Dear Friends and Followers of Oscar Romero,

We have exciting news. On Monday, Nov. 23, 2009, the Ministry of Education in El Salvador ruled in favor of a new, independent administration for the Oscar Romero University. The Ministry's decision represents a courageous stand against corruption and a fulfillment of President Mauricio Funes' inaugural day promise to honor the memory of Archbishop Romero, who was assassinated by a death squad in 1980.

 

Minister of Education Salvador Sanchez Ceren (center) with Francisco and Barbara Acosta 17 Sept. 2009

The new administration, under the leadership of Rector Porfirio Cerritos Parada, plans to reform the university's programs and governing structures to carry out the original vision of the founders: to create a living memorial to Archbishop Romero through education for social justice. The Oscar Romero University was founded in 1992, immediately after the signing of United Nations-brokered peace accords that brought an end to twelve years of violent civil war in El Salvador.

Located in the northern province of Chalatenango, one of the bloodiest battlegrounds of the armed conflict, the university serves nearly 2,000 students from primarily impoverished families. Its mission is to provide degree programs for students from conflicted areas and for populations traditionally excluded from higher education. Among the University's primary objectives is to encourage graduates to remain in their communities and contribute to local socio-economic development instead of being forced to migrate to the United States and other countries in search of work.

This historic decision comes after a four-year legal battle by University founders Francisco and Barbara Acosta together with the Catholic Archdiocese of Chalatenango to oust a small group of corrupt University officials who served double roles as both trustees and as paid administrators. Those implicated in charges of fraudulent administration included the former Rector, Vice Rector, General Secretary, General Counsel, and academic deans, several of whom also held seats on the board of trustees.

In response to findings by the Salvadoran Attorney General indicating widespread evidence of fraud and misappropriation of funds, two administrators were forced to step down and a new administrative council was elected in June of this year. The corrupt officials refused to accept the results of the election, and the Ministry of Education was brought in to ratify the new administration.

The battle over the Oscar Romero University reached international proportions, mobilizing a worldwide network of followers of the slain archbishop and other supporters of peace and justice in El Salvador. The late Senator Ted Kennedy, together with Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts intervened twice to urge the Salvadoran government to support a satisfactory resolution of the conflict within the university. Under the former right-wing government of El Salvador, the Ministry of Education never took action to address the corruption. In June, Mauricio Funes was sworn in as President after a sweeping electoral victory for the FMLN, a left-wing opposition party. Monday's decision by the Funes government sets a new precedent for private universities in El Salvador in addressing a serious problem of conflicts of interest that has plagued some institutions of higher education during and after the civil war.