José F. Méndez Dr.hc

Annual Report 2009-2010AGMUS

CONTENTSIntroduction.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Our Guiding Principles.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Vision 2015.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Message from the Chair.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102009-2010 Board of Directors.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Message from the President.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14U.S. Advisory Board .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Development and Alumni Affairs.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Institute for Public Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Office of Economic Development .. . . . . . . . . . . 22Managing our System.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Executive Vice Presidency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Planning and Academic Affairs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Marketing and Student Affairs.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32National and International Affairs .. . . . . . . . . . . . 36Administrative Affairs .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Human Resources.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Financial Affairs.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422009-2010 Financial Statements.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Our UniversitiesUniversidad del Este. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Universidad Metropolitana.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Universidad del Turabo.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Distance Education.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Sistema TV.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70Projections for the year 2010-2011 .. . . . . . . . . . . 72Organizational Chart .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74General Information .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

From low tech typing coursesto high tech advanced degreesThe Ana G. Méndez Educational System (AGMUS),as it is known today, evolved gradually from lowtech typing courses in the early 1940s to hightech education for a knowledge economy at the dawnof the 21st Century.Ana G. Méndez’ vision of 60 years ago has radiatedinto today’s sophisticated university system of threethriving universities providing associate to doctoratedegrees, thirteen (13) off-campus educational centers,three U.S. campuses serving Hispanics, the onlyeducational station owned by a private entity in PuertoRico and a pioneering facility in distance learning.The story of visionaries is often one of goals setand goals reached. Ana G. Méndez was no exception.She had the volition to make change, to provide thedisadvantaged with the necessary academic tools tocreate and pursue their own dreams. She believedthat higher education should not be exclusive, thateveryone, no matter their social condition, should beenabled to climb the ladder of literacy and opportunityand enter a professional world.4Ana González Cofresí was born in 1908, the fourthof eight siblings and the first in her family to earn auniversity degree. She and businessman José MéndezRivera married in 1923 shortly before her 16thbirthday. Her husband was supportive of her desire tocontinue her education. While raising two daughters,she studied nights at Central High School to earn herhigh school diploma. She enrolled at the University ofPuerto Rico (UPR) in 1935, where she concentrated onbusiness courses. Her only son José was born in 1937and Ana’s mother pitched in to care for the infant soher daughter could continue her studies and graduatein 1940.Despite its initial purpose as a school to trainteachers, UPR presented an enormous hurdle for largenumbers of the island’s student population. Accordingto “Recuerdos del Porvenir,” a meticulous historyof the Ana G. Méndez University System by notedhistorian Guillermo A. Baralt, these young men andwomen graduates of public high schools either lackedthe requisite grade-point average or the financialwherewithal, or both, to obtain a degree at whatwas seen as the exclusive campus in Río Piedras, theUniversity City.

Our guiding principlesThe following fundamental principles, on whichthe Ana G. Méndez University System (AGMUS)was founded 60 years ago, serve as the backboneof a new vision that is being formulated to successfullytake AGMUS forward to the year 2015 and beyond.• Academic institutions are integral components ofthe communities they serve.• Faculty members must innovate for the benefit oftheir students and for their own professional growth.• In a democratic society, every human being hasthe right to an education, regardless of race, sex,color, national origin, social status, physical or mentalcondition, religious, political or social belief.• The real needs of Puerto Rico must be understoodso that its human resources can be enriched andgraduates can make a positive contribution to theprogress of society in the work force.• The development of human potential requires anopen-door policy that allows students to benefit fromacademic programs to the full extent of their abilities.• The educational development of the studentsshould emphasize academic skill and growth that isproductive in both daily living and employment.• All educational institutions should aspire to achieveacademic excellence and should commit themselvesto fostering such excellence through enlightenedapproaches to education.• The fundamental commitment of the Ana G.Mendéz University System promotes a better qualityof life for our students, employees and the communityat large.8

Message from the ChairIn fulfilling its mission, AGMUSmakes a positive impactLooking back on my two-year appointment asChair of the Ana G. Méndez University System’sBoard of Directors (AGMUS), I see the ways inwhich the work of this Board has greatly impactedand strengthened the university programs on science,technology, engineering, math and health. One ofour biggest achievements has been the growth inthe number of graduates, master’s and Ph.D. degreesawarded, and the success of our faculty in obtainingresearch grant awards, especially in science,health and engineering. Our universities’enrollment in 2009-2010 topped 42,000,with nearly 4,000 of those working towardsgraduate degrees. Over the last two years,our university system experienced anunprecedented increase in the number offaculty members holding Ph.D’s degrees.Our mission has always been toserve and educate our students,providing a vibrant and stimulatingcurriculum and state-of-theartlaboratory and trainingfacilities. In the years thatI have been associatedwith AGMUS in a wide range of capacities – spanningover a period of 16 years of service – AGMUS hasenergized our students providing them with the toolsand opportunities to study science. By educating andexposing our students early in their academic sciencecareer, we seek to support our student population inachieving their goals of higher education.AGMUS’ strategic science vision for each universityis focused on identifying and pursuing clustersor research priorities, covering emergingdisciplines such as nanotechnology, newtrends in biomedical fields such asmetabolic diseases. In doing so, AGMUSis creating an environment that fostersa level of excellence in undergraduateresearch opportunities for our students.As a leader in undergraduate education,AGMUS is making strides across Puerto Ricoand abroad by increasing our distance andvirtual learning opportunities, throughtthe recent launching of the VirtualUniversity.Our three universities excel ina wide range of academic fields10

and student participation including sports,entrepreneurial activities, the performing arts and theculinary arts. The University System has expanded itscampuses in Puerto Rico and off the Island with theopening of three campuses in the state of Florida.At these campuses, AGMUS has pioneered bilingualcollege education for our students on the mainland.Overall, the University System has experienced anunprecedented expansion in its physical facilitiesby acquiring real estate for the construction of newscience buildings, parking and green areas.AGMUS involvement with our community at largehas fostered business and academic interactionsestablishing multi-sector economic developmentclusters, a unique AGMUS initiative for Puerto Rico.These clusters, composed of coalitions betweencity government, private industry, and academia,are taking the lead in reshaping science, technologyand entrepreneurship training. These economicdevelopment alliances, which are tuned in to theoccupational needs of the region, have helped thecommunity to grow, as well as the university.Projecting AGMUS’ future, five and ten (10) yearsahead, is the responsibility of the Board of Directors.Our mission is triangular in scope, consisting ofeducation, service and research. Each side of thetriangle enhances the other. Every day AGMUS fulfillsits mission, preparing students for careers in healthsciences, technology, hospitality services, as well asteaching and business – with an emphasis on exploringnew ventures and entrepreneurships.With potential expansions,AGMUS is poised to maintaina pathway of growth and highquality standards of learning inhigher education. In this way,AGMUS fulfills the dreamand plans of our founder,Ana G. Méndez, and carefullymastered and strengthenedby her son and President,Dr. José F. Méndez.Cordially,Florabel G. MullickM.D., Sc.D., FCAP11

2009-2010AGMUS Board of Directors• Florabel G. Mullick, MD, Board Chair• Antonio J. Colorado, Esq., Board Vice Chair• José F. Méndez, Dr.h.c., AGMUS President• José Domingo Pérez, CE• Zoraida Fonalledas, Esq.• Juan R. Melecio, Esq.• Víctor Hernández, DMD• Félix R. Schmidt, MD• Daneris Fernández, Ch.E.• José F. Méndez, Jr., MBA12

Executive Committee• Florabel G. Mullick, MDBoard and Committee Chair• Antonio J. Colorado, Esq.Board Vice Chair and Chair, Finance Committee• José F. Méndez, Dr.h.c.AGMUS President• Víctor R. Hernández, DMDChair, Academic and Student Affairs Committee• José Domingo Pérez, CEChair, Audit CommitteeFinance Committee• Antonio J. Colorado, Esq. - Chair• José F. Méndez, Jr., MBA• Juan R. Melecio, Esq.• Félix R. Schmidt, MD• Daneris Fernández, Ch.E.Bylaws Committee• Juan R. Melecio, Esq. - Chair• José F. Méndez, Dr.h.c. - AGMUS President• Florabel G. Mullick, MD - Board Chair• José E. de la Cruz Skerrett, Esq.Legal Counselor, ex-oficio memberAudit Committee• José Domingo Pérez, CE - Chair• Antonio J. Colorado, Esq.• Zoraida Fonalledas, Esq.• Juan R. Melecio, Esq.• Víctor R. Hernández, DMDAcademic and StudentAffairs Committee• Víctor Hernández, DMD - Chair• José F. Méndez, Jr., MBA• José Domingo Pérez, CE• Zoraida Fonalledas, Esq.13

Message from the PresidentWe aim high14As we move into the global community, theAna G. Méndez University System (AGMUS)is evolving, building bridges between ouruniversities and businesses as well as linking academiato socioeconomic progress. We aim high, fosteringresearch capabilities that emphasize innovation andenterprise to establish ourselves as a world-classresearch center.At AGMUS’ core are three universities: Universidaddel Turabo (UT), Universidad del Este (UNE) andUniversidad Metropolitana (UMET). Each has adistinct character and specialty; each furthers ouraspirations that AGMUS achieve recognition as aleader in research and development. This year, 79 ofour undergraduates received research internshipsto study in the United States, Latin America andEurope. We also held three research symposiumsattended by 700 students, faculty members andhealth care professionals.We have come a long way over the last twodecades. Our strategies to advance scientificresearch in Science, Technology, Engineeringand/or Mathematics plus Health (STEM +Health) will bring us closer to our goal ofbecoming a global research institution.Pursuing academic excellence, we continuethe process of obtaining specialized accreditationsto raise the quality of our academic programs. Ourengineering school is accredited by the AccreditationBoard for Engineering and Technology; our nursingprograms, by the League of Nursing Accrediting

Commission. We also have accreditations from theCommission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education,Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiologyand Speech-Language Pathology, American HealthInformation Management Association, Commissionon Accreditation of Allied Health Education and theJoint Review Committee on Education in RadiologyTechnology.At Universidad del Turabo (UT) we inaugurated thePuerto Rico Energy Center, a teaching and researchfacility focused on sustainable energy sources. Throughthe efforts of our Office of Economic Development andCommercialization, the center will collaborate withthe Puerto Rico Administration for Energy Affairs inestablishing public policy for the use and managementof alternative sources of energy.Additionally, the energy center will expand throughundergraduate and graduate research into renewableenergy sources and the commercialization of newtechnologies. The center is a joint project with INTECO,the first of four initiatives launched by AGMUS thathave evolved into a decentralized, regional model foreconomic development.In expanding health sciences, we inauguratedthe UMET Health Sciences School at Bayamón andestablished a bilingual program leading to a bachelor’sdegree in nursing, breaking new ground in trainingnurses. UNE completed the first phase of a CommunityHealth Promotion Center that will be a communityhealth clinic as well as a teaching and research facility.For UT, we finalized the design of a school of healthsciences that will include a community health centerto provide services to the university community aswell as surrounding towns.At the three universities, we inaugurated wellnesscenters, staffed with physical trainers and nutritioniststo benefit our associates as well as our athletes. This isa relatively new concept in Puerto Rico, not enjoyed byother educational institutions. Part of our purpose isto increase the productivity of our associates and putthem on track to improving their health.We pursue our global goals, moving forwardthe concept of internationalization at each of ourinstitutions, an initiative that dates back to the 1990s.Most recently we laid the groundwork to establish atwo-year community college in the Dominican Republicand to expand our U.S. branch network to Maryland.During the 2009-2010 academic year, we inaugurateda third learning center in Florida in the Tampa Bayarea. These university branches target Hispanicsseeking a college education; our edge is providing anopportunity to enroll in a bilingual program that allowsSpanish speakers to learn English while also learningtheir future profession.15

For the first time, we have a strong collaborativeeffort between the three universities and Sistema TV,our television station and the only privately ownededucational TV station in Puerto Rico.The Governor of Puerto Rico designated AGMUSto hold the first Congress of the Third Sector, singlingout the sector’s contribution to Puerto Rico’s economicdevelopment. Nearly 2,000 representatives of not-forprofitorganizations participated in the orientation andprofessional training activities.The Executive Summer Academy, an importantinitiative of the UT School of Business and Entrepreneurship,was held for the second year. Executivetraining programs can be found in Ivy League schools inthe states, but not in Puerto Rico – until now. Despitehard times, the sessions were well attended.While a global downturn has stretched its long tailfar beyond our island shores, we have pulled togetheran excellent team to manage the financial maelstromand continue to pursue our objectives, albeit at aslower pace. We base our optimism for AGMUS’ futureon the support and cooperation of a fine team ofadministrators, associates, deans, faculty and alumni.We are grateful to our generous donors who believein the need for a strong socioeconomic orientededucational system.We have been privileged to develop a vision ofeducation that has made AGMUS the fastest growinguniversity system over the past decade, increasingits enrollment 86% to 42,129 students in academicyear 2009-2010. Our mission to offer educationalopportunities to students who may not have hada notion of a university education goes back morethan 60 years when a brilliant woman persuaded twointelligent men to join her in an educational adventurethat led to the AGMUS of today. In this annual report,commemorating the 60th anniversary of PuertoRico Junior College (Universidad del Este today), wecelebrate the achievement of my mother Ana G.Méndez in widening the circle of higher education toinclude students who would have never stepped footin a university classroom.For 2010-2011, the Ana G. Méndez Virtual Universityis high on our list of priorities. The virtual university isa logical evolution from the distance learning programspioneered here in the 1980s. It’s been an arduousprocess to obtain licensing for an institution of highereducation that has no precedent in Puerto Rico. Butmake no mistake about it; the Ana G. Méndez VirtualUniversity is “under construction.”Opening the “doors” to a virtual university will bringus closer to our dream of being recognized worldwidefor our forward-looking teaching and innovativeresearch, and it will help us to become a leader indeveloping global leadership capabilities.And we keep aiming high...Cordially,José F. Méndez Dr.h.c.President16

U.S. Presidential Advisory BoardScience, engineering and healthScience and technology is a primary focus of theprograms of AGMUS and the U.S. PresidentialAdvisory Board has played a pivotal role inimportant advances made by our universities in theareas of science, engineering and health. The Boardis made up of distinguished professionals in scienceand technology from U.S. government agencies andprivate institutions.• Florabel G. Mullick, MD• Dr. William Dawes, Jr.• José A. Centeno, MD• Mr. Ronald Blackburn• Mr. Scott May• Herman J. Gibb, Ph.D., MPH• Nizar N. Zein, MD• Dr. Michael Chartock• Dr. Susan Phillips Speece• Dr. Felix R. Schmidt• Dr. Mark Bradley Lyles• Dr. Melissa A. McDiarmid17

Development and Alumni AffairsNew Capital Campaignmoves AGMUS forwardMargarita E. Méndez EscuderoThe Office of Development is in the final planningphase of our new AGMUS five-year CapitalCampaign. Two years ago, we completed ourfirst capital campaign, raising $20 million; and last year,we wrapped up donor’s pledge agreements. Thanksto the heartfelt generosity and ongoing support ofdonors, our accomplishments in partnership becomemore significant each year.During 2009 -2010, our partnerships helped achievefour milestones in AGMUS’ institutional development.The first is the construction of the second phase ofthe Dr. Josefina Camacho de La Nuez Museum andCenter for Humanistic Studies at Universidad delTurabo (UT). UT also inaugurated the third phase ofthe José Domingo Perez Engineering School, financedcompletely by private donations.We also marked the 15th anniversary of thePermanent Scholarship Fund, which recognizedscholarship recipients and the commitment of ourdonors to education. In the same spirit, we launchedthe first internal campaign to benefit low-incomestudents, raising nearly $90,000 and facilitating 168partial scholarships. This systemic campaign willbecome an annual fundraiser.18This year, our Development Team crafted the finalproposal and pipeline of philanthropic opportunitiesto present in the new capital campaign to thecommunity-at-large. Along with appeals for funding forscholarships, our proposal seeks community supportfor our schools and additional local education televisedprogramming. These projects will enable our universitysystem to continue its legacy in supporting meritoriousstudents in their pursuit of a university education.These projects will also foster an entrepreneurialenvironment while integrating the community-at-largein the construction of new facilities that contribute tothe arts and culture.Over the next five years, key volunteers will jointhe President’s Office of Development and Alumniin identifying and attracting financial support fromindividuals, corporations and foundations. Campaignprojects and programs will act as magnets in thisendeavor.During the silent phase of the new Capital Campaign,the Institutional Development Staff recruited campaignleaders who, in turn, will recruit their peers as volunteerfundraisers. Extensive research went into developingeffective strategies to identify potential donors for leadgifts and to develop prospect-cultivation strategies.Revised policies and procedures have strengthenedinstitutional fundraising administration and donorrecognition programs.

Before the official launch of the fundraisingcampaign, the Development and Alumni Staff willhave sought out active donors and cultivated newprospects. That particular endeavor will lead up to the“nucleus fund,” the first major milestone of the newfive-year campaign.The Office of the President has identified our alumnias a pillar in institutional development. Staff andresources have been reassigned to work on achievingpermanent links connecting alumni with our studentbody, faculty and academic programs. The first editionof SOMOS magazine was well received by both alumniand students. Our desire to bond with our alumniand honor their professional successes was reinforcedin the emotion-filled induction annual ceremony ofselected alumni to the Distinguished Alumni Gallery.In our steady march into the future, AGMUS joinedother nonprofit organizations and the Office of theGovernor of Puerto Rico in hosting the 2009 Congresodel Tercer Sector, an educational exchange for nonprofitorganizations and federal and local governmentagencies. Held at the Puerto Rico Convention Center,the congress drew more than 2,000 participants.Finally, to recognize our Federal and State collaborators,AGMUS presented the 10th Ana G. MéndezExcellence in Education Award on April 22 in the hallsof the U.S. Congress. This year the honorees were RepresentativeDebbie Wasserman (R-FL) and Dr. ShirleyMcBay President, Quality Education for Minorities(QEM) Network, for their commitment to the educationof Hispanics.Our CollaboratorsA T & T Puerto RicoAbbott Pharmaceuticals PR, Ltd.AIREKO ConstructionAMGENAmerican Construction Co.Ana G. Méndez Memorial FundAntonio Roig Ferré y María Dolores RoigArq. Diana LunaAshford Presbyterian Community Hospital /Familia EscuderoAvaya / Envision TechnologiesAventis PharmaceuticalsBBDO / Puerto RicoBBS Developers, S.E.BBVABacardí CorporationBanco Popular de PR / Fundación Banco PopularBanco Santander de Puerto RicoBarclays Capital / Lehman BrothersBerlitz LanguagesBermúdez, Longo & Díaz Massó, S.E.Cadierno CorporationCancio, Nadal, Rivera & DíazCIC Construction Group, S.E.Carolina Shopping CourtCasiano Communications, Inc.Centennial de PRCentro de Imágenes del NoresteCidra ExcavationCoca-Cola Foundation / Coca-Cola PR BottlersConstructora Santiago II Corp.Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito Ana G. MéndezCT Radiology Complex / MRI InstituteCué & López ContractorsDel Valle GroupDeloitte & ToucheDoral Financial CorporationDow, Lohnes, and AlbertsonDr. Jesús Joel PérezDr. José Antonio MolinaDr. Juan M. González LamelaEcoEléctricaEcono RialEl Comandante Operating Co.Empresas Cordero BadilloEmpresas SadurníEmpresas VRMEricsson CaribbeanEstudios Técnicos, Inc.Fiddler, González & RodríguezFraternidad Phi Eta Mu, Corp.Fundación Ángel RamosFundación Corazón GuerreroFundación Educativa SprintFundación José A. Santana / Empresas SantanaFundación José Domingo PérezFundación José Jaime PierluisiFundación Plaza Las AméricasGAR Housing Corp. / Res A.G. Management Corp.Goya de PRGrupo AranaGrupo StellaGuillermo L. Martínez CamachoHewlett PackardHill Construction Corp.Hilton International CompanyHospital Hnos. MeléndezIHP Hospitality GroupIPR PharmaceuticalsEng. Adriel LongoEng. Juan J. BermúdezEng. Juan J. JiménezInterContinental San Juan HotelJRC Engineering ServicesJabiana DevelopmentJohnson & JohnsonJosé E. De La Cruz Skerrett Law OfficeKCS Cleaning Service, Inc.Mario F. Gaztambide, Jr., Esq.Lema DevelopersLiberty CablevisionLilly del CaribeLos Prados Urbanos, Inc.MFPW J. Walter ThompsonMarxuach & LongoMary P. Dolciani (Halloran Foundation)Medical Card System (MCS)Medtronic FoundationMerck, Sharp & DohmeMerck, Sharp & Dohme - CarolinaMesirow FinancialMicrosoft Caribbean, Inc.Millipore FoundationMunicipio Autónomo de CaguasNational Science FoundationOlein Recovery Corp.Omega Engineering S. E.Patheon / MOVA PharmaceuticalPeregrine Development Corp.PIA of PR & the Caribbean, Inc.PRT / CLAROPortales de MADECOProcter & GambleQB Construction S.E.Radiology Institute Imaging CenterRicoHScholastic, Inc. / Caribe GrolierSociedad Española de Auxilio MutuoSYSTEMA, Inc.Teléfonos Públicos de Puerto RicoTelepro Caribe, Inc.The Efrón Foundation, Inc.The J. Willard & Alice S. Marriott FoundationTorres y Ribelles, Inc.Triple S-Management Corp.Wal*Mart Puerto Rico, Inc.William Randolph Hearst FoundationWyeth LaboratoriesXerox Corp.19

Institute for Public PolicyA public forum to proposesolutions to socio-economicproblemsVictoria Rodríguez SotoIn the last decade, AGMUS has become the principalcommunity for the discussion and disseminationof ideas, a public forum supporting analysisand examining alternatives to the principal problemsfacing the development and the competiveness ofPuerto Rico.The Institute for Public Policy (IPP) is at thecommunity’s center stage. It promotes research in areasof public and private interest and stimulates discussionof issues of social and economic impact through publicforums. The forums are recorded and published inCuadernos de Política Pública (Public Policy Notebooks).This year, the topics included the challenges andopportunities of the ongoing energy crisis in PuertoRico with an emphasis on renewable energy sources.Gerrit-Jan Schaeffer, director the Energy Division of theFlemish Institute for Technological Research in Belgiumwas the main speaker.20Another forum tackled innovative strategies for theefficient management of water resources. For the firsttime, a well-known private corporation, InternationalBusiness Machines (IBM), sponsored the event.Principal speaker was Dr. Cameron Brooks, directorof Solutions and Business Development, Big GreenInnovations, an IBM division. “Strategic model for anew economy” was the subject of the most recentforum, which explored the impact of micro-enterpriseson economies.Moving into international affairs, AGMUS’ presidentsigned an international accord of cooperation with theexecutive director of the Fundación Global Democraciay Desarrollo (FUNGLODE) of the Dominican Republic.The IPP is the university system’s representative inthe agreement to collaborate on matters of mutualinterest to the Dominican Republic and PuertoRico. Their agenda includes studies, analysis andrecommendations on alternative technologies todispose of solid waste, promoting renewable energyalternatives and fomenting micro-enterprises andbusiness incubators.Regionalization, envisioned as the new economicmodel for Puerto Rico, has taken root. Four economicdevelopmentorganizations, spearheaded by AGMUS,are comprised of private industry, the public sector,represented by municipalities banding togethergeographically, and academia. In its support ofdecentralization, the IPP, together with AGMUS Officeof Economic Development and Commercialization,organized a forum on regionalization as a stimulus for

creating new businesses and innovation. Followingthe theme, the IPP joined Universidad del Esteand the multi-sector, economic development organizationINTENE (North-Eastern Technological Initiative)to sponsor a Municipal Summit.SistemaTV, the university system’s educationaltelevision station, supports the IPP, broadcasting theforums and transmitting them live over the Internet.The TV station also has expanded coverage of issuesdiscussed in the forums. An investigative report onPuerto Rico’s solid waste problem, for instance, wasproduced last year. The magnitude of the island’sproblem prompted the IPP to create a permanentenvironmental committee.In a boost to the non-profit sector, the IPPcontinues to lobby for tax incentives for contributionsto nonprofits. In addition, the institute is an advocatefor privatizing security and maintenance services forpublic schools and a promoter of a decentralizedstructure to improve the quality of education. In thecoming year, the IPP plans to support enterprises ineco-culture as an alternative to foment innovationand strengthen the local economy. An advisory boardof distinguished citizens headed by attorney CésarVázquez guides the institute.The IPP continues tostrengthen its image as theprincipal venue to discussand propose solutions offundamental mattersthat affect the agendafor the development ofPuerto Rico.Dr. Federico M. Matheu, Chancellor UMET; Javier Quintana,Ph.D., former Executive Director Solid Waste Authority;Nicolás Muñoz; Dr. José F. Méndez, President AGMUS;Prof. Nickolas J. Themelis, Director Earth EngineeringCenter, Columbia University; Victoria Rodríguez, AssistantVice President and Executive Director of IPP; Eng. CarlSoderberg, Director EPA; Dr. Carlos Padín, Dean Schoolof Environmental Affairs UMET.21

Office of Economic Developmentand CommercializationInvention, innovation andentrepreneurship driveour economic modelLuis García FeliúThe Economic Development and CommercializationOffice (EDCO) plays a leading rolein the university of the 21st Century. Workingwithin the framework of regional economic developmentorganizations, which were first spearheadedby the AGMUS more than a decade ago, EDCOpromotes business development, cultivating anenvironment of innovation, invention and entrepreneurship.Called alianzas in Spanish, these regional alliancesare multi-sector, comprised of private industry,government and nonprofits, including universities.EDCO’s responsibility is to support and broaden thescope of the four alianzas designed to attract andretain industry, foment research and development andcreate wealth for the regions.All told, nearly 50 municipalities participate in thealianzas organized by region. The four are: INTENOR(Spanish acronym for the Northern TechnologicalInitiative), INTENE (North-Eastern TechnologicalInitiative), INTECO (Eastern-Central TechnologicalInitiative) and DISUR (Alliance for the IntegratedDevelopment of the South).22In addition to supporting this regional economicdevelopment model, EDCO is responsible for thetransfer of technology from science research that comesout of the university laboratories. A new product, forinstance, would be moved from the research lab toone of the alliance’s business incubators. Within thealianzas, EDCO aims to create a sustainableentrepreneurial ecosystem through the creation of newbusiness enterprises.The pieces needed to promote AGMUS’ vision ofeconomic prosperity for Puerto Rico are being puttogether by the alianzas. At the Intenor Science Park,for instance, EDCO oversees the development of 35,000square feet of incubator space (which has the potentialto double in space). The first tenants will be sevenentrepreneurial companies selected under the UMET’sEco Enterprise program. The science park, located inthe northern coastal town of Barceloneta, is in thearea of several pharmaceutical plants whose managerswork with UT faculty at the Center of Excellence forAdvanced Technology to devise a curriculum fortraining employees and potential employees in areasessential to the industry.During the 2010-2011 year, the International DesignCenter (IDC), another innovative project of the EDCO,will open at the science park. The IDC, equippedwith a $1.2 million grant from the governmentownedPuerto Rico Industrial Development Company(PRIDCO), is a fabrication lab, which uses digitaltechnology to challenge students to design a product,

and then fabricate it. The design center. affiliatedwith UT’s International School of Design, is based onthe “fab labs” created by Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology (MIT) professor Neil Gershenfeld who firstchallenged his students “…to make (almost) anything”using digital tools. Fab labs have since been set upworldwide - from Norway, where herders designedand built radio antennae and electronic tags to tracktheir sheep, to Ghana, where villagers fabricatedsolar-powered machinery to cook food. In PuertoRico, the IDC will transcend the classroom, offeringdesign and fabrication services to incubator clients,pharmaceuticals and other businesses - something likeFomento’s old Design Council.Among the strategic projects developed duringthis year is an online entrepreneurial training programoriginated by a Puerto Rican enterprise called FoamshipSystems. EDCO collaborated with Foamship Systemsin bringing the guide to entrepreneurship online.AGMUS’ distance learning experts developed theonline modules, which is required “reading” for clientsof the alianza’s business incubators. The universitysystem has an equity stake in the company and iscollaborating on the prospect of using online modulesbeyond startup companies.In the area of health sciences, EDCO is managingthe commercialization of fluorescent cellular markersdiscovered by UMET researchers Beatriz Zayas andOsvaldo Cox. Cellular markers are used in cancerresearch to detect damaged cells. The syntheticcompound has been moved to one of the “virtual”business incubators to market the product. At thisstage, the markers would be used in cancer researchfor diagnostic purposes.In the works is a Professional Development Center(PDC) for advanced training of nurses and otherhealthcare professionals in Puerto Rico and theCaribbean. The PDC, to be located at IntenorScience Park, uses simulation technology to createhypothetical hospital situations.Looking ahead, EDCO envisions Intenor’s sciencepark and the other regional alliances to act as amagnet for new teaching and new technology. PuertoRico’s quest for sustainable economic developmentand global competiveness relies on the success of theregional model.

Vice Presidents & ChancellorsManaging our systemAGMUS is privileged to draw on a highly professional teamof dedicated educators and administrators who form themanagement of our universities. The energy and efficiencyof these men and women serve as a model for the entireorganization to constantly improve students service.24

• Federico M. Matheu, Ph.D.Chancellor UMET• Alberto Maldonado Ruiz, Esq.Chancellor UNE• Dennis R. Alicea, Ph.D.Chancellor UT• Migdalia Torres, Ed. D.ChancellorDistance Education• Margarita Millán, Esq.Vice President and General ManagerSistema TV – Ana G. MéndezUniversity Channel• Alfonso L. DávilaVice President of Financial Affairs• Jesús A. DíazVice President of Administrative Affairs• José F. Méndez, Jr.Acting Executive VP• Victoria de Jesús, Ed. D.Vice President of Human Resources• Jorge Crespo, Ph.D.Vice President of Planningand Academic Affairs• Francisco J. BartolomeiVice President of Marketingand Student Affairs• Luis J. Zayas SeijoVice President of National andInternational Affairs25

Executive Vice PresidencyAGMUS devises an integratedplan to become more globalJosé F. Méndez, Jr.The Executive Vice Presidency is committed toimplement AGMUS’ plan to internationalizethe universities. In the early 1990s, AGMUSembarked on a strategic initiative to go beyondtraining students to become competent professionals,researchers and scholars for the 21st century. AGMUSaimed to develop citizens of the world - global citizenswith a tolerance for a diversity of cultures, languagesand ideas.Eight years ago, this global village initiative wasoriginated when the AGMUS Board of Directors signedthe Portugal Declaration in Lisbon in October 2002.The official declaration holds that internationalizationof higher education would stimulate the exchangeof ideas and graduates would have learned notjust a profession, but also develop tolerance skills.Greater tolerance is equated with fewer conflicts,and, consequently greater security. “With greatersecurity, we can obtain a better quality of life and morehappiness for all the citizens of the world,” according tothe Portugal Declaration.Subsequently, the global program became partof the AGMUS 2015 strategic plan and, under theExecutive Vice President, has progressed on a steadyand thoughtful track. Decisive steps were taken two26years ago to institutionalize the international programfor students and teachers. One by one, each universitycreated a post for vice chancellor of internationalaffairs to provide structure and uniform proceduresto international programs at each of the threeinstitutions: Universidad del Turabo (UT), UniversidadMetropolitana (UMET) and Universidad del Este (UNE).Among the three, UNE has taken the leadership role.The university has wrapped up a 16 to 18 month processto develop a comprehensive strategic plan underthe auspices of the American Council on Education’sInternationalization Laboratory (ACE Lab). The aim isto advance collective thinking on internationalizationand seeks to get everyone involved at each of the threeuniversities.ACE Lab is but one of the worldwide organizationson AGMUS’ dance card for the year. The universitysystem has been in consultation about building theinfrastructure to bring students from Latin Americato AGMUS, which does well in sending its studentsand teachers abroad. Now AGMUS is looking to makeinternational study a two-way street.An advocate of the Fulbright Program, AGMUShosts regular visits from distinguished scholars, whogive lectures to students and teachers, and also giveinterviews on the AGMUS televisions station. Thisyear UNE achieved an important milestone, awardeda Fulbright scholar-in-residence program grant tosponsor Christina Mourao Salgado, of Brazil. She isteaching Portuguese and working at UNE’s multi-

Alberto Maldonado Ruíz,Chancellor UNE; Dr. NagwaM. Megahed, Ph.D. AssistantProfessor, Ain Shams University,Cairo, Egypt and FulbrightScholar-In-Residence and VisitingProfessor of Arabic Language andMiddle Eastern Studies, Universityof Southern Mississippi; Mrs.Anne Howard, Vice Chancellorof International, Federal andCorporate Affairs at UNE and JhonSanabria Rodríguez, Dean forSocial and Human Sciences Schoolat Universidad del Este.language learning center to stimulate the study offoreign and critical languages. And, AGMUS boastsan impressive roster of visiting foreign dignitaries,such as the Dominican Ambassador to the U.S.,Roberto B. Saladín, who gave a magisterial lecture atUT in May 2010.A major achievement in cyberspace is thenew International Affairs Office website: http://www.suagm.edu/international/, designed to promoteefforts and inform the community about activitiesgeared towards the goal.AGMUS will also spread its wings to the DominicanRepublic with plans to open a university center underUNE at the Cybernetic Park in that nation’s capital city.The center, based on the concept of a CommunityCollege, will offer associate degrees in health, culinaryarts and hotel management.While the internationalization plans are highprofile, the Executive Vice Presidency also overseesthe thirteen (13) university centers on the island andthree campuses in Florida.Student enrollment at the university centersreached 14,236 students at the end of the 2009-2010 academic year, an increase of 5.3 percent overthe prior year. Over the past five years, enrollmentincreased on average 5.7% yearly.Dr. Zhang Xu, Associate Professor and Assistant Dean,School of Management and Deputy Director, PersonnelOffice, Dalian University of Technology, Peoples Republicof China and Fulbright Scholar-In-Residence, School ofBusiness Administration, Benedictine University, Chicago,Illinois. Discoursed about “Doing business with China”, forBusiness Administration students at Universidad del Este.27

Vice Presidency of Planningand Academic AffairsA system-wide focus onacademic qualityJorge Crespo-Armáiz, Ph.D.In advancing the level of academic excellence, theVice Presidency for Planning and Academic Affairsexercises two major functions: positioning AGMUSas a path-breaking higher education institution, andconceptualizing the infrastructure to achieve thatgoal. In planning and developing academic programs,AGMUS leads the way in promoting both teaching andresearch, with an entrepreneurial spirit and aglobalperspective, playing an important role in fostering thesocial and economic development of Puerto Rico.During 2009-2010, the Vice presidency ofAcademic Affairs developed and implemented systemwidepolicies to strengthen academics at the threeuniversities and 13 university centers in Puerto Rico.For the first time, Universidad Metropolitana (UMET),Universidad del Turabo (UT) and Universidad del Este(UNE) established a comprehensive model and a fiveyearcalendar for evaluating program offerings – fromthe certificate to the doctorate levels. Starting in 2010-2011, and continuing through 2014-2015, this calendarsets a schedule for assessing some 160 programs. Inaddition to a formal evaluation, the five-year calendarcalls for the institutions to assess the feasibility of theiracademic programs as well as their expected qualitylevel.In addition to the evaluation of existing academicofferings, a five-year plan of potential new programs,was prepared for each of the three universities, basedon a revision and updating of the academic goals andprojections included in AGMUS’ strategic guidelines.These two academic planning instruments will beused by each institution’s office of assessment, withthe support of the institutional planners, in order toscrutinize the programs and reinforce academic qualityat the universities.To promote institutional commitment, as well as itsteaching quality, a new policy and procedure was putin place to evaluate and certify part-time professors.AGMUS has experienced extraordinary growth in thepast decade, particularly in non-traditional studentsegments and in its off-campus centers, which tendto hire more part-time resources. At this momentthe three universities have between 380 and 400regular, tenured faculty and more than 2,500 part-time28

professors. The evaluation process, to be completedby January 2011, is designed to improve the quality ofour teaching staff as well as to enhance the learningexperience of our growing student bodyFrom its start, and essential part of AGMUS’mission has been to serve the needs of disadvantagedstudents; about 80 percent come from Puerto Rico’spublic school system. These students represent thefirst priority of the academic affairs office. Tools andstrategies have been designed to help them makeit through that critical first year of the universityexperience, and then continue, all the way tograduation. Since the 1980s, the university systemfollowed retention plans that emphasized improvingstudent services and student social integration to theuniversity. In 2005, retention efforts were moved to thevice presidency for planning and academic affairs, witha major shift in the retention strategy, emphasizingthat the key element to improved retention isacademic performance and success. As result of thisnew approach, for three consecutive years, first-yearretention rates throughout the university system havemoved upward reaching 69.4 of the total freshmencohorts in 2008, a 7.1 percent gain compared to thebaseline year 2005.Although these are impressive figures whencompared to local and national benchmarks, the vicepresidency is going beyond this first year experienceto focus on second year, third year, and graduationrates, tracking for the first time students’ progressand persistence towards earning a degree. Theimplementation of state-of-the-art student trackingsoftware was also accompliashed this year in order tosupport these assessment goals.The area of academic advising is another criticalcomponent of the academic student retention model.In this area the university system has updated theCAPP module (acronym for Curriculum Advising and29

Program Planning), an important planning tool inevaluating academic progress. CAPP aids in selectingcourses for future semesters and indicating the degreerequirements to graduate. The web-based CAPP isupdated to reflect courses completed, changes to astudent’s major and progress towards meeting courserequirements on the path towards a degree program.The Vice Presidency of Planning and AcademicAffairs also oversees research and compliance withagency regulations, laboratory standards and ethicalconcerns that should govern such research activities.Installing a new web-based IRB (Institutional ReviewBoard) Net application has facilitated compliancewith regulatory matters, expediting the submittanceof documents from faculty and students. Researchin the areas of science, technology, engineering,and mathematics, as well as in health allied fields(S T E M + H) is pivotal to the university system’s strategicVision 2015. Pushing to upgrade research capabilities,the office inspected all of the university laboratories toidentify those teaching labs that can be improved toqualify as research labs.Contributing to this STEM+H strategy, during theyear, the Student Research Development Center (SRDC)stimulated undergraduate research, facilitating 79student research internships in the U.S., Latin Americaand Europe. Closer to home, undergraduate researchsymposiums were held with the participation ofhundreds of pre-college students as well as undergrads.In supporting the medical community, and as partof AGMUS’ public function mission, we celebratedthe 10th anniversary of the Ana G. Méndez HealthSymposium for health professionals. Dr. Nizar Zeinand other internationally renowned faculty of theCleveland Clinic addressed 265 participants on issuesrelated to hepatitis, HIV and control of infectiousdiseases. AGMUS also hosted a magisterial lectureby 2008 Nobel laureate, Harald zur Hausen, with thesponsorship of GlaxoSmithKline.Capital improvements plan constitute the main annualinvestment for addressing key infrastructure needs inthe academic, student and administrative areas of theuniversity community.30

In the area of institutional planning, the vicepresidency began the revision process of AGMUS’five-year Strategic Guidelines for Development 2011-2015 with La Universidad en el Siglo XXI (21st CenturyUniversity), a specialized forum attended by 165university officials, deans and faculty, associates andacademic board members of the three universities.This kickoff activity was followed by a series of 14workshops dealing with the revision of mission, visionand priorities. At the end, an analysis was made,using the SWOT strategic analysis method (strengths,weaknesses, opportunities, threats) in order toidentify new strategic opportunities. The revision andfinal approval of the new strategic plans for 2011-2015is expected to be finished by the end of the 2010-11academic yearThe Vice Presidency is also entrusted with conceivingand designing the physical projects that are apivotal to support the system’s academic development.During this year, a $7.3 million health facility proposedfor UNE took shape as a community health clinic as wellas a teaching and research center. As a major priority,new parking buildings are on the drawing board forthe three institutions as a new pedestrian entrance toUMET’s Cupey campus, the expansion of the centraloffice of information and telecommunications (OCIT),as well as other key institutional projects. A newlyrevised physical master plan was also developed for themain campus of Universidad Metropolitana in Cupey.As part of its statutory responsibilities, the Office ofthe Vice President also coordinated the analysis andapproval of a $21.2 million budget for the 2010-11capital improvements plan, which constitutes the mainannual investment for addressing key infrastructureneeds in the academic, student and administrativeareas of the university community.31

Vice Presidency of Marketingand Student AffairsOne-stop access connectsto multiple student servicesFrancisco J. BartolomeiThe Vice Presidency of Marketing and StudentAffairs has evolved technologically with itsconstituency, developing innovative strategiesto recruit young people to Ana G. Méndez UniversitySystem (AGMUS) and provide them with high qualityservices. It is through an evolutionary process thatthe most advanced models and systems have beenadopted, guaranteeing exceptional service to ourstudents and the general public.As part of its mission, the Vice Presidency launchedRed Interactiva de Servicios, an interactive andintegrated network of student services that replacesthe former contact center. Located at UniversidadMetropolitana (UMET), the physical structure looksas a high tech call center. The 50 workstations withcomputers are connected to a central “board” wherethe incoming and outgoing communications arelogged.Unified access and real-time telephony areprovided through an 800-number for inbound calls.The computer software integrates multiple channelsof communication – email, web-chat, text and voicemessages – to fulfill the necessities and meet theexpectations of a new generation of students.Through this single point of access, a variety ofservices are offered to ease the steps taken daily32

in the university workplace bystudents, professors and associates.For prospective students, the RedInteractiva de Servicios offersorientation services about academicprograms and the different modalitiesof study offered in all of AGMUSinstitutions and academic units.Admission applications can be filledout by phone and the caller directedto the appropriate area to help withthe admissions process.In addition to academics andfinancial issues, students calling thecenter can register problems andreceive help in reaching at a solution;or the call may be channeled to anarea that can resolve the problem.Going where the students are,AGMUS is expecting to reach prospectsthrough the social networkingmedia, Facebook, Twitter, MySpaceand YouTube. The center will alsoSTUDENT ENROLLMENT - FIRST SEMESTER27,26230,79734,30236,61637,95439,07540,97642,12924,4972001-022002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-1033Source: AGMUS Assistant Vice Presidency of Institutional Research - First Semester. January 20, 2010.

CONVIÉRTETE ENUN PROFESIONALCOMPLETO1-800-747-8362El Programa AHORA te ofrece la oportunidad de finalizar tu grado de bachillerato o maestría. Únete a los más deocho mil profesionales que decidieron darse la oportunidad de completar el grado académico que una vez comenzaron.BACHILLERATOSEducación• Educación Temprana (K-III)• Educación Elemental (IV-VI)• Educación Preescolar y Primaria• Educación Preescolar• Educación Secundaria Vocacional Industrial• Educación Elemental en Inglés• Educación en Salud EscolarMAESTRÍASAdministración de Empresas• Gerencia• Recursos Humanos• Mercadeo• Gerencia y LiderazgoEstratégico• ContabilidadMÁS CONVENIENTE Y FLEXIBLE:• Diseñado exclusivamente para elprofesional adulto que trabaja• Completas cada curso en 5 u 8 semanas• Clases se reúnen una vez a la semana• Horarios nocturnos y “weekend college”• Créditos previos no caducan*• Procesos integrados de matrícula(One stop service)• Atención y servicio personalizadouniversity community and also,• Finanzasto the public. We are certainAdministración de EmpresasEducación• Sistemas de Información Computadorizados• Administración y Supervisión*Sujeto a evaluación.• Gerenciathat this interactive initiative• MercadeoEducativaREQUISITOS:• Administración de Oficinas• Educación de Adultos• 23 años de edad o más• Secretarial Administrativowill continue to support AGMUS• Educación Bilingüe• 3 años de experiencia de trabajo• Contabilidad• Currículo y Enseñanza• Experiencia previa con estudios• Gerencia en Tecnología de Oficinasuniversitariosin consolidating its privilegedCiencias SocialesCiencias Sociales• Asuntos Públicos• Trabajo Socialposition within the market of• Justicia Criminal• Psicología• Asuntos PúblicosCiencias Aliadas a la Salud• Gerencia en Servicios de SaludCLASES COMIENZAN EL 29 DE AGOSTOhigher education institutions.For the first time, our studentrecruitment campaign includesSesión informativapublic figures that are enrolledTodos los martesa las 6:00 p.m.www.suagm.eduCupey • BayamónCarolina • Barceloneta • Cabo RojoGurabo • CayeyAguadilla • JayuyaUtuado • Yauco • Santa Isabel Yabucoa • Isabela • Ponceat our universities. RonaldoCampos, for instance, radioand TV announcer, carries theundertake telemarketing campaigns urging students toenroll and facilitate the delivery of required documentsfor student enrollment and financial assistance. Inaddition, La Red will be able to measure what strategiesget the best results and also to conduct opinion andsatisfaction surveys.The new interactive infrastructure in addittion,La Red will is to allow the Vice Presidency to expandits range of services, providing integrated services tothe Florida campuses and targeting segments of thestudent population for specialized campaigns. Theresult will be to maximize and strengthen services to ourmessage “Enroll, now” for UMET; singer Ana Isabeltouts for Universidad del Este (UNE) and José Figueroa,journalist and TV announcer, publicizes Universidaddel Turabo (UT). On each piece of promotion andadvertisement appears the 800-number for the newRed Interactiva de Servicios. In addition, we are usingstudents at various campuses in publicity to promotethe AGMUS educational experience.Recruitment is getting an overhaul. Activities toattract students, from visits to high schools to openhouses at university sites have been successful. Forinstance, more than 75 percent of those students34

admitted in open houses registered this year.Nonetheless, the job market and the students arechanging. A training program is planned to upgrade thepromoters who visit high schools and host secondaryschool students, to prepare them to become careeradvisors.Today, many high school students graduate withouthaving any notion of what they would like to pursueas a career. One of our main social responsibilitiesis to prepare students for the world outside theuniversity. The Vice Presidency has developed a pilotTV program highlighting different opportunities forpursuing a career. The first in the series spotlightsthe José (Tony) A. Santana International School ofHospitality and Culinary Arts. The TV pilot emphasizesthe service component of careers in tourism, includinghotel management, events coordination, and culinaryarts. Others to follow include engineering andcommunications.The success of the summer semester – studentenrollment doubled from the prior year – was due inpart to a special project supporting summer studentsto optimize the introduction of the year-roundPell grant.The Vice Presidency continues to frame AGMUSas a leader in higher education in Puerto Rico andposition the system as an institution of academicexcellence committed to the social wellbeing of PuertoRico. Our new technological infrastructure fulfillsour commitment to service and the education ofour citizens.35

Vice Presidency of Nationaland International AffairsDual-language degree programsattract young hispanic adultsLuis J. Zayas-SeijoYvonne Cadiz, Director of Tampa Bay Campus;Luis Zayas, Vice President of National andInternational Affairs; Dr. José F. Méndez,President; Dr. Luis Burgos, Vice President ofAGMUS operations in Florida; Digna Alvarez,Regional Director at Senator Bill Nelson’sOffice; Victoria Rodríguez Soto, AssistantVice President and Executive Director Institutefor Public Policy; Tony Morejón, Hispanic -American Liaison at Hillsborough County;José F. Méndez, Jr., Acting ExecutiveVice President and Santiago Corrada,Administrator at City of Tampa.Last May, AGMUS inaugurated its third U.S.mainland campus on the outskirts of Tampa,Florida, a milestone in its mission to bringeducational opportunities to U.S. Hispanics. TheTampa Bay campus opened in September with anoffering of bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Close to$1.4 million was invested in the 12,000-square-footbuilding housing eight classrooms and a learning lab.Since 2003, when Metro Orlando campus opened,the Florida branches have grown steadily. During the2009-2010 academic year, Orlando and South Floridaachieved a 11% increase in enrollment to 1,649- 1,146 at Orlando and 503 at South Florida. Orlandograduated 203 students, compared to 151 in the prior36year; South Florida graduated 119 students comparedwith 37 a year ago. Tampa Bay rounds out AGMUS’Florida university presence.With its sights on the U.S. capital, the Vice Presidencyfor National and International Affairs is exploringpotential campus locations in Maryland to serveHispanics in the Washington D.C. metro area. A campusin the nation’s capital, or in its vicinity, is projected toattract 600 students in five years. Maryland has one ofthe fastest-growing Hispanic populations in the nation.In keeping with AGMUS’ community focus, universityexecutives have met with 38 community leadersseeking feedback on the needs of the WashingtonD.C. area.The Puerto Rico university system – Universidaddel Turabo (UT), Universidad Metropolitana (UMET)and Universidad del Este (UNE) – is the source ofthe accelerated bilingual degree-programs that arecustom-made for working adults, eager to pursuea college education and an opportunity for a betterlife. The distinguishing factor on these U.S. campuses

Vice Presidency ofAdministrative AffairsAGMUS stands out as a safeand pleasant environmentJesús A. DíazThe Vice Presidency for Administrative Affairsmanages and maintains the physical facilitiesand environs of AGMUS to provide an attractiveuniversity setting that is safe, pleasant and conduciveto learning. A priority of the office is maintaininguniformity of procedures and services related to themanagement of 1.6 million square feet of physicalinfrastructure valued at $243.7 million, more than4.1 million square feet of green areas, purchases ofequipment and supervision of contracts.As part of its statutory responsibility, the VicePresidency coordinates the administration of $30million in physical plant maintenance and services, $27million in indirect costs, $10 million in purchases, closeto $3 million for security and $30 million in contractsfor goods and services.In addition, the office supervises four auxiliaryenterprises comprising 12 bookstores, 5,000 parkingspaces and 19 food concessions and printing services.Net income generated by these businesses exceeded$1 million. We also negotiate and administer AGMUS’insurance coverage.Pivotal to the achievements of 2009-2010 are theteamwork and dedication of Central Administrationassociates and the Physical Plant and OperationsDivisions. We rely on the enthusiastic and professionalstaff of UMET, UNE and UT. Due to this support, wecompleted 84 projects in physical infrastructure, 38of which were construction projects and 46 of greenareas. Total investment was $21.7 million.To meet the demands of a rapidly growing studentpopulation at university centers, $300,000 was assignedto improve these centers, putting them on par with themain campuses. Areas of electrical connections wereadded in Wi-Fi zones and offices and common areasunderwent improvements, including the installation ofelectric generators and cisterns.38

As a result of institutional strategies in safety andoccupational health, the Puerto Rico ManufacturersAssociation (PRMA) presented AGMUS, with anExcellence in Safety Award, the first granted to auniversity. For the past five years, the university systemwon the PRMA Distinguished Achievement Award.This year, we devised budget-calculating formulasfor electricity, water, safety, cleaning and maintenanceof air conditioners. We considered and incorporatedmany variables using data compiled over the last threeyears. These formulas will be validated by outsideconsultants.At the close of 2009-2010, our fiscal contributionwas $1.5 million. This amount includes the following: asavings of $174,00 in insurance; a savings of $825,000in construction project management; a reduction of1.5 million KWh in energy consumption amountingto $335,900 and a boost of $149,000 in – auxiliaryenterprises income. We will add a new twist tothese businesses, evaluating selling strategies in thechanging book market and integrating informationsystems to facilitate registering income and expenses.Environmental conservation is a priority for manygovernments, communities and businesses. AGMUShas endeavored to establish a commitment to theenvironment that goes beyond academia. Over thepast years, we have proposed and developed plans andalternatives that involve the system’s administrativecommunity. A systems-leve com-mittee coordinatesthe different initiatives and projects, some of which arealready up and running. Recycling efforts netted 56,576pounds of paper/carton, 6,874 pounds of aluminumand plastic, and 60,029 pounds of vegetative material.The university system is a member of the U.S. GreenBuilding Council.At the beginning of fiscal year 2010-2011,the Vice Presidency launched a process ofbenchmark and evaluation of AGMUS withstateside universities that had been recognizedby the Association for Physical Plant Adminis-trators(APPA) for excellence in management of facilities.The process aims to align the responsibilities ofthe Vice Presidency for Administrative Affairs and thePhysical Plant and Operation Divisions with the actualgrowth and future development of the universitysystem. Moreover, consultants have been contractedto facilitate the evaluation and incorporation of newprocesses, technology and performance metrics inmaintenance, auxiliary enterprises, policy writing andorganizational development.39

Vice Presidency ofHuman ResourcesProductivity through harmonyand enthusiasm in the workplaceVictoria de Jesús, Ed.D.The Vice Presidency of Human Resources isdedicated to fulfilling the AGMUS mission ofmaintaining an harmonious, enthusiastic andmotivated workplace. Seeking to reach the higheststandards of productivity and administrative efficiency,employees are encouraged to put forth their bestefforts. They are empowered through teamwork, andtheir improved performance is rewarded throughcompensation and career advancement.Training is a priority. The Vice Presidency hasestablished training programs at every level,developing and strengthening the core abilities thatthe associates need to do their jobs. The university’sExecutives and Deans attend the Dean’s ManagerialAcademic, a series of 12 management-training sessionswhich cover essential areas ranging from strategic andfinancial planning to leadership and conflict resolution.In addition, Associates receive regular doses ofcontinuing education. Human Resources survey theassociates during the year to determine the trainingthat is most needed and develops sophisticated plansto meet those needs.Technology plays an important role in fulfilling ourmission. Together with the Associate Vice President ofPlanning, we completed the first phase of a pilot projectthat implements an electronic performance evaluationsystem. Human Resources has also created severalelectronic systems that include a complaints record, aregistry of training activities for each institution, anda suggestion box for the Office of Internal Audits onthe AGMUS website. This year, our office streamlinedthe Digital Contract Unit’s operational processesfor contracting and paying guest lecturers. The VicePresidency continuously re-evaluates and restructuresthe 200 units in the university system to ensure theirefficient operation and financial stability.AGMUS is working to become a model institution inmatters of health. Almost 550 of the 3,000 associatesare currently participating in a pilot Wellness Projectthat uses a three-pronged program to provide eachparticipant with a medical exam, (including lab tests), anutritional evaluation, and an exercise program. ThreeWellness Centers have been established at each of theuniversities: Universidad del Turabo (UT), UniversidadMetropolitana (UMET) and Universidad del Este (UNE).Our employees understand the relationshipbetween health and productivity, but to change a40

culture of bad dietary habits is a daunting challenge.Triple-S, the largest health insurance company inPuerto Rico, has donated $100,000 to the School ofNutrition at the Universidad del Turabo to promotegood eating habits among students and employees.This grant also promotes our pilot Wellness Project,and has allowed our students to do internships at theWellness Centers.For its part, the Office of Human Resources hasdrafted a proposal for the Puerto Rico Department ofLabor to recruit several of the employees who havebeen laid off by the Puerto Rican Government. As inthe U.S., the economic downturn has hurt the publicsector, causing thousands of employees to lose theirjobs in Puerto Rico.Among the organizational projects, this year westructured the Virtual University. The Vice Presidencyis offering advice on how challenging times requirehighly productive associates. Quality Indicators provethat we have the best talent among our faculty andadministrative staff. The organizational structuresof the Regional Economic Development Alliancesare associated with the university system. HumanResources also recruits personnel for the multi-sectoralliances and provides consultation services.41

Vice Presidency ofFinancial AffairsSmart strategies keepthe university system strongAlfonso L. DávilaIn these difficult and uncertain times, the VicePresidency for Financial Affairs has pursuedresponsible and smart strategies to strengthenAGMUS’ finances. During 2009-2010, operationalrevenues increased and expenses were controlled inorder to improve the institution’s financial condition.Contributing to this accomplishment was thecoordination achieved by the Financial Affairs VicePresident with the VP for Human Resources and theVP for Administrative Affairs to keep close watchon the system’s operations. This is significant whenconsidering that the two vice presidencies accountfor 80 percent of the institution’s budget; salaries andplant maintenance make up 80 percent of expenses.In addition, a Permanent Financial Committee metmonthly with AGMUS’ president to keep projectedexpenditures on target.Striking a balance between providing the bestuniversity education to its 42,000 students and makingAGMUS a cost-effective operation comes down tomanaging resources smartly. Technology has made itpossible for the Vice President for Financial Affairs toknow what is spent, down to the penny, on a daily basis.In the past year, the financial affairs team has builtawareness among the university system executive staffand key personnel about AGMUS’ need to maximizeresources and lower costs.During 2009-2010, operational revenues increased14 percent over the previous year, due in part to anincrease in tuition and registration fees as well asto growth in student enrollment during the year,particularly in the summer term, fueled by theintroduction of the year-round Pell grant. Externalfunding, mostly federal grants, were up over the prioryear. Meanwhile, expenses rose a stable 8 percent, asa result of increased costs in fringe benefits and plantmaintenance. To improve collections and accountspayable processes, a change in the supervising structureof the Vice Presidency was implemented. These twooffices are now under the Controller’s Office.Prudent management enabled excellent financialresults at year-end. The investment portfolio grew$4.4 million in value over the prior year, totaling$41.3 million at year end. An Investment Committeecomposed of the main administrative areas; Finance,Human Resources and Administrative Affairs,and chaired by AGMUS’ President, oversees theperformance of the endowment.42

To continue to pursue the improvement of ourfinancial condition, the Vice Presidency for FinancialAffairs, is in the process of implementing a Cost andFinancial Reporting System (datamart) to facilitatecost analysis of the academic programs and universityprojects and activities. This will provide valuableinformation to establish financial guides for thedevelopment of the institution. The outcome willmaximize the allocation of resources when structuringnew programs and projects.The Vice Presidency for Financial Affairs alsooversees the information technology (IT) division. Thisarea is dedicated to serving the needs of students,faculty and administrators. Providing studentswith the latest technology has meant continuouslyupgrading equipment and quality of services. Inkeeping ahead, AGMUS is implementing a web portalknown as “myCampus” to provide electronic servicesto students at UT, UMET and UNE.Both resources, technology and financial dataanalysis, administered by the capable staff of theVice Presidency for Financial Affairs, will enable theachievement of SUAGM’s ambitious goals.43

Universidad MetropolitanaA leader in science and technology,sustainability and health sciencesFederico M. Matheu, Ph.D., Chancellor54

Universidad Metropolitana (UMET) has carveda niche among universities in the San Juanmetropolis, becoming the leading institutionin undergraduate research in Puerto Rico. UMEToffers programs that promote science and technology,undergraduate scientific research and sustainability.The new School of Health Sciences, inaugurated in May20, 2010, is the sixth school under the UMET banner,joining the School of Social Sciences, Humanities &Communications, Business Administration, Education,Science & Technology and the Graduate School ofEnvironmental Affairs (SEA).SEA is one of the university’s great strengths,developing courses and projects in sustainableenvironmental practices. A group of 26 students,teachers, municipal planners, architects and engineersmade an educational trip to Portland, Oregon, thisyear for lessons in strategies for sustainability, whichcovered land use planning, building healthy, climatefriendlytransportation systems and making towns safeand healthy. Based on the Portland regional model,El Vocero, one of Puerto Rico’s three local Spanishlanguagedailies, published a 17-article series onsustainable development and its application to PuertoRico. The newspaper also wrote an editorial in which itcredited UMET’s initiative.The Sustainable Development Studies Center wasawarded the 2009 Environmental Quality Award bythe federal Environmental Protection Agency. Lastyear’s “bestseller” Hacia el desarrollo inteligente:10 principios y 100 estrategias para Puerto Rico(Towards Smart Growth: 10 Principles and Strategiesfor Puerto Rico) continues to generate buzz. Thisyear, the Architects and Landscape ArchitectsAssociation worked together with the university todesign a continuing education course in sustainabledevelopment. Universidad Metropolitana’s School ofEnvironmental Affairs and SistemaTV collaborate onthe prize-winning series Aventura Científica (ScientificAdventure) filmed on location.UMET made academic history when graduating itsfirst Doctor of Philosophy in Education this year. UMETis first in Puerto Rico to offer this degree – a Ph.D., inaddition to a doctorate in education (Ed.D.). The goalis to develop researchers in education to stimulateour public school system of education to do a betterjob of teaching and learning. The program boasts36 graduate students. In addition, 160 students aredoctoral candidates in education.UMET administers three off-campus universitycenters from its well-manicured campus in Cupey, abreath of fresh air in the midst of urban sprawl. Onelearning center is smack in the middle of metropolitanBayamón and two are located outside the metropolitanarea in the towns of Aguadilla and Jayuya. TheBayamón university center houses the new School ofHealth Sciences, which offers three master’s degrees innursing, accredited by the National League for NursingAccrediting Commission (NLNAC) in October 2009. Theprograms are in the areas of adult critical care, childcritical care and case management.At the school’s inauguration, a $43,000 SIM, acomputer-driven mannequin that simulates healthconditions, stole the show. UMET’s health sciencesschool at Bayamón also offers the island’s onlyprogram to prepare bilingual nurses. A primary reasonis to fill a demand for bilingual nurses who can respondto instructions in English or Spanish. In the future,the school expects to expand diagnostic imagingcapabilities.Through its academic programs and economicoutreach efforts, UMET promotes a culture ofresearch and development in Puerto Rico. UMET isa participant in the northern technological initiativeIntenor, an economic development organizationcomprising 14 municipalities, AGMUS and privateindustry firms. UMET is collaborating with Intenorand the Municipality of Barceloneta to establish aninnovative research project at the Intenor SciencePark in Barceloneta.55

UMET opened the Microsoft Mobile DevelopmentLaboratory, the result of an educational alliancewith the software giant.The science park is the site of the proposed researchcenter, which has evolved from the Center for Research& Development and Industrial Support (CREDIS) tothe Center for Research in Emerging and AdvancedTechnologies and Environmental Science (CREATES).UMET has been working with Barceloneta’s mayorwho donated the land and a $1.5 million award for a$13 million construction project submitted to theNational Institute of Standards of Technology (NIST) forfunding.UMET’s reputation in developing undergraduateresearch skills in science and technology datesback to before 1995, the year the National ScienceFoundation selected UMET as a Model Institution ofExcellence (MIE). Since then, the university has drivenan institutional transformation in science, technology,56mathematics and the biomedical fields, forming a newcadre of scientists in Puerto Rico. Evidence of successis measured in the number of graduates transferredto graduate school and pursuing their master’s andPh.D’s at universities in the U.S. as well as Puerto Rico:17 students have completed doctorates in chemistry,mathematics, molecular cellular biology, computerscience, environmental science, and medicine. Over20 are Ph.D. candidates.In April, UMET opened the Microsoft MobileDevelopment Laboratory, the result of an educationalalliance with the software giant. In the lab, studentsexplore and develop new capabilities for mobiledevices. A team of four Science and TechnologySchool students bested competing universities towin an opportunity to represent Puerto Rico in theglobal competition sponsored by Microsoft for the2010 Imagine Cup, the world cup of software, heldin Warsaw, Poland. The winning application, entitled”Together We Ride”, promotes ride sharing – not just tolower the environmental impact of carbon emissionsfrom vehicles, but also to offer students an alternativemeans of transport and help save money. Theapplication uses “smart” phones with GPS technologyso students can alert one another when they need aride; the app also creates a social community.Embracing internationalization, UMET joined theConsejo Superior Universitario Centroamericano (CSUC)

in sponsoring a meeting of 19 chancellors from CentralAmerica and the Dominican Republic. The chancellorssigned memos of understanding to work together inareas of environment, business administration andscience & technology. The university’s EnvironmentalEducation Institute (INEDA, its Spanish acronym)offered three courses in Colombia and has 13 on itsagenda. INEDA is exploring the feasibility of branchingout to Panama.Making news, the School of Social Sciences,Humanities & Communications developed its firstgraduate program in psychology. And, the Puerto RicoCouncil on Higher Education authorized new academicprograms in the accelerated, adult AHORA [Spanishacronym for NOW] programs including two master’sdegrees: an MBA with a specialty in managementand leadership strategies; and a master’s in adulteducation.Evolving with Puerto Rico, AGMUS is an advocate ofpromoting entrepreneurship. As part of the businessschool program, UMET students are assigned to writea business plan for an enterprise that they wouldestablish once they graduate. For the third consecutiveyear, the UMET chapter of Collegiate Entrepreneurs’Organization (CEO) won first place among CEO chaptersin Puerto Rico and first place for Internet page; andplaced second as an exhibitor.During the summer, UMET student Kamil Armaiz-Nolla participated in the NASA-sponsored StudentAirborne Research Program in California. The six-weekprogram is one of NASA’s tools for training futurescientists for engineering, scientific and technicalmissions.We are also proud of our performance in the annualintercollegiate sports competition Las Justas. UMETathletes won the Inter-University Athletic Leaguefemale championship and placed third in the maledivision (last year the guys took the top prize). Athletesin the male and female divisions won the judo andtrack contests; and the women’s team took the topprize in volleyball. Twenty-one universities participatein the league.Our choir celebrated its 25th university on a tour ofSpain bringing joy to audiences.57

In its sustained endeavor to strengthen itsacademic excellence, Universidad del Este (UNE)has been actively engaged in diverse strategiesand initiatives for expanding academic services andpursuing partnerships and alliances globally andlocally, not only with the public and private sectors butwith the non profit segments as well. To expand itsglobal perspective, the university has been institutinglearning and service opportunities abroad for facultyand students, promoting cultural diversity, andstrengthening ties with organizations and agencies ofnational and world wide reach. Community servicesare being formally integrated into the curriculum, asefforts to promote and share academic resources,services and facilities to the community and nonprofit organizations. Further accomplishmentsinclude attainment of specialized accreditations, andenhancement of infrastructure. Plans for establishingan UNE branch campus in the Dominican Republic isunder way.The Institution remains at the forefront of AGMUS’internationalization campaign, acting as a modelfor preparing students for the global economy. UNEis the first of the three universities to complete anassessment of its progress toward internationalizationand has formally incorporated internationalizationefforts into its Strategic Plan as revised for 2010-2013. The latter has been accomplished under theauspices of the American Council on Education’sInternationalization Laboratory (ACE Lab). The aim isto develop a comprehensive strategy thatintegrates an international-culturaldimension into teaching, researchand service functions of theInstitution.UNE also continues to expand its exchangeagreements with universities in the Caribbean, LatinAmerica and Europe and be a site for Fulbrightscholars. In 2009-2010, three Fulbright visiting scholarsrepresenting Egypt, China and Canada delivered morethan ten (10) distinguished conferences to hundredsof students, faculty and administrators. Their topicsranged from Educational Reform in the Middle East toDoing Business with China. Most recently, the Schoolof Social and Human Sciences was awarded a Fulbrightscholar-in-residence (SIR) grant to sponsor CristinaMourao Salgado of Brazil. She has been instrumentalin leading the world languages component as acollaborator of the Multi-Language Learning Center.For the 2010-2011 year, the Fulbright SIR grant wasrenewed, a singular accomplishment.To increase student opportunities for affordableinternational study, UNE became an affiliate memberof the International Student Exchange Programsnetwork (ISEP). Beginning January 2011, UNE willupgrade to a reciprocal member of ISEP, which willenable students to study at more than 200 institutionsin 43 countries. UNE is promoting itself as a destinationfor international students, too. The university signedan agreement with the National Institute of Training59

(INACAP, Spanish acronym) and arranged exchangepacts for UNE students and faculty with six Chileanuniversities and two Brazilian universities. Moreover,as a result of a week-long series of federal workshopson international scholarships including the Fulbright,Boren and Gilman Programs, two of UNE’s José A. (Tony)Santana International School of Hospitality and CulinaryArts students were awarded Gilman scholarships tostudy at the Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola Schoolof Hospitality Management in Lima, Peru, one of thetop hotel schools in the world. In addition, 170 UNEstudents participated in internships in Puerto Rico andabroad, including 27 in the Disney College Programand three at the Instituto de Biomédica y Parasitologíain Spain.UNE has recently completed the first phase of itsCommunity Health Promotion Center, an initiative thatwill considerably benefit the residents in the adjacentcommunities. UNE CaRE, a $7.3 million investment,will be a teaching, out-patient facility offering clinicsand research opportunities. Another priority projectcurrently in the pipeline is a Sports Complex, a $7.5million undertaking. A new Annex building hasprovided the School of Health Sciences with onesonography laboratory and one therapeutic nursinginterventions laboratory that will help train studentsand professionals in health fields. Annex 1, at $6.5million, also houses a Wellness Center with state-of theart equipment, a bookstore and eight classrooms.To fulfill its goal of encouraging services andentrepreneurship, UNE also reaches out to highschools in the community. The Students in FreeEnterprise (SIFE) Chapter received a $25,000 grantfrom the American Express Foundation to support artsdesign students from the Lucchetti Junior High Schoolin San Juan in preparing their annual art exhibition.Other SIFE activities included the coordination ofevents highlighting success stories of Puerto Ricanentrepreneurs.The School of Business Administration successfullyattained its accreditation from the Association ofCollegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). UNE60

Universidad del TuraboCombining academic excellence withcommunity engagementDennis R. Alicea, Ph.D., Chancellor62

Universidad del Turabo (UT) combines a traditionof academic excellence with communitybasedprograms of intense engagement. UT’smission is to advance learning through excellence inteaching and to promote research, innovation andinternationalization in its programs.Nestled in the green mountains of Gurabo, UTprojects an image of culture and humanistic studies aswell as science and technology. The Josefina CamachoNuez Museum and Center of Humanistic Studies, thenew Puerto Rico Energy Center and the José DomingoPérez School of Engineering are examples of theinstitution’s accomplishments.In 2009-2010, UT graduated 2,216 students,and conferred 881 master’s degrees and 36 Ph.D’s.Doctoral degrees are offered in education, businessand entrepreneurship, psychology and environmentalsciences.This year the Commission on Accreditation forDietetics Education (CADE) renewed the university’saccreditation for a bachelor’s in nutrition; and theCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)renewed the bachelor’s and master’s degree programsin nursing. UT also holds specialized accreditationsby the Accreditation Board for Engineering andTechnology (ABET), National League Of NursingAccrediting Commission (NLNAC) and Council onAcademic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA-ASHA).The university strives to increase the number offulltime faculty members with Ph.D’s and raised itspercentage of Ph.D’s to 51 percent in 2009-2010 from49 percent in the prior year.The Puerto Rico Energy Center (PREC) – aresearch, technology development and teachingfacility dedicated to alternative energy sources —wasinaugurated at the Gurabo campus this year. PREC is thebrainchild of the university and the regional economicdevelopment organization INTECO, (Spanish acronymfor the Eastern- Central Technological Initiative). Asa new millennium unfolded, AGMUS initiated theestablishment of regional groupings of industry,government and academia as a model of economicdevelopment for Puerto Rico. Inteco, the first of theinnovative multi-sector initiatives designed to movethe island’s economy forward, includes the mayors ofeight municipalities of the east central region on theboard.The UT university center at Barceloneta is in theprocess of obtaining approval for bachelor’s andmaster’s degrees in project management and abachelor’s in materials management and control aswell as logistics and manufacturing administration.This year, UT developed new technical certificates inindustrial welding and electrical and renewable energytechnology.63

With a grant from the Puerto Rico IndustrialDevelopment Company, the International School ofDesign (ISD) is establishing a fabrication laboratory(fab lab) at the Barceloneta off-campus center. Theuniversity is also strengthening its InterdisciplinaryResearch Institute with federal funds.The university inaugurated the third constructionphase of the José Domingo Pérez School ofEngineering, with the assistance of private donationsfrom contractors and engineers committed to theeducation of our students. In the future, UT plans tobegin construction of a School of Health Scienceson a property acquired in Gurabo; on the boards iscompleting the expansion of the Museum and Centerof Humanistic Studies.Scoring a coup, the Vice-Chancellor of InformationResources acquired the personal collection of 18,000books and original manuscripts of the late writer andsocial critic José Luis González, best known for hiscontroversial book on Puerto Rican culture entitledEl País de cuatro pisos y otros ensayos (The Four-Storeyed Country and Other Essays). In 2010-2011, thecollection will be available to the university communityand general public in the José Luis González Room.The Information Resources Vice Presidency alsocreated and implemented a digitalization unit topreserve documents and create archives of permanentresearch value.The university starts the coordination of PuertoRico’s representation at the 2010 international bookfair Liber in Barcelona Sept. 29 – Oct. 1. Among theactivities organized by UT were an exhibition of TheBook in Puerto Rican Art and a dialogue betweengenerations entitled Tradition and Continuity. All told,UT brought to the big book fair more than 30 activitiesand book presentations in which the essence of PuertoRican art and literature was splendidly exhibited to theinternational visitors at the Fair.We are proud of our students’ many achievements.One graduate student in environmental sciencesreceived a $20,000 Graduate Research Fellowshipfrom the National Oceanographic Administration(NOAA); another master’s candidate in environmentalsciences was accepted for Plan Biology in the DiversityFellowship of Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J.A student in the business school did an internship atthe NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt,MD. All told, internship opportunities rose 41% to 217internships in Puerto Rico and abroad.The Multidisciplinary Entrepreneurial Programfor Innovation (MEPI), an enterprise program to spurinnovation and entrepreneurial skills among scienceand engineering students, hosted a conference entitledUniversidad: Motor de Innovación (The University:Driver of Innovation), Sept. 30 to Oct. 1.Our international community receives supportand services from the new Vice Chancellorship of64

International Affairs, which will coordinate theimplementation of the American Council on Education(ACE) Internationalization Laboratory during 2010-2011. The UT ACE international Lab will developa strategic plan and establish guidelines to makeinternationalization an essential part of our curriculum.A master’s degree focused on Latin America has beensubmitted to the state council for approval.Student and faculty exchange agreements havebeen made with a dozen foreign institutions, from theUniversidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense (FIPSE),Brazil; to the Universidad San Pablo and CEU inMadrid. Ten students are interning at the UniversidadAutónoma de Madrid and links are being forged withRensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Universidad deSantander, Universidad Ricardo Palma, Peru and SandiNational Laboratories.UT’s international community has increased itsdiversity. During the school year, 113 internationalstudents representing 15 nations enrolled inour programs. In addition, international professorsteaching at UT total 40.The concept of community service has beeninstitutionalized throughout the university system;students are trained to participate in communitydevelopment projects. Volunteerism is a part ofthe university experience. One School of Educationstudent received the singular distinction of having hiscommunity service project written up in El Nuevo Día,the island’s largest daily newspaper. UT served as thevenue for the Community Reinvestment Workshop“From the University to Your Own Business” and theSchool of Business and Entrepreneurship sponsoredits first conference for women leaders.An active Career Service Center helps graduatesobtain employment in their academic specialties.The center has established effective relationshipswith local and national employers to keep abreastof employment needs and opportunities. Throughthe center, 782 students were employed and 1,433students received technology training in 2009-2010. Astudy entitled Microenterprise: A Community Initiativefor Socioeconomic Development was developed bythe center.Sports activities provide a balance to academics,culture and community. In Las Justas, the annualintercollegiate contest, UT set six new records forswimmers and its athletes, male and female divisions,scored as runners-up in the competition. Theuniversity soccer team represented Puerto Rico in theinternational finals of the II Copa Universia de Fútbol.Eng. Adriel Longo, Mrs. Marimer Olazagasti from JabianaDevelopment, Dr. Dennis Alicea, Chancellor UT and Dr. JoséF. Méndez, AGMUS President.65

Distance EducationProgramVirtual University “under construction”Migdalia Torres, Ed.D., Chancellor66

AGMUS, which pioneered distance learning withtelevised courses in 1985, moved ahead duringthe year with new online offerings, training fordesigners and professors of internet courses, a seriesof tutorials for students and faculty and an immersionmodule for distance learners. The nontraditionalvirtual university in the making is rooted in AGMUS’traditional philosophy of inclusiveness of educationand an appreciation for diverse cultures.This year, the Distance Education Program,cornerstone of the proposed Ana G. Méndez VirtualUniversity, introduced online courses for master’sprograms in Agribusiness, English as a Second Languageand Environmental Planning. Each of these graduateprograms is connected to one of AGMUS’ mortar andbrick institutions: the Agribusiness program comesfrom Universidad del Este (UNE), the English as a SecondLanguage is taken from Universidad del Turabo (UT)School of Education and the Environmental Planningprogram comes from Universidad Metropolitana(UMET). During this year, four academic courses ofthe Agribusiness program were designed; nine morecourses in English as a Second Language and sevencourses in Environmental Planning. The only master’sdegree program in which all of the courses are offeredonline is the MBA from UT.When the Ana G. Méndez Virtual University receivesits license and accreditation, it will become the venuefor the online programs now offered through UT. Theprocess of obtaining a license to operate the newuniversity has been out of the ordinary. On February16, 2010 consultants from inside and outside of PuertoRico came to AGMUS facilities to guide the locallicensing agency. For one thing, the Council on Higher67

Education has never licensed a new university whoseacademic offerings are completely online. Once thelicense is granted, the process of accreditation by theMiddle States Association of Colleges and SecondarySchools officially begins.Meanwhile, the Distance Education Programcontinues to expand its online portfolio, increasingthe number of hybrid courses, which use more thanone medium. Most of the hybrid courses use theonline Blackboard platform plus a second medium,the AGMUS’ educational television station thattransmits lessons over Sistema TV. Or, the websitesedueradio.com is used to bring the televised portionof the courses to the Internet through video streaming.The university purchased the applications and licensesto transmit courses over the Internet through theExternal University Education System (SEDUE is itsSpanish acronym). SEDUE Radio has been instrumentalin making hybrid courses accessible to AGMUSstudents. During the academic year, 443 students atUMET enrolled in the blended courses, which work asour transition to a total online offering.Over two decades, AGMUS distance educationexperts have built an expertise in designing, producingand transmitting distance education courses. New tothe 2009-2010 curriculum is a revised Humanities 102to follow the revamped Humanities 101 transmittedthis year. Courses of Puerto Rico and U.S. history are inthe process of design and production.68

AGMUS also certifies teachers in distance learning.In the 2009-2010 certification program, 82 professorsreceived training in instructional design of onlinecourses and 33 received instruction in preparingcourses for educational television.In conjunction with the Department of Educationof Puerto Rico, for the second consecutive year theDistance Learning Program specialists created aseries of televised courses for public school teachersparticipating in the LOGOS Mathematics Project.This year, a website dedicated to the series was also“constructed.” Enrollment of public school teachers inLOGOS totaled 265.Another area of growth is continuing education,particularly certifications. A certification inentrepreneurship has been offered online for asecond time with funds from CitiGroup. (The firsttime, the economic development organization INTECOsponsored the program.) Students learn to writea business plan for their own startup. In all of theprograms to be offered by the Distance EducationProgram, from certifications to graduate degrees, themission is to promote a comprehensive education fora successful career in both the local and internationalcommunities.69

Sistema TV / Canal UniversitarioAna G. MéndezSistema TV uses multiple platformsto inform, educate and moreMargarita T. Millán, Esq., Vice President and General Manager70

SistemaTV, the trans-media moniker for theAGMUS educational television station, bringsthe viewing public a lively and entertainingpackage of news and information. Its mission is touse the medium and its multiple platforms to inform,educate and provide tools to make a positive differencein the lives of television viewers.Since the university system broadcast its firsttelevised courses in 1978, it has been a pioneer ineducational television in Puerto Rico. AGMUS went onto establish WMTJ-TV Channel 40, the only educationalinstitution in Puerto Rico with a non-commercialbroadcast license, and became a member of thePublic Broadcasting System (PBS). Now, SistemaTVis spreading news of its programming on its ownwebpage linked to university system’s Internet site andcan also be found on youth-oriented social networkssuch as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Next year,the station expects to live-stream on the Internet, anevolution of its trans-media personality.During the school year, Channel 40 boostedintercollegiate sports throughout Puerto Rico, settinga record 54 hours of sports-event coverage. Thisincluded the volleyball and basketball finals of theInter-University Athletic League and live transmissionof competitive events in Las Justas, the island’s annualintercollegiate sports contest. Leading up to the weeklongcompetition, Sistema TV produced a series of sixhour-long programs highlighting the lives of universityathletes and recognizing the role played by trainers,professors and athletic directors in the triumphs ofthe athletes.Teamwork between the station and the threeuniversities has earned AGMUS recognition. Thisyear, the federal Environmental Protection Agencypresented SistemaTV with an award for its seriesAventura Científica (Scientific Adventure), filmed onlocation around Puerto Rico. The prize is a tributeto the collaboration of students and professors ofUniversidad Metropolitana’s School of EnvironmentalAffairs and SistemaTV, which contracts televisionindustry professionals to produce and direct theprograms.SistemaTV teamed up with Universidad del Este(UNE) to produce a new food series, Sí a la cocina(Yes to the kitchen). The half-hour shows are filmedin the demo kitchen of UNE’s José A. (Tony) SantanaInternational School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts ofUniversidad del Este and feature a pastry chef and achef, who is also a nutritionist, both UNE professors,and news anchor. Partnering with Universidad delTurabo (UT), the station produced 16 programs in theongoing arts and culture series Sí al Museo.With Mi triunfo… mi empresa (My triumph,my business), launched this year, the stationgives successful entrepreneurs an opportunity totell their stories. Collaborators in the series areAGMUS employment centers and the business andentrepreneurship schools of UNE, UT and UMET.Among the outstanding locally produced specialswas a captivating report entitled “Exploring theEvidence in the Middle East”, timed to coincide withHoly Week. News anchor Ariel Rivera Vázquez andphotojournalist Antonio Puchols traveled to Egypt,Jordan and Israel to give a multi-cultural view of theregion, its historical conflicts, myths and reality. Thecoverage culminated in a one-hour special, premieredon Good Friday and repeated on Easter Sunday.Through mobile technology and the Internet, Vázquezprovided viewers with daily capsules of his travels,starting with a report from London’s Heathrow Airport.Broadcasts of the Public Policy Institute (PPI) forumson issues and ideas has helped carve the station aniche as the island’s leading proponent of publicservice programming. Following up on one PPI forum,the station produced a four-part special investigationinto the solid waste crisis on the island which earnedan Emmy nomination from the Suncoast Chapter ofthe National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences(NATAS). And, for the first time, it transmitted live theGovernor’s Message on the budget and, afterwards,had experts provide analysis of the message.71

Projections 2010-2011• Complete the revision and approval of theStrategic Guidelines for Development (StrategicPlan) 2011 -2015 of AGMUS and its universityinstitutions.• Continue to implement the strategic planfor student retention, with emphasis onthe retention of second, third and fourthyears (upper division), strengthening theadministrative retention structure at theinstitutional level, academic advisory servicesand academic monitoring committees, amongother strategies.• Implement the new systemic model forevaluating academic programs and theassessment schedules established by eachuniversity.• Continue the development of priority projectsand centers of excellence in research as part ofthe strategic plan STEM + H. Among them are thePuerto Rico Energy Center (PREC) at Universidaddel Turabo, the Center for Research in Emergingand Advanced Technologies and EnvironmentalScience (CREATES) at Intenor Science Park inBarceloneta, the collaborative project with theArecibo Observatory, the Stanford ResearchInstitute and the Metropolitan Institute forResearch (MIR) of Universidad Metropolitana(UMET).• Revise and develop the necessary policies for therecruitment, evaluation, and development ofteacher-researchers of the university system inorder to support and enhance undergraduateand graduate research.• Continue the process for obtaining newspecialized accreditations as an importantindicator for raising the quality of our academicprograms and schools.• Complete the preparation of the strategicplan for science, technology, engineering,mathematics and health sciences (STEM + H)in order to further strengthen the functions ofteaching, research and service in these priorityareas, with the focus on contributing to theeconomic development of Puerto Rico.72• Begin the second phase of expansion of theIntenor Science Park in alliance with theMunicipality of Barceloneta. Plans include theconstruction of new facilities to accommodatenew academic offerings in the areas of Hospitalityand Culinary Arts (Universidad del Este),Health and Design (Universidad del Turabo),and graduate programs, entrepreneurship,occupational safety and atmospheric sciences(UMET).• Strengthen the structures, processes andresources in the area of Continuing Education asan important segment in generating income notrelated to enrollment.

• Further strengthen and expand AGMUS’external and international markets, includingexploring potential markets in Hispaniccommunities outside the State of Floridaand developing a community college in theDominican Republic.• Achieve license approval to start academicoperations of the Ana G. Méndez VirtualUniversity.• Complete the construction and inaugurate thesecond phase of expansion of the Museum andCenter for Humanistic Studies at Universidaddel Turabo, at a total cost of $6.3 million.• Inaugurate the facilities of UMET’s newRecreation and Wellness Center in Cupey at acost of $3.2 million• Begin construction of a new multi-story parkingbuilding providing 710 parking spaces at UMET($12.8 million).• Maintain AGMUS’ successful implementation offiscal strengthening strategies in such areas ascash flow, debt control and reduction, increasedrevenues and control of operating expenses. Tosupport these strategies we will complete thedevelopment and implementation of a newcost analysis model (contribution model), toserve as an additional tool in evaluating thefinancial performance of all our activities. 73

Organizational Chart74

General InformationAna G. Méndez University SystemPO Box 21345San Juan, PR 00928-1345Phone: 787-751-0178Fax: 787-766-1706E-mail: ac_jmendez@suagm.eduWebsite: www.suagm.eduThe INSTITUTIONSUniversidad MetropolitanaPO Box 21150San Juan, PR 00928-1150Phone: 787-766-1717Fax: 787-759-7663E-mail: umet_fmatheu@suagm.eduUniversidad del EstePO Box 2010Carolina, PR 00984-2010Phone: 787-257-7373Fax: 787-752-0070E-mail: ue_amaldonado@suagm.eduUniversidad del TuraboPO Box 3030Gurabo, PR 00778-3030Phone: 787-743-7979Fax: 787-744-5394E-mail: dalicear@suagm.eduDistance Education InitiativeComerío Avenue 1600, Suite 1Bayamón, PR 00961-6376Phone: 787-288-1100 ext. 8320Fax: 787-288-1141E-mail: ca_mtorres@suagm.eduSistema TVPO Box 21345San Juan, PR 00928-1345Phone: 787-766-2600Fax: 787-250-8546E-mail: mamillan@suagm.eduMetro Orlando Campus5601 South Semoran Blvd.Terracota Business Center Suite 55Orlando, FL 32822Phone: 407-207-3363Fax: 407-207-3373E-mail: arcajar@suagm.eduSouth Florida CampusPO Box 27-8740Miramar, FL 33027-8740Phone: 954-885-5595Fax: 954-885-5861E-mail: snazario@suagm.eduTampa Bay Campus3655 West Waters AveTampa, FL 33614Phone: 813.932.7500E-mail: yvcadiz@suagm.eduCreditsGeneral Direction:Francisco BartolomeiVice President of Marketing andStudent AffairsAnnual Report Coordination andProduction:María A. Martínez RodríguezAssociate Vice President of PublicRelationsMaría Fernanda Calahorrano ReveloDirector of Public RelationsEditorial:Lorelei AlbaneseProject Development:Alberto SotoGraphic Design:Arte Gráfico, Inc.José “Wewex” CollazoPhotos:Edwin David CorderoGlenn S. López HaageAGMUS ArchivesPrinting:Model Offset Printing© 2010 Ana G. Méndez University System. All Rights reserved.No part of this document may be copied, reproduced or transmited in any way, form or by any means, without the written permission of the Ana G.Méndez University System. This Annual Report is for the period of August 2009 to July 2010.Ana G Méndez University System has university centers in Cayey, Naguabo, Isabela, Ponce, Yabucoa, Aguadilla, Bayamón, Jayuya, Cabo Rojo, Yauco,Utuado, Barceloneta, Santa Isabel, Comerío and three Campuses in Florida, USA.75