Autonomía Universitaria y Crisis de Gobernanza en Colombia: Un Análisis Crítico Desde la Universidad del Atlántico

University autonomy constitutes one of the fundamental pillars of the modern public university, conceived as a guarantee of academic freedom, institutional self-governance, and critical knowledge production. However, in the Colombian context, this principle faces structural tensions that reveal a profound gap between its normative formulation and its actual implementation. This article aims to critically analyze the crisis of university autonomy in Colombian public universities, using the Universidad del Atlántico as a case study. Adopting a qualitative hermeneutic-critical approach, the study employs documentary analysis and critical discourse analysis to examine formal and informal mechanisms shaping university governance. The findings indicate that autonomy often functions as a discursive device that conceals political, administrative, and corporatist control practices, giving rise to what is conceptualized as “ornamental autonomy.” The article concludes by advocating for a university constituent process aimed at reconfiguring democratic, participatory, and substantive governance in public higher education.