The administration of the University of Puerto Rico, in the voice of the rectors of the Río Piedras, Cayey and Mayagüez campuses, believe that the proposal for university reform promoted in the Senate must undergo several changes to reflect the fiscal realities the institution is experiencing.
The measure, listed as Senate Law 172, was filed by the senator Jose Vargas Vidot on 4 February and its content has been composed for several years by a multisectoral committee, consisting of teachers and student representatives, among others.
In a virtual open table with various media, the university board explained their claims about what they understand are components to the extent that they need to undergo changes, as it carries, for example, the authority to make decisions from the president of the institution and rectors It will be handed over to the Executive Board.
As a result of these kinds of parts, according to the rector of the Mayagüez University Campus (RUM), Agustín Rullán Toro, the current administrative area would only endorse the strategic plans and budget of the UPR presented by the Executive Board.
“The project, as it is presented… I can tell you that the philosophical basis from which it starts are principles that are all very good. He’s talking about depoliticization, decentralization, autonomy, healthy governance and many things that I think are philosophically important principles, ”said the Mayaguez rector during the virtual presentation.
“However, the details to which the implementation of these philosophical principles leads, in the way it is presented, we think will be very problematic for the university,” he added.
In light of the above, Rullán Toro understands that the legislation must undergo “serious changes” before the legislature passes it.
Some of the concerns raised by the university board also included the transfer of executive powers to deliberative bodies, which they put forward as a proposal that would add a bureaucratic layer to the management of the UPR.
“Decisions will have to be made in these bodies, put to a vote, possibly go to committees and we are deeply concerned that this will paralyze the university. A university that in itself is extremely bureaucratic and we are going to add a serious layer of bureaucracy to move it and make timely decisions, ”he said.
Reform would affect accreditation
As the university reform is being written, the main concern the presentation retains lies in how the measure could affect the UPR’s accreditation process, he said. Jenniffer Alicea Castillo, Associate Vice President of Accreditation and Appraisal.
Accreditation was one that drew a lot of attention to the institution after it was in danger of losing it in early 2019, as the UPR had not provided information required by the Accrediting Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
However, in June of that year, the UPR succeeded in detaining her after handing over the documentation and several visits by representatives of the MSCHE to the campuses.
According to Alicea Castillo, the reform completely sets aside compliance requirements, particularly under the UPR governance standard.
“This standard is very clear in how it establishes the duties of the chief executive of each accredited institution and also the functions and duties of that governing body of the university. Any institution that wants to become and remain accredited must literally follow these standards. In this case, the standard I mentioned is directly affected, ”the official explained.
“It is a very important thing that this whole reform, amendments, whatever you want to present because of the serious concerns that the university community has, is always seen through the lens of accreditation and it is something this project lacks,” he added. to. .
The presentation of the administration also included the participation of the Rector of the Río Piedras campus, Luis A. Ferrao Delgado and the headmaster of the Cayey unit, Luis Tapia Maldonado
It also states that, insofar as there is no evidence, that the university community or the MSCHE has been consulted.