UNIMINUTO (COLOMBIA): A REPLICABLE EXPERIENCE IN INCLUSIVE HIGHER EDUCATION?

The Corporation Minuto de Dios University- UNIMINUTO- has the purpose of generating an offer of higher education in Colombia, with a preferential approach towards historically marginalized communities. It is an institution conceived with the mission of promoting social inclusion, taking in account the development of students' life projects (UNIMINUTO, 2014). This promotion does not correspond only to professionalization, but to comprehensive training and developing of human components and social responsibility. The commitment of the institution has led to the recognition of its profile oriented to inclusion, receiving in 2011 and 2012 the Global Leader in Inclusive Businesses prize by the World Bank, International Financial Corporation. UNIMINUTO is the largest private university in Colombia.

From this perspective, the comparative analysis of the inclusion processes carried out by UNIMINUTO becomes important, in relation to peer institutions in Colombia and in other countries, using the model of comparative education in line with Benchmarking. This was intended to identify from the triangulation of adjoining points and novelty. It started with the indications of Denzin (1970), when he describes this qualitative research model as the combination of two or more theories, data sources or research methods. In this particular study, UNIMINUTO is approached as a singular phenomenon from three basic categories around inclusion in higher education.

Those analysis can establish a guide that will support the improvement of the strategies at various levels of the institutions pretending to achieve the goal of diminishing human vulnerability through academic achievements and to realize the effectiveness of the different designed programs (García, García, & Gaviria, 2000); thus favoring the trends, reforms and innovations to be implemented, not only at UNIMINUTO but also in order to enlighten diverse organizations.