Welcome, everyone, to the new year 5786. It’s a family gathering—a large one, fortunately—the ORT family gathering.
Among other tasks, my mother, our beloved Director, asked us to look after the ORT family, and as part of that, we continue this tradition of ringing in the New Year together.
This has not been a good year for the world, with wars in Ukraine, the Middle East, Sudan, and Nigeria, the decline of democracy in our region, and organized crime.
You know that my mother was an optimistic and positive person, but in recent years, she would sometimes say with sadness and disappointment, "The world hasn't learned a thing."
But the year ends on a hopeful note, at least in the Middle East. Some of the hostages were released—that means a lot to them, and to their families, it means everything.
Some families received coffins, while others received nothing. But for now, there are no bombs or missiles, and that’s a lot.
The children will be able to sleep soundly; they are neither from Israel nor from Gaza—they are just children.
Charlotte always said—and she would have wanted—that the children of Israel and Gaza could sleep soundly from now on. She always spoke from personal experience about the impact of war on children. It is the duty of adults like us to ensure that children can sleep soundly.
Let us hope that peace takes root, that the parties can honor their commitments, that swords are sheathed, that outsiders stop importing hatred, and that, instead of importing hatred, we Uruguayans export one of our most valuable resources: civility.
In 5786, the ORT family finds itself, as always, facing new challenges in the way we know best: united. Yesterday it was the pandemic; today it is artificial intelligence that presents us with a challenge.
"Every year we have to reinvent ourselves," as the principal used to say. Artificial intelligence will bring both opportunities and threats. We are rediscovering how to teach, how to learn, and especially how to assess in this new era. Artificial intelligence, I believe, will not lead to job losses, but people think it will.
So it’s like a bank run, a self-fulfilling prophecy, sometimes driven by fantasies, exaggerations, and ignorance. I’m confident that together we’ll find the best path forward once again. We have big plans for next year.
We have a new facility—the building on Luis de la Torre Street for the Business School—where we will be able to offer graduate programs at an international level. When you visit it, you’ll see that the façade is reminiscent of a Jerusalem façade. We hope that this will serve as a source of inspiration for everyone.
We’re going to have a creative hub on Uruguay Street, where all the labs from every degree program will be located. We’re going to significantly expand the Biotechnology building, which will house our new degree program, the Bachelor’s in Bioinformatics. We’re going to launch a new degree program, the Bachelor’s in Finance.
In addition, we are launching a graduate program in dermatology, which will mark our first foray into the fields of health sciences and medicine. I want to thank each and every one of you for the effort you have always put into making this family work and ensuring that this project continues to add value to Uruguay and create new opportunities.
We already have a Charlotte de Grunberg graduate scholarship, which is being held by an enthusiastic surgeon who is pursuing a master’s degree in education, and starting in March 2026, we will have a Charlotte de Grunberg scholarship for an undergraduate student whom we will support throughout their entire degree program; we are currently in the process of selecting that student.
I would like to thank each and every one of you for your dedication—on my own behalf, and I am sure also on behalf of my mother and the entire Central Academic Council of Universidad ORT Uruguay. The ORT family helps us face challenges with optimism because we never feel alone.