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The resignation of University of Puerto Rico (UPR) President Luis Ferrao Delgado, effective Feb. 15, was inevitable because he knew he could not work without the trust of all university sectors, according to one of several opinions gathered by the STAR.
Frustrated by groups that hindered his efforts to make UPR a sustainable institution, Ferrao’s decision to step down came Monday, just days after he withdrew a plan to pause some 60 university programs due to enrollment of fewer than 10 students in each.
Former UPR President José Saldaña remarked that Ferrao had no choice but to resign after the Jan. 30 meeting of the UPR governing board, where it was evident he had lost the trust of the main institutional bodies. The governing board had even requested a management evaluation report.
“The board, despite having the necessary information to act on Ferrao’s resignation at that meeting, chose to hide behind a report that had been under preparation for months,” Saldaña said. “This allowed Ferrao to attempt to function without the support of any institutional bodies representing faculty, students, and staff.”
In essence, the governing board prolonged Ferrao’s presidency for several weeks while he lacked the confidence of key institutional bodies, Saldaña said. In his resignation letter, Ferrao emphasized that due to impending fiscal challenges and draconian measures, he felt it was unacceptable to remain in office if it meant refusing a formative evaluation process aimed at ensuring UPR’s sustainability. He insisted he would not compromise “the fundamental values that govern our institution” or lead an administration driven to make decisions that jeopardize its stability and educational mission.
“However, those are not the true reasons for his resignation,” Saldaña said. “The reality is that due to his ineffectiveness and inability to tackle longstanding institutional issues, he lost the trust of all representative bodies. He realized he could not operate under these conditions. No one was refusing the ‘formative evaluation process that addresses the sustainability of UPR.’ Such a process should have been implemented years ago, not proposed now when he was already grappling with serious problems.”
Regardless of the motivations for Ferrao’s departure, UPR now faces the task of finding a permanent president.
“I trust that the Governing Board will avoid appointing one of the chancellors or members of Ferrao’s team as interim president, as that would simply perpetuate the issues,” Saldaña said. “Those individuals would likely mirror Ferrao’s style, and many have contributed to the failures of his administration.”
The new interim leader must possess the willingness and courage to foster an institutional environment conducive to change, allowing UPR to navigate away from its current path of decline, he added.
The Brotherhood of Exempt Non-Teaching Employees of the University of Puerto Rico (HEEND by its acronym in Spanish), meanwhile, described the resignation of Ferrao as a tragedy.
HEEND President Carlos J. de León criticized the statement issued by the outgoing president.
“For years, we have been urging President Ferrao to confront the Financial Oversight and Management Board and the governing bodies in power,” de León said Tuesday. “The university administration decided years ago to operate with a budget that falls well below the 9.6% to which, by law, the university is entitled. Now, as he leaves, Ferrao claims he is resigning because he will not accept the consequences of not defending the university’s budget.”
The union said Ferrao’s resignation is a tragedy for the island’s foremost educational institution and a disgrace because, yet again, a president has had to resign due to the collective rejection from the university community.
“The resignation of a university president always leads to instability within the institution,” stated Sheila Dávila, the HEEND’s secretary of information. “It is tragic that, so far this century, most [UPR] presidents have had to leave their positions dishonorably and amid community repudiation.”
HEEND Vice President Lorraine Mejías voiced her concern as well.
“It is truly tragic how politicized the institution has become over the past 25 years,” she said. “The country must focus more on selecting a leader who can navigate the university’s future. The new leader must be committed to advocating for the university inclusively across all sectors. Ferrao should not leave without presenting his budget projections for 2025-2026 and clarifying how they align with his Strategic Plan for 2023-2028.”
