Date of appointment: 23 july 2024.
By proposal of: The Rector of the University of Valencia, Prof.ª Dra. María Vicenta Mestre Escrivá..
Date of investiture: 11 november 2024.
Sponsor: Gabriel Torres.
Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, 9 August 1978. Son of Arturo Villanueva Varela, investigator in the Universidad de Guadalajara, and Carmen Lomelí Cárdenas. Married to Araceli Alcaraz and father of Camila and Renata.
He is a lawyer and Law professor specialized in Justice Administration and Public Security by the Universidad de Guadalajara. Doctor in Education Technology by Universidad de Salamanca and Doctor Post-degree graduate of the Universidad de Nuevo México Training Program on Applied Research for Public Organizations Non-Profit, and Education Sectors.
Student leader from a young age and throughout his career, he has dedicated his life to public service. He has been a member of the City Council of Guadalajara, the Jalisco State Gorvenment and the Universidad de Guadalajara, the second largest education institution of Mexico.
He has supported policies of sustainable transport, education, quality of life and against inequity.
As Principal of University Centre of Tonalá, the campus was awarded as “Envirnmental Leader” by the Environment and Territory Development Department of Jalisco. He also lead the management for the ceation of a public hospital in one of the most needed áreas of the city.
As Principal of Universidad de Guadalajara since 1 April 2019, he has been working on the education infrastructure and tried to bring the public education closer to the younger generations. Under his management, 47 thousand new spaces in classrooms have been created, as well as 4 new university centres and 5 new high schools. Also, he made this institution the first of its country to have a 100% acceptance ratio from high school enrollments.
He has supported different actions regarding gender equality and he was the first Principal to march along the LGBTI community as a defender.
He was awarded with the State Prize for Innovation Science and Technology in November 2020 in the Science and Technology against COVID-19 category, for leading the university through the pandemic.
He knows well the importance of self-management of the Higher Education Institutions and supports it. He earned a constitutional Budget for economic Independence and enhancing the attention to upcoming generations.
He is president to the University Culture Centre of Universidad de Guadalajara, one of the most important cultural advancements in Mexico and a reference of culture exposure for the national universities.
In June 2019, the Jalisco State Congress awarded him for the Environmental Merit. He has been recognised as the best Principal of Mexico for the last two rankings in 2023 and 2024 for enhancing the quality of education, bettering the buildings and bringing Prestige to the institution.
He has partake in more tan 20 books and has had 38 publishments as well as been responsable for many investigation projects.
He has been working passionately as a professor in Universidad de Guadalajara for 20 years straigh.
