The candidates Dr. Millaray Curilem and Dr. Eduardo Hebel marked the election process, with Dr. Eduardo Hebel Weiss as the winner who will continue to lead the university during the next four years.

After an enriching process, characterized by dialogues, proposals and the debate of ideas, Dr. Eduardo Hebel Weiss was reelected as the Rector of the Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO) for the period from 2022 to 2026 with 79.48 % of the votes.

The announcement ceremony for this result took place at the Aula Magna of the university, on Friday, June 3, with an atmosphere of high expectations on the sides of each candidate, their election teams and supporters.

According to the report of the University Elections Board in Chile (TRICELA), Dr. Eduardo Hebel Weiss got 79.48 % out of 1,691 validly cast votes, winning over Dr. Millaray Curilem Saldías, who got 20.52 % of the votes.

“Our team is very happy about this result. We have been working very hard on a project that describes the Universidad de La Frontera of the future. I am convinced that the concepts we proposed were the right ones and that they will help the University to make progress in all areas. And the university community believes in our program and our capability to successfully deal with the challenges to come,” said Dr. Eduardo Hebel after the announcement of the results.

With this victory, Dr. Hebel will keep leading the university for a period of four years, immediately facing the self-evaluation process for the renewal of institutional accreditation in the year 2024. “There are many challenges to come, starting with the self-evaluation process, the strategic planning towards 2033, our new educational model and the implementation of the new UFRO statutes as far as the Ministry of Education approves our proposal – those are four of the mayor fields we must focus on,” he explained.

“Furthermore, we must continue working on issues such as gender equity and diversity, interculturality, inclusion, and involve our region. These elements will require efforts in different areas, as well as different policies, in order to become a reality in our university community and our students,” emphasized the reelected rector.

The candidate Dr. Millaray Curilem stated: “I am very grateful for the way this process went and the opportunities we had to talk about our university, which I consider very important. We will always have to review and rethink our directions and challenges, and we have to do that together. The members of our university community are eager to participate and it is important to emphasize this, because it reflects the great strength of our university.”

According to the General Secretary of the Universidad de La Frontera, Plinio Durán, one of the improvements in these elections was the increase in the number of people entitled to vote. “The process was carried out precisely according to protocol. A total of 80.24 % (731 out of 911) voted. That is a good participation, which clearly confirms and validates the result. On behalf of the General Secretariat, I would like to thank everyone who participated in this important democratic process, helping our university to keep progressing,” he said.

The president of TRICELA, Mónica Ceballos, emphasized the fairness and respect in this process, as well as the participation of the first female candidate. “Both candidates presented very interesting proposals and could guarantee the governance that the University needs. And also the increase in the number of people entitled to vote is a huge step forward, since it makes the process even more democratic,” she stated.

Written and translated by: UFRO Communications Office