On 15 June 1983, under the mandate of the President of the University of Valencia, Joaquín Colomer and thanks to the initial suppor of lawyer Joaquín Maldonado, the General Foundation of the Universitat de València was constituted. The new institution was born with the core mission of fulfilling the goals of the University of Valencia and transmitting its academic, research and cultural activity to the university community and Valencian society.
Since then, this has been the base on which the Statutes of the UV General Foundation are established and from which the Foundation supports the promotion of training and cultural activities and participates in the management of strategic university services, such as guidance and employment, disability and early care services, Alumni programs and the incorporation of the UV through the Futura project.
Currently and in the year of its 40th anniversary, General Foundation of the University of Valencia is working with a technical team formed by over a hundred members, under the directives of the Patronage made up of 18 patrons and led by manager Cristóbal Suria, in order to respond to the management mandate given by the University.
Since 1983, there have been six prseidents of the Patronage:Joaquín Colomer (1983-1984), Ramon Lapiedra (1984-1994), Pedro Ruiz (1994-2002), Francisco Tomás (2002-2010), Esteban Morcillo (2010-2018), and Maria Vicenta Mestre (2018-actualidad). In the roll of Executive Vice-President have been the vice-chancellors: Antoni Tordera, Juli Peretó, José Manuel Rodrigo, Rafael Gil, Josep Lluís Sirera, Silvia Barona, Antonio Ariño and Ester Alba.
In the current words of the executive vice-president and vice-chancellor of Culture and Society, Ester Alba, with this 40th anniversary “we celebrate 40 years of university culture, employability, training, solidarity and service with a clear directive aimed towards both the university community and the Valencian society as a whole. Close to 100 people work every day in the General Foundation serving as a bridge between the University of Valencia and the Valencian society in the transfer of knowledge, cultural outreach and social inclusion.”
In the present:
In 2023, the General Foundation of the University of Valencia is adding different responsible initiatives lead by the university teaching staff, to its technical management units, grouped according to the object of management.
Thus, in the area of Culture and Training, you can find the following areas or units: Musical Activities, responsible for the management of the University of Valencia Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orfeó Universitari de València (University of Valencia Choir), La Nau Choral School, La Nau Gran Choral Club and la Colla de Dolçaines i Percussió; Martínez Guerricabeitia Collection and Actividades Expositivas, promoting visual arts and exhibition projects; the Cultural Observatory; University Cultural Heritage, organising university heritage cataloguing and restauration programmes; Performance Arts, organising the performances for the University theatre group, ASSAIG, and the University of Valencia Dance Group, as well as creating the regular programming for the UV Performing Arts Club; the Escena Erasmus European theatre project; el Cinema Club, responsible for the organisation and management film series and festivals; el Cultural Volunteering, for university and citizen participation; and UVgandia, the University of Valencia centre in the comarca (local government area) of Safor that this year will also celebrate the 40th anniversary of Universitat d’Estiu (Summer University).
On the other hand, university services are provided by the Fundació for guidance and employment through UVocupació; Alumni UV; La Tenda de la Universitat; Incorporación a la Universitat with the Futura project; the Digital Library; and the University Summer School, with the management and organisation of La Nau Menuda and La Nau Jove; but also those who work for the inclusion of all people in university life and society as a whole like UVdiscapacitat, through the Unit for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities of the University of Valencia; and the Centre Universitari de Diagnòstic i Atenció Primerenca (University Centre for Diagnosis and Primary Care), set up in 2006 through a collaboration agreement between the University and the Department of Social Welfare, for the detection of cognitive disorders in children.
Lastly, there is the management of three documentary centres connecting the training, cultural and solidarity activities of the Foundation: the Arxiu Valencià del Disseny (Valencian Archive of Design), initiative of the Universitat de València and the Escola Superior de Disseny de València, created in 2018.; el Cooperation Documentation Centre, InfoSud; and the European Documentation Centre UV, integrated into the network of European documentation centres to which the documentation centres of the 27 EU member states belong.
