This article presents a study developed by a group of professors in which we analyze the process of implementation of the Pampa Federal University as part of the national public policies for the expansion of access to higher education. The study includes a diagnosis of the local educational reality and deals with two main topics: the social relevance of creating this new university in the present local context characterized by cultural and economic stagnation and the role of development as a transforming element of such reality. The purpose of the investigation was to contribute to the historical process in which we are involved.
Universidade Federal do Pampa; higher education; Southern region of Brazil; social relevance; development
