of Sergipe, along with campuses in Recife and Maceió. It also supports many of its 32,000 students at distance-learning centres across Brazil’s north east. The nine states that constitute Brazil’s Northeast Region—or Região


Nordeste—face significant challenges in relation to poverty and social inequality. Deeply committed to supporting and developing the people of the region, UNIT is improving and developing its undergraduate and distance-learning provision in a number of areas. “We feel it is important to deliver education,” says Professor Batalha. “Not just to the people living in Aracaju where our campus is located, but to the population of the interior where social problems are significant. We are always trying to move further in that direction.”


COMPLEX COMMUNICATIONS UNIT’s world-class Social Communication Complex (CCS), which specialises in journalism, advertising, public relations and graphic design, is one of Brazil’s most comprehensive centres for audio and video communication, and a shining example of innovation at the university. The complex houses laboratories, television and photography studios, radio and audio suites, and dry cutting and editing suites, alongside writing and publishing facilities. The high calibre of student output has established CCS as a gateway between students, graduates and industry professionals. The centre also provides a social benefit in its archiving of CD recordings, commercials and videos. In addition, the complex produces all of UNIT’s national and international advertising campaigns. Another of UNIT’s innovation hubs is the Institute for Technology and


Research (ITP), which focuses on energy, biotechnology and the environment. The potential for vegetable oils to be used as alternatives to diesel has long been recognised and scientists at ITP have investigated the production of biodiesel from recycled soybean cooking oil—a waste product of the food industry. The resulting product is non-toxic, biodegradable and renewable —a clean, efficient fuel that can be sustainably and produced locally. UNIT’s educators actively prepare students for life beyond university


by developing their skills in leadership, administration, management and communication. For example, a scheme that draws all of these elements together is The Rondon Project, a social integration initiative coordinated by Brazil’s Ministry of Defence.


THE RONDON PROJECT Dedicated to finding solutions that contribute to the sustainable development of underserved communities, The Rondon Project relies entirely on the �


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