The European University of the Atlantic (UNEATLANTICO) has started the new academic year with more than 900 new undergraduate students, maintaining a similar number to the previous year.
During the opening ceremony, several personalities participated, among them Sergio Silva, Cantabria’s Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Universities; José Ignacio Quemada, director of the Menni Brain Injury Network of the Sisters Hospitallers in Spain and assistant to the Medical Director of the Padre Menni Hospital Center; Natividad Urdín, superior of the Padre Menni Hospital Center; Marcos Ríos Lago, coordinator of the Brain Injury Unit of the Beata María Ana Hospital; Roberto Ruiz, vice-secretary general of the university; and Rubén Calderón, rector magnífico of UNEATLANTICO.
In his speech, Roberto Ruiz presented the institutional memory, highlighting the tenth anniversary of the university, which coincides with the seventh graduating class. He also highlighted the international projection of UNEATLANTICO, enhanced by its membership in the DIVERSE Alliance, a network of twelve universities from eleven European countries. This alliance promotes collaboration between institutions in the European Higher Education Area, allowing campus exchanges, research, mobility and stays for both students and teachers.
Ruiz also highlighted the renewal of 100% of the university degrees accredited by the National Agency of Evaluation and Quality (ANECA) and the approval, by the Council of Ministers, of a second doctoral program: the Doctorate in Physical Activity and Sport: Risks and Benefits.
On the other hand, the accreditation of the Language Center of UNEATLANTICO as an Accredited Center of the Cervantes Institute for the teaching of Spanish was recalled. Mention was also made of the recent launching of the Degree in Translation and Language Teaching (TEL), inaugurated in September.
As for the outstanding activities of the previous year, mention was made of the organization of the Tour del Talento workshop, the celebration of the National Erasmus Games, which hosted more than 250 Erasmus students from more than ten universities, and the First Spanish University Championships, in the modalities of surfing and badminton, organized in collaboration with the city councils of Santander and Ribamontán al Mar, together with the Cantabrian federations of these sports.
In the area of grants and scholarships, it was noted that the university, together with the Ibero-American University Foundation (FUNIBER), allocated more than 700,000 euros to support students.
Medal to the Sisters Hospitallers
During the ceremony, José Ignacio Quemada delivered the laudatio that preceded the presentation of the University Medal to the Institution of the Sisters Hospitallers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The medal was collected by Sister María Natividad Urdín and presented by Rubén Calderón.
The inaugural lecture, entitled “Present and Future of Psychology”, was given by Dr. Marcos Ríos Lago, who highlighted the impact of technology on psychology, emphasizing digital therapies and virtual reality, stating that these are “transforming the way we treat patients”.
Finally, the counselor Sergio Silva highlighted the contribution of UNEATLANTICO to the enrichment of the educational offer in Cantabria, stating that the university “has consolidated itself as a solid and highly prestigious agent in the educational field in the region”.
The ceremony concluded with the presentation of the Extraordinary End of Degree Awards to the students with the best academic records of the last promotions of degrees and masters, marking a brilliant closing for the inauguration of the new academic year.