Germany decorated rector Álvaro Rojas

20/03/2015
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The academic authority received the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit from the German ambassador, Hans-Henning Blomeyer-Bartenstein.

“We honor you, a distinguished academic, politician and representative of Chile in Germany, who with great personal commitment has continuously interceded in favor of bilateral scientific cooperation.”.

With these words, the German ambassador, Hans-Henning Blomeyer-Bartenstein, began the ceremony in which the European nation presented the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit to the rector of the University of Talca, Álvaro Rojas.

Before a large audience that included the president of the UTALCA Board of Directors, Jorge Awad, the rector of the University of Valparaíso and vice president of the Council of Rectors, Professor Aldo Valle, the rector of the University of Chile, Professor Ennio Vivaldi, and the rector of the Catholic University of Maule, Professor Diego Durán, the high-ranking diplomat recalled Rojas's long-standing connection to his country, first as a student at the German School and later, as a doctoral student.

“Back in Chile, he did not miss any opportunity to incorporate his knowledge of the German university world into the deepening of scientific cooperation between both countries, whether as rector of the University of Talca, as head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for scientific relations between Chile and Germany, or as president of the International Commission of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities,” he explained.

Along with listing the series of achievements obtained thanks to Rojas' management, Blomeyer-Bartenstein also highlighted that "currently, we can also rely on his experience regarding the reform of the educational system in Chile: we know that his voice counts in the specific unions before the Ministry of Education.".

In accepting the award, the rector noted that his ties to Germany, its culture, and its institutions extend beyond the personal sphere. “It has been my mission to make this opportunity available not only to my university, but also to the national university system and to binational scientific cooperation,“ he stated.

“The doors that have been opened make it possible for hundreds of young scientists from both nations to feel like equals in the same community, on the same path; to enhance science, increase the quality of bilateral work and make our nations more developed and just,” Rojas emphasized.

*Photo: U. of Talca.