Good night! especially to our beloved Rector Don Rolando Moisés Guzmán who rewards us with his presence and his visit tonight.

Dear vice-rectors, members of the Academic Council, directors, professors, collaborators, friends, all.  

“It's a pleasure to be here with you, although from here I recognize few people because I don't see them in the white and red that I'm used to and, therefore, I haven't been able to distinguish many people who are so elegant and so handsome. tonight, but how good! How good it is to gather here and gather together for this reason. 

In this Week of Merit, which is a new INTEC tradition, since it began in the rectorate of Dr. Miguel Escala, a few years ago, and as such it has been registered as a new tradition inteciana that we celebrate with joy, with pleasure. Remembering last year, in which we celebrated the first fiftieth anniversary of INTEC with the motto of “a legacy that inspires and moves us to the future,” we began last Monday with the recognition of a large and varied group of professors, collaborators for his stay at the university for 10, 20, 30 and 40 years. 

One of the notes was that there we had professors recognized by dozens of graduates, some teachers of medicine declared by the Dominican Medical College, but we also had administrative collaborators at all levels including maintenance, general services, which told us a lot about the community that is INTEC. 

Today we want to recognize individual collaborators, permanent and temporary teams working in the hive. And as I said on Monday, recognizing INTEC is always an easy task on the one hand and a difficult one on the other. It reminds me of Jorge Luis Borges, that Argentine, Latin American and world literary genius who said that we had to invent a game in which no one won. I once posted that quote on Instagram or Facebook and someone told me: what would the game be for? I answered: simply so that we would have fun, regardless of whether someone won or someone lost.  

And recognizing, at INTEC, is not an easy task, because there are so many who every day give their effort, their commitment to making our institution a better one, so there is a lot to choose from. Historically, I recalled on Monday that those who prepared the INTEC report have made us aware that over fifty years we have accumulated approximately 7 thousand collaborators, who over time have been in INTEC. Not all remain like the four (4) teachers that on Monday we recognized for forty (40) years, or whom we recognize each year for their seniority. But among those 7 thousand it has always been easy to recognize, but it is also a difficult task, precisely because when we come to the moment of formal recognitions one wants to do it very carefully for fear of excluding others, because there are so many winners that it is not It is easy to select a few among many who are worthy, like the majority of those who accompany us tonight. 

And that is why, following Borges' idea, I would say that what we have to understand is that tonight, with this act, we all win, first because we honor honor and, second, because by recognizing, as the word says, we know each other. again all in which they are going to be formally recognized. And by extension, because that recognition comes to all of us in our condition as intecianos. It is a curious fact, there are two natural demonyms among Dominican universities that one frequently hears: that of uasdian and of intent; There are others who may try, but it doesn't sound and I think that says something that should lead us to a minute of reflection in this celebration. What does it mean to be an intetian?

There is an article in Science and Society, from 1998, by Professor Margarita Rodríguez, with the title and topic of “The culture of INTEC”, which I invite you to download and read. In these two years and months as Rector I have reread it about three times. In that article Margarita cites article 46 of our statutes which speaks of the high sense of belonging and commitment of the intecianos, that name is almost a nationality, and then he quotes us that article that states that, in the performance of his duties, every member of the community inteciana must demonstrate competence, diligence, honesty and adherence to the values ​​and standards that support the institutional work.

After making that quote, Margarita tries to summarize what her particular perception is in some points that she considers to be part of INTEC's credo and part of its characteristics; I allow myself to read them:

• It was born as a response to a need and therefore is pertinent.
• It is an academy that seeks excellence and therefore is rigorous.
• She does not compromise her values ​​and therefore has integrity.
• It protects the heritage of present and future generations and therefore belongs to everyone.
• It is made up of a valuable group of people because it is a unique and special community.
• It has been forged amidst serious and ever-present financial difficulties or limitations and that is why it is austere - something we should not forget, I add.
• And because it continually evaluates and reflects on its work and therefore evolves towards the future.

She cites that a Rector of INTEC received the comment from the rector of another university, who curiously was Margarita's father, the always remembered Dr. Leonel Rodríguez Rib, who said: “At INTEC they have the peculiarity that they not only say what they think, but they firmly believe it” and I believe that this should be a phrase that characterizes us in this first year of the next 50 years of INTEC, which is what we have called this year because we are looking to the future.

So those values ​​that Margarita mentions, that statutory definition of what commitment is intent, we assume it as part of a legacy that inspires and moves us to the future. How it moves us to the future, looking towards the next 50 years of INTEC.

That's my message I wanted to send What does it mean to be an intetian? That we search in the documents, that we search in the statutes, that we search in the stories in the stories, but, above all, that we search in ourselves what makes us great and makes us deserving not only of the recognition that some will formally receive, but of the recognition of all as intecianos.

Let us celebrate this Week of Merit with the same joy and enthusiasm as each of those who will be recognized. Let's celebrate it as it is the hive that is INTEC, which is a game in which we all win, let's celebrate it as part of a legacy that inspires and moves us to the future and let's celebrate it as part of the first year of the next 50 years of INTEC, which will be more successful and more fruitful. And, above all, let's celebrate it as good intecianos, believing in what we firmly believe; That is what makes us great and what makes us powerful to advance as the first university in the Dominican Republic in these next 50 years.

Thank you so much!