The UB University Senate is formed
Last May 10, the elections at the UB University Senate took place. Yesterday, Wednesday July 4, in an ordinary session, the Senate was constituted with the renewal of its members and formation of the Board.
Last May 10, the elections at the UB University Senate took place. Yesterday, Wednesday July 4, in an ordinary session, the Senate was constituted with the renewal of its members and formation of the Board.
Going through the agenda, the Board of the Senate was chosen first, and has been constituted by its two primary members -the rector, who presides it, and the secretary-general, as secretary of the Board-, and Xavier Pons, as the representative of PDI; M. Rosa Bayà, representative of PAS, and Jordi Aumatell, from the student collective.
The Rectorʼs report
Afterwards, the rector, Joan Elias, read his report, which he started with regarding the field of teaching. Here, he guaranteed the University is under a process of change and adaptation, and highlighted the need of reviewing the current education offering to adapt it to societyʼs reality. Also, he noted that “in order to offer a quality education, our academic staff has to have the best tools for the teaching tasks”. He also mentioned the plan on objectives in the field of students and said it is under a review and update process. He talked about the grant policy and the need to improve the management of external internships in institutions and companies.
Regarding the academic staff, rector Elias said there are three strategic lines: defining the academic career according to the evaluation of teaching, research and management, reducing the level of temporality and partial dedication regarding the structural needs, and the generational shift regarding the lack and needs in the departments. The rector mentioned the need of a plan that includes the projects that are carried out regarding the PDI.
On organization and economic resources, Elias noted the goal for 2018 is to create the organizational framework for the faculties. He also mentioned that the strategic lines are increasing the UB funds and setting an economic policy based on efficiency and equity criteria, within which the funding model of the departments has been reinforced. The rector dedicated part of his speech to the PAS policy, of which he has highlighted two fundamental objectives: developing a staff stabilization plan and promoting the best practices in hiring staff.
The strategic importance of transfer and entrepreneurship was specified, according to the rector, in the creation of the new Vice-Rectorʼs Office of Entrepreneurship, Transfer and Innovation, for which four objectives have been set: creation of an entrepreneurship plan, analysis and reformulation of the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation, the qualitative improvement of knowledge transfer, and last, the programs on advanced research in the limits of transfer.
Joan Elias finished his speech asking for “a policy that specifies a support strategy for universities so that we can get what society wants, competitiveness and quality”.
Lluís Caballol, appointed UB ombudsman
Most of the interventions asked for policies that guarantee effective equality between men and women, and a higher involvement of the University of Barcelona in the political situation of the country, its institutions and representatives, aiming for the UB to lead the fight for its rights. They also asked for returning the purchasing power of Pas and the Social action plan, which were cut in 2012.
Afterwards, the acting ombudsman Lluís Caballol was appointed as the UB ombudsman, and people voted for the twenty representatives of the Senate in the Governing Council. Once the vote ended, the secretary-general announced the results and the different representatives, who are distributed, according to the Regulation, in the following way: 10 members of the permanent doctoral staff, 2 members of teaching and research staff, 2 PAS members PAS, and 6 members from the student collective.