The URJC Summer Courses close their 27th edition with record figures

rose marquez

Rey Juan Carlos University has concluded this year's Summer Courses with record participation. More than 2.000 people enrolled in one of the 50 scheduled seminars, solidifying this initiative as one of the highlights of the university summer period.

The activities took place between June 29 and July 3 at various university locations, with the Aranjuez campus playing a central role, hosting the majority of the program. For a week, political representatives such as the Speaker of the Congress of Deputies, Francina Armengol; the Minister of Youth, Sira Rego; the Ambassador of Palestine; and the Permanent Representative of Spain to the UN visited the classrooms of the URJC.

The program has also featured the participation of prominent figures from the scientific, cultural and artistic fields, such as paleontologist Juan Luis Arsuaga, who gave the opening lecture of this edition; and flamenco singer Marina Heredia, who has brought students closer to an artistic perspective linked to flamenco and contemporary creation.

The director of the URJC Summer Courses, Professor Cristina del Prado, highlighted the growth of this year's program and the consolidation of the model implemented by the university. “We have managed to attract students not only from Spain, but also from other parts of Europe and Latin America. One of the objectives of these courses, along with learning, is cultural exchange, and this year's program has been a good example of that,” she noted.

Del Prado also emphasizes that these seminars allow for addressing issues that are more difficult to incorporate into the regular curriculum during the academic year. “They propose topics that are more complicated to address throughout the year, partly because the speakers have very busy schedules. In July, those schedules become less hectic, and we have more opportunity to attract them to our classrooms,” she explained.

For the director of the Summer Courses, the challenge for the upcoming editions lies in further strengthening this relationship between the university, the city, and society. “We want the courses to be open to the public, to students from URJC, but also from other universities, because we believe they are a bridge between the university and society, between the university and business, and between the university and other institutions. That will be the central focus of our next program.”

The 27th edition is also marked by close collaboration with the Aranjuez City Council, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of Aranjuez's declaration as a World Heritage Cultural Landscape. According to Cristina del Prado, the involvement of the municipal corporation has allowed the courses to become even more integrated into the life of the city. "We have noticed greater participation from the residents of Aranjuez in both the courses and the cultural activities." Among the latter, highlights include the concert by the group Aljibe, as part of the 'Aranjuez, Landscape and Music' course program, and the performance by the ESQUIVEL company, as part of the 'Stage Costume' seminar.