His Excellency Mr. President of the Republic, Lic. Danilo Medina
Dear Mrs. President of the Board of Regents of INTEC, Lic. Laura Acra Honorable Mrs. Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Dr. Ligia Amada Melo
Honorable Mr. Administrative Minister of the Presidency, Lic. José Ramón Peralta Distinguished Mrs. President of the Huáscar Rodriguez Foundation and Cemento Cibao, Mrs. Denisse Rodríguez, and distinguished ladies of the Board of Directors of that organization.
Past rectors, Members of the Board of Regents and the Academic Council, directors, professors, students, graduates and other members of the international community.
Distinguished Ministers, Business and Social Leaders, Lords of the Press, Friends:

We have invited you to this event to share with you a moment of great relevance in the history of our institution. The implementation of our Infrastructure Master Plan represents a transcendent achievement, which deserves to be shared with our entire community. We therefore thank each one of you, because by your simple presence you are giving an eloquent testimony of goodwill towards us and your sincere commitment to university education. In a special way, we highlight the presence of the President of the Republic, Outstanding Graduate of INTEC, who has generously granted us a privileged place in his busy schedule.

This event cannot be taken as an isolated event, but as part of an institutional transformation process that seeks to respond to the needs of our country and its higher education system. As we all know, Dominican society faces great challenges as it redefines its productive structure. Although years ago our economy was able to grow with a scheme based on a low-educated workforce, insertion into the global dynamics today demands from us the highest level of skills, which in turn requires world-class higher education. This need, of a strictly economic nature, is combined with strong demands for a university contribution to the philosophical reflection on the destiny of the human being, to the sociological discussion on the implications of an unprecedented technological revolution, and to the political debate on the form of social organization. Any one of these subjects, like many others, constitutes a challenge of Promethean proportions for any university.

In this context, and in correspondence with its tradition of excellence, INTEC recently developed a profound process of collective reflection, through which a new Institutional Strategic Plan was generated, which will guide our actions over the next five years. It is a transformative and visionary plan, which reaffirms our vocation of plural community life and is committed to the sustainable development of society, and which invites us to work to ensure that INTEC is recognized, nationally and internationally, as a true model of university.

An important aspect of the Strategic Plan is the development of an Infrastructure Master Plan, through which our laboratories, classrooms and other academic and research spaces will be resized in the light of international standards. Obviously, the Master Plan requires sufficient resources for its sustainable financing. It is for this reason that, over the last few years, INTEC has placed special emphasis on the development of an increasingly rigorous administrative and financial management system, to ensure that each peso is spent wisely and in accordance with the best interests of our institution - which is to say, based on the best interests of Dominican society. And that is why, in an exercise of transparency, the financial execution of INTEC is available on the web, available to everyone, as a way to guarantee that any citizen can evaluate our performance, as corresponds to an institution whose sole owner (whose sole owner, I repeat) is the Dominican society.

However, the transition from any Dominican university to the world-class university to which we aspire could never be financed only with its own resources, unless it renounces the inclusive character to become an entity reserved for an elite with high purchasing power. Therefore, the unquestionable, invariable and non-negotiable decision to preserve INTEC as an open space for all social groups, makes it necessary to articulate with the rest of society, as the only way to achieve, in a sustainable way, quality education at the reach of the majorities. That is, put in simple terms, the intention of INTEC, which happily coincides with the vision of other entities in the public and private sphere.

And at this moment, in effect, when we formally start our Infrastructure Master Plan, I am excited to announce a very significant contribution, which comes from two collaborating hands. First of all, I am happy to receive a generous donation from the Huáscar Rodriguez Foundation, which consists of the provision of all the cement necessary for the construction of what will be the most modern engineering building in the higher education system in the Dominican Republic. . This contribution, valued at several million pesos, is an honorable gesture of commitment to quality and inclusive education, and I ask that we celebrate it by giving loud applause to the representation of our contributors.

Dear Mrs. Denisse, Mrs. María, Mrs. Rayza, Mrs. Cruz and Mrs. Silvia, receive my thanks, not only on behalf of INTEC but also on behalf of Dominican society. We are witnessing a gesture of nobility that the Huáscar Rodriguez Foundation has cultivated for many years, and which I hope will be imitated by other entities equally committed to the interests of our society. It is also a gesture that inspires those of us who believe in education as an instrument of liberation. On behalf of INTEC, I guarantee that the name of Huáscar Rodríguez will remain in the memory of this community as an example of social responsibility, and that the physical space that we will build together with you will also be an academic space of the highest quality, for the benefit of of generations of students and researchers who will know how to thank you as we do today. Again, thank you…. Thank you… thank you very much!

In addition, ladies and gentlemen, it should also be clear that for its social benefits, a quality and inclusive education also requires the contribution of the State. In this sense, for several months we have had a fruitful dialogue with the government authorities, who have rigorously analyzed our Infrastructure Master Plan, through a strict application of the social return analysis instruments established by the planning and development policy bodies. As a result of this process, I am pleased to announce, with emotion and joy, that after intense technical and economic discussions, the INTEC Master Plan has been considered by government technicians as an investment with high social profitability, and that therefore it has been incorporated into the Public Sector Investment Plan.

This means that, in a visionary way, the Executive Power assumes the commitment to contribute in a considerable magnitude to the expansion of INTEC, through contributions that will take place over the next few years, while at the same time committing ourselves to continue being what we have always been: a quality university within the reach of the majority. Thus, the combination of an internal effort for administrative and financial efficiency, a significant contribution from the non-governmental sector and a considerable contribution from the government, allows us to announce that in the course of the next few years, Dominican society will have the suitable infrastructure for academic and scientific work that Dominican society needs, aspires and deserves.

Let me mention that the contributions we celebrate today are in addition to other valuable contributions received recently. One of them, the one announced by the President of the Republic on his previous visit to the campus, the donation of 32 scholarships to outstanding students from each of the country's provinces. Thanks to this gesture of commitment to education, a group of young people who are joining us today in this event can take advantage of a quality higher education. I ask the fellows to stand up and applaud them.

Mr. President, on behalf of the international community, I deeply appreciate your contribution, because we know that, in addition to technical considerations, investing in quality education within the reach of the majority requires the breadth of vision and political will that you have demonstrated. We know that this represents a confidence in the social impact of the education that is developed in our institution, and INTEC assumes the challenge of not defrauding the confidence that the government contribution reflects. For our part, we promise to continue working hard, as we have done for forty-one years now, and I ask that as a leader, always keep in mind that INTEC is not only an educational institution, but rather an educational instrument at the service of our development.

Mr President, thank you… thank you… thank you very much!