UPR board set to begin interviewing candidates for presidency

The University of Puerto Rico Governing Board is expected to start interviewing candidates for UPR president this week with the goal of possibly selecting the new president before the end of the month.

By The Star Staff

The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Governing Board is slated to start the process of interviewing candidates for UPR president this week with the goal of possibly selecting the new president by its April 28 meeting, the STAR has learned.

Meanwhile, the organization FeEstadistaUPR organized a meeting Saturday at the Iglesia Restauracion en Cristo to endorse current UPR Río Piedras Campus Chancellor Luis Ferrao Delgado for president. The group’s coordinator is René A. Rodríguez Vázquez.

Ferrao requested the support of the group Universitarios Estadistas as acknowledged by group president Juan Luna.

Sources are indicating that “two alliances” are being formed for the selection of a president by groups and the candidates themselves. The first is for Ferrao, while the second is for Ubaldo Córdova, who is the vice president of academic affairs and research at UPR. Behind Córdova’s candidacy is Walter Alomar, a law professor who is a former UPR board chairman.

The source said Alomar initially was promoting Ferrao, but is now promoting Córdova as a Plan B because of reports that Ferrao is the candidate being promoted by La Fortaleza, which has insisted it is not interfering with the selection of a new UPR president.

Nonetheless, unofficial results published by the STAR earlier this month for some of the 11 UPR campuses showed Alexandra Medina, who works at the National Science Foundation, ahead at at least four campuses. UPR Chancellor Carlos Andújar also obtained a high number of points at six campuses examined by the STAR.

The STAR on Monday requested an official copy of the results but the UPR board said they were not going to be released. Interviews of the candidates will presumably be conducted Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.