The rector champions “the university that improves people’s lives”

Raul Garcia Hemonnet

The rector of the Rey Juan Carlos University, Abraham Duarte, championed "the university that improves people's lives" this Wednesday before those attending the investiture ceremony of the new doctors of the Rey Juan Carlos University.

Furthermore, Duarte highlighted their work and pointed out that they are people who have “dedicated years to a demanding and silent, hard task, with long nights, who have demonstrated rigor, perseverance and the ability to overcome challenges, and that true learning never ends.”

The rector noted that these new doctoral graduates demonstrate that finding answers is just as important as asking new questions, and pointed out that they are now part of the academic history of the URJC and have become “new custodians of knowledge.” He wished them, “You will maintain your curiosity and your vision that knowledge only has true meaning when it serves others.”

Duarte stated that “the purpose of research is to expand knowledge and transform the world. We investigate because we want to find answers.” He added that research is the “driving force that has allowed humanity to advance” and that “the university stands as the workshop where the knowledge of the future is forged.”

The rector, after having quoted giants of knowledge such as Marie Curie, Charles Darwin or Max Planck (father of quantum physics) ended his speech with a quote from Pope Leo XIV, who recently visited Madrid, "the truth is always greater than all of us."

Knowledge at the service of society

The 'laudation' of the new doctors was delivered by Professor José Bernardo San Juan, from the area of ​​Literary Theory and Comparative Literature and general coordinator of the Doctoral Program in Humanities. He pointed out, after having previously cited universal authors such as Umberto Eco, Miguel de Cervantes and Ortega y Gasset, that people who write a thesis, “in a society like the present one that frequently seeks immediate reward, do not do it to enrich themselves, nor to gain social relevance, nor followers on social networks,” but rather, he pointed out, “the fact of carrying out the arduous task of writing a thesis can only be understood from a very specific position: being in the world in service to society.”

The research of these new doctors becomes part of a whole "constellation of scientific texts," San Juan pointed out, which have enabled humanity to progress and solve the problems it faces over the years.

This Wednesday morning, a total of 60 new doctoral graduates from various fields of study were awarded their degrees. They responded to the call of the Secretary General, Marta Albert, and received the insignia and a fraternal embrace that symbolize their investiture as doctors of Rey Juan Carlos University.

Among the various academic authorities present at the event was the director of the International Doctoral School, María Luz Martín Peña.