UPR Board members issue warning about university’s fiscal pressures

The University of Puerto Rico has faced years of budget cuts that have reduced staffing, limited academic programs, and strained infrastructure and essential services.

By THE STAR STAFF

The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) is facing one of the most difficult moments in its history, as renewed fiscal pressure tied to an estimated $44.5 million retirement-system obligation has intensified concerns about the future of the island’s public university system.

The information is contained in an open letter written by UPR Board members Rafael Méndez Tejera, William Muniz Rivera, and Benjamín Rivera Meléndez, who made a public appeal calling for an end to fiscal cuts to the island’s only public university. 

The UPR Board members warned that the crisis is not merely a budget dispute but a threat to access to higher education, scientific research, economic development and the future of thousands of students across Puerto Rico.

“The University of Puerto Rico is not an expense; it is an investment in Puerto Rico,” advocates said in an open appeal to the country. “Weakening the university means weakening Puerto Rico.”

For years, the UPR has endured budget cuts that have reduced staffing, limited academic programs, worsened infrastructure problems, and affected essential services. The latest controversy centers on the university’s obligation to its retirement system, which advocates say should be understood as a legal, ethical and moral responsibility to faculty members, employees and retirees who dedicated their careers to public service.

“The retirement system is not a privilege,” the statement said. “It is the result of decades of work and commitments made to professors, employees and pensioners.”

* UPR has faced over a decade of austerity, with the government contribution falling from $911 million in 2017 to approximately $441 million—a 52% reduction. The FOMB has maintained strict budgets, pushing UPR to raise tuition and implement operational savings to account for the shortfall. 

* The Financial Oversight and Managment Board recently rejected UPR’s updated fiscal roadmap, stating the plan was “balanced in form, but not structurally balanced”. The Board noted that UPR relied too heavily on nonrecurring revenues, overstated federal research funding, and failed to address administrative realities such as high leadership turnover.

The UPR, which includes 11 campuses, has produced many of Puerto Rico’s doctors, engineers, teachers, nurses, lawyers, scientists, social workers, artists and other professionals. Supporters also noted that much of the scientific research conducted in Puerto Rico originates at the public university, according to the three UPR board members. 

They argued that further weakening the institution would have consequences beyond classrooms and campuses, including fewer opportunities for young people, less research to address local challenges, reduced economic development and greater dependence on outside resources.

The appeal acknowledges that the university’s financial situation requires responsible solutions, but rejects the idea that the answer should be limited to more cuts. Instead, it calls for a serious, transparent and participatory plan that addresses fiscal obligations while protecting academic quality and the rights of the university community.

“The university needs concrete results, clear communication, responsible decisions and verifiable actions,” the statement said.

The statement also criticized UPR President Zayira Jordán Conde, saying the institution requires firm, visible and fully present leadership at a time of urgent fiscal commitments. Advocates said it was “unacceptable and deeply irresponsible” for the president to take a vacation while the university faces pressing challenges.

 According to the appeal, that decision “reflects a troubling lack of urgency, weakens institutional confidence and sends a message of indifference” amid the crisis affecting the public university.

The appeal further called on the Financial Oversight and Management Board to recognize the strategic value of the University of Puerto Rico, arguing that no country strengthens its economy by weakening its principal public institution of higher education.

“Investing in the UPR is investing in economic development, innovation, research, health, agriculture, culture and the future of Puerto Rico,” the statement said.

The appeal urges the Government of Puerto Rico, the Financial Oversight and Management Board, the university presidency, the Board of Governors and other sectors to protect the university’s budget, guarantee the stability of the retirement system, avoid new cuts to teaching, research and student services, present a public and verifiable fiscal plan, and strengthen university governance through responsible and participatory administration.

Supporters emphasized that defending the UPR is not only a concern for students, professors or employees, but a collective responsibility for the people of Puerto Rico.

“The University of Puerto Rico belongs to all the people,” the statement said. “Every generation that has passed through its classrooms has contributed to the development of our country, and every future generation deserves that same opportunity.”