Physicist Marcelo Knobel, 48 years old, won the Community Consultation process for the Succession of the Rector of Unicamp in the first round. Knobel obtained 52,63% of the valid weighted votes. Second place was professor Rachel Meneguello, with 28,72%. Next were professors Luís Alberto Magna (13,34%), Léo Pini Magalhães (4,88%) and Antonio Fonseca (0,43%). The investigation, carried out at the University's Multidisciplinary Gymnasium, ended at around 2:30 am this Friday (17).
Knobel's name will top the triple list that will be forwarded to the University Council (Consu). Consu will later send the document to the governor of the State of São Paulo, who has the prerogative to appoint the rector of the University. Traditionally, the head of the São Paulo Executive endorses the decision of the university community. The new rector will serve a four-year term (2017-2021).
Knobel was preferred among teachers, who gave him 1.009 votes, more than double the amount obtained by second place, Rachel Meneguello, who received 464 votes from the category. Of the 38.261 voters entitled to vote, 9.056 attended the polls, which represented a total abstention of 76,33%. The highest percentage of absence was recorded among students (92,51%).
According to the president of the Consultation Organizing Committee (COC), professor Miguel de Arruda, the entire process was marked by an atmosphere of absolute tranquility, respect and participation. “Fortunately, everything went as expected. The community made its choice, within democratic precepts,” he stated.
Soon after the official result of the count was announced, Knobel was applauded and greeted by around a hundred people. When asked how he analyzes the fulfillment of his trajectory at Unicamp – from undergraduate student to winner of the consultation for rector –, the professor said that he feels very honored by the trust shown by the university community. “It is also a huge responsibility to have to manage a University of the importance of Unicamp,” he added.
Asked about the difficulties that the institution will have to face, mainly due to the budget reduction, caused by the drop in the country's economic activity, Knobel considered that he will try to analyze each issue very carefully and that he will be guided by dialogue in all instances.
Knobel's running mate, professor Teresa Atvars, stated that the time is now to thank the university community for their trust and the commitment of the team that worked on the campaign. “My role as general coordinator of Unicamp will be to contribute with Professor Marcelo Knobel to fulfilling the proposals contained in our management program”, she anticipated.
Knobel will be 12th in the line of succession to Zeferino Vaz (1966-1978), founder of Unicamp. After Zeferino, came the dentist Plínio Alves de Moraes (1978-1982), the gynecologist José Aristodemo Pinotti (1982-1986), the economist Paulo Renato Souza (1986-1990), the linguist Carlos Vogt (1990-1994), the pediatrician José Martins Filho (1994-1998), electronics engineer Hermano Tavares (1998-2002), physicist and electronics engineer Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz (2002-2005), food engineer José Tadeu Jorge (2005-2009 ), hematologist Fernando Ferreira Costa (2009-2013) and again José Tadeu Jorge (2013-2017).
Note from the Board Marcelo Knobel and Teresa Atvars
“We are very happy and grateful with the choice made by the community. Over the last few months, we have worked very hard to listen to the people who make up Unicamp. We have built a Management Program that defends public universities, which are free, of quality and committed to society. We received the support of hundreds of people who believed in a common project, of a more inclusive, democratic, transparent Unicamp, which seeks excellence and the resumption of its leading role. We will work with full commitment and dedication over the next four years. Thank you very much to everyone who trusted and believed in our project.”