Eduardo Suger

Suger was born in Zürich, Switzerland on 29 November 1938 to Emilio Suger, a Swiss national, and Estela Cofiño Valladares of Acatenango, Chimaltenango, Guatemala.[7][8][4][9] When World War II broke out, Suger's father was called up to complete his mandatory military service.[10] Suger's mother spoke no German despite living in Switzerland and traveled to the Guatemalan Consulate in Germany for help returning to Guatemala.[10] Shortly after she and Suger returned, she married Enrique Castañeda Rubio, an engineer and official in the Army, and had four more children.[10][7][8] Suger lived with his maternal grandmother nearby from the time his mother remarried until his grandmother passed away in 1949/1950.[8]

Suger has been teaching mathematical physics for more than 50 years in universities in four different countries.[10] He taught at the Minerva and Freundenberg Institutes in Zürich; UTA as a PhD candidate in Texas; as a visiting professor in the Informatics and Computer Science departments at Alberto Masferrer Salvadorean University and the Technological University of El Salvador; and USAC, Universidad Francisco Marroquín, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Universidad Mariano Gálvez, Rafael Landívar University, and his own Galileo University in Guatemala City.[3][10][11] During the 17 years he worked at USAC, he was affiliated with the medical sciences, engineering, chemistry, pharmacy, economic science, and architecture departments and established the secondary school teaching program.[10][6][3] In 1977, Suger joined the faculty at UFM and taught technology, accounting, and economic science classes.[16] Later that year, he proposed the creation of a computer sciences department, which would allow for more in-depth study of these fields; the program proved so popular that it was quickly converted into the Computer Science and Information Technology Institute (IICC).[16][9] In 1978, enrollment for the related Systems Engineering, Informatics, and Computer Sciences department opened; in 1982, this too became an institute (FISICC) and Suger was named FISICC's first dean.[16] FISICC eventually became part of Galileo University.[17] He also founded the School of Economics and Business Administration department.[10][6][18][16] He founded and directed the Institute of Open Education (IDEA), which challenges the structure of traditional university learning, in 1994.[16][3][6]

In 2000, he established Galileo University, one of the first science-technology universities in Guatemala.[9][19] It was authorized by the Council of Private Higher Education in Guatemala the same year.[10] In 2019, the university, located on Dr Eduardo Suger Cofiño Street in his honor, boasted 40,000 students.[9][20][6] Since its foundation, Suger has served as Galileo University's rector.[21]

Suger ran for President of Guatemala in 2003 (Authentic Integral Development),[10] 2007 (Social Action Centre),[15][30] and 2011 (CREO).[4][31] In 2003, he received 2.23% of the votes; in 2007, 7.45%; and in 2011, he took third place with 16.4% of the vote.[25][32][33] He has been criticized for only engaging in politics during campaign season, preferring instead to return to his academic career, and for not aligning himself with a political party unless they approach him to be their presidential candidate.[8][15]

If elected, one of Suger's main priorities would be to improve Guatemala's education system.[8][4] He is a critic of the complexity of public higher education and claims it often is what delays institutional changes.[34] He encourages strengthening the "academic-productivity"[35] and believes everyone deserves an equal right to education, even guerrilla soldiers.[15] He planned to eliminate poverty by expanding the middle class and by heavily investing in and empowering those in the war-torn northwestern part of the country.[4][31] He was also interested in turning Guatemala's centralized governmental structure into a federal republic and strengthening the relationship between his home countries of Guatemala and Switzerland.[14][36]

In 1960, Suger met Regina Margarita Castillo Rodríguez during a visit to Guatemala while on holiday from ETH Zürich.[8] They continued to correspond by mail before he returned in 1964.[8][14][12] They married on 11 January 1964 in Guatemala.[8] The couple has five sons: José Eduardo, Carlos Enrique, Emilio Alejandro, Christian Andree, and Jean Paul.[10][8][37] Jean Paul (Administrative Vice President), José Eduardo (Dean of FISICC), Christian (Director of Materials Distribution), and Carlos (Director of Operations) all work at Galileo.[38][39][40] Regina passed away on 16 March 2021.[37]

Suger's uncle was businessman José Cofiño Ubico, who cofounded Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala.[6][41] His wife is descended from the founders of Cervecería Centro Americana.[6]

Suger published four editions (1971, 1974, 1978, 1981) of the textbook Introducción a la matemática moderna, which he wrote with Bernardo Morales Figueroa and Leonel Pinot Leiva.[45][46][47][48]