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ECUADORIAN EDUCATION LEADER TO ADDRESS ALMA GRADUATES

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.

DELTA EXCELLENCE AWARD

Academia Latinoamericana de Español has been granted the Price of Excellence by Delta Airlines at the Delta Excellence Award! The Price of Excellence is awarded annually to select companies for their high level of service and customer satisfaction.

WE ARE NOW A UNIVERSITY!

On this occasion, it is especially exciting for us to announce an exciting new development in the field of international education. We are now a University!!

This is a giant step of expansion for Academia Latinoamericana students as it offers a unique opportunity for studies in Business Administration, Environmental Studies, Entreprenuerial Development, English as a Second Language, and general Liberal Arts Studies including coursework in History, Indigenous Culture, Medical Vocabulary and more. Service Learning, Internships, North American university credits and custom programs on a year round basis will continue as before.

Academia Latinoamericana de Español SUCRE has the great honour and was selected BOLIVIAN BUSINESS OF THE YEAR 2008 by the Latin American Quality Institute. The school was awarded this title in recognition of its outstanding business management.

The Ibero-American Council for Educational Quality granted Academia Latinoamericana de Español SUCRE the IBERO-AMERICAN PRICE OF EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE 2006, awarding the school’s excellent quality of educational programs.

With a population of nearly 30 million, Peru is expected to expand its GDP growth by 3.0% in 2010, third highest in South America.

This compares with 2.4% GDP growth for the USA and 2.0% for Canada.

The economy, which largely escaped the 2009 recession in the US, is expected to perform smoothly this year. Its primary income will continue to be production and export of minerals currently at high prices (i.e. Gold @ US $1,080 per oz. 22 Dec. '09).

Source: The Economist: "The World in Figures: Countries, 2010"