The legacy of our Rector through his words
In each entry of the blog “South of the Highway” Don Julio reflected on various topics which address everything from technological and educational transformations to the challenges of leadership in academia and knowledge management
SANTO DOMINGO. – “I prefer to think of myself as part of the 60s generation rather than a baby boomer. For being a witness, entering adolescence after the execution of the dictator Trujillo, of the struggle of young students against the remnants of tyranny and their entrenchment in the city walls and on Espaillat Street; of the green and black of June 14th, of the constitutionalist uprising of the April War of 1965 and the patriotic resistance to the intervention of the marines of the imperial government of the United States; the generation that came of age to the beat of May in France, the Tlateloco in Mexico, and the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Francis Kennedy in 1968; who witnessed the moon landing on television in 1969 and who abstained from voting at the first opportunity in 1970.
This is how Dr. Julio Sánchez Maríñez, ninth rector of INTEC, described himself in the presentation of his personal blog. South of the Highway, a space where he poured his essence as an educator, psychologist, social thinker, and eternal learner. There, he left testimony of a life marked by a commitment to educational transformation, critical thinking, and a passion for raising generations committed to the common good.
In his presentation, he asked, "Who am I? What am I? A psychologist, professor, social scientist, consultant, manager, university student? A spectator, a doer, a scholar, a researcher, a dreamer? A son, a brother, a husband, a father, a grandfather, a friend, a godson, a compadre? I am a bit of all of the above, and the author of this blog, South of the highway of a world that can be traveled in much less than 80 days, and of days that are lived in 80 worlds.”
Upon returning to INTEC as Rector, he immediately expressed his deep passion for writing and capturing his ideas and reflections. Don Julio wanted to be a blogger. Since his namesake, Cortázar, was his favorite writer, the Institutional Communications Department suggested he name his blog "South of the Highway," a reference to "The Southern Highway," one of the Argentine writer's short stories published in the book "Todos" (All the fires the fire".
Today, just a few days after his sudden departure from this earthly plane, we value even more the time he spent writing on his blog from his busy schedule. As the popular saying goes, "it's not the one who leaves who dies, but the one who is forgotten." It would be difficult to forget a man like Don Julio: determined, brave, and outspoken, but above all, thoughtful and purposeful.
His writings continue his legacy, which extends beyond his institutional roles and lives on in every reflection published on his blog, which addresses everything from technological and educational transformations to the challenges of leadership in academia and knowledge management.
We invite the entire INTEC community—its alumni, students, faculty, and staff—to reconnect with his thinking, to read his words, to share and comment on them. Let his vision continue to guide us.
In each entry of South of the Highway It exudes the intellectual honesty, sense of duty, passion for teaching, and always critical and constructive outlook that characterized Dr. Sánchez Maríñez.
Reading him is to continue talking to him and remembering him is to continue learning from him.