The Universitat de València takes the 15th Meeting of University Advocacy and European Ombudsman Offices of Vives Network

The Universitat de València has taken the 15th Meeting Vives Forum of University Advocacy and Ombuds Officer of the Vives Network of the Universities. The meeting reflected on data protection in the universities, and the challenge of Artificial Intelligence and institutional transparency. The inaugural act, in the Rector Peset Hall of Residence, counted with the intervention of the Dean, María Vicenta Mestre Escrivà, the director of the Institute of Human Rights of the UV, and of the ombuds officer, Belén Cardona Rubert.

The workshop has been the continuation of a previous meeting, celebrated on the University of Andorra (UdA) the last course, were the impact of Artificial Intelligence in University education, their challenges and opportunities the tool offers to the future University system were analysed. On this occasion, the Vives Forum has tackled the relevance of transparency and the good governance in the universities, as well as data protection.

«I want to express my most sincere thanks, also in the name of the General Council of the Vives Network, for your dedication and compromise in the defense of fundamental rights inside our universities», affirmed the Dean. At the same time, she defined the meeting as «a privileged opportunity to tackel with rigour and clarity the challenges that transparency and good governance».

During the first day, the participants assisted to the inaugural conference about transparency and good governance in the institutions, under the charge of José Luis Rodríguez Álvarez, president of the Spanish Council of Transparency and Good Governance. The second workshop started with the panel discussion «Transparency and advertisements in the universities», with the participation of Manuel Alcaraz Ramos, professor of Constitutional Law and the University of Alacant and exminister of Transparency, Social Responsibility, Participation and Cooperation of the Valencian government, and of María Elena Olmos Ortega, general manager of the UV. The session was moderated by Isabel de Salas Nestares, university defendant of the Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera.

The last panel discussion, titled «The protection of data in the universities: the challenge of artificial intelligence», counted with the interventions of Borja Adsuara Varela, lawyer and consultor expert on law and public matters, and of Javier Plaza Penadés, delegate of Data Protection of the Universitat de València and full-time university professor of Civil Law. Teresa Sancho Vinuesa, ombuds officer of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, moderated the session.

The act concluded with the words of Lluís Caballol i Angelats, ombuds officer of the University of Barcelona and president of the Conferencia Estatal de Defensorías Universitarias (CEDU), and of Belén Cardona Rubert, ombuds officer in the host university.

In addition, the meeting was also useful to get to know the historic and cultural heritage of the city of Valencia, with guided tours and a route through the old town, were the most relevant points of interest of the urban nucleus can be found.

The Ombuds Officer and university advocacies are the organs with the job of safeguard the respect for rights and liberties of the members of the university community, as well as the well functioning of activities and services of the universities. The Vives Network of Universities organises annually and on a rotating basis this date with the goal of creating collaboration synergies, share information and good practices among their representatives.