Toma de posesion
NEW PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY
Investiture ceremony
The new president, María Iraburu, highlights
two key dimensions: identity and dynamism
Current and future projects of the University of Navarra "are an invitation to each one of us to make our contribution in two dimensions, which we could define as identity and dynamism" said María Iraburu Elizalde during her inauguration as president of the University of Navarra in Pamplona (the university also has campuses in San Sebastian, Madrid, Barcelona, New York and Munich).
The ceremony was attended by the main public authorities of Navarre, the Executive Council of the University, professors, students and other members of the university community, as well as family and friends of the new president. At the event which took place in the central building, the Secretary General Jesús María Ezponda read the decree of appointment and the outgoing president Alfonso Sánchez-Tabernero and the new president María Iraburu both spoke.
Professor Iraburu went on to explain: "Identity, because the University has its own irreplaceable contribution, which requires us to always have a university outlook, reflective people, open to the big questions and to the contribution of all knowledge, committed to the truth, wherever it is to be found and wherever it comes from, because we are not the sole possessors of it" and "dynamism, because the University, in the words of its Founder, St Josemaria Escrivá, "stirs us from passivity and awakens latent forces".
María Iraburu cited the need for dynamism "to question the prevailing paradigms and propose new ones; to be sensitive to the needs of our environment; to learn from our students and colleagues; to dare to break with inertia and take risks without fear of making mistakes". Identity and dynamism, she added, require each other: "Identity without dynamism is a kind of paralysis, and ends up not being identity; dynamism without identity is a form of distraction and ends up being worn out and useless".
The president referred to the development of the University which in her opinion "can have an even greater impact, not just through the means at our disposal which are always limited, but because of the transformative power people have when they work with professionalism and commitment". Such commitment to the environment and to people, she recalled, is the guiding thread of the University’s 2025 Strategy entitled "University and Sustainability, "which outlines the goals and progress of the University of Navarra in the coming years: "Transformative teaching, research focused on social, environmental and economic issues, and interdisciplinary projects, such as the Bioma Center (Institute of Biodiversity and Environment) and the Science Museum, will enable us to contribute to the great challenges of our time".
Optimism, strategic mindset and trust in people
María Iraburu thanked the former president, Alfonso Sánchez-Tabernero: "From him we have learned an unquenchable optimism, based on his passion for the University of Navarra; a strategic mentality that always seeks new challenges and does not allow minor problems distract us from our fundamental values and a real practical trust in people, which in turn creates an environment of freedom that fosters creativity and growth".
Finally, she addressed the authorities present at the ceremony, "with the honor and privilege", she said, "of being the first president born in the Autonomous Community of Navarre. The fact that the University is of Navarra is no mere geographical accident. From the very beginning, those who started it wanted it to be a social, integrating project, rooted in this region and open to the world", she said. "We will continue to work for it´s development, through research, healthcare and teaching, sustained by the principles of Christian humanism which, out of conviction, not tactics, respect and promote the dignity and freedom of individuals and institutions", she stressed.
She also highlighted the fact that the university has always been a space for friendship and cooperation. "We have the challenge and the opportunity to make it also a space for co-creation between institutions, so that together we can contribute more effectively and sustainably to the common good".
Looking to the future with hope
For his part, the outgoing president, Alfonso Sánchez-Tabernero expressed his gratitude to all the people who have supported the University of Navarra over the last few years, friends and alumni, as well as to the institutions of Navarre, “with whom we cooperate very closely”. He also valued in a special way “the maturity and solidarity” shown by the students especially in the last two years of the pandemic”.
He also took stock of his time as president. "Interesting advances have been made, thanks to the work of everyone: new undergraduate and master’s degrees, research centers, the Museum of Art, and the Madrid campus, among others". Beyond these achievements, he highlighted the fact that the perception has been consolidated that "the mission of the University of Navarra is to serve; and it fulfills this task by collaborating closely with other institutions in Navarre and around the world".
Regarding the new appointment, he reminded those present that changes of president at the University of Navarra involve both continuity and change, and thanked María Iraburu for her availability and her ongoing work with the Executive Council at the University over the last 16 years: "She has demonstrated her excellent characteristics for governance. She shows clear judgment, determination and empathy. She is a great academic with a recognized international status. María is a courageous and magnanimous woman and she will do her utmost to promote the projects of the University of Navarra. In addition, she will have the unconditional support of everyone, so we only have reason to look to the future with hope," he concluded.
PHOTO GALLERY OF THE EVENT
