Newswise — Diego del Corral, an international education leader who was instrumental in forging an innovative partnership between Equatorialis University in Ecuador and Alma College, will deliver the 2010 Alma College commencement address.
Del Corral also will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree during the ceremony for approximately 240 graduation candidates.
Commencement takes place at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 24 in the Hogan Center. The ceremony will mark the final graduation to be held in the 41-year-old Cappaert Gymnasium, where commencement ceremonies have taken place annually since 1970. Future ceremonies will take place in the new Hogan Convocation Center, slated for completion in August 2010.
A baccalaureate service precedes graduation at 10:30 a.m. in Dunning Memorial Chapel.
“Sr. Diego del Corral is a true visionary who is able to translate a vision into reality,” says Alma College President Saundra Tracy. “Equatorialis University in Quito, Ecuador, was created out of his vision and already is addressing critical educational needs in Ecuador. He is a most worthy recipient of an Alma College honorary degree, and we are privileged to have him officially become part of the Alma College community.”
Alma College and Equatorialis University signed an articulation agreement in February 2009 that opens the door for significant intellectual and cultural exchange between the students and faculty of both institutions.
As part of the agreement, qualified Equatorialis students who have completed three years of undergraduate work will be able to transfer to Alma College to complete their senior year on the Alma campus. The first group of Ecuadorian transfer students is expected in the fall of 2012.
“Sr. del Corral and his family have been long and valued partners with Alma College due to the quality of educational programs they offer in Ecuador and the outstanding experiences our students have had with them,” says Tracy. “They exemplify the values and personalized experience that are hallmarks of Alma College. As such, we were very excited to be selected by them as the first higher education partner for the new Equatorialis University.
“Alma College’s collaboration with Equatorialis University already has generated incredible opportunities for students and faculty alike. We look forward to welcoming Equatorialis students to Alma in the near future and to the wealth of possibilities that will emerge as this partnership matures,” she said.
In addition to his role as director of international relations at Equatorialis University in Quito, del Corral has served as president and board chairman of the O’Higgins Institute of Technology in Quito, Ecuador, and as president and CEO of the Academia Latinoamericana with campuses in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Alma College has maintained a relationship with the Academia Latainoamericana for several years, with a number of Alma students traveling there to develop Spanish language skills.
Del Corral has bachelor’s degrees in political science from the Universidad Central in Ecuador and corporate law from the Universidad Andina, also in Ecuador, a master’s degree in education specializing in technology and communication from the Universidad Carlos II in Spain, and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Universidad Central.
RSS