Comillas obtains IFCU’s University Social Responsibility seal

Comillas Pontifical University has obtained the seal of University Committed to Social Responsibility, awarded by the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU) and the International Centre for Research and Decision Support (CIRAD), through an analysis based on Newman’s methodology, which has a validity period of 3 years.

Its assessment covers four parameters (governance, environment, social practices and identity) in which Comillas Pontifical University obtained a 2-star label (“good" = 50-74%) out of 3 (satisfactory, good, excellent). According to the managers, 3 is an exceptional score.

This is the first time that Comillas Pontifical University attends the application for this accreditation and its four University Social Responsibility (USR) seals. This certification will bring to light Comillas practices and policies. It will also make it easier to communicate the distinguishing elements at the core of the Identity and Mission. Even though the process was led by the Quality Service, it counted with the close collaboration of Pastoral Care, the Integral Ecology Unit, Organization and People, and other managers from Comillas.

The International Federation of Catholic Universities
The USR framework is an innovative approach by the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU), through its centre for research CIRAD. It launched an international project in 2017 aiming to provide catholic institutions of higher education with a complete USR framework, called Newman Benchmarking Framework. An innovative mechanism was developed based on the framework, allowing universities to identify and evaluate their responsible policies and practices.

In recent years, various rankings at the international university level have emerged to establish university rankings in an academic context that has become very competitive (Shanghai, QS, Times Higher Education, etc.). A more holistic and value centered reference, beyond limited scientific and quantitative criteria, was missing.

This project led to the Newman Benchmarking Framework, the catholic framework of reference on university social responsibility, which includes more than 160 indicators and twenty criteria sorted into 4 main areas. It is a pioneer framework in using artificial intelligence to calculate the performance of the evaluated higher education institutions, while providing them with personalized improvement hints, creating an evaluation system that is dynamic and respects the diversity of the contexts in which the institutions find themselves.