Juan Manuel Bethencourt, new dean of the Faculty of Psychology and Speech Therapy at the ULL

The tenured professor of the Department of Clinical Psychology, Psychobiology and Methodology Juan Manuel Bethencourt Pérez He took office as dean yesterday, October 16th. Faculty of Psychology and Speech Therapy from the University of La Laguna. He will be joined in the position by Rosario Josefa Marrero Quevedo, as Vice Dean of Quality; Teresa Olivares Pérez, as Vice Dean of Academic Affairs; Rut Isabel Correia Delgado, Secretary; and, finally, Ernesto Jesús Suárez Rodríguez, Vice Dean of Institutional Relations, Outreach and Social Participation.

The dean, who replaces María Ángeles Alonso in the position, said he accepts the challenge with responsibility, at a difficult time for Spanish universities and for La Laguna in particular, given the imminent mass retirement of many professors and the pressing need for new talent.

Bethencourt Pérez stated that he was taking the helm of a center "that boasts of excellence, but with data," he pointed out, given that its researchers are very well positioned in the rankings, it is a faculty that produces high-impact research and whose professors are evaluated very favorably by the students.

The dean recalled that the proposal to create the [unclear] came from this faculty. Institute of Neurosciences (IUNE) and of the Psychological and Speech Therapy Services Unit, "These two initiatives are yielding great results," he said. He also stated that his government program includes the creation of new academic programs, such as a postgraduate degree in Speech Therapy, which would involve training new PhDs. He also alluded to his center's commitment to community outreach and outlined potential actions related to climate change and human rights.

For his part, the university rector, Francisco García, expressed his gratitude for the progress made by the new team in contributing to the university's improvement, as well as for the work carried out by the outgoing team. Adding to the dean's remarks, the rector also emphasized the urgent need for increased enrollment in the postgraduate programs offered by the faculty, which are required for professional practice in certain fields. "It is unacceptable that a public university does not offer this opportunity under the right conditions for anyone interested to pursue this master's degree," he stated, adding that this, once again, hinges on the need for more faculty.