A quarterly publication of AQU Catalunya
It has been a privilege to serve as director for four years. I inherited a well-established agency with international prestige, and I have tried to help maintain this high standard.
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My time in office comes to an end on 30 September. I asked the president over a year ago not to run for a second term for purely personal reasons. Once the selection process was completed in July, Mercè Gisbert from Rovira i Virgili University was announced as the new director, set to take up the post from 1 October. Over the coming month, we will have time to ensure a thorough handover across all the numerous and diverse issues currently in progress.
It has been a privilege to serve as director for four years. I have often referred to this period as intense due to the regulatory and governmental changes in the Generalitat (Catalan Government) that we have had to deal with, which have had a significant impact on the agency's operations. When I took office, I inherited a well-established agency with international prestige, and I have tried to help maintain this high standard. Simply put,
I would first like to thank the Agency, both the presidents I have worked with during my term in office (Joan Josep Moreso and Xavier Grau) and all the staff. I appreciate the trust the presidents have placed in me and their support. I can only speak highly about the Agency's staff. They are motivated and highly trained individuals who do an excellent job. Over the years, they have helped strengthen the Agency, which is recognised across the continent as a reputable agency. It is committed to pioneering new approaches and meets European standards in an exemplary manner, as demonstrated by its accreditation to renew its European agency credentials and its inclusion in the EQAR register, two achievements that validate our work. By extension, I must mention the experts, whose role is key to ensuring a thorough assessment. I am extremely grateful to them for all their hard work. Their dedication is truly inspiring. Finally, I would like to thank all the members of AQU Catalunya's Governing Board and the institutions they represent, including universities, social councils, the Directorate-General for Universities and the Directorate-General for Research, student representatives and trade unions.
On a national level, participation in the meetings of the Spanish Network of University Quality Assurance Agencies (REACU) has also been very active. Good work is being done, and the various agency directors who have been involved over the last four years have always tried to contribute and coordinate efforts in these changing times, for which I am very grateful.
Finally, on a more sombre note, the legislative and political turbulence does not seem likely to end any time soon. The future of the Agency will undoubtedly be fraught with challenges, but I am confident that its wealth of experience will carry it through. I know that it has overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the past.
Needless to say, it has been an honour and a privilege to hold this position, and as I return to my work as a professor at the University of Barcelona, I am sure that I will meet many of the readers of this newsletter again over time in different university contexts.