Bengoetxea takes over as rector and the financing of the UPV/EHU continues to be a subject of debate
- Without making any special announcement, Joxerra Bengoetxea calls for "academic freedom and critical spirit" when he takes the oath of office as rector of the UPV/EHU, in Ajuria Ena: "The UPV will be the wall of containment against those who deny scientific evidence."
On Monday morning, Joxerra Bengoetxea took the oath of office at the Ajuria Enea Palace in Vitoria-Gasteiz, accompanied by the President of the Basque Government and the Minister of Education. He has assumed the position of "full of joy, with honor and with great respect". He thanked the former Rector and his team for their open arms during the transfer process. Having said that, Bengoetxea refers to the general basis for the six-year mandate. He won the election in November.
The new rector insists that statements denying scientific evidence are multiplying, defines them as "times of post-truth" and announces that the UPV will be a "wall of containment" against it. In addition, Bengoetxea points out that a public university must guarantee the "freedom of thought" of its members and insists that it will defend it.
"You will have us ready to give and disseminate to Basque society the best that we have in the university", said Bengoetxea, before passing on to the political authorities.
Increase the funding?
The increase in funding has been one of the significant demands of the campaign of Bengoetxea and his team. Although it was only mentioned above during the inauguration ceremony, Estitxu Altuk of the Bengoetxea team, who will be the Vice-Rector of the Campus of Bizkaia, highlighted the need to increase the financing of the UPV in the interview given at El Correo during the weekend. The need to reduce tuition fees, improve transport to the Leioa Campus, renovate some of the buildings and improve teaching conditions, among other things, has been highlighted: "We need to raise the quality of teaching. We believe that the UPV provides an excellent public service, but the conditions are improving. Increasing funding will be a priority for us. The legislation states that public funding can reach 1% of GDP."
President Imanol Pradales did not address this issue during the inauguration of Bengoetxea. Liquidate the issue in a single sentence: “Money is necessary, but it’s not the only ingredient for success; it goes hand in hand with self-exigence and ambition.”
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