Friends of the UAB Association commemorates the university's 50 years

23/11/2018

The Friends of the UAB Association Friends awarded the university an honorary mention for its 50th anniversary during its annual celebration held on 22 November. Also awarded were Carme Trilla, Xavier Muñoz and Juanjo Villanueva, in addition to the UAB Employment Service. The"Friends of the Libraries" awards went to Francisco Rico, Eduardo Rojo and posthumously to Jesús Moncada.

Margarita Arboix, Rector of the UAB, accepted the award in name of the university and affirmed that these past fifty years are characterised by the university's commitment to "social challenges", which has led to "training citizens who have played an outstanding role in helping to build our current society". Rector Arboix congratulated the award winners and highlighted the UAB's commitment to gender equality and entering the labour market, an area which was also awarded by the association.

The award going to the UAB Employment Service was accepted by Sara Moreno, Vice Rector for Students and Employability, who voiced the governing team's objective to "continue working" on aiding students in entering the labour market; and by Vicenç Sellés, Director of the Employment Service, who explain that they currently attend 4,000 people each year and reminded the attendants that the university has worked in the past 30 years to ensure an entrance into the labour market "adapted to the university training received".

Friends of Friends and Friends of the Libraries

Carme Trilla, specialist in housing, received the "Friends of Friends" and emphasised how she felt "accompanied" in this award by the "concern of a problematic subject" such as housing: "the more we share this commitment, the more possible it is to find a solution". Xavier Muñoz, former member of the Social Council and first president of the Friends of the UAB Association, spoke about his professional and institutional years and recalled his work at the UAB and how the association was founded. Juanjo Villanueva, emeritus lecturer of the Department of Computer Sciences, expressed the "pleasure and privilege" of forming part of the UAB and spoke on the creation of the Computer Vision Centre as a unique research centre, as well as the preparation for the successful candidacy of the UAB in the Campus of International Excellence project.

The annual celebration of the Friends of the UAB Association also served to present the "Friends of the Libraries" awards by the UAB Library Service. Author Jesús Moncada received the award posthumously; Eduardo Rojo, professor of Employment and Social Security Law; and Francisco Rico, professor in Spanish Studies, who was in charge of accepting the awards for all three. Professor Rico affirmed that his contributions to the university's library are a gesture of "appreciation" to the UAB.

The celebration also included speeches by President of the UAB Social Council Gabriel Masfurroll, who congratulated all awardees for an institution in which, according to him "something new is learned every day", and by President of the Friends of the UAB Association Francesc Cayuela, who announced that next year the association will also be celebrating its 30-year anniversary.

More information: Associació d'Amics de la UAB