Carlos Conde takes the oath of office as rector of the UPM
Improving efficiency at University without renouncing quality in training, as well as encouraging research or collaboration with other institutions are some challenges for its term.
"Plans for teaching support will be given preferential consideration in the near future", said Carlos Conde to take possession as rector of the Technical University of Madrid. Professor pointed out his intention of "offering our students the best education possible, so they can have the best opportunities in their personal and professional development".
Carlos Conde replaces Javier Uceda, rector of the UPM during the last eight years. From now on, he would be at the head of this university in which their lecture rooms 38000 undergraduate students and about 6000 doctorate and postgraduate students study. UPM is well known for his leadership in different technological researching fields and for its wide and open relationships with the business and productive world.
Conde is Phd and engineer of Mines by the UPM and Diplome d’Études Approfondies in Analyse Numérique’ by l Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI). Professor of ETS Mining Engineering at UPM, he focuses its research on the development of numerical methods and their application to different technological problems. In the field of University Management, he has gained experience as Vice-Rector of research of the Universitat Jaume I. In 2004, he joined the UPM rectoral team as Vice-Rector for academic and strategic planning.
In his inauguration speech, Carlos Conde, thanked all trust placed in him, as well as remembered the influence that in the history of the UPM has had "good deeds of those who have worked in our Schools, the high quality of our students, as well as the intense collaboration with other institutions that have contributed to set up an University recognized at national and international level".
Among the challenges of the new rector are "promoting collaboration with foreign institutions”. He also announced a project known as the "city of the future", that will bring together "researchers of different disciplines" related to the "evolution of cities" from a demographic, social, urbanistic, architectural and technological point of view.
University education of high level
Carlos Conde pointed out that UPM "has been a pioneer among Spanish public universities in international recognition of university degrees through ABET American accreditation agency", something that propose to extend the wide range of the degrees of this University.
Conde has also addressed to students to explain that "few efforts stay on our hands" to improve the efficiency of University in time of crisis, "without giving up good training of our students".
"We want to contribute to social progress through what we know to do: providing high-level education to citizens as well as research and technology transfer", said Conde.
Balance of a term
Additionally, the outgoing rector, Javier Uceda enhanced "excellent deeds" developed by Carlos Conde during last eight years, in which has leaded the Vice-Rector for academic and strategic planning.
Uceda has taken stock of its management at the forefront of the UPM. In this period of time, teaching has been reformed according to the guidelines of the EHEA "reform which, in the particular case of the UPM, meant to incorporate a new model for technical education in engineering", trying to keep the virtues of the previous system, as well as to attenuate some drawbacks. In addition, he underscored the important role of the postgraduate program as an "instrument that gives flexibility to university education and contributes to the concept of lifelong learning".
Uceda also explained that he´s been pleased related to the rectoral team who has boosted research. In this sense, Uceda enhanced that "science parks and international excellence campus have been essential in addition to a strategy previously defined in many universities". The contribution of the UPM to job creation has been another of the aspects highlighted by the outgoing rector, who has ensured that this is "the first Spanish University in amount of resources gained in collaboration with companies".
Finally, Javier Uceda has referred to the current economic crisis, which is also affecting the educational model. In this sense, has emphasized that "we are moving towards a society based on knowledge and characterized for considering education as a key role of the value chain that allows its transformation into goods and services". Uceda added that "this model of society needs better educated workforce at the same time that it intensifies the mechanisms that generate knowledge through research, development and, above all, innovation.
About Technical University of Madrid
Technical University of Madrid (in Spanish: Universidad Politécnica de Madrid or UPM) is the largest and oldest technical university in Spain. UPM holds a distinguished reputation on its academic and research activity in the fields of engineering, architecture and sport science. These activities have been expanded through new engineering degrees in the field of life science. UPM has received two Campus of International Excellence awards from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and Innovation. UPM is the Spanish university that graduates the highest number of alumni working as CEOs in international companies (Mines Paris-Tech International Professional Classification).