The Principal, Mavi Mestre, defended the proposed medal awards. In the case of Esteban Morcillo, the Principal highlighted his “implication and dedication” with the University during 8 years, with a “working and moderator disposition for the benefit of the institution”.

The Vice-Dean of Culture, Antonio Ariño, valued the merits of the director and theatre author José Sanchis Sinisterra and the Orquesta de Valencia, which celebrates its 75th anniversary.

Esteban Morcillo
He was born in Valencia in 1951. Esteban Morcillo spent his childhood and adolescence in Oliva. He is a professor of Pharmacology of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. He was chosen as Principal of the Universitat de València in the 2010 elections and was re-elected in 2014.

During his first term of office, the Universitat de València got the Campus of International Excellence recognition for its joint projects VLC/Campus and CAMPUSHABITAT5U. The institution obtained the Ability Award for best Spanish public organization in 2012, the CERMI Award for its inclusive-disability framework in 2013 and the best Erasmus Institution in Spain the same year.

Esteban Morcillo studied Medicine at the Universitat de València and obtained his degree in 1974. He obtained his doctorate in Medicine in 1976. Subsequently, he obtained a grant of the Fulbright Commission of the Ministry of Education. Therefore, he completed his studies in the United States and the United Kingdom at John Hopkins University (1977), the University of Michigan (1978) and the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, 1982-83).

As a researcher, he has confirmed six researching six-year-terms and six teaching five-year-terms. He is a full member of the Royal Academy of Medicine of the Valencian Community. He has carried out more than 150 publications in international magazines of his scientific speciality. His researching activity was recognised in 2001 with the Galien Award for Pharmacology Research.

Sanchis Sinisterra
José Sanchis Sinisterra (Valencia 1940) is a dramatist and theatre director. He started his studies in Philosophy and Letters at the Universidad de Valencia in 1957 and finished them in 1962. Then, he became assistant professor until 1967. Soon after he registered at the University, he directed the TEU of the faculty. The following course he was named director of the University District of Valencia and participated in several festivals. He also premiered his piece of theatre “Para algo mejor” and started his collaboration with the magazine Claustre.

In the 1959-1960 academic year, he created the Theatre Studie Group. It was a theatre group independent of the Phalangist Union. He will be leading the group until 1967. At the beginning of the 1960-1961 course, he founded the Theatre Society. It was linked to the chair of the professor Francisco Sánchez Castañer. He founded the Theatre Seminar the following year.

As a dramatist, he has more than 50 theatre pieces. Some titles should be highlighted such as “Las noches de Molly Bloom”, “Ñaque”, “¡Ay, Carmela!”, “El cerco de Leningrado”, “El lector por hora”s, “Sangre lunar” or El “lugar donde rezan las putas”. In addition, Sanchis has dedicated most of his career to open new places where he can experiment and teach new artists.

Along his career, he has received several awards such as the National Theatre Award Federico García Lorca, the National Dramatic Literature Award and the Max of Honour Award (SGAE Foundation).

Orquesta de Valencia

The Orquesta de Valencia was created by the City Hall of Valencia in 1943, so this year is the 75^th anniversary. It has been a constant in the European music scene and has performed in the most prestigious festivals and auditoriums in the world.

Thanks to its concerts, the orchestra has projected to the world the whole Valencian culture: Valencia as the cradle of musicians and our music, one of the most outstanding signs of identity in our land. La Orquesta dedicated an important part of its musical programme to the Valencian repertoire and presented habitually premieres of works by Valencian composers, always with the aim of spreading the excellence of our cultural heritage. In addition, the most distinguished Valencian soloists have performed with La Orquesta throughout their career. The function of promoting and disseminating Valencian music that has presided over the life of the Orquesta de Valencia throughout its 75 years of existence is inarguable.

The Orquesta de Valencia has acted at the Universitat de València in 12 occasions during all its history. The first time was in 1945, only two years after its creation and under the direction of its founder Joan Lamote of Grignon. In this section it is necessary to point out the regular participation of la Orquesta in the last editions of the Festival SERENATES, that will continue in the edition of 2018, and is scheduled to participate on 26 June.

The Orquesta de Valencia has acted often with the own groups of the Universitat de València; its collaboration with the Orfeón Universitario is distinguished, association with which it has performed together 64 concerts. Together they have interpreted some of the most representative works of the symphonic-choral repertoire as Carmina Burana of Carl Orff, Alexander Nevsky of Sergei Prokófiev, The song of the woods, de Dmitri Xostakóvitx, as well as many works of Valencian authors most distinguished as Salvador Giner, José Serrano, Ruperto Chapí, Manuel Palau y Amando Blanquer, among others.

Therefore, la Orquesta de Valencia maintained a special relationship with the Orquesta Filarmónica of the Universitat de València. The Orquesta de Valencia is the lighthouse where our young musicians look at each other, the target of their best goals and aspirations. Professors of the Orquesta de Valencia have been invited in multiple occasions as professors for sectional rehearsals, admission tests, meetings and in some cases, even as soloists in concerts of the Orquesta Filarmónica of the Universitat de València.

Business Intelligence & Analytics

On the other hand, the Consell de Govern has approved to start the process to incorporate a degree of Business Intelligence & Analytics in the offer of degrees of the Universitat de València. They are studies promoted by the Faculty of Economics. The Course Programming Commission will be presided by Dolores Forés, vice dean of Studies Degree and professor of the Department of Financial and Actuarial Economics. The point has been presented by the vice principal of Studies and Language Policy, Isabel Vázquez.

The aim of Business Intelligence & Analytics Degree is to train professionals capable of carrying out management tasks exploring innovative means with a quantitative and technological training that enabled them to implement solutions in their business units.

According to the studied documentation in the Consell de Govern, “economic decision-makers within the enterprise do not always have real knowledge of what analytical methods can do for them, and scientist of data do not sufficiently understand the problem of a manager to be useful. It is this need that leads to the merging of business problems from a perspective where data processing is an efficient tool for strategic decision making.” And adds: “The teaching philosophy of this degree is different because data analytics has to be relentlessly driven by the problem. That is why is needed a deep immersion in the methods along with the applications from both a business and data processing standpoint.”

Also two double degrees of international master have been approved: one for Chemical Engineering with the University of Genoa (which will be coordinated by ETSE), and the other for ADE with the University of Brescia.

Improve conditions of associated professors

The Consell de Govern has approved the agreement on the improvement of working conditions for associate teaching staff of the Universitat de València. The point has been presented by the vice principal of Teaching Staff and Academic Planning, Ernest Cano. The agreement had already been unanimously approved in the Negotiating Table. It is conditional on the strike being called off or, at least, on the temporary suspension of the strike by the strike committee.

The agreement text can be read here.

Institutional condolences

In her report, the principal expressed institutional condolences for the deaths of people from the university community. It is about the retired professor of Catalan Philology, Vicent Escrivá; the professor of the Department of Philosophy of Law, Moral and Politics Mario Ruiz (seconded to the Universitat de València); the retired professor of Economics Ramiro Reig; and the worker Manuel López, who died in an occupational accident on Thursday 24 May in the Residence Rector Peset.