Efeitos da pandemia da Covid-19 em universidades públicas federais da região norte do Brasil: os desafios da gestão universitária

Abstract

Considered essential for regional development, federal public universities have consolidated their role as protagonists by pointing out efficient solutions to social problems. In this perspective, with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a need for these universities to reinvent their respective teaching-learning processes, as well as to innovate in the development of quality scientific research, invest in technology, and also engage in community service and cultural promotion. This research aimed to investigate how public universities in the Northern Region of Brazil acted in the face of the challenges experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. As research procedures, interviews with managers, analysis of documents, news, and web pages were conducted, as well as the systematic review of literature. Thus, it was possible to identify the alternatives that academic management adopted to ensure the maintenance of higher education during this period. With the methodology used to analyze the collected data, both through documentary research and content analysis of the statements of the interviewed managers, it was possible to conclude that the surveyed Federal Higher Education Institutions (IFES) reassumed their roles in society by acting towards the development of the regions in which they are located through the production of science in different areas of knowledge, seeking solutions to local challenges, and contributing to regional development.