Dorothy Kelly, Arqus Coordinator, elected President of the Spanish Universities in European Universities Group (UEUE)
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27 Jan 2025|
27 Jan 2025The Spanish Universities in European Universities Group (UEUE), a new interuniversity network bringing together Spanish institutions that are part of or coordinate European alliances, held its Assembly on Thursday 23 January. At this Assembly, the Group elected its first Executive Committee, which will represent it and promote its work.
In this context, Dorothy Kelly, full professor at the UGR and Coordinator of the Arqus Alliance, was unanimously elected as President of the UEUE Executive Committee. The Assembly also elected its vice-presidents, Pastora Martínez from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) and Professor Raúl Ramos from the University of Barcelona (UB). Besides, two additional members of the Committee were also elected, as well as the coordinators of the different working groups.
At a previous meeting, held on 1 October at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), the Spanish universities proposed a set of operating rules to strengthen their cooperation within the framework of European alliances. Those rules were approved in the Assembly, with the aim of promoting the exchange of knowledge, improving coordination with national and European bodies, and consolidating a joint working space between national higher education institutions.
A framework for cooperation and representation
The new structure is formed by the Spanish universities that are part of European alliances, as well as Spanish higher education institutions with a seal of excellence. From now on, they will be able to share experiences, influence national and European policies, and act as a testing lab for new strategies in higher education. The network will work hand in hand with key agencies such as the Spanish Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports (MEFPD), the Spanish National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA), the Spanish Service for the Internationalization of Education (SEPIE) and the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE), among others.
Working groups and priority Issues
Permanent working groups will be created for strategic areas in order to ensure the effective development of initiatives. Some of these areas are the European degree, microcredentials, attractive academic careers, the development of a legal personality for the alliances, and funding.
Boosting the transformation of Spanish higher education
Currently, 56 Spanish universities participate in 53 alliances within the Commission’s European Universities Initiative. This new cooperation framework is expected to strengthen the position of Spain in the field of higher education in Europe and to promote greater integration between Spanish and European institutions.