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The academic from the Faculty of Medicine, elected by the community on May 12, 2022, received the University of Chile Medal from her predecessor, Professor Ennio Vivaldi. The university's 31st Rector will be accompanied by Alejandra Mizala as Vice-Rector, Claudio Pastenes as Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Sergio Olavarrieta as Vice-Rector for Economic Affairs and Institutional Management, Enrique Aliste as Vice-Rector for Research and Development, Pilar Barba as Vice-Rector for Outreach and Communications, Josiane Bonnefoy as Vice-Rector for Student and Community Affairs, and José Miguel Piquer as Vice-Rector for Information Technology.
A historic day was experienced by the University of Chile this Wednesday, June 22, after Professor Rosa Devés Alessandri assumed the position of Rector of the institution, thus becoming the first woman to assume the highest authority of the oldest higher education institution in the country.
The ceremony, held in the Main Hall of the Central Building, was attended by the President of the Republic and patron of the University of Chile, Gabriel Boric; the Minister of Education, Marco Antonio Ávila; the Minister of the Interior and Public Security, Izkia Siches; the Minister of National Defense, Maya Fernández; the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Marcela Ríos; and former President Ricardo Lagos Escobar, among many other university and government authorities. During this transfer of leadership, the Full Professor of the Faculty of Medicine received the medal designating her as the 31st Rector of the institution, concluding the eight-year term previously held by Professor Ennio Vivaldi.
“With the mandate of our institutional mission and the spirit of the women of yesterday and today, we will work collaboratively for a University of Chile that is increasingly Chilean, a University that represents its country in its plurality and richness, and that also knows how to receive its pains, guiding its work to contribute to satisfying the general needs and interests of society,” the new university authority assured in her first speech in office.
The Rector stated that she begins this new cycle with “the dreams and hopes of a community that is critical and resilient, but also supportive and generous,” a community that “understands the responsibility entrusted to it by history” and “is committed to the mission of generating, developing, integrating, and communicating knowledge in all areas of learning and domains of culture.” Along these lines, she added, “it is the commitment to developing the creative and responsible talent of so many that will guide us in a task that—because it is the University of Chile—transcends the university setting and merges with the challenges of our nation.”.
The Rector thanked her predecessors, Rectors Víctor Pérez and Ennio Vivaldi, with whom she worked directly, as well as “all those who have contributed to the vision of this Rectorate through a shared academic life.” She especially recognized those who will comprise the new Rectorate team: Alejandra Mizala as Vice-Rector, Claudio Pastenes as Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Sergio Olavarrieta as Vice-Rector for Economic Affairs and Institutional Management, Enrique Aliste as Vice-Rector for Research and Development, Pilar Barba as Vice-Rector for Outreach and Communications, Josiane Bonnefoy as Vice-Rector for Student and Community Affairs, and José Miguel Piquer as Vice-Rector for Information Technology.
“We will not forget that our effort will only be valid insofar as it is capable of fully representing the multitude of people who give life to the knowledge that intertwines and enhances itself in this wonderful institution and who make this space of learning, creation and research their life, thus giving, through this commitment, new lives to others,” he concluded.
Strengthen ties with state universities
The President of the Republic and patron of the institution, Gabriel Boric, emphasized in his remarks that “what is conceived at the University of Chile is not conceived for the University of Chile, it is conceived for Chile. That may sound like a tongue twister or a logical conjunction, but it is tremendously relevant, because it is a university, as we have always said, that faces the country, and I have no doubt that this new rectorship, under the leadership of Professor Rosa Devés, will continue to soar ever higher without losing sight of the ground that unites us.”.
The president also expressed his government's support for the institution and public universities. "I want you to know that you can count on this government for these tasks, because this is a government that wants to strengthen its ties with Chile's state universities.".
Evidence of this commitment is the announcement regarding the University of Chile Clinical Hospital made at the opening of the 2022 academic year. “Today I can happily say that the bill to include the José Joaquín Aguirre Hospital in the public health network, as a high-complexity referral center, which will also have a territorial presence in the North Metropolitan Region, while of course maintaining the characteristics of a teaching hospital, is progressing steadily. We will do everything we can to make this happen as soon as possible.”.
For his part, Professor Ennio Vivaldi, the outgoing Rector of the University of Chile, reviewed some of the milestones of his two terms at the helm of the institution, highlighting the work undertaken to reclaim the public sphere and the development of collaboration over competition as a paradigm for progress. He also noted that this change of leadership is not “the transfer of a position, of a Rectorship, but of an institution.” “As I understood eight years ago, deeply moved upon hearing the University Anthem performed with the full force of our Choir and Orchestra at the inaugural concert, I entrust you with a University that possesses an indomitable strength. After us will come other rectors. The University of Chile will continue to be the University of Chile. Infinite,” he stated.
Rector's Medal and new plaques at the Main Building
As part of the start of this new term, Rector Rosa Devés received the University of Chile Medal from her predecessor, Professor Ennio Vivaldi. Following this, the Vice-Rector of the University of Chile, Professor Alejandro Jofré, read Supreme Decree No. 115, which officially appointed the new university authority.
Following the ceremony, President Boric, Rector Devés, and outgoing Rector Ennio Vivaldi, accompanied by Minister Marco Antonio Ávila and other authorities, unveiled the plaque bearing the names of the Rectors of the University of Chile, a heritage site that now lists Professor Vivaldi as Rector 2014-2022. Additionally, the sign for the Rector's office was changed to now display the title "Rector" instead of the previous one.
In addition to government authorities, the ceremony included the participation of academics who have served as vice-rectors and pro-rectors of the institution during Rector Vivaldi's two terms, including professors Heidi Berner, Sonia Pérez, Enrique Manzur, José Miguel Piquer, Daniel Hojman, Juan Cortés, Leonor Armanet, Enrique Aliste, Pamela Díaz – Romero, Rafael Epstein, Alejandro Jofré, Faride Zerán and Svenska Arensburg.
Also participating in the meeting were Juan Eduardo Fuentes, president of the Supreme Court of Justice; Gaspar Domínguez, vice president of the Constitutional Convention; the undersecretaries Verónica Figueroa (Education), Fernando Ayala (Defense), Andrea Gutiérrez (Culture and the Arts), Jaime Gajardo (Justice) and Carolina Gainza (Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation); the mayors of Ñuñoa, Emilia Ríos, of Providencia, Evelyn Matthei and of Santiago, Irací Hassler and the mayor of Renca, Claudio Castro; the former Rectors of the University of Chile, Luis Riveros and Victor Pérez; The university comptroller, Magdalena Gandolfo, members of the Council and the University Senate, the Evaluation Council, representatives of the unions, the elected deans, rectors of Chilean universities, representatives of the diplomatic corps, as well as the relatives of Rector Rosa Devés Alessandri and the outgoing Rector, Ennio Vivaldi Véjar.
Relive the ceremony in the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lma3cjH-0SU
*Press release and images: Communications Department, University of Chile
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