SINAES Visits CATIE to Evaluate the Quality of Its Academic Programs

• Evaluation team to issue a decision on the reaccreditation of CATIE's education program.

CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) recently hosted Dr. Julio César Calvo, an evaluator from Costa Rica’s National Accreditation System for Higher Education (SINAES), as part of the quality evaluation process for its academic programs.

During this phase, the institution will undergo a detailed analysis to assess and validate all the elements that comprise its graduate program.

During the visit, Dr. Luis Ernesto Pocasangre, Director General of CATIE, and Dr. Alfredo Zamarripa, Dean of the Graduate School, accompanied the evaluator on a tour of the campus facilities. The tour included stops at the Graduate School, virtual classrooms, biotechnology and integrated pest and disease management laboratories, the Botanical Garden, field collections of coffee and cacao, as well as student support services such as medical, dental, nutrition, and occupational health facilities. Recreational services, including tennis, soccer, and basketball courts, were also reviewed.

Throughout the tour, the importance of the accreditation process was emphasized. “Accreditation is a mark of academic quality that instills confidence in students, donors, collaborators, professors, and companies that hire graduates of our Graduate School,” commented Dr. Zamarripa.

He also highlighted that this process strengthens CATIE’s position as a prestigious international university in the region, recognized for the excellence of its graduate programs.

As part of the procedure, the evaluation process will continue virtually at the end of February, involving various units and groups, to finalize a recommendation regarding the renewal of the accreditation.