New York, August 7th, 2019

Dr. Teresita Cordero Cordero

Director of the University Council
Universidad de Costa Rica

Dear colleague,

It is our pleasure to share our deepest gratitude for the collaborative work that we have undertaken with our
partner in Costa Rica, Semanario Universidad, under the leadership of its Editor in Chief, Ernesto Rivera.

As you might know, Semanario Universidad has been our main partner in several cross-border investigative
projects that the Columbia Journalism School is leading across Latin America.

We chose Semanario Universidad as our ally in Costa Rica because it is committed to independent and rigorous
journalistic standards and because its leaders share the same democratic values we proudly defend as we work in
the public interest to keep power accountable.

We are witnessing a moment in time when organized efforts across the planet are undermining those values by
attacking the work of free independent media organizations and journalists. Now more than ever, the global threat
of corruption and organized crime must be addressed by collaborative international efforts managed by
independent professionals such as Rivera and his team.

With great thanks for your support, we urge you to continue your commitment to those efforts and to open up
even more opportunities for the next generation of Costa Rican journalists. History will reward your decisions to
keep independent journalism thriving.

We look forward to working further with Semanario Universidad and its team.

Kind Regards,

Sheila Coronel
Dean of Academic Affairs
Director, Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism
Graduate School of Journalism
Columbia University
Email: ssc2136@columbia.edu
Phone: +1 212-854-5748
Office: Pulitzer Hall, 701E

Giannina Segnini
Knight Chair and Director of the Data Journalism Program
Director of the Cross-border Investigative Fellowship
Graduate School of Journalism
Columbia University. Pulitzer Hall, 2950 Broadway,
New York, NY 10027. Office 605A
Office: +1 212-854-2332
Email: gs2799@columbia.edu

CC: Members of UCR-University Council and Ernesto Rivera