Zayira Jordán-Conde slowly rolls up the sleeves of her blazer as she shares brief anecdotes from her time as a computer science professor. It’s been just 17 days since she became the first woman to hold the presidency of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). But she says that milestone was largely overlooked, eclipsed by criticism from parts of the university community over her ties to Governor Jenniffer González.

Despite having served on the Governor’s Transition Committee, Jordán-Conde has yet to meet with her — though she says she requested a meeting as soon as she took office.

“The message that I am the first woman president of the University of Puerto Rico was lost in the headline labeling me as a political candidate. That doesn’t do justice to the fact that I am the first woman to serve in this role. Whether people like it or not, I am the first,” Jordán-Conde said in an interview with the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo (CPI).

Throughout the conversation, she comes across as warm and composed but often answers with broad statements rather than specific plans. She speaks about the need to streamline operations and take a creative approach to fundraising yet offers few specifics on how those goals would be met. As she acknowledges, there’s still much to learn.

Jordán-Conde is aware of the criticism surrounding her political past, including her 2020 candidacy for resident commissioner in Washington, D.C., under the Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana (Citizen Victory Movement). But rather than distancing herself from that experience, she sees it as preparation for public service.

“I loved participating in Victoria Ciudadana. It helped me grow as a person. I learned a great deal, and I also appreciated the opportunity to collaborate with the Governor. That has been a privilege — it put me in a position to contribute to Puerto Rico through education, which is what I love most and what I believe is fundamental to social mobility,” Jordán-Conde said.

Shifting between stern expressions and easy smiles, Jordán-Conde works to convey her good intentions toward the UPR. When asked about more complex issues, her gaze sharpens, her brow furrows, and she measures each word with care.

She asserts that she inherited a university in crisis — an assessment few would contest. The institution now operates with just half the budget it had a decade ago and faces the potential loss of millions in federal funding, in part due to policies enacted under U.S. President Donald Trump.

But the challenges extend beyond federal pressure. The UPR may also be impacted by legislation proposed by Senate President Thomas Rivera-Schatz, which would grant automatic admission to students with strong academic performance in both public and private schools. The bill, approved in June by the Legislative Assembly, still awaits the Governor’s signature. Jordán-Conde admits she hasn’t read the measure yet.

“I haven’t read it yet [but] we’re already preparing systems that will allow us to collect the necessary data, send out admission letters, and handle everything the legislation requires,” she said of Rivera-Schatz’s bill. The senator publicly opposed her appointment, claiming she wasn’t sufficiently aligned with the New Progressive Party (PNP, in Spanish).

Even without having read the proposal, Jordán-Conde said she has concerns she hopes to share with the Governor. The bill, she noted, does not allocate funding to cover the expenses that would come with an increase in student enrollment — such as the need for more faculty, expanded course offerings, and higher costs for utilities, security, and internet access.

“That’s something I would have liked to weigh in on during public hearings,” she said. “At the time, I wasn’t president. So, we’ll see whether the Governor signs it. If she does, we’ll look at whether new legislation or amendments might be possible — something that would allow us not only to prepare for automatic admissions, which will require investment, but also to fund the support structures we’ll need for students entering under an open admissions model.”

With that backdrop, Jordán-Conde laid out her vision for the UPR and the immediate challenges she faces at the helm of Puerto Rico’s largest public university.

A report from the Search and Consultation Committee [for the president] at the Río Piedras campus — one of the largest in the UPR system — noted that you ‘lack experience managing unions or complex structures like the UPR’ and ‘did not demonstrate a commitment to supporting university autonomy.’ How do you respond to those concerns?

I believe, and I said it in many of my presentations, that any candidate presenting their interest in the presidency and not recognizing that this is a learning process, regardless of whether you have been in the system before or had relevant previous experiences, every candidate should have an attitude of needing to learn. I think it’s a matter of humbleness, recognizing that when you enter a new role, you will have to learn. And in that sense, I acknowledge the areas where I didn’t have prior experience, but I brought other strengths from different perspectives.

You led Atlantic University College. What lessons from that experience do you think will help you in your role at the UPR? Obviously, they’re very different institutions…

For me, it’s important to recognize that I do have experience in Puerto Rican institutions. That gave me the richness of understanding how academia works in Puerto Rico. Those were valuable experiences in my candidacy. But it’s also very important to recognize that one of my major points of reference is my experience at Iowa State University, which is an institution like the University of Puerto Rico system; it only has one campus, but it has a student population of over 30,000. And I had extensive experience in different roles in the Iowa State University community, including an administrative role at the institutional level. So that’s important, that it is known and understood, because it’s not just my experience at Atlantic, which was also valuable and did represent within my formation an understanding of the culture, of how our Puerto Rican culture is expressed in an organizational, administrative, managerial context. And I believe that will [represent] much of what I have to contribute to the UPR system.

Which of those experiences would you prefer to leave behind and not bring to the UPR?

Well, they’re different contexts. What I take from that experience has more to do with human relationships — and with how to make change management, which is one of the most important things I’ll have to do here, successful.

Change management?

Change management in terms of how institutional changes are handled — changes in operational procedures, especially in academic settings. There are many areas where we’ll need to make transformations to respond to students’ needs and to the historical moment we’re living in. Managing that change is going to be essential.

In a recent interview, Carlos de León, president of the union representing non-teaching staff at the University, said that during your first meeting, you told him you were ‘here to fulfill Governor Jenniffer González’s plan for the University.’ Is that accurate?

That is completely incorrect. I did not say that.

So, what is the plan?

There are several plans in place, and our task is to integrate them. We have the University’s Strategic Plan, the Fiscal Plan approved by the Oversight Board, and the current Governor’s policy platform, which now serves as public policy. We need to align all of them — along with the milestones agreed upon with the Oversight Board to access additional funding. In truth, these are goals the University should have adopted on its own long ago. They aim to increase revenue and create operational efficiencies so the institution can function within its current budget.

But what is your plan to articulate or merge those plans?

We are going to harmonize them because they have different goals, but they can be redundant. And then we are going to harmonize them so that we have a single group of objectives to address. If we don’t know where we are going, we will be groping in the dark, improvising, and it is not possible to improvise in this context; it would be irresponsible. So we want to have clearly defined, harmonized objectives — bringing together the Government Program, the University’s Strategic Plan, my own plan, which was based on those documents, and the Fiscal Plan approved in 2021.

Have you been able to identify which points are the most compatible or easiest to align?

Yes, look, for example, we have what is related to the optimization of operations. There is already a project that is in the process of implementation called the Shared Services project [in the 11 UPR’s campuses], and I am going to evaluate that project. It is very likely that it will be modified to make it more effective. And that project results in reducing expenses.

Do you trust the Governor’s judgment and her vision for the University of Puerto Rico?

Yes, totally.

Why?

She is an alumni of the University of Puerto Rico. I believe she has a love for the University and has the University’s best interest at heart because it is the jewel of Puerto Rico, the island she governs.

Have you been able to meet with the Governor yet?

No, actually. I haven’t had the opportunity.

Are there plans to meet, or not yet?

Well, I am requesting a meeting. So, we’ll see when it happens.

Have you managed to identify any areas or directives from the federal government that might somehow threaten university autonomy?

Not necessarily. I think the efforts we are going to make to increase revenue and diversify the University’s income sources will allow the University to increase its autonomy and become a self-sustaining organization, perhaps not in the short or medium term.

Since you took office on July 1, how have you found the University, specifically in financial matters? What did you find?

I found a worrying situation. That’s the reality. There is an awareness, even among employees, that the University did have a budget of almost double what it has today. But there are financial conditions that have led us to have a limited budget in that sense. So, we have to adjust. There is that awareness, and there is a willingness, a willingness to understand and make adjustments that allow us to operate optimally with the money we have and with what we will be receiving with the new initiatives we are going to implement.

Perhaps when people hear “adjustments,” the tradition in Puerto Rico is that they almost come as synonyms, although they are not: layoffs, tuition increases, staff reductions, hiring freeze… Is any of that in your plan?

No, it’s not in my plan. The Fiscal Oversight Board’s plan has some, let’s say, regulations. But the fiscal plan that the Fiscal Oversight Board is implementing at the University, before my arrival, already contemplates what we could call a hiring freeze because employees who retire are not replaced.

Reduction of employee benefits?

No, nothing like that… I mean, no tuition increase, none of that is contemplated. If you look at the budget approved this year, we could even say that there is more money than there was last year in terms of General Budget funds: $566 million this year.

At the CPI, we have documented that federal funds have been frozen, withdrawn, or not approved from various agencies, such as the National Science Foundation or the National Institutes of Health. How will the University face the loss of more federal funds, considering its current fiscal situation?

We must realign our goals regarding the grants we are going to apply for. One of the main proposals I want to implement, which is aligned with all these plans, is the increase in proposals so that our faculty, even non-faculty, can write proposals and secure grants. There is a lot of federal and other types of money that we can attract if we know how to write, know how that proposal mechanism works, and receive those funds.

Projects that address issues such as climate change, diversity, inclusion, or equity in their proposals have been affected. How do you position yourself regarding changing the language in research proposals to secure funds?

Yes, in fact, there were already terms circulating that the Trump administration had used as a basis for pulling funding. So we have to craft proposals that are appealing to the administration and aligned with the issues it’s currently interested in. That’s the reality

From your perspective, how can the University strike a balance between meeting federal funding requirements and addressing Puerto Rico’s specific needs? For example, in the case of climate change research — an area where the University has played a key role in identifying solutions — this is a matter that directly affects lives on the island.

We’ll have to see… We have to be creative and not necessarily resort to federal funds. There are other pots of funds, so to speak, in private organizations, nonprofits, and foundations that may help us bridge, so to speak, that funding gap that will occur with the absence of the federal government in those efforts.

Do you remember any private or nonprofit organization that you can mention and that you believe can bridge the loss of funds?

I can’t point to a specific organization and say, ‘These funds are for climate change.’ Honestly, I can’t say that now — but those opportunities are out there and easy to identify.

All this is also gathered in the context of the approval of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. In a recent communication you sent, you acknowledged that this law imposes, and I quote: “Strict limitations on graduate studies and eliminates the Graduate Plus.” What is the plan to ensure this does not affect campuses with graduate programs? And what will you do in that regard to address that?

Our programs are economical compared to other institutions. The rector of the Medical Sciences Campus [Myrna Quiñones-Feliciano] conducted a study and found that only two people were affected by these new limits on loans for graduate studies. And those people we will have to help guide them on how to complement those incomes to finance their studies.

In that same message, you also suggested — paraphrasing — that it may be possible to create more scholarship programs or offer tuition waivers. But given the University’s current fiscal situation, is that realistically achievable?

We have to seek funds outside. We have to seek donors. I extended an invitation to Benito Antonio… Oh, I forgot the last name… Bad Bunny… And I am waiting to hear from him because, look, it occurs to me that having studied at [the Arecibo campus], being from Vega Baja, why not create a scholarship fund for students coming from those smaller campuses so they can do their first two years of study or help them, at least in something, right, to push them forward. I know he is committed and has all those followers of Puerto Rican youth. So, I am sure. Maybe he hasn’t heard or hasn’t paid enough attention because he is working a lot, but I am sure that will happen. But that is one of the areas where we can grow in the endowment fund and in our connection with alumni. We have many alumni who are committed to the University, who love their University, love their campus, because there is a lot of identification with the campus. I think we haven’t capitalized enough on that relationship. We haven’t taken care of establishing a lifelong relationship with our students who become our alumni and who could return to the University to take continuing education courses or courses to grow as human beings.

There are sectors of the University that demand the reinstatement of the “9.6% formula” (which was the mechanism by which the UPR was allocated 9.6% of the central government’s budget from the previous year). What is your position on that? Would you support that demand? Do you think there is an economic and political environment right now for that formula to be reinstated?

Look, there are fewer students than 20 years ago. We’ve lost 20,000 students, and if the demographic trend continues, we’re likely to lose even more. So, we have to be realistic and responsible with the Puerto Rican taxpayer, who is the one who finances the University’s budget in large part. In fact, the University of Puerto Rico is one of the most heavily subsidized public universities in the U.S., receiving between 50% and 70% of its funding from the island’s General Fund, gambling revenues, and legislative joint resolutions. That support comes directly from Puerto Rican taxpayers — who are also dealing with high energy costs, rising food prices, and other financial pressures. So, we have a responsibility to manage those public funds wisely. I believe that the commitment as Puerto Ricans should be to be as responsible as possible with those funds that are allocated to us from the Puerto Rican treasury.

One of your proposals — and one the Governor has also mentioned — is to attract international students. While this isn’t a new idea, past efforts haven’t always succeeded. What would you do differently this time? And is there space for this kind of initiative under the policies of the Trump administration?

It’s not accurate to say that I want to focus on bringing more foreign students. While I do support attracting international students, my priority is reaching Puerto Rican students living in the U.S., as well as Latinos and Hispanics residing stateside — not just to attend the University in person, but also through distance learning. The University of Puerto Rico is highly marketable in these communities: it holds respected accreditations and offers lower tuition than most, if not all, public universities. That’s a clear and easy opportunity. Puerto Ricans or their children who want to pursue higher education —  what could be better than bringing the University of Puerto Rico directly to them?

There are second- and third-generation Puerto Ricans in the U.S. for whom Spanish may not be their first language. While I don’t want to generalize, we know that at the University, Spanish is the primary language for most classes and operations. How could the University address that language gap for those students?

One of the proposals I’ve put forward is to expand Spanish as a Second Language offerings. There’s a real opportunity for growth in that area. The University already has a Spanish as a Second Language program that graduated its first cohort earlier this year, as I understand it. We have students who aren’t just children of Puerto Ricans — they’re grandchildren. My own grandchildren don’t speak Spanish, and I would love for some of them to study at the University of Puerto Rico. That means we need to develop programs with faculty who can help ease that transition. At Iowa State, where I studied, there was an English as a Second Language program that supported students whose first language wasn’t English. I believe we can do something similar here — whether by expanding Spanish language support or offering more courses in English.

The University has long carried certain stereotypes — one of them being its history of student strikes. The generation that led a major strike in 2010–2011 is not the same generation on campus today. What is your stance on that kind of protest?

Didn’t you see the Roberto Alejandro strike back in 1982, the year I graduated? [He was a prominent student leader at the time.] That was a major strike. I chose not to attend the Río Piedras campus because of it and instead enrolled in Mayagüez after finishing high school. But yes, I’ve reiterated that my position is this: for the good of the university community, a strike should be a last resort — not the first. Every group within the University has the right to express itself, but we also must recognize that the community is made up of diverse groups with different rights that must be respected. We need to strike a balance. And for the sake of the University’s stability, all participants should treat more disruptive forms of protest — like a strike — as a final recourse, not a starting point.

In a recent investigation we conducted of federal funding cuts and growing threats to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, we found that the University still faces serious unresolved issues — including racist violence, gender inequality, and structural barriers affecting students with disabilities. How do you plan to address these challenges?

There are existing legal frameworks that support initiatives to protect the rights of everyone in the university community. The ADA, for example, safeguards the rights of people with physical and other types of disabilities. At Iowa State University, I served as the coordinator for a digital accessibility project, which reinforced my commitment to ensuring that all digital content is accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities. The same principle applies to physical spaces — we must make them accessible as well. Civil rights protections also guide us in preventing discrimination. So, we already have the legal foundation to move forward on these efforts, regardless of any changes brought by the current U.S. administration.

One topic that sparked considerable discussion at the end of last semester — particularly at the Río Piedras campus — was whether to keep or eliminate gender-neutral bathrooms. What is your position on these inclusive spaces? Do you see an opportunity to expand them to other campuses under your administration, or do you believe they should be phased out?

Quite plainly — and I said this during my interview with the student representative on the Board of Governors at the time, Daniel Fernández — I told him: If I have to choose between securing funding for students to pursue their education, like Pell Grants, and keeping inclusive bathrooms on campus, I will always prioritize the students’ access to education. I understand that there are people who strongly support inclusive bathrooms, and I believe it’s an initiative worth evaluating. But again, if maintaining those spaces puts critical funding at risk, my priority will always be ensuring students can continue their studies.

A study published in January at the Río Piedras campus highlighted a range of student needs — including reports of students experiencing homelessness, in part due to the lack of rehabilitated university housing. What do those findings tell you, and how do you plan to address such urgent needs?

It seems to me there may be a lack of information, because there are many programs that can support students. At the university where I previously worked, for example, we had a federal grant that covered food and transportation. So, there are different ways to address students’ basic needs — and it’s possible the University hasn’t done enough in that area, as the study suggests. Our new Vice Presidency of Student Affairs has a major task ahead: to assess those needs and figure out how best to meet them. My view of the University presidency is that we are here to serve students — and that service goes beyond the classroom. This institution is a community-centered one, grounded in holistic education. Not to invoke a figure from a specific religion, but a prominent one — Pope Francis, may he rest in peace — once told a group of academics that we must educate students in heart, head, and hands: that they think what they feel and do, feel what they think and do, and do what they feel and think. We must educate students in a holistic way and meet their needs in a holistic way as well.

This story is possible through a collaboration between the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo and Open Campus.

This translation was generated with the assistance of AI and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and clarity.