University Extension. A Vision

In the context of the social function of the university, extension is one of the most recurrent themes at present due to the changes that are taking place globally in society, and which constitute an unquestionable reality that has come to transform and impact on the very essence of academic institutions. The conception of the university as a knowledge factory brings with it the reduction of its commitment to society and the conception that the market must govern the changes in the institution, while higher education is placed as the axis of the production and transformation of knowledge. From this perspective, its current function places it in a double and necessary reference point: as a cultural centre that raises, receives and channels the advances of science in all senses; and on the other hand, as an instance of foundation, practice and reflection of the evolution of society, in which extension plays a fundamental role.