The event took place in the Palau de la Generalitat on the Nou d’Octubre, during the traditional honouring event to those people and entities that have been significant in the Valencian society during these past months. The Valencian Government points out Alborch’s “impeccable career” and brings back that she was the first woman to become dean of the Faculty of Law in the Universitat de València and the first Valencian Minister of Culture (1993-1996).

It also points out that Mavi Mestre is the first woman that has become principal of the Universitat de València in the over 500 years of the institution. Eva Alcón, principal of the UJI; the tennis players David Ferrer and Anabel Medina; and the Jutjat Privatiu d’Aigües d’Oriola, will also be honoured. Isabel Morant has been distinguished due to her writing work.

Carmen Alborch

Carmen Alborch Bataller (Castelló de Rugat, 1947) is a graduate and doctorate in Law, and received a PhD special prize.  She was a trainee, pre-tenured and tenured lecturer in the Department of Mercantil Law “Manuel Broseta Pont” of the Universitat de València.

She was head of the Department, dean of the Faculty of Law in the Universitat de València, and precursor of the woman participation in the university management.

As public manager, she is known for being head of Culture and head of the Cultural Institutes of the Generalitat Valenciana, managing director of the Valencian Institute for Performing Arts, Cinematography and Music, and subsequently of the Valencian Institute for Modern Art until her appointment as Minister of Culture.

She was the spokeswoman of the PSOE’s municipal group in the City Council of Valencia, and member of the Spanish Parliament and Senate for Valencia. She also was head of the control committee of the RTVE (the Spanish Public Television) and the Committee for Woman Rights and Equal Opportunities.

She is trustee of the Montemadrid and Bancaixa foundations and honour trustee of the Teatro Real (Royal Theatre), member of the committee for the Museo del Prado’s foundation bicentenary and head of the Consell Nacional d’Igualtat of the PSOE’s Valencian regional group.

Apart from her academic publications, she has developed a significant literary activity, publishing novels such as ‘Solas’ (‘Women Alone’ in English), translated into some languages with more than 50 editions, and ‘Malas’ (‘Bad Women’ in English), honoured with the Valencian Literary Critic Award. She also published ‘Libres’, ‘La Ciudad y la Vida’ and ‘Los placeres de la edad’.

She has also been honoured for her role in the struggle for gender equality and has been awarded in the field of arts. These are found among some other awards such as the Isabel Ferrer Award of the Generalitat Valenciana; the distinctions of the Offcier dans l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres, of the French Government; the Cruz de Honor de San Raimundo de Peñafort; the Gran Cruz de Carlos III; and the Gran Cruz de la Orden del Mérito Civil.

Mavi Mestre

Mavi Mestre was born in Oliva. She is full professor of Basic Psychology in the Universitat de València. She graduated in Philosophy and Educational Sciences, in the specialisations of Psychology and Educational Sciences. She was awarded with the national award for the best intern and the special award of degree. She got her PhD in Psychology and received the special award of PhD.

She specialised in fields such as teenagers in social risk and families, part of her field of study which allows her to teach in undergraduate and postgraduate studies in the Universitat de València and other Spanish and foreign universities. Her educational activity has been honoured with six five-yearly increments.

Her scientific activity focuses on social inclusion and life quality in young people and teenagers. As director of a research group, she has been the principal researcher within competitive projects. Among these, the PROMETEO project with the Universitat de València and the CONICET of Buenos Aires must be highlighted, and the current PROMETEO project on ‘Social-emotional and personal competencies to prevent maladaptive behaviour’. She is author of more than 160 articles in national and international journals, 23 books and 49 book chapters. She has been thesis supervisor of 16 theses. She is member of the International Association of Applied Psychology, of the Interamerican Society of Psychology. She is also member of the management board in the Spanish Society for the study of Anxiety and Stress and the Spanish Society for the History of Psychology. Her research has been awarded with six six-yearly increments of research.

She was department secretary, dean of the Faculty of Psychology, vice-principal for Studies and vice-principal for Academic Regulations, Teaching Staff and Sustainability of the Universitat de València. On 6 March 2018, she was elected principal of the Universitat de València. Her appointment is in the Act 41/2018, on April 6, of the Consell de la Generalitat Valenciana (10 April 2018 DOGV).

Isabel Morant

Isabel Morant Deusa (Almoines, 1947) is a significant fighter for gender equality and a pioneer woman in university management. Graduate in Geography and History at the Universitat de València, she was awarded with the best thesis prize in the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, where she got her PhD, with an extraordinary award.

She went through every teaching level of the Department of Early Modern History in the Universitat de València: research grantholder, trainee lecturer, lecturer, hired pre-tenured lecturer, and full professor until her retirement.

She has made academic stays in the libraries Margerithe Durand and Nationale de France, and in the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Pioneer in woman involvement in university management, she was the first woman to become vice-principal of the Universitat de València, and the first woman to be head of the Universitat d’Estiu of the Universitat de Valpencia in Gandia.

Director of the Feminismos collection of Cátedra publishers, the Instituto de la Mujer and the Universitat de València, she was awarded with the Igualdad del Conocimiento Award by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology.