His Excellency Mr. President of the Republic, Luis Abinader Corona
Distinguished Minister and friend, Dr. Franklin García Fermín
President and other members of the Board of Regents
Dr. Jose Joaquín Puello Herrera, on behalf of our founders
Distinguished former Rectors who accompany us
Vice-Rectors, Deans and other members of the Academic Council
Directors, coordinators, teachers and collaborators all
Special guests
Representatives of universities and other HEIs
Members of the media
Dear graduates, dear graduates and families
All friends, good morning:

If for our internal community every graduation act is a celebration of the spirit that fills us with joy, this one today, in which we invest 788 new graduates, is a very special one for several particular reasons that adorn it.

In the first place, because we have the honor and distinction of the presence of His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. Luis Abinader Corona, a graduate of the Bachelor of Economics from our INTEC in 1990, and to whom we granted the recognition as Outstanding Graduate already eight years, in 2014.

Mr. President, thank you very much on behalf of the entire INTEC community, for honoring us with your presence and for accepting our invitation to be in charge of the speech of honor.

Another distinctive note that accompanies this ceremony is that it is one of the two that will take place within the framework of the commemoration of the first fiftieth anniversary of INTEC, which, for many reasons, we consider a citizen feat in favor of the entire Dominican society.

For many of us it seems incredible that five intense decades have passed since INTEC was born like a lightning bolt in skies with very dark clouds, back in 1972, or, according to the then director of the newspaper Listín DiarioDon Rafael Herrera in his incisive but always illustrious style, “as a product of faith, effort and perseverance, and if you will also [as] the result of a bit of creatively channeled youth rebellion and at the service of the best interests of the education of Dominican youth. " 

And it is that perhaps it seems incredible to us that we are celebrating fifty years of that visionary initiative and, in a certain way, even reckless, of our founders; because regardless of the passing of the years we continue to feel so close, very close, to the motives, principles, purposes and values ​​that they left as an imprint on our genetic code. Genetic code that is encrypted in our statutory missionary mandate of “contribute to the social transformation of the country, to the continuous promotion of the quality of life of its inhabitants and to the preservation of its moral and material heritage to bequeath it improved to future generations, through higher education, the development of culture, scientific and technological research and dissemination."

It is this commitment that, for example, allowed us to present to you, Mr President, during the visit I made to you last December together with the President of our Board of Regents, how, only currently, we participate in more than 30 projects of social service and productive development with different ministries and organizations of the public sector, and also of other 26 active projects of research that we develop under the National Fund for Innovation and Scientific and Technological Development (FONDOCYT), managed by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology. These projects cover areas as sensitive as seismic vulnerability in our territory and our infrastructures, predictive models and monitoring of epidemiological incidents of different types, including covid-19, the use of renewable energies, health versus pollution in production agriculture and in our soils and basins, as well as multiple projects related to climate change, such as those for the preservation of our beaches and the confrontation of the sargassum phenomenon. These investigations, as well as others carried out with other national or international financing or our own funds, have allowed us to accumulate 10 registered patents, leading the Dominican universities in that line.

And it is in this way that we intend to become preferred partner of the government sectors, the private business sector and organized society for innovative projects in favor of the sustainable and competitive development of our country, as well as a training institution in higher education uncompromisingly committed to academic excellence. Because one thing leads to another and we understand that it is not possible to speak of training of excellence without research and development and innovation activities, and without social service projects, just as these activities do not make complete sense if they are not reverted into a better training capacity. excellence of our student body.

And here I want to highlight some other notes of interest that this new promotion of intecianos offers us, and that deserve to be underlined even if very briefly.

Of our graduates, both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, 469 (60%) are women. Here at INTEC, we do not preach equal opportunities without gender discrimination, we simply have it as a practice. 

Likewise, 18 young people who received scholarships under the INTEC Program with Outstanding Students (PIES) and 17 graduate with academic honors: 14 Summa Cum Laude; and 3 Magna Cum Laude. With our PIES program, they have already benefited More than 3 thousand meritorious students from different socio-economic strata and provinces of the country.  

To this already traditional PIES program we have added since 2019 our educational credit programs in alliance with Banco BHD and FONDESA that have already benefited more than 400 students. With these total or partial financing programs for their studies, their beneficiaries only start payments for their credits six months after graduating because INTEC absorbs the financial cost of the interest generated by said credit during the study period, significantly alleviating the financial burden. to the student and making it more feasible to opt for educational credit. 

With these programs and other measures that would be long to list, INTEC also demonstrates its commitment to the inclusion and promotion of opportunities for our youth.

We count today, here, with the first promotion in Biomedical engineering and in Logistics and Transport Engineering of the country, two new programs in INTEC and unique in the national higher education system; We also present our first graduates in the race in Commercial Communication and Advertising. We continue to make an important contribution in graduates in Cinema and Audiovisual Communication and in Biotechnology, among other races in which we have also been pioneers,

Thus we can repeat what we said at the graduation ceremony last October, in which the first 10 engineers graduated in country cyber security, another new and unique INTEC career, which we continue to demonstrate with facts our leadership position as an innovative and pioneer university in our higher education system, so that It is not possible to speak of innovation in training, in research and in the search for solutions to the country's problems without having INTEC in the front row.

Based on the academic demands, the continuous effort to update and innovate the curriculum, and the intense dedication of students, professors, and collaborators in general, we managed to get 96 percent of our graduates employed before finishing their first year of graduation. , with more than 70 percent doing so in their area of ​​study and at medium and high levels in their companies and institutions.

I cannot avoid referring now to a piece of news that yesterday filled us with joy and pride: the INTEC team apollo 27, previously awarded, he won first place in the university competition of STEM Engagement Award  for the NASA in promoting education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

I must turn this podium over to our very distinguished guest speaker as soon as possible. However, I must do so by upholding the motto of the celebration of our fiftieth anniversary, that these 50 years constitute a legacy that inspires and moves us to the future.

We have built INTEC inch by inch, brick by brick, with the dedication of all its members of yesterday and today, deserving the support of the investment of our students' families, earning the support of government, business and society sectors. in general, that they recognize us as constructively associated and academically independent, non-profit and with total transparency in the use of resources that are solely and exclusively for the continuity and development of the university. We celebrate our first 50 years looking forward to the next 50, knowing that we must continue to make an effort and continue to innovate.

Dear graduates, I hope that your time at INTEC is a legacy that inspires and moves them into the future. That, just as they reached this achievement, week after week, including many fifths and many novenas, continue with the same spirit and, the same dedication, based on this legacy, moving, building a future for you, yours and the country. From INTEC, its Alma Mater, as it is from our Mr. President, we will continue as industrious bees building and developing this hive, inch by inch, week after week, supporting ourselves in this first fiftieth anniversary that is already a legacy that inspires and moves us to the future, and rest assured Let's go for more!

Congratulations graduating, to each of you and to your family and friends!

Now I present to you our guest speaker, His Excellency Mr. Constitutional President of the Republic, Luis Abinader Corona.

Our President is an Economist, graduated from the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC) in 1990, with a postgraduate degree in Project Management at the Arthur D. Little Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He also studied Corporate Finance and Financial Engineering at Harvard University and Advanced Management at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.

With extensive experience in the tourism sector, he served as executive president of the ABICOR Group, which has developed and operated important projects in the Dominican Republic. This family group directed the business project of what is today the company Cementos Santo Domingo.

He has been president of the Sosúa and Cabarete Hotel Association, and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants (ASONAHORES) and of the Board of Directors of the O&M University Foundation.

Recognized by the Rhode Island State Congress for his career in the public, educational, and business fields, and by the Boston Mayor's Office and the Massachusetts State Senate for his contributions to higher education, civic engagement, and community service. INTEC recognized him in 2014 with the Outstanding Graduate Award, for his professional performance and contributions in the business field, and adherence to the values ​​of the INTEC community.

Married to Doña Raquel Arbaje, honorable First Lady of the Dominican Republic, he is the father of three daughters: Esther Patricia, Graciela Lucía and Adriana Margarita. He has been our President since August 2020 and we all know that he dedicates himself body and soul, practically without rest, to giving the best of himself for the well-being and development of the Dominican people.

Ladies and gentlemen, with us, our guest speaker, the Constitutional President of the Dominican Republic, Mr. Luis Abinader Corona.