The Rector announces the launch of the Ethics Committee of the University of Barcelona
During his first governing council, the Rector of the University of Barcelona, Joan Elias, commented on the setting up of an Ethics Committee at the University of Barcelona, to be led by Norbert Bilbeny, professor of Ethics.
The objective of this committee is to create codes of good practices that gather values and principles to guide the actions of seniors and members of the university community. At first, their activity will be focused on the creation of a code for the seniors of the University of Barcelona, based on the one already applied at the Generalitat de Catalunya, and another one covering the electoral processes at the University of Barcelona.
During his first governing council, the Rector of the University of Barcelona, Joan Elias, commented on the setting up of an Ethics Committee at the University of Barcelona, to be led by Norbert Bilbeny, professor of Ethics.
The objective of this committee is to create codes of good practices that gather values and principles to guide the actions of seniors and members of the university community. At first, their activity will be focused on the creation of a code for the seniors of the University of Barcelona, based on the one already applied at the Generalitat de Catalunya, and another one covering the electoral processes at the University of Barcelona.
A new project for the Museum of the University of Barcelona
The Governing Council has cancelled the 135/2016 agreement of the Governing Council for the creation of the UB Museum and re-building the museum project under two basic criteria, quality and integration of all collections of the University of Barcelona. In six months, the Vice-Rector for Arts, Culture and Heritage will present a new proposal for the museum fulfilling all quality and integration requirements in front of the Governing Council.
The rector Elias commented on the structure reform of the University of Barcelona, and in particular, the proposal of creating a new Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. The Governing Council confirmed his proposal to create a study commission to analyze the coordination and cooperation between the faculties of this area, after confirming that the final memory of the new center for the management board -built last July 13, 2016 -was not written. This means unlocking electoral processes at the Board of the Faculty and renew, if necessary, the teams in the Deanʼs Office at the faculties of Geography and History, Faculty of Philology and Faculty of Philosophy.
Another change approved of by the Governing Council, with 35 votes in favour and 5 abstentions, was the re-organization of the departments at the Faculty of Law, which will go from the four approved departments (January 2016) to five proposed departments (May 2016). The new departments will be: Private Law; Administrative Law, Procedural Law and Financial and Tax Law, Constitutional Law, Political and Administration Sciences and Law Philosophy; Criminal Law and Criminology, and Public International Law and International Affairs, and History of Law, Roman Law and State Ecclesiastical Law.
Supporting Professor Aparicio
During his first report as rector in a Governing Council, Joan Elias explained the procedure followed by the University of Barcelona in the alleged case of plagiarism of a book by Professor and former Dean Miguel Ángel Aparicio, published by Publications and Editions of the UB. The required reports by the University of Barcelona state there is no doubt about the plagiarism, since Doctor Suárez Bilbao used 111 pages out of the 180 in the book by Doctor Aparicio to write his two studies, and the only entitled person to apply legal and civil actions is the author.
Elias also said that the governing team and management office are closing the budget for 2016 and preparing the one for 2017, and he said the University of Barcelona will pay homage to the victims of the bus accident in Freginals (March 2016) next March 20.
Last, the rector told that from now on, Governing Councils will be live streamed on UBtv so that the university community can follow them.