The University of La Laguna celebrated its Institutional Day this afternoon, March 11th, and in his closing address, Rector Francisco García championed public universities as generators of much-needed hope in a world plagued by fear. Quoting historian Robert Peckham, he noted that although historical standards, purchasing power, and life expectancy suggest the present is a great moment in history, “that is not how people feel: they are afraid, and this is reflected in the decline of socialization and openness, in a more virtual world, and in the increase in mental health issues and suicides.”.
In response to this situation, the rector cited the awards presented during the ceremony, which recognized academic excellence and human values, as examples of the university's contribution to generating hope in the face of the "epidemic of fear" corroding society. "To those responsible for defining our regulatory and financial framework," he said, "we would ask that they not contribute to fear, that they not kill the hope that the public university represents in these times.".
The Institutional Day is celebrated on March 11th because, exactly 233 years ago, on that day the royal decree was signed that allowed the creation of the original academic center. The rector drew a comparison between that year, 1792, and the present day, noting that it was also a turbulent time, at the height of the Enlightenment and the fall of the Old Regime precipitated by the bourgeois revolutions.
And despite the instability, there was “a conviction in the supremacy of using knowledge and reason to face society’s great challenges, with education being the main catalyst for both processes.” Therefore, he lamented that in these turbulent times, there are threats that seek to go precisely in the opposite direction: simplistic thinking, denial, and fear, which oppose this. Dare to know (Dare to know) Kantian.
The rector had words of praise for all the award recipients, for representing that commitment to knowledge and the values of the academic institution; for the Association of Former Students and Friends of the University of La Laguna, for being a bridge with society and encouraging the feeling of belonging to the institution; and for the Adeje City Council, which received the Patronage Award for its commitment to the public university, which has been an influential factor in the transformation of the municipality.
García opened his speech by announcing that the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE) has proposed to the Royal Household that the opening ceremony of the 2027-28 academic year for the entire Spanish University System take place at the University of La Laguna, on the occasion of the 235th anniversary of its founding decree and the 100th anniversary of its uninterrupted activity following Royal Decree 1586 of 1927.
Institutional awards
Antonio Vicente Herrera.
The gala, hosted by journalists and graduates of the Journalism Degree program Samuel López and Thalía Bello, consisted of the presentation of various awards organized independently by the University of La Laguna and the Alumni ULL association. The first award from the academic institution was for Innovation and Educational Transfer, which in its fourteenth edition was presented to Barbara Socas Rodriguez already Antonio Vicente Herrera Herrera, both from the Department of Chemistry and directors of the
Helena Bonache.
project “Multidisciplinary Implementation of the Flipped Classroom Model in University Teaching” and the runner-up prize for the project “Optimizing Participatory and Cooperative Learning in the Classroom”, directed by Helena Bonache Recio, from the Department of Cognitive, Social and Organizational Psychology.
Pedro Álvarez Pérez.
The Research Prize is divided into two categories. In the general category, which this year also reached its fourteenth edition, it was awarded to the tenured professor of the Department of Didactics and Educational Research. Pedro Ricardo Álvarez Pérez.
Paloma Vidal Matutano.
On the other hand, in the Junior category, in its third edition, the award went to the teacher Paloma Vidal Matutano, from the Department of Geography and History.
David Díaz Díaz.
The 10th Internationalization Award recognizes the work of individuals and organizations that contribute to disseminating activities with international impact and cooperating with other regions of the world. The Professor of Organic Chemistry was recognized in the individual category. David Díaz Díaz.
Javier Hernández Borges.
As for the collective category, the jury recognized the research team of the international project IMPLAMAC (Evaluation of the impact of microplastics and emerging pollutants on the coasts of Macaronesia), led by the professor of Analytical Chemistry, Javier Hernández Borges.
The fourteenth edition of the Best Practices in Administration and Services Award of the University of La
Rebecca del Arco.
The award was granted to the project entitled “Implementation of Dynamic Systems at the University of La Laguna.” Rebeca del Arco, head of the Contracting and Heritage Service, was in charge of going on stage to collect the award.
Natalia Castro González.
In addition, an honorable mention was awarded to the initiative called “Design and Implementation of the University intranet”, which was accepted by Natalia Castro González, from Management.
For the second year, the Academic Merit Award has been presented, recognizing those who have obtained the highest scores in undergraduate and master's degrees during the 2023-24 academic year. In the undergraduate category, it was awarded to Nerea Victoria Suárez García, a graduate in Pharmacy, and in the master's category, to Estefanía Ramos Alonso, who completed the postgraduate program in Human Resources Development and Management.
Group photo of the award winners in this category.
The Educational Excellence Award, also in its second year, recognizes teachers from different subject areas who meet, among other requirements, the distinction of having received an "Excellent" rating in the institution's teacher evaluation process. Thus, in Arts and Humanities, the award winner was Christ Manuel Hernandez Gomez, assistant professor doctor of the department of Geography and History; in Sciences, the contracted professor doctor Eduardo Pérez Roth, from the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, Cell Biology and Genetics; in Health Sciences, to the contracted professor doctor Juan Elicio Hernández Xumet, from the Department of Physical Medicine and Pharmacology; in Social and Legal Sciences, to the contracted professor doctor Zeus Plasencia Carballo, from the Department of Specific Didactics; and in Engineering and Architecture, to the professor Belén Melián Batista, from the Department of Computer and Systems Engineering.
José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga.
Finally, the Patronage Award, granted directly by the rector, recognizes the most outstanding collaboration between the university and the society it serves. In this fourteenth edition, the award was given to the Adeje City Council. José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga, mayor of Adeje, accepted the award, accompanied by Adolfo Alonso Ferrera, councilor for Culture, Sports, and Education, and Coraima Afonso Navarro, councilor for Education and Early Childhood Education.
ULL Alumni Awards
Nelson Rivas Chacón.
The first part of the gala focused on the presentation of awards organized by the Alumni ULL association. The award for Best Academic Record of the 2023-24 academic year, worth 1,000 euros, was given to Nelson Rivas Chacón.
The awards for the best Master's theses of the 2023-24 academic year, each worth 600 euros thanks to the support of the "la Caixa" Foundation, were given, in Arts and Humanities, to Joel Peláez Amador, from the Master's in Theory and History of Art and Cultural Management, for the work "The Photobook in the Canary Islands. Fleeting Glimpses"; in Sciences, to Armin Mang Román,
Rosaura Guzmán.
from the Master's in Astrophysics, with the work “Carbon abundances in O-type stars: Completing the picture of massive star evolution”; in Health Sciences, Rosaura Guzmán González, from the Master in Research, Management and Quality in Health Care, with the work “Care needs of adolescents with anxiety disorders in primary care. Bibliographic review”; in Social and Legal Sciences, Paula Hernández Rodríguez, from the Master in Regional Development, with the work “Territorial inequalities in access to public health services in Spain”; and in Engineering and Architecture, Marco Antonio García Rodríguez from the Master in Video Game Development, with the work “Prototype of a video game set in the city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna in the 16th century applying Player Centered Design”.
José Antonio Ramos Arteaga.
The 22nd José Luis García Pérez Human Values Award, presented in collaboration with Cajasiete, was awarded to the Philology Theatre Group. This recognition celebrates a trajectory of over four decades as one of the university's most active and longest-running cultural groups, distinguished by its commitment to the community and its work beyond the academic sphere. The award was accepted by the Professor of Spanish Philology and director of the group. José Antonio Ramos Arteaga. Since the group does not accept money, the 1,500 euros that the prize endows will be donated to two NGOs focused on migrant and trans communities.
Juan Manuel García Ramos.
The 15th Alonso de Nava Grimón Prize, an honorary award given to individuals associated with the University of La Laguna who stand out for their work, critical thinking, and contribution to the community, was awarded to Juan Manuel García Ramos, Professor Emeritus and winner of the Canary Islands Literature Prize in 2006, for his 50 years of association with the University of La Laguna, in addition to a distinguished academic and research career, as well as a valuable contribution to Canarian culture and politics.
Luis Ortigosa.
Luis Ortigosa, president of Alumni ULL, took the floor at the end of this awards ceremony to deliver a brief speech in which he also expressed his concern about the specter of disinformation, denialism, and hoaxes that plague the world. This danger, as he explained, allows undeserving individuals to win elections, perpetuates wars, perverts political rules, and eradicates good journalism: in short, it jeopardizes the foundations of democracy. Therefore, the university is more necessary than ever to combat this threat.
He also referred to the celebration in 2027 of the centenary of the uninterrupted operation of the University of La Laguna after its reopening in 1927, and therefore suggested to the Rectorate and the Social Council that they prepare a suitable anniversary in advance.
Candelaria González.
During the gala, there was also time for a musical interlude between the two parts of the ceremony, performed by Candelaria González Torres, a graduate of the Canary Islands Higher Conservatory of Music, whose operatic roles and awards have established her as a leading figure in the islands' classical and popular music. She was accompanied by guitarist Emilio Negrín, a native of La Gomera, whose career has focused on orchestras and recordings of Canarian and Latin American folk music.
Two videos were also shown: “What Made the News in 2024,” produced by the Communications Office, which served as the starting point for the evening, and a reminder In Memoriam of the people in the community who died in 2024.
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