By The Star Staff
Some University of Puerto Rico (UPR) campuses risk being shuttered due to the dramatically reduced number of registered students. Since 2010, the university system’s enrollment has fallen by more than 22,000.
Although UPR President Luis A. Ferrao Delgado promised not to close campuses when he took office a few years ago, he did not rule out the need to cut the number of campuses from 11 down to five or six to address the sustainability of the system.
Ferrao made his remarks during this week’s government transition hearings.
In May of this year, faculty members and workers at UPR Utuado received letters informing them of a transfer to other campuses. Ferrao has denied that the move means UPR Utuado, which has very few students, will be shut down.
Former Gov. Alejandro García Padilla said in a radio report that Puerto Rico has enough students. Ferrao must evaluate academic offerings to attract new students and avoid any campus closures, he said.
That approach has been echoed by New Progressive Party Rep. José Meléndez Ortiz, who maintains that the UPR must modernize its programs of study.
Given the reduced enrollment, Ferrao said the UPR wants to attract students from the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica.
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