Management of Unad University and his impact on Colombian regions: Years 2004 -2017

Currently, one of the institutions that Colombians most relate with the term of distance education, is the UNAD, perhaps because the name emphasizes the model "at a distance", or because they have listened to graduates or students who talk about their university and the way they study, or maybe they have seen news, publicity or data about the distance education modality of the institution. Whatever the reason, more and more people know about UNAD, and name their management in different regions of the Colombian geography, where face-to-face universities cannot achieve their traditional educational model. As of 2019, the UNAD has more than 100,000 students in all its systems, levels and training cycles, carrying out programs with a social imprint in order to carry the unadista legacy, helping the community’s development. This text aims to show the evolution of the “Unadista” presence in Colombian higher education, beginning with a historical journey of the beginnings of distance education in the world, passing through Latin America and arriving in Colombia, where the Unisur pillar is born, now called National Open and Distance University, who since its inception and like any organization, has had changes and progress, to become a mega-university in 2017. The management carried out by UNAD from 2004 to 2017, its organizational structure changes, academic, and each of the projects based on the substantive responsibilities of the university. Likewise, the impact that UNAD has had at the regional level during these years, and the growth of enrollment by segment of the country. All of the above, from an organizational management perspective as a company builder.