HR4RS stamp
Raul Garcia Hemonnet
With the new stage of Javier Ramos as rector of the URJC, the addresses of the Postgraduate schools of the University renew their heads. From now on, professors Belén Vela and Pilar Abad will be responsible for the Official Master's School (EMO) and the International Doctoral School (EID), respectively.
New impulse to the EMO
Belén Vela, new director of the School of Official Master's Degrees, has a Computer Engineering degree from the Carlos III University of Madrid and a doctorate in computer science from the URJC, since 2003. In addition, she has been a professor at the university since 1999, and is currently a full professor in the area of Computer Languages and Systems of the Higher Technical School of Computer Engineering (ETSII).
This teacher did not expect the appointment "at all" when the Postgraduate Vice-Chancellor proposed it, "I was very surprised," she says.
Facing her new responsibility, Belén Vela wants to "give a new impetus to the school", betting on the creation of "new and clear procedures", she points out, for teachers and students, a greater interaction with the Vice-Rectorate for Digitization and a greater internationalization.
Vela highlights his experience in management, "I have been in management positions in different departments since 2003, I know the university well," he explains.
Facing the current situation and the near future, the new director of the EMO indicates that "I would bet on a greater presence, we have to see how the vaccination goes, but a greater presence also using the technological resources with which the pandemic".
Belén Vela encourages students who have completed a bachelor's degree to study a master's degree at the URJC, “the URJC master's degrees have quality, they have highly experienced teaching staff and very good facilities. We are showing quality every day, both in bachelor's and master's degrees”.
The EID is committed to Internationalization and the transfer of Knowledge
Pilar Abad, the new director of the International Doctoral School, has been Professor of Financial Economics and Accounting in the Department of Business Economics at the Rey Juan Carlos University since 2020. “For me it is a real challenge, since I have been linked to the EID for many years, in one of its programs”, says this professor when commenting on what assuming this new responsibility means.
Abad places the axes of his future management in the internationalization and knowledge transfer of the EID. Abad qualifies internationalization as "fundamental" and outlines a strategy consisting of promoting the mobility of students and professors to encourage theses with an international mention. In addition, the school will seek alliances or collaborations and links with prestigious foreign centers, which may give rise to theses in joint supervision.
The transfer of knowledge will be another of the main lines of the management of Pilar Abad at the head of the EID. "It is very important to be able to generate thesis with an industrial mention," says the new director.
Abad will also work to carry out "transversal training for our students in all programs and that the Research Groups can offer training to our students." In addition, he considers it important to foster links between all members of the school: students, teachers, that we are all aware of the things that are done in the EID.
The new director also points out that the International Doctoral School "has many top-level elements, such as a multidisciplinary offer made up of 13 programs in five areas of knowledge" and adds that it also has "a high quality of research" that constitutes one of the reasons why the university is in the international 'rankings'.
Implement the 2030 agenda at the university
Diana Benito has been a tenured professor of Strategic Management and Business Policy for more than 15 years and, until recently, Director of Strategy at the Vice-Rector's Office for Planning and Strategy.
For Benito, assuming the new position of deputy vice-chancellor supposes “a professional accomplishment and a fulfilled personal dream. It allows me to carry out the last part of the decision-making process, which is the implementation of said plan”.
In this case, it is about implementing the implementation program of the United Nations 2030 Agenda in the URJC, through the deepening of the URJC2030 program. "The objective is to develop projects closely linked to the 2030 agenda. From the vice-chancellor's office, the commitment to the SDGs is being contributed, and proof of this is the good results in the Times Higher Education Impact ranking."
Benito is committed to including students in the decision-making process at the university, “We must include them and encourage their participation in projects, we hope to count on them for the implementation of our programs. We want the center of the action to be the student”.
Diana Benito thanked the vice-rector, Andrés Martínez, for his support, both in appointing me Director of Strategy at the time, and in this new responsibility. We are a team” and she has extended that gratitude to the Administration and Services Staff of the vice-chancellor's office.