WEBVTT 00:02:39.440 --> 00:02:40.680 Gentlemen of the cloister. 00:02:40.680 --> 00:02:43.560 Sit down and uncover yourselves. Open the session. 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:58.920 The floor is now given by Beatriz da Silva Emperador, representing 00:02:58.920 --> 00:03:01.920 the students of King Juan Carlos University. 00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:06.400 Hello, everyone. 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:10.400 Dear Rector, esteemed University community, first of all 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:14.400 I would like to thank the Rector's office and my dear professor 00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:17.520 Covadonga Torres for the kind invitation. 00:03:18.440 --> 00:03:22.120 It is a great pleasure to be here representing the students of the 00:03:22.120 --> 00:03:24.000 University. 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:25.400 Less than a week. 00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:29.400 My university years are coming to an end, so there's no better way to 00:03:29.400 --> 00:03:33.400 close this beautiful and important chapter than by dedicating a few 00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:36.760 words to the place that has been my home for the last four years. 00:03:37.920 --> 00:03:41.440 The degree I chose right after graduating from high school was International 00:03:41.440 --> 00:03:43.240 Relations. 00:03:43.240 --> 00:03:46.840 I remember searching day and night for which universities offered it and 00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:48.640 stopping by the region. 00:03:48.640 --> 00:03:51.760 Carlos, because it's a fairly new career. 00:03:51.800 --> 00:03:55.800 The URJC was and still is one of the only universities in Madrid 00:03:55.800 --> 00:03:59.800 and Spain that had it among its academic offerings, so my 00:03:59.800 --> 00:04:03.800 university pre-selection consisted only of international 00:04:03.800 --> 00:04:07.400 relations and its infinite double degrees in the region. 00:04:07.400 --> 00:04:08.520 Carlos. 00:04:08.520 --> 00:04:10.600 And if I'm honest, thank goodness. 00:04:10.600 --> 00:04:13.720 I was lucky enough to study what I loved most surrounded 00:04:13.720 --> 00:04:16.720 by people I hope to keep in my life forever. 00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:20.800 Professors from whom I have learned both inside and outside the 00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:24.800 classroom, and staff who are also part of my university experience, 00:04:24.800 --> 00:04:28.680 such as the janitors or cleaners who have seen our sad faces during exam time over 00:04:28.680 --> 00:04:30.640 the last four years. 00:04:31.360 --> 00:04:34.640 It's worth noting that it hasn't always been an uphill battle. 00:04:34.680 --> 00:04:38.680 Besides being a great privilege to be able to study at university, it also 00:04:38.680 --> 00:04:42.320 involves sacrifice, effort, understanding and knowing how to 00:04:42.320 --> 00:04:45.320 manage frustrations that are sometimes completely new. 00:04:45.920 --> 00:04:49.920 Furthermore, it is true that public universities are facing a serious 00:04:49.920 --> 00:04:54.200 funding problem, so now more than ever, I wanted to thank the teaching staff. 00:04:54.800 --> 00:04:58.800 As students, we often have a selfish view that our exams 00:04:58.800 --> 00:05:04.720 are the only ones you have to correct or that asking for attendance is absurd. 00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:06.840 Thank you for everything you do for us. 00:05:06.840 --> 00:05:10.720 Dedicating oneself to academic life is challenging and, above all, altruistic. 00:05:10.960 --> 00:05:14.440 It's about teaching what you like to people who often don't want to listen. 00:05:14.600 --> 00:05:18.240 But I hope you know that we learned some great lessons here. 00:05:18.840 --> 00:05:22.840 Thanks also to those who don't appear in the overall picture, but are 00:05:22.840 --> 00:05:26.840 always there to serve the students, such as the audiovisual technicians, 00:05:26.840 --> 00:05:30.840 the cafeteria staff, the secretariat, etc. You are the actors behind 00:05:30.840 --> 00:05:35.440 the scenes who also ensure the smooth operation of the university. 00:05:35.800 --> 00:05:39.800 I am proud to be a student of the public university, specifically 00:05:39.800 --> 00:05:44.560 from the Carlos region, and to have spent some of the best years of my life here. 00:05:45.080 --> 00:05:47.320 For students who are just starting out. 00:05:47.320 --> 00:05:48.280 Enjoy. 00:05:48.280 --> 00:05:51.280 When they say it goes by quickly, it's absolutely true. 00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:55.360 And to those of you who are finishing like me, I hope you take with you all the 00:05:55.360 --> 00:05:59.720 good things you have learned and can always contribute positively to society. 00:06:00.480 --> 00:06:03.640 May your studies serve to promote unity, critical 00:06:03.640 --> 00:06:06.640 thinking, solidarity, and inclusion. 00:06:06.960 --> 00:06:10.960 This is what we really need to spread, and it goes far beyond what 00:06:10.960 --> 00:06:13.960 we learn for an exam or an oral presentation. 00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:18.480 To create spaces for dialogue that foster good coexistence and a 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:21.960 respectful diversity of opinions, just as the university 00:06:21.960 --> 00:06:24.960 does through its activities, events and forums. 00:06:25.560 --> 00:06:29.560 Thank you so much, Rector, for this great honor. Please know that you can always 00:06:29.560 --> 00:06:33.560 count on me, even now as an alumnus, for anything you need. This has always been 00:06:33.560 --> 00:06:36.760 my home, and I will always try to repay the great privilege of 00:06:36.760 --> 00:06:39.760 having been a student at this institution. Thank you very much. 00:06:56.440 --> 00:06:58.040 The floor is now open, Don Pablo. 00:06:58.040 --> 00:07:02.040 Mr. Pablo Salvadores Alonso, director of the Internationalization area, 00:07:02.040 --> 00:07:04.880 representing the technical staff of Management and Administration and 00:07:04.880 --> 00:07:07.760 Services of the Rey Juan Carlos University. 00:07:17.680 --> 00:07:18.720 Mr. Rector. 00:07:18.720 --> 00:07:23.760 Madam Secretary, General, Ambassador. Authorities. 00:07:23.760 --> 00:07:25.360 Teaching staff. Researcher. 00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:29.360 Research project staff, students, ladies, gentlemen and of 00:07:29.360 --> 00:07:33.360 course, dear colleagues of the technical staff of Administration 00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:37.360 and Services Management of the Rey Juan Carlos University, I want 00:07:37.360 --> 00:07:41.360 to thank you for the invitation to represent the group to which I 00:07:41.360 --> 00:07:45.360 belong at this event, with the intention of giving a vision from 00:07:45.360 --> 00:07:48.720 my own perspective on the work that the technical staff performs at our 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:50.400 University. 00:07:51.400 --> 00:07:55.400 I will begin by saying that there are still quite a few of us who 00:07:55.400 --> 00:07:59.400 arrived at this new university in the 1990s, which only had a handful 00:07:59.400 --> 00:08:03.400 of students and some borrowed buildings, and we have seen it grow 00:08:03.400 --> 00:08:06.920 and consolidate into the great institution it is today. 00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:11.360 Throughout all these years I have been fortunate to meet and share 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:14.520 experiences with many colleagues who have given their best to help build what we 00:08:14.520 --> 00:08:16.120 have now. 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:20.240 From here I join in the tribute that is deservedly being paid to many of 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:24.240 them today and I would like to dedicate these words to all the colleagues 00:08:24.240 --> 00:08:28.200 who, throughout these years, have unfortunately passed away, many of them 00:08:28.200 --> 00:08:30.200 while still working here. 00:08:30.240 --> 00:08:33.440 And for them is my first thought and my heartfelt tribute. 00:08:34.880 --> 00:08:38.560 In my case, I have been fortunate enough to work in various departments throughout 00:08:38.560 --> 00:08:40.400 my professional career at this company. 00:08:40.640 --> 00:08:44.640 Since I began in the last century, as the first head of the 00:08:44.640 --> 00:08:48.640 University's Sports Service and having worked in various 00:08:48.640 --> 00:08:52.640 areas, I ended up in the field of international relations 18 00:08:52.640 --> 00:08:56.640 years ago and from the position I now hold as director of the 00:08:56.640 --> 00:09:00.640 Internationalization area, I would like to address you to 00:09:00.640 --> 00:09:03.720 convey what the University, through the daily 00:09:03.720 --> 00:09:06.720 work of the gas, does to help transform the lives of our students. 00:09:07.200 --> 00:09:11.200 We will all agree that internationalization is part of 00:09:11.200 --> 00:09:17.000 the very essence of the university as a projection of its original universality. 00:09:17.320 --> 00:09:20.480 And what better way to define this internationalization 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:23.480 than the international mobility of students? 00:09:23.480 --> 00:09:27.480 Each year, more than 1,800 students from this university have an 00:09:27.480 --> 00:09:31.480 international mobility experience, either with semester or yearly 00:09:31.480 --> 00:09:35.480 academic stays in Europe, America, Africa, Asia, or by doing internships 00:09:35.480 --> 00:09:38.600 in European companies, or by doing stays in other 00:09:38.600 --> 00:09:41.600 institutions around the world such as Walt Disney World in Orlando. 00:09:41.960 --> 00:09:45.960 These 1800 students join the more than 1500 international 00:09:45.960 --> 00:09:49.960 mobility students from universities around the world who arrive 00:09:49.960 --> 00:09:53.960 thanks to the Erasmus+ programs and who also provide an 00:09:53.960 --> 00:09:57.360 international experience to national students, 00:09:57.360 --> 00:10:00.360 promoting what we know as internationalization at home. 00:10:00.760 --> 00:10:04.760 In order for all these students to be able to carry out these 00:10:04.760 --> 00:10:08.760 mobility programs, it is necessary for the service staff to 00:10:08.760 --> 00:10:12.760 manage more than 4,900 active mobility places in the more than 00:10:12.760 --> 00:10:16.120 2,000 agreements, with 600,665 universities in 77 countries around the 00:10:16.120 --> 00:10:17.800 world. 00:10:18.160 --> 00:10:22.160 The fact that Rey Juan Carlos University currently has signed and negotiated 00:10:22.160 --> 00:10:25.920 agreements with all partner universities and with all these students, I 00:10:25.920 --> 00:10:28.920 can assure you that it involves a huge amount of activity. 00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:32.840 The procedures are neither agile nor simplified. 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:37.000 The regulation, its interpretation and its application, as well as 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:41.000 the oversight of student financial aid, involves excessive 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:44.680 bureaucracy, in many cases superfluous and clearly improvable by everyone and by 00:10:44.680 --> 00:10:46.560 our institution. 00:10:46.920 --> 00:10:50.920 The number of steps that must be followed for each student to be able to 00:10:50.920 --> 00:10:54.680 study abroad and have this automatically recognized in their academic record is 00:10:54.680 --> 00:10:56.600 overwhelming. 00:10:57.360 --> 00:11:00.920 That's more than 54,000 actions per year, the number 00:11:00.920 --> 00:11:03.920 needed to complete all the procedures. 00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:08.000 And all this while managing personalized and individualized 00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:12.000 communication with all students, which entails a traffic 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:15.040 of more than 100,000 emails per year. 00:11:15.400 --> 00:11:19.400 All this activity was carried out in a commendable manner by the small technical 00:11:19.400 --> 00:11:22.520 management and international relations staff of this cause. 00:11:23.120 --> 00:11:27.120 This is an important task that guarantees the quality standards imposed 00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:31.120 by the European Commission and also allows our students to receive the 00:11:31.120 --> 00:11:35.120 different financial aid intended for these mobility programs, which 00:11:35.120 --> 00:11:39.120 must always be managed with the utmost respect for the law and established 00:11:39.120 --> 00:11:43.120 procedures, and with the participation of many other essential 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:46.360 University services for carrying out this action. 00:11:46.680 --> 00:11:50.680 These figures, which I have indicated, are just one example of the workload 00:11:50.680 --> 00:11:54.680 in one of the departments of this university and it is something that could 00:11:54.680 --> 00:11:57.320 also be extrapolated to many other departments and it is a matter that 00:11:57.320 --> 00:11:58.680 highlights 00:11:58.680 --> 00:12:03.160 the effort and the extraordinary workload that every PT gas of this university has. 00:12:03.160 --> 00:12:07.160 And that is why I want to share with you a very graphic fact: 00:12:07.160 --> 00:12:11.160 the number of workers in the technical management, 00:12:11.160 --> 00:12:15.160 administration and services staff of the Rey Juan Carlos 00:12:15.160 --> 00:12:19.160 University has the highest workload per student not 00:12:19.160 --> 00:12:23.160 only in Madrid but in all of Spain, doubling that of the 00:12:23.160 --> 00:12:27.160 next university with a ratio of 47 students per employee, 00:12:27.160 --> 00:12:31.160 when for example, the next one in the Community of Madrid 00:12:31.160 --> 00:12:34.360 only serves 21 students per employee. 00:12:34.840 --> 00:12:38.840 This data, regardless of confirming the chronic underfunding 00:12:38.840 --> 00:12:42.840 that has been suffered, empirically demonstrates that 00:12:42.840 --> 00:12:46.840 the gas plant of the Rey Juan Carlos University is the most 00:12:46.840 --> 00:12:50.840 efficient in Spain, since despite these conditions 00:12:50.840 --> 00:12:54.840 mentioned, an extraordinary job is done, contributing 00:12:54.840 --> 00:12:58.400 to the provision of a service of a quality many times 00:12:58.400 --> 00:13:01.400 higher than that of any other university. 00:13:01.680 --> 00:13:05.400 And all this with half or 1/3 of the workers that the rest of the universities 00:13:05.400 --> 00:13:07.280 in this country have. 00:13:07.280 --> 00:13:10.920 And let me return to the topic of internationalization and its promotion 00:13:10.920 --> 00:13:12.760 among all our students. 00:13:12.800 --> 00:13:16.800 This work is not only important in terms of achieving figures that have already 00:13:16.800 --> 00:13:20.920 placed us among the leading universities in internationalization in this country. 00:13:21.160 --> 00:13:25.160 A task in which PP Gas, together with a large number of professors 00:13:25.160 --> 00:13:29.160 who academically coordinate this activity, collaborates and 00:13:29.160 --> 00:13:32.720 helps our students, they, our reason for being, to live the 00:13:32.720 --> 00:13:35.720 experience that will most change their lives. 00:13:35.760 --> 00:13:39.760 Because, as the Erasmus program's own motto states, international 00:13:39.760 --> 00:13:42.880 mobility also changes lives and opens minds. 00:13:43.320 --> 00:13:47.320 I'm not going to tell you now how important it is for our 00:13:47.320 --> 00:13:51.320 students to see and experience other cultures, other 00:13:51.320 --> 00:13:55.680 institutions, to compare what they know and, above all, to value it. 00:13:56.160 --> 00:13:59.400 But perhaps the most important thing about these international experiences is 00:13:59.400 --> 00:14:01.040 the barriers that are broken. 00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:06.000 Matthew Ann said that travel is an exercise with serious 00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:10.000 consequences for prejudices and we are all working together 00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:14.000 to eliminate them, because the Erasmus program has done 00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:18.000 much more for the cohesion of Europe and the tearing down of 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:22.000 borders and walls than any other program or policy carried 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:25.560 out to date in this now so threatened European Union. 00:14:26.280 --> 00:14:30.280 And let me also give you some information about what these international mobility 00:14:30.280 --> 00:14:34.080 experiences also contribute in terms of life, in addition to the opportunities 00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:36.000 for future employability. 00:14:36.280 --> 00:14:40.280 The European Commission has calculated that one in 00:14:40.280 --> 00:14:44.280 three students who joined the Erasmus program found 00:14:44.280 --> 00:14:48.280 a partner abroad, which, in addition to contributing 00:14:48.280 --> 00:14:52.280 to cultural integration and diversity in European 00:14:52.280 --> 00:14:56.720 families, has also helped to increase Europe's birth rate. 00:14:57.080 --> 00:14:57.920 Also, why? 00:14:57.920 --> 00:15:01.920 Because back in 2018, coinciding with the 30th anniversary 00:15:01.920 --> 00:15:05.920 of the Erasmus program, the European Commission itself 00:15:05.920 --> 00:15:09.920 estimated that 1 million babies had been born to couples 00:15:09.920 --> 00:15:13.920 who met during the Erasmus program. Contributing to 00:15:13.920 --> 00:15:17.920 the success of this program among our students, as 00:15:17.920 --> 00:15:21.920 another link in the public service provided at the 00:15:21.920 --> 00:15:25.920 university, is the work of PT Gas, a task that is not always 00:15:25.920 --> 00:15:29.920 recognized externally or valued by other groups, but 00:15:29.920 --> 00:15:33.920 is very rewarding when you are the institution's contact 00:15:33.920 --> 00:15:37.920 with these students who are going to transform their 00:15:37.920 --> 00:15:42.480 lives and when you also help them to fulfill their dreams. 00:15:42.600 --> 00:15:46.600 Because our work as public servants is rewarded when you 00:15:46.600 --> 00:15:50.600 see how in many cases we have been able to contribute to a 00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:54.600 transformation in which it is not only the international 00:15:54.600 --> 00:15:58.600 relations staff who work to ensure that these students 00:15:58.600 --> 00:16:02.080 complete their mobility programs and receive 00:16:02.080 --> 00:16:05.080 their corresponding financial benefits. 00:16:05.400 --> 00:16:06.680 Everything is something. 00:16:06.680 --> 00:16:10.680 All of this would not be possible without the effort and work of colleagues 00:16:10.680 --> 00:16:14.680 from many departments involved in these mobility management processes, 00:16:14.680 --> 00:16:18.680 such as the economic area, student services, legal advice, the ICT and 00:16:18.680 --> 00:16:21.720 IT area, the electronic administration area, 00:16:21.720 --> 00:16:24.720 management, campus management, and many others. 00:16:25.040 --> 00:16:29.040 Because the PT's work is absolutely transversal and is always 00:16:29.040 --> 00:16:33.040 connected between different services and coexists with 00:16:33.040 --> 00:16:37.040 constant changes and transformations such as the evolution 00:16:37.040 --> 00:16:41.040 of computer work tools, the development of artificial 00:16:41.040 --> 00:16:44.400 intelligence or also in the field of internationalization. 00:16:44.440 --> 00:16:48.440 And as an example, this is currently happening with the incorporation 00:16:48.440 --> 00:16:52.440 of the Rey Juan Carlos University into a European alliance like Ulises, 00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:56.440 within the most ambitious program designed by the European Commission 00:16:56.440 --> 00:17:01.040 for Higher Education, which is the European Universities initiative. 00:17:01.280 --> 00:17:03.920 And I say that I put it as a transformative example because in two 00:17:03.920 --> 00:17:05.280 years 00:17:05.280 --> 00:17:09.280 of the European University project, EILIS, many dozens of PP members 00:17:09.280 --> 00:17:13.280 have already collaborated in the creation of structures, in actions 00:17:13.280 --> 00:17:17.280 and in activities, as well as a fluid relationship with the other nine 00:17:17.280 --> 00:17:21.280 European partners of the Alliance, which has led to the incorporation 00:17:21.280 --> 00:17:25.280 of internationalization in the daily work of the staff, in addition 00:17:25.280 --> 00:17:28.320 to the international alliances service and all those 00:17:28.320 --> 00:17:31.320 belonging to the international area. 00:17:31.320 --> 00:17:34.920 I can list the staff of the Research, Innovation and Transfer Libraries, as 00:17:34.920 --> 00:17:36.720 well as the Students. 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:40.240 ICT Area, Equality, Diversity, Economic Area, Legal Advice. 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:42.120 Third Cycle Doctorate. Sustainability. 00:17:42.120 --> 00:17:46.120 The staff assigned to the different campuses, the University Language 00:17:46.120 --> 00:17:50.120 Centre and some others, have actively participated in this new initiative 00:17:50.120 --> 00:17:54.120 of European universities which is already generating new opportunities 00:17:54.120 --> 00:17:58.120 and challenges for this group to which I belong and which will also bring 00:17:58.120 --> 00:18:01.720 new opportunities for international mobility for the PT itself. 00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:06.200 An issue that perhaps is still an outstanding matter at this time. 00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:11.240 And I will conclude my remarks by highlighting what I consider a parallel 00:18:11.240 --> 00:18:14.480 between the professional career of technical management, 00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:17.480 administration and services staff and student mobility. 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:22.000 And it is the importance of living, of feeling, of enjoying the 00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:26.000 process and the whole journey without thinking about the final 00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:30.000 goal as the only objective, which could be retirement in one case 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:34.720 and in the other, the achievement of the students' international opportunities. 00:18:34.720 --> 00:18:39.400 And for that, and as Vetusta Morla would say, excuse me, I knew. 00:18:39.600 --> 00:18:43.600 I am going to read you some verses from a poem that I like to recommend 00:18:43.600 --> 00:18:49.120 to students when they start thinking about organizing an international event. 00:18:49.120 --> 00:18:53.120 And it is the famous poem Ithaca by the Greek poet Constantine 00:18:53.120 --> 00:18:56.520 Cavafy that celebrates the journey of life as what is 00:18:56.520 --> 00:18:59.520 truly important, more than the goal itself. 00:18:59.560 --> 00:19:03.560 Teaching that wisdom is gained through the journey of 00:19:03.560 --> 00:19:07.360 experiences, not in the final wealth of the island of Ithaca. 00:19:08.040 --> 00:19:12.040 It says: When you set out on your journey to Ithaca, 00:19:12.040 --> 00:19:17.040 pray that the road is long, full of adventure, full of discovery. 00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:20.480 May there be many summer mornings when you arrive. 00:19:20.520 --> 00:19:24.600 With what pleasure and joy to ports never seen before. 00:19:24.800 --> 00:19:30.120 Go to many Egyptian cities to learn from their wise men. 00:19:30.320 --> 00:19:32.760 Always keep Ithaca in your mind. 00:19:32.760 --> 00:19:35.240 Getting there is your destiny. 00:19:35.240 --> 00:19:37.720 But never rush the journey. 00:19:37.720 --> 00:19:41.720 Better that it lasts many years and that you dock 00:19:41.720 --> 00:19:45.720 old on the island, enriched by all you gained along 00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:49.880 the way, without waiting for Ithaca to have riches. 00:19:50.120 --> 00:19:53.640 Ithaca gave you such a beautiful journey. 00:19:53.920 --> 00:19:57.200 Without her you wouldn't have embarked on the journey. 00:19:57.240 --> 00:19:59.880 But it has nothing left to give you. 00:19:59.880 --> 00:20:03.880 Though you woe, Poor Ithaca has not deceived you; 00:20:03.880 --> 00:20:07.880 as wise as you have become with so much experience, 00:20:07.880 --> 00:20:11.240 you will now understand what Ithacas mean. 00:20:11.720 --> 00:20:14.080 Thank you very much for your attention and I want to wish you a somewhat belated 00:20:14.080 --> 00:20:15.280 well. 00:20:15.320 --> 00:20:16.760 Happy Saint Thomas' Day. 00:20:35.400 --> 00:20:39.400 The floor is given to Professor Ana Luisa Reyes Menéndez, from the 00:20:39.400 --> 00:20:43.400 Marketing and Internationalization of Markets Area of ​​the Faculty 00:20:43.400 --> 00:20:46.400 of Economics and Business, representing the 00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:49.400 teaching and research staff of Rey Juan University 00:20:49.400 --> 00:20:52.400 Carlos. 00:21:04.760 --> 00:21:06.040 Academic authorities. 00:21:06.040 --> 00:21:10.080 Dear colleagues of the teaching and research staff. 00:21:10.080 --> 00:21:14.080 Dear students, ladies and gentlemen, today we gather to belatedly 00:21:14.080 --> 00:21:18.080 celebrate the feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas, patron saint of 00:21:18.080 --> 00:21:21.880 universities, symbol of the search for knowledge, of dialogical reason and of 00:21:21.880 --> 00:21:23.800 commitment to the truth. 00:21:24.160 --> 00:21:27.440 On this day, the university looks at itself, acknowledges its history, and 00:21:27.440 --> 00:21:29.120 projects its future. 00:21:29.520 --> 00:21:32.640 I want to thank our rector Abraham Duarte for the invitation, 00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:35.640 which is both an honor and a responsibility for me. 00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:36.600 I wanted to share. 00:21:36.600 --> 00:21:40.600 There are some lessons that have marked my journey at Rey Juan Carlos 00:21:40.600 --> 00:21:44.360 University, a journey that began like many others, almost 20 00:21:44.360 --> 00:21:47.360 years ago, as a student at the Vicálvaro campus. 00:21:47.960 --> 00:21:49.960 It is an honor to be part of the teaching and research staff of the Rey Juan Carlos 00:21:49.960 --> 00:21:50.960 University. 00:21:50.960 --> 00:21:56.520 We are about 3000 people in the digital age, where Instagram has 3 billion users. 00:21:56.560 --> 00:21:57.520 3000. 00:21:57.520 --> 00:22:01.200 Only 3 billion may seem like a small number in digital marketing, which is my 00:22:01.200 --> 00:22:03.080 specialty. 00:22:03.080 --> 00:22:07.000 A profile with 3000 followers would be what we call a nano influencer. 00:22:07.040 --> 00:22:10.240 Not a micro, not a macro, but a nano influencer. 00:22:10.280 --> 00:22:14.200 That little influencer would be lucky to earn around €50 for the content he 00:22:14.200 --> 00:22:16.200 publishes and the views he gets. 00:22:16.320 --> 00:22:20.320 But if those 3,000 people form a university community, they can change 00:22:20.320 --> 00:22:23.480 the world, they can change the lives of those who pass 00:22:23.480 --> 00:22:26.480 through our classrooms, and they can advance science. 00:22:26.720 --> 00:22:30.400 Our students don't just learn content, they learn to see the world with 00:22:30.400 --> 00:22:32.240 different eyes, as he says. 00:22:32.240 --> 00:22:32.840 And the most. 00:22:32.840 --> 00:22:36.840 Studying physics allowed him to break down a problem into different 00:22:36.840 --> 00:22:41.040 parts and then tackle each one, and that's what makes him a great CEO. 00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:46.600 Similarly, our students learn to analyze reality from their discipline. 00:22:46.600 --> 00:22:50.120 In my case, in marketing they learn that every interaction is an exchange where 00:22:50.120 --> 00:22:51.880 value is exchanged. 00:22:51.920 --> 00:22:56.240 The more value we contribute, the more value we get as a result. 00:22:56.440 --> 00:23:00.440 And this act that we share today is also an exchange of 00:23:00.440 --> 00:23:04.520 value between all of us in this exchange and this exchange. 00:23:04.520 --> 00:23:08.520 It only works when there is a sense of belonging, a pride in the 00:23:08.520 --> 00:23:12.400 institution, a pride in the team, and a pride in the university. 00:23:12.400 --> 00:23:15.600 The URJC is not just a place to pass through, as they have mentioned, it is 00:23:15.600 --> 00:23:17.200 already our home. 00:23:17.240 --> 00:23:21.240 Many of us have decided to stay here despite having other options, because 00:23:21.240 --> 00:23:25.240 we believe in the Rey Juan Carlos University and this says a lot about our 00:23:25.240 --> 00:23:29.240 academic community. The university of the present and the future, in my 00:23:29.240 --> 00:23:33.240 opinion, is built on collaboration, collaboration between colleagues, 00:23:33.240 --> 00:23:36.800 departments and especially between areas that are not the same but are now 00:23:36.800 --> 00:23:38.600 complementary. 00:23:38.640 --> 00:23:42.640 This also takes on special relevance in the current era of artificial 00:23:42.640 --> 00:23:46.640 intelligence, where we are increasingly the ones who will shape, in my 00:23:46.640 --> 00:23:50.640 opinion, what the university of the future will be, because it is in these 00:23:50.640 --> 00:23:53.640 unexpected intersections that true innovation arises. 00:23:53.880 --> 00:23:57.880 I also want to give visibility to a topic that is very present in the university, 00:23:57.880 --> 00:24:01.880 and that is the role of women in academic life, especially those of us who have 00:24:01.880 --> 00:24:04.960 people in our care, motherhood, raising children. 00:24:04.960 --> 00:24:08.360 They are difficult to reconcile with research, lack of sleep, and mental 00:24:08.360 --> 00:24:10.080 workload. 00:24:10.080 --> 00:24:14.560 Even biology itself sometimes hinders brilliant careers. 00:24:14.600 --> 00:24:17.960 Microbiology is truly vital and is an amalgamation 00:24:17.960 --> 00:24:20.960 of family life and university life. 00:24:20.960 --> 00:24:22.800 My daughter Cloe was born in 2009. 00:24:22.800 --> 00:24:26.800 In 2014 my son Eric, in 2017 I defended my thesis and from 00:24:26.800 --> 00:24:30.120 then on, seven years of endless accreditations. 00:24:30.160 --> 00:24:34.520 2019 Assistant, Contracted Doctor and Private University 2020. 00:24:34.520 --> 00:24:37.840 University Professor and 2024. Full Professor. 00:24:37.880 --> 00:24:39.280 Seven years against the clock. 00:24:39.280 --> 00:24:42.760 Endless nights, constant travel, a stoic life. 00:24:42.800 --> 00:24:48.040 I discovered limits I didn't know I could cross and surprisingly, I was even happy. 00:24:48.440 --> 00:24:52.080 My message is clear to all of you who are in the accreditation process: it is 00:24:52.080 --> 00:24:53.920 possible. 00:24:53.920 --> 00:24:55.360 And lots of encouragement. 00:24:55.360 --> 00:24:59.560 As some of you know, I like sports, and I particularly like surfing. 00:24:59.680 --> 00:25:02.880 But the important thing is not the sport, but what it has taught me. 00:25:02.920 --> 00:25:07.800 For years I lived immersed in constantly making goals, lists, and achievements. 00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:11.760 The sea taught me that when a wave submerges you, fighting is pointless 00:25:11.760 --> 00:25:13.680 because it makes you lose oxygen. 00:25:13.680 --> 00:25:17.200 The only way out is to surrender, wait for a calm moment, and then return to the 00:25:17.200 --> 00:25:18.960 surface. 00:25:19.000 --> 00:25:22.760 I've learned that flowing isn't about imposing the rhythm, but adapting to it. 00:25:22.800 --> 00:25:26.800 And that lesson has transformed my understanding of university from a 00:25:26.800 --> 00:25:30.120 more flexible, more conscious and, if I may say so, more 00:25:30.120 --> 00:25:33.120 feminine perspective from my marketing point of view. 00:25:33.240 --> 00:25:36.120 I have always believed that the university cannot live with its back 00:25:36.120 --> 00:25:37.560 turned to the market or to society. 00:25:37.560 --> 00:25:41.440 Knowledge transfer is not an option, it is a responsibility. 00:25:41.480 --> 00:25:45.480 In 2003, when Facebook didn't exist yet and I wasn't in university 00:25:45.480 --> 00:25:50.120 yet, I created Photo dot .com, which is the first social network in Spain. 00:25:50.800 --> 00:25:53.440 It was focused on the creative and fashion sector, and within days, 00:25:53.440 --> 00:25:54.800 thousands of people 00:25:54.800 --> 00:25:58.800 from all over the world started accessing that page we had created, which we didn't 00:25:58.800 --> 00:26:02.480 even know was a social network because no one knew what a social network was. 00:26:02.520 --> 00:26:04.080 There were only web pages. 00:26:04.080 --> 00:26:08.320 I left the project, but that company is still alive under the name lead magnet. 00:26:08.320 --> 00:26:10.960 Since then I have always focused on the market and have collaborated with 00:26:10.960 --> 00:26:12.320 companies 00:26:12.320 --> 00:26:15.840 and institutions on projects that ignite my enthusiasm, and now always from the 00:26:15.840 --> 00:26:17.640 Rey Juan Carlos University. 00:26:17.680 --> 00:26:20.560 I am convinced that this connection has made me a better scientist and a better 00:26:20.560 --> 00:26:22.040 teacher. 00:26:22.040 --> 00:26:26.040 Some examples include the project I did with the Thyssen and Quirón 00:26:26.040 --> 00:26:30.040 Salud in 2024 as principal investigator, where we used artificial 00:26:30.040 --> 00:26:33.320 intelligence and biometric analysis to detect the emotions produced by works of 00:26:33.320 --> 00:26:34.960 art. 00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:38.520 No one had ever done it before because apparently there was not as much economic 00:26:38.520 --> 00:26:41.520 interest in it as there was in measuring the impact of advertising. 00:26:41.640 --> 00:26:45.640 At that time, we managed to create the first website in the world where 00:26:45.640 --> 00:26:49.640 you could navigate based on emotions, and Quirónsalud placed the works 00:26:49.640 --> 00:26:53.640 of art that produced the most positive emotions in more than 50 of its 00:26:53.640 --> 00:26:57.640 hospitals worldwide, in order to positively impact the emotional 00:26:57.640 --> 00:27:01.080 well-being of patients, doctors, and family members who spend so many hours in 00:27:01.080 --> 00:27:02.840 hospitals. 00:27:03.040 --> 00:27:07.040 Another project is the 2025 project that we have developed with 00:27:07.040 --> 00:27:11.040 the Spanish Society of Neurology and the Rey Juan Carlos University, 00:27:11.040 --> 00:27:14.920 where we analyze, using artificial intelligence, the emotions 00:27:14.920 --> 00:27:17.920 produced by eating with a mobile phone. 00:27:17.920 --> 00:27:19.480 And that reflects a reality. 00:27:19.480 --> 00:27:23.320 And who doesn't eat with their mobile phone sometimes or often? 00:27:23.800 --> 00:27:27.800 So, this particular issue concerned us as a research group, because 00:27:27.800 --> 00:27:31.800 it is our young people and our students who, instead of interacting, 00:27:31.800 --> 00:27:34.880 are facing each other with their mobile phones. 00:27:34.880 --> 00:27:37.520 In this way we were able to give visibility to emotional well-being and 00:27:37.520 --> 00:27:38.880 the impact 00:27:38.880 --> 00:27:42.160 that our emotions have, such as talking in a conversation or deciding to eat 00:27:42.160 --> 00:27:43.800 while using our mobile phone. 00:27:43.880 --> 00:27:47.880 Some examples are that our happiness decreases by 232% when 00:27:47.880 --> 00:27:51.880 we use the mobile phone and in the age groups of 19 to 34 years, 00:27:51.880 --> 00:27:55.720 this is four times greater. It seems that young people 00:27:55.720 --> 00:27:58.720 are immune to phone use, but they are not. 00:27:58.760 --> 00:28:01.720 They are the ones most impacted by this type of collaboration. 00:28:01.720 --> 00:28:06.720 Universities with businesses also allow science to advance. 00:28:06.760 --> 00:28:10.080 And finally, and to conclude, my dear, let's leave this point, because for me it 00:28:10.080 --> 00:28:11.760 occupies first place. 00:28:11.760 --> 00:28:15.640 But if I had gotten too excited, I wouldn't have been able to continue. 00:28:16.320 --> 00:28:18.440 Nobody progresses alone at university. 00:28:18.440 --> 00:28:22.440 Mentors are those generous people who show us paths, share 00:28:22.440 --> 00:28:27.080 experiences, mistakes and successes, and teach us to look beyond the immediate. 00:28:27.120 --> 00:28:31.120 I am fortunate to have mentors both in my faculty and in my 00:28:31.120 --> 00:28:35.000 department, but today I want to pay tribute to two fundamental people in my 00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:36.960 university life. 00:28:37.000 --> 00:28:39.640 The first is my father, Francisco Reyes Tellez, a tenured professor of 00:28:39.640 --> 00:28:41.000 Archaeology 00:28:41.000 --> 00:28:44.960 at the Rey Juan Carlos University, since the beginnings of this university. 00:28:45.320 --> 00:28:49.520 He taught me what it means to work with dedication, rigor, and humility. 00:28:49.560 --> 00:28:52.200 He taught me that being a teacher is not just about imparting knowledge, it's 00:28:52.200 --> 00:28:53.560 about 00:28:53.560 --> 00:28:56.520 serving, supporting, and leaving a positive mark on every student and every 00:28:56.520 --> 00:28:58.040 colleague. 00:28:58.240 --> 00:29:02.240 His retirement has left a void that I can only try to fill by following his values, 00:29:02.240 --> 00:29:05.040 dedicating myself with honesty, consistency and passion to this 00:29:05.040 --> 00:29:06.480 university. 00:29:06.640 --> 00:29:10.640 Seeing him here today is a very special gift, and I also want 00:29:10.640 --> 00:29:14.640 to mention Carmelo Mercado, a tenured professor of Marketing 00:29:14.640 --> 00:29:20.200 and Market Research, a friend, mentor, and role model who passed away in 2018. 00:29:20.640 --> 00:29:24.440 Carmelo welcomed me, trusted me, and taught me that academic excellence 00:29:24.440 --> 00:29:27.440 is not incompatible with closeness and generosity. 00:29:27.480 --> 00:29:31.200 His legacy lives on in every project I undertake and every 00:29:31.200 --> 00:29:34.200 research I lead, in every student I am able to inspire. 00:29:34.560 --> 00:29:38.560 They both taught me that being a university professor is not just a 00:29:38.560 --> 00:29:41.840 profession, it is a way of life, a commitment to others, to the university 00:29:41.840 --> 00:29:43.520 and to society. 00:29:43.760 --> 00:29:45.720 With my marketing eyes. 00:29:45.720 --> 00:29:49.720 I only hope that this exchange has been valuable, that for a few 00:29:49.720 --> 00:29:53.720 minutes we have been able to put aside doing to focus on being, to 00:29:53.720 --> 00:29:57.320 see ourselves as a community, to recognize our history and to project the 00:29:57.320 --> 00:29:59.160 future together. 00:29:59.200 --> 00:30:00.000 Thank you. 00:30:16.160 --> 00:30:18.920 The awarding of honorary medals from the King Juan Carlos University will take 00:30:18.920 --> 00:30:20.320 place. 00:30:20.360 --> 00:30:24.360 The Secretary General will call the award winners, professors and 00:30:24.360 --> 00:30:28.360 technical management, administration and services staff who have 00:30:28.360 --> 00:30:32.440 completed their professional career at Rey Juan Carlos University. 00:30:43.120 --> 00:30:47.120 Agreement for the awarding of honorary medals from the Rey Juan 00:30:47.120 --> 00:30:51.120 Carlos University in the performance of the function of certifying 00:30:51.120 --> 00:30:55.520 the acts and agreements of the Governing Council of the University. 00:30:55.760 --> 00:30:57.760 With the permission of the Rector. 00:30:57.760 --> 00:31:01.440 For the sake of brevity, I will extract the content of the agreement, which you 00:31:01.440 --> 00:31:03.320 are entitled to read. 00:31:04.200 --> 00:31:08.200 The agreement states that the University's Governing 00:31:08.200 --> 00:31:12.200 Council, in accordance with the provisions of the Regulations 00:31:12.200 --> 00:31:16.200 for Honorary Medals of the Rey Juan Carlos University, 00:31:16.200 --> 00:31:20.200 approved by agreement of March 26, 2004, of the University's 00:31:20.200 --> 00:31:24.200 Governing Council, unanimously agreed at its meeting of 00:31:24.200 --> 00:31:28.200 January 20, 2026, on the proposal of the Rector, to grant 00:31:28.200 --> 00:31:32.200 honorary medals of the Rey Juan Carlos University to the 00:31:32.200 --> 00:31:36.200 following members of the teaching and research staff and 00:31:36.200 --> 00:31:40.840 the technical staff of management and administration of services. 00:31:41.360 --> 00:31:45.360 First, we will present the Medals of Honor of the 00:31:45.360 --> 00:31:49.360 Rey Juan Carlos University to the teaching and 00:31:49.360 --> 00:31:53.520 research staff member, Ms. María Cruz Alonso Sutil. 00:32:14.640 --> 00:32:17.640 Doña María Silveria Alvarado Riquelme. 00:32:37.600 --> 00:32:40.600 Doña Concepción de la Fuente Cabrero. 00:33:03.360 --> 00:33:06.360 Don Jesús Caro González. 00:33:22.280 --> 00:33:25.280 Don Mariano Fajardo González. 00:33:42.160 --> 00:33:45.160 Yolanda García Cid. 00:34:01.520 --> 00:34:04.520 Mrs. María Emma García Castellano García. 00:34:22.240 --> 00:34:25.240 Don Ángel Herminio Iglesias Alonso. 00:34:38.400 --> 00:34:41.400 Don Aurelio de Prada García. 00:34:54.880 --> 00:34:57.880 Don Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Arriero. 00:35:11.840 --> 00:35:14.840 Don Ignacio Sánchez Cámara. 00:35:32.560 --> 00:35:35.560 Doña María Belén Sánchez Domingo. 00:35:51.760 --> 00:35:54.760 Don Francisco Javier Lillo Ramos. 00:36:11.120 --> 00:36:14.120 Don Álvaro Páez Borda. 00:36:35.120 --> 00:36:39.120 The Medal of Honor will be awarded posthumously 00:36:39.120 --> 00:36:42.880 to Mrs. María Eugenia Castellanos Nueva. 00:36:42.920 --> 00:36:45.920 His family members collect the medal. 00:37:31.520 --> 00:37:32.880 Mr. Michael Fox. 00:37:32.880 --> 00:37:35.880 Look, his family members are collecting the medal. 00:38:02.080 --> 00:38:06.080 Next, we will proceed to present the Medals of Merit of the 00:38:06.080 --> 00:38:10.080 Rey Juan Carlos University to the technical staff of 00:38:10.080 --> 00:38:13.600 Management and Administration of Services, Mr. Juan Carlos Blanco 00:38:13.600 --> 00:38:15.400 Martínez. 00:38:35.880 --> 00:38:38.880 Don Tomás Lara García. 00:38:56.760 --> 00:38:59.760 Doña María Dolores López García. 00:39:15.920 --> 00:39:18.920 Don Felipe Sánchez Ríos García. 00:39:36.520 --> 00:39:39.520 Don Antonio Tendero Cañadas. 00:39:59.560 --> 00:40:02.560 Don Ángel Vara Guzmán. 00:40:18.040 --> 00:40:21.040 Doña María Soledad Vicente Rosillo. 00:40:40.840 --> 00:40:44.800 The Medal of Merit will be awarded posthumously 00:40:44.800 --> 00:40:47.800 to Mr. Juan Pedro Maldonado Cuevas. 00:40:47.840 --> 00:40:50.840 They collect the medal for their relatives. 00:41:26.760 --> 00:41:30.440 We will now proceed with the presentation of the King Juan Carlos 00:41:30.440 --> 00:41:33.440 University Gold Medal to Mr. Amancio López Seijas. 00:41:33.640 --> 00:41:37.640 The agreement reads as follows: The Governing Council, 00:41:37.640 --> 00:41:41.640 meeting in extraordinary session on January 20, 2026, in 00:41:41.640 --> 00:41:45.640 accordance with the provisions of article 1.1 of the 00:41:45.640 --> 00:41:49.640 Regulations for Honorary Medals of the Rey Juan Carlos 00:41:49.640 --> 00:41:53.640 University, approved by agreement of March 26, 2004, of the 00:41:53.640 --> 00:41:57.640 Governing Council of the University, agrees to approve the 00:41:57.640 --> 00:42:01.640 granting of the Gold Medal, the highest distinction awarded 00:42:01.640 --> 00:42:05.640 by the University to Mr. Amancio López Seijas, former 00:42:05.640 --> 00:42:09.640 president of the Social Council of the Rey Juan Carlos 00:42:09.640 --> 00:42:12.600 University, in recognition of his collaboration in the enhancement of the 00:42:12.600 --> 00:42:14.120 University. 00:42:38.960 --> 00:42:42.000 The floor is now given to Mr. Amancio López Seijas, 00:42:42.000 --> 00:42:45.000 recipient of the University's Gold Medal. 00:42:52.200 --> 00:42:56.200 The magnificent rector presents the vice-president 00:42:56.200 --> 00:42:59.480 of Universities to the Assembly of Madrid. 00:43:00.680 --> 00:43:02.560 Rector Emeritus. 00:43:02.560 --> 00:43:04.480 Dear Javier. 00:43:04.480 --> 00:43:06.000 Present is the Social Council. 00:43:06.000 --> 00:43:07.640 Authorities. 00:43:07.640 --> 00:43:10.400 This is a particularly exciting moment for me. 00:43:10.400 --> 00:43:12.880 I know that these things are usually said just to say them. 00:43:12.880 --> 00:43:14.560 It's true. 00:43:14.560 --> 00:43:18.560 It has been a magnificent experience to preside over a Social Council 00:43:18.560 --> 00:43:22.560 for eight years, in which I don't know if we have resolved many things, 00:43:22.560 --> 00:43:25.600 but we have tried not to create any problems and I think that we have 00:43:25.600 --> 00:43:27.160 achieved. 00:43:27.160 --> 00:43:31.160 I want to thank the entire Social Council for the unanimity we have always 00:43:31.160 --> 00:43:35.080 had, sometimes with very different views, and for the discretion with which we 00:43:35.080 --> 00:43:37.040 experienced the best moments. 00:43:37.120 --> 00:43:38.920 I'm going to add a few words. 00:43:38.920 --> 00:43:42.920 It's not a conference by any means, but rather some personal 00:43:42.920 --> 00:43:46.920 reflections that may seem, and are, obvious, but it's a vision 00:43:46.920 --> 00:43:51.880 that comes after years in the business world and also after experience. 00:43:52.200 --> 00:43:55.080 First of all, I would like to go back to the past. 00:43:55.080 --> 00:43:58.800 For example, 60 years ago, in a place in Galicia, in a 00:43:58.800 --> 00:44:01.800 village, people had never had any opportunity. 00:44:01.800 --> 00:44:05.000 The only one at the time during the Reconquista was to repopulate other 00:44:05.000 --> 00:44:06.600 territories. 00:44:06.840 --> 00:44:10.840 Some might join the Army, then emigrate to America, 00:44:10.840 --> 00:44:16.640 later to Europe, and the rest are other types of internal Spanish migration. 00:44:16.760 --> 00:44:20.760 In those years, 60 years ago, secondary schools 00:44:20.760 --> 00:44:24.760 began to arrive in provincial capitals, health 00:44:24.760 --> 00:44:28.760 residences in cities, including provincial 00:44:28.760 --> 00:44:34.720 capitals, and from there there were enormous opportunities. 00:44:34.760 --> 00:44:38.760 Today I lived, when the world was there, where people worked 00:44:38.760 --> 00:44:44.040 every day, except for holidays, including children when there was no school. 00:44:44.040 --> 00:44:48.040 I have followed it, the second generation, the one 00:44:48.040 --> 00:44:52.040 that came later, practically all of them have 00:44:52.040 --> 00:44:55.240 bachelor's degrees, university degrees. 00:44:55.360 --> 00:44:59.360 I believe that this is what education and university should be 00:44:59.360 --> 00:45:03.360 for: to provide the most important of all, possibly of all, rights 00:45:03.360 --> 00:45:06.520 of equality, which is equality of opportunity. 00:45:06.680 --> 00:45:10.680 I believe it has to serve this purpose and to achieve it, as long 00:45:10.680 --> 00:45:14.680 as it has two characteristics, in my opinion, one that is oriented 00:45:14.680 --> 00:45:18.680 towards excellence, without excuses, as in the world of sports, 00:45:18.680 --> 00:45:22.920 because in the end life is a world of constant improvement. 00:45:23.600 --> 00:45:27.600 And the second, which has to be geared towards 00:45:27.600 --> 00:45:31.600 employment, employment and much more in a 00:45:31.600 --> 00:45:35.920 time when changes are happening at such a speed. 00:45:36.960 --> 00:45:40.200 In addition to equality, with a slightly different 00:45:40.200 --> 00:45:43.200 perspective than what we usually hear. 00:45:43.240 --> 00:45:47.240 I would like to talk about another concept that we could relate to 00:45:47.240 --> 00:45:51.240 sustainability, but not to environmental sustainability, because 00:45:51.240 --> 00:45:54.440 there are many experts on that and I am not going to get into that area. 00:45:54.480 --> 00:45:58.160 But the social and human aspect, which has a lot to do with equality of 00:45:58.160 --> 00:46:00.000 opportunity. 00:46:00.360 --> 00:46:05.720 We are in a world of confrontation, of polarization that we call populism. 00:46:05.760 --> 00:46:09.040 That the substance is nothing more than a euphemism for what it truly is. 00:46:09.040 --> 00:46:12.960 It is totalitarianism where one side refuses to compromise with the other. 00:46:12.960 --> 00:46:16.880 What he wants is to confront her in order to beat her and subdue her. 00:46:17.000 --> 00:46:21.000 And so the threats are to this model of ours which is a 00:46:21.000 --> 00:46:25.000 privilege in the history of the social economy, the 00:46:25.000 --> 00:46:29.000 market, liberal democracy, human rights, the welfare 00:46:29.000 --> 00:46:33.000 state, the Enlightenment and today the external 00:46:33.000 --> 00:46:37.040 enemies who are winning and today the internal enemies. 00:46:37.200 --> 00:46:41.200 I believe that the University must be not only a center of 00:46:41.200 --> 00:46:44.880 knowledge, but also of wisdom, principles, and values. 00:46:44.920 --> 00:46:48.800 That thing that used to be said to be learned at home and has to be ethics. 00:46:48.840 --> 00:46:52.840 And so that it doesn't seem like a word that is merely an 00:46:52.840 --> 00:46:56.840 aesthetic substitute for cosmetics, it is integrity, 00:46:56.840 --> 00:47:00.840 it is responsibility, which is what I taught you at home, 00:47:00.840 --> 00:47:06.760 it is the commitment that is that sense with the society to which you belong. 00:47:06.800 --> 00:47:08.400 It is hard work, it is labor. 00:47:08.400 --> 00:47:11.400 There is no right not to work. 00:47:12.320 --> 00:47:14.160 It's about loyalty. 00:47:14.160 --> 00:47:18.160 I believe that all these principles must be what 00:47:18.160 --> 00:47:22.160 makes the future sustainable and must also contribute 00:47:22.160 --> 00:47:25.520 at times in connection with the company. 00:47:25.520 --> 00:47:29.520 I believe the business world has a lot to contribute, and 00:47:29.520 --> 00:47:33.520 especially, and for that we need to promote research, but 00:47:33.520 --> 00:47:37.320 research that has a purpose, if possible, that generates, ultimately generates 00:47:37.320 --> 00:47:39.240 wealth. 00:47:39.800 --> 00:47:43.800 And in addition to research and that concept of 00:47:43.800 --> 00:47:47.800 innovation, it surely has to look for new paths linked 00:47:47.800 --> 00:47:53.240 to innovation and also to the creation of technology-based companies. 00:47:53.280 --> 00:47:57.280 But there is surely another challenge at the moment: there 00:47:57.280 --> 00:48:01.280 is a high mortality rate among industrial, traditional, 00:48:01.280 --> 00:48:05.280 family-owned companies that have or had something 00:48:05.280 --> 00:48:09.440 precious, but are not capable of what a sense of belonging is. 00:48:09.480 --> 00:48:13.480 Many of these end up in short-term funds that take advantage of the situation 00:48:13.480 --> 00:48:17.440 to do what they call "value creation," calling the price at the right time and 00:48:17.440 --> 00:48:19.440 giving it a pass if possible. 00:48:19.800 --> 00:48:22.440 We cannot allow that mortality of know-how. 00:48:22.440 --> 00:48:26.440 And I believe that in that role, the university could contribute to those 00:48:26.440 --> 00:48:30.240 who have difficulties, logically through technological innovation 00:48:30.240 --> 00:48:33.240 or sometimes even through the area of ​​consulting. 00:48:33.240 --> 00:48:37.240 I think it's another path, but we are really concerned 00:48:37.240 --> 00:48:41.360 about the loss of values, the social and political sense. 00:48:41.400 --> 00:48:45.400 Also some forms, and I regret to say, of short-term capitalism. 00:48:45.440 --> 00:48:49.440 I'm talking about the pure speculation of those who play with 00:48:49.440 --> 00:48:53.440 algorithms in the short and pure term, without any other 00:48:53.440 --> 00:48:57.440 purpose, that activity that we could consider as heartless, 00:48:57.440 --> 00:49:01.360 I believe that this sense also has to contribute to promoting 00:49:01.360 --> 00:49:04.360 that spirit of belonging, of permanence. 00:49:04.360 --> 00:49:08.000 A company in the future probably needs to have three parts in the 00:49:08.000 --> 00:49:11.000 short term: to be efficient in everything it does. 00:49:12.080 --> 00:49:14.040 Half is growing. 00:49:14.040 --> 00:49:16.680 Once you efficiently replicate your know-how model, you can now 00:49:16.680 --> 00:49:18.040 internationalize 00:49:18.040 --> 00:49:21.280 and, thanks to technology, you can achieve anything you desire. 00:49:21.720 --> 00:49:25.240 You have to be in a permanent process of transformation, not too 00:49:25.240 --> 00:49:28.240 far ahead of the times, always losing a little bit ahead. 00:49:28.280 --> 00:49:32.280 But you also have to transcend what you have to do; you 00:49:32.280 --> 00:49:37.960 have to create consequences that remain, that endure over time. Right? 00:49:38.160 --> 00:49:42.160 I believe this is a spirit for the business world as well, one 00:49:42.160 --> 00:49:46.160 that I think we must reclaim, and that the university must 00:49:46.160 --> 00:49:49.760 recover that humanism which has to be the foundation, 00:49:49.760 --> 00:49:52.760 the basis of everything worth preserving over time. 00:49:53.280 --> 00:49:57.280 I would stick with a phrase from Machado's poem, not 00:49:57.280 --> 00:50:00.880 from the poem itself, and simply say that 00:50:00.880 --> 00:50:03.880 everything passes and everything remains. 00:50:04.080 --> 00:50:07.520 We are the ones who pass away, but what we have to give are our works in the 00:50:07.520 --> 00:50:09.240 future. 00:50:09.520 --> 00:50:13.520 And I thought I would end this here, but as I had heard before, the 00:50:13.520 --> 00:50:17.400 poem about returning to Ithaca for the young people who are going 00:50:17.400 --> 00:50:20.400 out now, I would dare to say a few things to them. 00:50:20.440 --> 00:50:23.640 The first is that you have to know how far you are capable of going. 00:50:23.640 --> 00:50:25.640 You have no idea how far you can go. 00:50:25.640 --> 00:50:27.200 You might be in for a big surprise. 00:50:27.200 --> 00:50:29.400 Some of us know this from experience. 00:50:29.400 --> 00:50:31.680 Second, 00:50:31.680 --> 00:50:34.800 What is probably most important is the enthusiasm. 00:50:34.880 --> 00:50:38.880 One of the things about hope, because it allows you to overcome 00:50:38.880 --> 00:50:43.560 all difficulties, all frustrations, is the idea of ​​never giving up. 00:50:44.360 --> 00:50:48.160 It is also important to understand that the future depends on ourselves, that is, 00:50:48.160 --> 00:50:50.080 the future is not predetermined. 00:50:50.120 --> 00:50:54.120 I think it's in what he said: that we have 00:50:54.120 --> 00:50:57.960 to be the architects of our own future. 00:50:57.960 --> 00:51:00.960 And I think that's fundamental. 00:51:00.960 --> 00:51:04.960 And if I had to choose one final word for young people with 00:51:04.960 --> 00:51:08.120 a success factor, I believe it is courage, 00:51:08.120 --> 00:51:11.120 which is not among the cardinal virtues. 00:51:11.120 --> 00:51:15.120 But Aristotle said that what should be most important of all is that 00:51:15.120 --> 00:51:19.080 balance between recklessness and cowardice, which is doing what needs to 00:51:19.080 --> 00:51:21.080 be done when it needs to be done. 00:51:21.080 --> 00:51:24.880 In any case, the future depends on us. 00:51:25.160 --> 00:51:26.240 Thanks a lot. 00:51:26.240 --> 00:51:28.680 It has been an immense honor. 00:51:28.680 --> 00:51:32.680 And well, since there have been some emotional moments, 00:51:32.680 --> 00:51:36.680 I'm going to take advantage of it too, and following 00:51:36.680 --> 00:51:40.680 the last speaker, I remember my parents who back in my 00:51:40.680 --> 00:51:44.680 village in Galicia, my mother was orphaned at 18 months 00:51:44.680 --> 00:51:48.680 old and my father was orphaned at three years old and 00:51:48.680 --> 00:51:51.720 they took care of their destiny. 00:51:52.000 --> 00:51:52.760 I'm sorry. 00:51:52.760 --> 00:51:55.760 Thank you. 00:52:30.880 --> 00:52:34.880 Your Excellencies, President of the Assembly of Madrid, Dear Enrique, 00:52:34.880 --> 00:52:39.640 Vice-Minister of Universities, Research and Science of the Community of Madrid. 00:52:39.640 --> 00:52:43.560 Dear Medina, Presidents of Social Councils. 00:52:45.760 --> 00:52:47.280 Rector of the University of Juan Carlos. 00:52:47.280 --> 00:52:48.440 Dear Javier. 00:52:48.440 --> 00:52:50.240 Civil academic authorities. 00:52:50.240 --> 00:52:52.160 Members of the Social Council. 00:52:52.160 --> 00:52:55.160 Dear Amancio, dear university community. 00:52:55.360 --> 00:52:59.360 Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas, a day that 00:52:59.360 --> 00:53:02.680 invites us to reflect on the University and the role it 00:53:02.680 --> 00:53:05.680 plays as an institution of service to our society. 00:53:05.960 --> 00:53:09.000 Although this celebration was planned for last January. 00:53:09.040 --> 00:53:11.720 Weather conditions led to its postponement. 00:53:11.720 --> 00:53:14.600 Today we resume this event with the same enthusiasm and the same institutional 00:53:14.600 --> 00:53:16.080 purpose. 00:53:16.120 --> 00:53:20.120 A day when the university looks at itself, becomes aware of its 00:53:20.120 --> 00:53:23.960 legacy and its present, but also, why not say it, of its future. 00:53:24.000 --> 00:53:26.280 We celebrate who we are. 00:53:26.280 --> 00:53:30.200 The university is not only a space for academic training, it is an engine of 00:53:30.200 --> 00:53:32.200 social and economic transformation. 00:53:32.200 --> 00:53:36.200 As discussed in numerous studies on the impact of universities, and 00:53:36.200 --> 00:53:39.200 primarily based on input-output methodologies. 00:53:39.520 --> 00:53:43.520 The university can contribute around 4% of a region's Gross Domestic 00:53:43.520 --> 00:53:46.960 Product, generating wealth and energizing sectors. 00:53:47.160 --> 00:53:51.160 Furthermore, through its research activity on knowledge 00:53:51.160 --> 00:53:55.000 transfer, it promotes innovation, which is a key product for the well-being of 00:53:55.000 --> 00:53:56.920 citizens. 00:53:57.080 --> 00:53:58.840 And they confirm an essential piece of evidence. 00:53:58.840 --> 00:54:02.840 Investing in the university is investing in the prosperity of the region. 00:54:03.080 --> 00:54:06.480 On a day like today, dedicated to Saint Thomas Aquinas. 00:54:06.520 --> 00:54:10.520 It is worth remembering that institutions, like people, are 00:54:10.520 --> 00:54:13.880 genealogical beings, built from memory and history. 00:54:14.200 --> 00:54:16.480 Nothing that we are today comes from nothing. 00:54:16.480 --> 00:54:20.040 We received a legacy from those who came before us in their 00:54:20.040 --> 00:54:23.040 work, and we will subsequently improve upon it. 00:54:23.040 --> 00:54:27.040 At the same time, we are called to transmit our entire legacy 00:54:27.040 --> 00:54:31.520 to future generations in a more innovative and committed way. 00:54:31.520 --> 00:54:35.240 Saint Thomas taught us that knowledge is always a dialogue between 00:54:35.240 --> 00:54:38.240 what we receive and what we are able to discover. 00:54:38.400 --> 00:54:41.440 And that is precisely what this act symbolizes: a 00:54:41.440 --> 00:54:44.440 celebration of our history and a commitment to our future. 00:54:44.440 --> 00:54:48.440 A tribute to those who have given their best to build and 00:54:48.440 --> 00:54:52.280 strengthen this institution and an invitation to continue improving it 00:54:52.280 --> 00:54:54.200 together. 00:54:55.200 --> 00:54:59.200 In that spirit of recognition and gratitude, today we pay tribute to those 00:54:59.200 --> 00:55:02.800 who are part of that genealogical lineage I mentioned earlier that is the lifeblood 00:55:02.800 --> 00:55:04.600 of our University. 00:55:04.880 --> 00:55:08.880 And let me begin with a very special thank you to Mr. Amancio López 00:55:08.880 --> 00:55:12.880 Seijas, who today receives the University's Medal of Honor after 00:55:12.880 --> 00:55:16.840 having served with extraordinary dedication as president of our Social 00:55:16.840 --> 00:55:18.840 Council for more than eight years. 00:55:18.880 --> 00:55:22.880 Amancio's figure exemplifies, as he has demonstrated in his 00:55:22.880 --> 00:55:26.600 speech, the values ​​we want to transmit to our students. 00:55:26.640 --> 00:55:30.640 His career reminds us that great business achievements do not 00:55:30.640 --> 00:55:34.200 arise by chance, but are built on solid foundations. 00:55:34.240 --> 00:55:40.040 Values ​​such as effort, disciplined work, and the ability to adapt to change. 00:55:40.320 --> 00:55:44.320 His example shows us, with a well-understood ambition, that unity, 00:55:44.320 --> 00:55:48.320 perseverance, and a strategic vision capable of anticipating 00:55:48.320 --> 00:55:51.200 opportunities can transform modest projects into initiatives with global 00:55:51.200 --> 00:55:52.640 impact. 00:55:53.000 --> 00:55:56.120 And it also teaches us something that for me is more important than commitment to 00:55:56.120 --> 00:55:57.680 an institution. 00:55:57.680 --> 00:56:01.200 It is not only demonstrated in easy times, but especially when difficult 00:56:01.200 --> 00:56:03.000 times arrive. 00:56:03.360 --> 00:56:05.040 As president of the Social Council. 00:56:05.040 --> 00:56:09.040 I lived through a particularly demanding period for our university and far from 00:56:09.040 --> 00:56:12.960 stepping aside or looking the other way, it remained at the forefront with 00:56:12.960 --> 00:56:14.920 responsibility and institutional loyalty. 00:56:14.960 --> 00:56:18.960 That is the way to exercise your responsibility with dedication and 00:56:18.960 --> 00:56:22.720 integrity, and it is undoubtedly one of the most valuable lessons you leave in 00:56:22.720 --> 00:56:24.600 our university community. 00:56:24.960 --> 00:56:27.960 For all these reasons, the gold medal we are awarding you 00:56:27.960 --> 00:56:30.960 symbolizes our deepest and most sincere appreciation. 00:56:31.000 --> 00:56:34.280 Amancio, for your commitment to this university, today we want to express our 00:56:34.280 --> 00:56:35.920 gratitude. 00:56:35.920 --> 00:56:39.920 Similarly, we extend our recognition to the teaching and research staff and 00:56:39.920 --> 00:56:43.840 to the technical, management, administration and service staff who have 00:56:43.840 --> 00:56:46.840 received the medals of honor and merit, respectively. 00:56:46.920 --> 00:56:50.400 These medals are a formal expression of our regard. 00:56:50.480 --> 00:56:53.840 Thank you for putting your work and effort at the service of this 00:56:53.840 --> 00:56:56.840 great project that is the Rey Juan Carlos University. 00:56:57.080 --> 00:57:00.560 We also especially remember those who are no longer with us. 00:57:00.600 --> 00:57:04.200 Their memory will forever remain in this university institution that they also 00:57:04.200 --> 00:57:06.000 helped to build. 00:57:06.000 --> 00:57:10.000 I've added a personal note here, but seeing as I might not be able 00:57:10.000 --> 00:57:13.040 to contain my emotion, I prefer not to do it because 00:57:13.040 --> 00:57:16.040 it would leave me with about half of the speech. 00:57:17.760 --> 00:57:21.760 During this event we have listened to representatives from the various 00:57:21.760 --> 00:57:25.760 sectors that make up the Rey Juan Carlos University: professors, technical, 00:57:25.760 --> 00:57:29.720 management, and administrative staff, and our students, who in some way show a 00:57:29.720 --> 00:57:31.720 realistic image of who we are. 00:57:31.920 --> 00:57:35.920 His words make us proud to belong to this university, a university 00:57:35.920 --> 00:57:39.800 made up of men and women committed to progress and excellence, 00:57:39.800 --> 00:57:42.800 each from their own responsibility. 00:57:43.040 --> 00:57:47.520 And we are fully aware that institutions are built by people. 00:57:47.520 --> 00:57:51.520 Therefore, in this solemn ceremony, we wish to pay just and deserved 00:57:51.520 --> 00:57:56.120 recognition to those who make every achievement of our University possible. 00:57:56.200 --> 00:58:00.200 On the one hand, the teaching and research staff whose passion for teaching 00:58:00.200 --> 00:58:04.200 fosters and inspires our students with the desire to learn and improve, and 00:58:04.200 --> 00:58:07.000 on the other hand, our technical management, administration and services 00:58:07.000 --> 00:58:08.440 staff. 00:58:08.480 --> 00:58:12.480 It is the backbone, the mechanism that makes this university 00:58:12.480 --> 00:58:16.480 function, on which all the organization's activity rests, and 00:58:16.480 --> 00:58:20.880 without its dedication it would be impossible to open the doors every day. 00:58:20.920 --> 00:58:24.640 And of course, our students, who are the center of university life, our common 00:58:24.640 --> 00:58:26.520 reason for being and diversity. 00:58:26.560 --> 00:58:30.560 They represent the new generations who will somehow have to 00:58:30.560 --> 00:58:35.080 drive the changes for that imminent future that is coming to all of you. 00:58:35.080 --> 00:58:39.080 Thank you because with your work, your commitment and also your 00:58:39.080 --> 00:58:42.480 enthusiasm, you give meaning to this institution. 00:58:42.520 --> 00:58:44.800 And you make sure that the Rey Juan Carlos University continues to move 00:58:44.800 --> 00:58:45.960 forward strongly. 00:58:46.640 --> 00:58:49.720 We are a university deeply connected to its environment. 00:58:49.760 --> 00:58:53.760 We are part of the life of our cities and thousands of families trust us 00:58:53.760 --> 00:58:57.800 every year to send us their most precious gift: their sons and daughters. 00:58:57.840 --> 00:59:00.480 That is why it is difficult to accept, being the second largest university in 00:59:00.480 --> 00:59:01.840 the Community 00:59:01.840 --> 00:59:04.480 of Madrid in terms of student enrollment, that we continue to be the worst funded 00:59:04.480 --> 00:59:05.840 university 00:59:05.840 --> 00:59:08.880 in Spain, relatively far from the average of the community and quite far from the 00:59:08.880 --> 00:59:10.440 rest of the country. 00:59:10.440 --> 00:59:13.600 Even so, we want to look to the future with confidence. 00:59:13.640 --> 00:59:17.640 We know that the government of the Community of Madrid is aware 00:59:17.640 --> 00:59:21.720 of this reality and we are working to finalize a new funding model. 00:59:21.760 --> 00:59:25.760 We trust that this joint effort will soon translate into funding 00:59:25.760 --> 00:59:29.680 more in line with the true weight of our university and the service we provide to 00:59:29.680 --> 00:59:31.640 the region. 00:59:31.800 --> 00:59:35.040 Because in the end, what we're talking about behind budgets is people and 00:59:35.040 --> 00:59:36.680 equity. 00:59:36.680 --> 00:59:40.680 We are talking about guaranteeing opportunities for our 00:59:40.680 --> 00:59:44.680 students and recognizing our staff, ensuring that their 00:59:44.680 --> 00:59:48.680 opportunities do not depend on which public university they 00:59:48.680 --> 00:59:52.920 work at, and making this commitment credible and sustainable over time. 00:59:52.960 --> 00:59:56.960 Of course, rigorous accountability is essential, and that 00:59:56.960 --> 01:00:00.960 is why at our university we evaluate everything we do and 01:00:00.960 --> 01:00:03.960 transparently show the results of what we do. 01:00:04.200 --> 01:00:08.360 We will remain firmly committed to transparent and participatory management. 01:00:08.360 --> 01:00:12.360 In this regard, the year 2026 can be considered 01:00:12.360 --> 01:00:16.360 a crucial year for the future of our university, 01:00:16.360 --> 01:00:20.120 as two quite important events could occur. 01:00:20.160 --> 01:00:24.160 On the one hand, the proposal for a new strategic plan or ERC 2031, 01:00:24.160 --> 01:00:28.160 which naturally has to be linked to the funding model in order to 01:00:28.160 --> 01:00:32.160 develop it, and on the other hand, the approval of the new statutes, 01:00:32.160 --> 01:00:36.160 which is required in some way by the Organic Law of the University 01:00:36.160 --> 01:00:40.040 System, which we will be discussing in this same auditorium in just over 24 01:00:40.040 --> 01:00:42.000 hours. 01:00:42.040 --> 01:00:45.040 With the debate on the proposed new statutes. 01:00:45.640 --> 01:00:49.640 We are facing an exceptional opportunity to unite the entire university 01:00:49.640 --> 01:00:53.640 community with the city councils, with companies, with civil society, 01:00:53.640 --> 01:00:57.640 around a project that will relaunch what the Rey Juan Carlos University is 01:00:57.640 --> 01:01:01.640 as an international benchmark, both in educational quality and in impact 01:01:01.640 --> 01:01:05.640 and improvement of the well-being and competitiveness of the region, in a 01:01:05.640 --> 01:01:08.600 very special way in relation to the municipalities of the southeast, 01:01:08.600 --> 01:01:11.600 southwest and south of the Community of Madrid. 01:01:11.840 --> 01:01:16.440 Choosing Rey Juan Carlos University is worthwhile without putting anyone down. 01:01:16.440 --> 01:01:20.440 And if I may be immodest, I don't believe there is any higher education institution 01:01:20.440 --> 01:01:24.440 in Spain that has the development potential and the willingness to commit 01:01:24.440 --> 01:01:28.120 that our university possesses with the support and understanding of the regional 01:01:28.120 --> 01:01:29.960 administration. 01:01:30.040 --> 01:01:34.040 We are all ready to demonstrate this because Rey Juan Carlos University 01:01:34.040 --> 01:01:38.040 deserves to be treated as a great university, a great university that 01:01:38.040 --> 01:01:42.040 the inhabitants of the municipalities in which we exert our influence 01:01:42.040 --> 01:01:46.040 deserve. Internationalization, research, quality teaching and 01:01:46.040 --> 01:01:51.280 commitment to our environment are pillars that will continue to guide our actions. 01:01:51.280 --> 01:01:55.280 But I will never tire of saying that above all, it is the people 01:01:55.280 --> 01:01:59.280 who give meaning to these principles, who preserve the tradition 01:01:59.280 --> 01:02:03.160 that has brought us here, and who drive innovation, which will 01:02:03.160 --> 01:02:06.160 allow us to adapt to the pace of the times. 01:02:06.520 --> 01:02:09.160 Let's continue working together to make this university a place where education 01:02:09.160 --> 01:02:10.520 is 01:02:10.520 --> 01:02:13.480 always a tool for freedom, well-being, and equality. Thank you very much for 01:02:13.480 --> 01:02:15.000 your attention. 01:02:29.240 --> 01:02:35.120 To conclude the event, I invite you to stand and sing Gaudeamus Igitur. 01:04:44.280 --> 01:04:45.320 The session is adjourned.