The University Senate is going to request the freezing of university fees by the Spanish and the Valencian Governments as it was passed yesterday, May 24th. It was also passed a document demanding the withdrawal of the Decree-Law 14/2012 and the beginning of a negotiation process with the Spanish Ministry for Education. The 2011 management report, the Strategic Plan 2012-2015, and the Operational Plan for 2013 presented by the Principal were adopted as well.
The document mentions the measures passed by the Government to rearrange the public university system. It claims for a ‘grants and internships policy which would not exclude the less priviledged students from the public university system.’
The whole document can be consulted clicking here.
The Senate, on the contrary, refused the document submitted by the BEA students, where a disobedience position was requested.
Moving to other issues, the University Senate passed the management report presented by the Principal, Esteban Morcillo, by a majority of 143 votes. There were 23 votes against and 2 blank votes.
During his intervention, the Principal summarized the economic and academic situation of the institution, and stressed, among other things, the Universitat’s position in the main international rankings, such as the Shangai’s or the Times Higher Education’s.
Esteban Morcillo asked the member of the Senate to maintain a sole position towards the measures of the Spanish and Valencian Government affecting the public university system, which one of the subjects dealt in the Senate’s meeting.
‘It is necessary to show the university community’s internal cohesion towards the situation we are living’, the Principal stated.
‘We have to be critic. This is written in our statutes’, he pointed out. ‘But we need to have institutional pride because the public university represents one of the values we have achieved as society.’
The Principal also explained the events that led the Spanish Conference of Principals (CRUE) to avoid attendance to the Universities Council and meet the Minister for Education, José Ignacio Wert.
‘We want to have a quality public university. We represent our university community and we cannot be treated with contempt. Thus, it was decided unanimously not to attend the meeting with the conviction of doing the right thing.’
The management report can be consuled here: http://www.uv.es/sapiencia/privado_sapiencia/institucional
The Senate approved the Operative Plan 2013 with 138 votes in favour. This plan is a guidance document on the general and budgetary policy for 2013 presented by the Vice-principal for Economy, Máximo Ferrando.
This document presents a very restrictive budget which would, as the Principal said, ‘totally freeze those budget items which can still be controlled.’ The Vice-principal analyzed the socio-economic scenario and discuss the estimate revenue and expenditure for next months, having into account the debt that the Valencian Generalitat has with Universitat de València.
Máximo Ferrando considered several economic possibilities for the immediate future. ‘There a very negative scenario with low income and high expenditure which would place us with a deficit beyond 8 million Euros; there is a more optimistic scenario, presenting a surplus of 15 million Euros. We are living economical uncertainty times which should not affect education. We believe in a quality public education and we work to support it.’
Clara Martínez, the Vice-principal for Sustainability and Infrastructures, presented the Universidad de València’s Strategic Plan at the Senate’s meeting.
A group of students gathers in front of the building where the Senate’s meeting was being held and asked the Universitat’s disobedience. The entered the hall for some minutes, but they left after disclosing their ideas.
Last update: 25 de may de 2012 08:33.
News release
