Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas He was elected by the Governing Board as the new rector of the National Autonomous University of Mexico for the period 2023-2027.
The still general secretary of the highest house of studies declared that he is not in favor of university fees and that there is a willingness to dialogue with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and whoever succeeds him in office.
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I’m not in favor of charging fees, I never have been.
Leonardo Lomelí, elected as rector of UNAM
“I am not in favor of charging fees, I never have been. It is a fight that was won a long time ago at the University and that is how we must continue,” he said during the message after his election, while a protest was taking place outside the Rector’s Office.
He economist and doctor in historyassured that “every academic institution has to know how to preserve what is a substantial part of the institution and, also, must have the sensitivity and identify the changes to process them without fanfare, in a prudent manner, with the firmness that allows the university to be aware of day in the face of the country’s challenges.”
Regarding your priorities, Lomeli Vanegas He commented that attention in high school will be a topic that he will take in particular, while in the case that is being followed by the alleged plagiarism of the minister’s thesis Yasmin Esquivelpointed out that several appeals are pending in the Power of attorney and once resolved, the university will return to the issue.
He said he agreed with the institution’s budget for 2024, recently approved by the Chamber of Deputiesbecause it grew in real terms and, although more are always needed, the institution will be understandable with the reality of the country and with what happened in the state of Guerrero after the hurricane Otis.
“At this moment, with the resources that the Chamber of Deputies We could carry out the most immediate projects and later we would see specific needs. At this moment I think we are fine with what was approved for us,” he declared.
He anticipated a good relationship with any of the people who lead the next government of the Republic (Xochitl Galvez either Claudia Sheinbaum), of whom he sees a good disposition to give greater support to education.
“From what I have seen, from the people who at this moment have the possibility of leading the next government of the Republic“There would be a good disposition to do so, to accompany this process,” he said in his first message after being elected as the new rector.
Last September 20El Sol de México published an interview with Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas in which he explains what his priorities would be as rector and the need to provide more support to the rest of the country’s public universities to alleviate the overload of demand that UNAM has.
“It is very important to support other public universities because it is evident that the university cannot meet all the demand for higher education that exists in the country,” he said.
For the economist, who has been general secretary at the National University for eight years, the priorities are to “strengthen teaching, take advantage of the lessons left by the pandemic, be able to use the resources of distance education to reach broader audiences, without losing “from the point of view that technology does not replace good didactics.”
Of the succession process that lasted 81 days, starting on August 21, which included the four days of final deliberation of the Governing Board, Lomeli Vanegas He indicated that it was an unprecedented exercise in which there was an opportunity for meetings of collegiate bodies of the university that had not previously met, they traveled to foreign campuses and the public was informed about the different stages.
He considered that “it is an exercise that allows us to consolidate the form of democracy that corresponds to an academic institution like the National Autonomous University of Mexico”.
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He added that democracy in University “mainly consists of representing the different sectors of the community through the collegiate bodies that make the most important decisions of the institution and listening to all sectors of the community to build consensus around strategic decisions.” that define the future of the university.”
The new rector of the UNAM will take office on November 17 and will be the first economist to head the highest house of studies of Mexico.