Memória institucional comunicada : um olhar sobre as universidades comunitárias

Abstract

Universities have been trying to reflect upon their role in higher education and society in an effort to revisit themselves. These institutions have almost 1,000 years of existence and their history shows that this is just one more moment of transformation they are going through. Today, in view of an extremely competitive context, where they are required to achieve goals, numbers, positions in rankings and make efforts in innovation and entrepreneurship, many centuries-old institutions are keen to implement Institutional Memory projects as a means to celebrate their history and strengthen their identity. The mission of private non-profit universities – especially the regional ones – , as stated in the Federal Constitution of 1988, and the laws that they are governed by, sanctioned in 2013, is to create means to share with their audiences their origins, the reasons for their existence and the integration with social, economic and cultural interests of their cities and regions where their campuses are located. In this investigation, in light of symbolic interactionism (MEAD, 1863-1931) and organizational communication, under the perspective of the communicated organization (BALDISSERA, 2014), we will be presenting an overview of the memory practices and reflect upon the forms of interaction between the Private Non-Profit Higher Education Institutions (ICES) of Rio Grande do Sul and the communities where they are located. We have identified and analyzed memory products available in the web portals and in on-site memory centers as well. We have found that anniversaries are still the main reason why institutions promote their Institutional Memory, but museums, memorials and memory centers have a role to play in the promotion and constant dissemination of the regional history and culture. In view of the investigations that have been developed so far and in light of communicated organization, we have designed the Communicated Institutional Memory, which contains the information universities believe should be shared with all audiences to build their identity as they communicate with community.