The University of Guadalajara General Council officially ratified the creation of the University Center of Chapala (CU-Chapala) by unanimous vote during an extraordinary session held last month.
Under an agreement with the municipal government, the new campus will be developed on a property known as El Cuije, located a short distance off the Libramiento bypass on the site that formerly housed the defunct Chapala Media Park.
Rector Ricardo Villanueva Lomelí said the university already has possession of the property and the campus will be ready to open in January 2025.
In its first stage, the CU-Chapala campus will offer bachelor’s degrees in Gerontology and Nursing. Those academic programs are already underway at temporary headquarters located on Calle Niños Heroes in Chapala’s central district. Villanueva suggested that other curricula to be added in the future will be focused on career paths in creative industries such as film production, animation and special effects; sustainable business, social ecology, environment, and agro-technology; naturopathy and physical therapy.
Noting the proximity of Lake Chapala, the rector stated, “This center will have an important challenge for us to work on water research and to create synergy with the CU-Tonalá institute, so that we can begin to have strong support to take care of this lake.”