The rector of the University of Valencia, Esteban Morcillo, has demanded the revision of the ‘exceptional and relevant measures’ that the government applied to universities as a consequence of the crisis. Specially, the rise of taxes, the scholarship policies and the modifying of teacher’s and administration worker’s labor conditions. The Rector’s words were heard Friday September 12 in the official opening of the 2014-2015 school year, which took place in La Nau. During the session, the institution’s Medal was awarded to the oncologist Ana Lluch.
During his intervention, the rector anticipated that the school year 2014-2015 ‘will not be just one more year’. ‘Various recent events and the academic changes expected within the next few months will mark the future of university life. The opening of a school year that, comes –once more- turbid by the general discomfort of the university community and which cannot be dissociated from the difficult economic and social circumstances we currently live in’. Esteban Morcillo highlighted that: ‘A new academic year begins framed on the complex economic and social crisis, a reality with a huge influence on university life’. To summarize ‘I refer to the impact of cuts in wages and services and the change of the system for teaching, measures which have been completely rejected by the public university system in Valencia and by the Platform in Defense of Public University. The measures were presented as exceptional and relevant and that would have to be revised, just as the CRUE recently highlighted. And very specifically regarding to the substantial rise of taxes and the substantive changes in the system of scholarships by the ministry’.
Afterwards, the rector referred to the impact of the cuts in the research activities in short, medium and long term which put to risk ‘the important development experienced by our scientific system within the last decades and, additionally, it places our future researchers in a precarious situation which leads to scientific emigration and to the system’s indifference, loss of talents and deficit to configure a future society intensive in knowledge’.
The rector’s speech can be fully read here: http://links.uv.es/1g5Cwj2
The session started with the reading of a summary of the Report on the 2014-2014 school year by the University’s general secretary, Maria Jose Añon. According to the data presented, there are 3,561 places for teaching and research staff, 1,628 job positions for administration and service personnel and 52,265 students enrolled in first and second cycle. The graduate studies were coursed by 43,397 students. Additionally, 4.919 opted for the Master’s degrees studies. In addition, 3,949 enrolled in doctoral studies.
Almost 2,000 students from the Univeristy of Valencia enjoyed mobility and exchange programmes. Out of these, the number of incoming Erasmus students was 1,710 and the outgoing ones of 1460. The Univeristy of Valencia continues this way being the second European university in the reception of Erasmus students.
The school year’s report can be read clicking here
The Master Class read by Doctor Lluch was entitled ‘Nuevos retos en el tratamiento y la investigacion sobre el cancer’ (New challenges in the treatement and research of cancer’. Within the lecture, she remarked that the fight against cancer ‘cannot be easy or comparable to other regular medical problems: a fight against our own cells cannot be anything but a nightmare’. And added: ‘this nightmare can only be combated with a tool: Knowledge. The perfect antidote against this illness is no other by knowing its weakest points to battle it with success. This knowledge can be extracted mainly from the study and research offered by the universities’.
Doctor Lluch followed her intervention with a historical review on scientific and therapeutic advances in the treatment of cancer, and she mentioned proposals to improve the existing therapies. Among the conclusions of the Lecture she affirmed that: ‘the treatments to apply to the different patients must be preceded by correct and verified information, being the only way to respect their rights and dignity. The patient must be able to decide with total autonomy, without pressure and with sufficient knowledge on its sickness, keeping hence his/her rights and dignity as a person.
The full text on the Master Class can be found at: http://links.uv.es/k0KdBos
The full-university professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Juan Viña delivered the ‘laudatio’ on Ana Lluch. Viña summarized the qualities and work of doctor Lluch: ‘the fight against breast cancer, a vocation for serving society through public medicine and a respect for the patients and their surroundings, which allows them to face their problem with a decisive winning attitude against the illness’. He also manifested that: ‘our oncologist has all the fundamental qualities of great doctors: basic preparation, excellence, dedication, imagination, intelligence and great passion to acknowledge living being’s operational mechanisms and their pathological processes’.
Juan Viña’s intervention is found in the following link: http://links.uv.es/bbLHO3g
A wide group representing the university community and the civil society attended the session. The general director of the University, High Studies and Science of the Valencia’s Government, Felipe Palau, participated in the sessions, moment in which some of the attenders showed reclaiming signs.
Previously, at the doors of La Nay a group of people from the university community gathered to protest against the cuts and the dismantling of the public system of high education. Within the Paraninfo, the president of the General Assembly of Students in the University, Jordi Caparros, read a communiqué elaborated by the Platform for the Defense of Public University. Within the manifest, the central and autonomic governments were criticized due to the cuts; these cuts have led to a ‘devastated scenery’ in high education. The manifest was specially critic against the tax and internship policies that have provoked ‘the eviction of the public system’ of many students. Finally, the privileges of private universities were criticized.
The manifest can be read clicking here.
On Ana Lluch
Ana Lluch (Valencia, 1949) is full university professor of Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry of the University of Valencia and director of the Hematology and Oncology Service of the Hospital Clinico Universitario.
Specialized in breast cancer, she pursues a deep knowledge ad a molecular level of this illness in order to be able to offer her patients a personalized treatment.
Graduate and doctorate in Medicine by the University of Valencia, she obtained the extraordinary award of the doctorate. She has been an invited researcher in prestigious international centers such as the Instituto per lo Studio e la Cra dei Tumori (Milán, Italia) and in the MD Anderson Cancer Center (Huston, United States).
Main researcher in 10 projects of the Fondo de Investigacion Sanitaria del Insituto de Salud Carlos III, she has also collaborated in other 16 competitive research projects. She is the author of over 200 articles in national and international magazines and she has directed over 20 doctoral theses.
Doctor Lluch is academic of number at the Reial Academia de Medicina I Ciencies de la Comunitat Valencia and member, among other, of the Sociedad Española de Oncologia Medica, the European Society for Medical Oncology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Evaluator and member of the editorial committee of various scientific magazines and committees related to breast cancer, she has been vice president of the Spanish Society of Senology.
She has been awarded with many prizes, among others the award Isabel Ferrer from the Valencian Department of Social Welfare, the price Health and Society of the Health Department and the High Distinction of the Valencian Government for Scientific Merit.
Last update: 10 de september de 2014 07:00.
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