The University has celebrated the solemn opening ceremony of the 2023-2024 academic year, an event attended by the entire university community, as well as the General Director of Universities of the Community of Madrid, Nicolás J. Casas; the rectors of Abat Oliba CEU University, CEU Cardenal Herrera University, and CEU Fernando III University, Rafael Rodríguez-Ponga, Higinio Marín, and José Alberto Parejo Gámir, as well as the honorary rectors of CEU San Pablo University.

This emotional gathering began with a mass officiated by the Archbishop of Burgos and chaplain of the ACdP, Fidel Herráez. Subsequently, the solemn academic ceremony took place. The Vice-Rector for Institutional Relations and General Secretary, María Bellido, presented a report on the 2022-2023 academic year, and the Professor of Pharmacology at the School of Pharmacy and Director of the Instituto de Estudios de las Adicciones IEA-CEU, Luis Fernando Alguacil, delivered the keynote lecture titled: 'Opium, Opiates, and Opioids.' In his speech, he highlighted "the nobility of the individuals who devote a significant part of their lives to researching new ways of relieving the suffering of their fellow beings."

In her speech, the dean, Rosa Visiedo, recalled that our University offers its students "education not only as a space to accumulate knowledge, but as a place from which to learn how to live and how to contribute to human progress and the improvement of our society" For the rector, who encouraged the educational community to prioritize the individual, education is "care, sharing, reciprocating, building the future, and giving meaning." She also expressed her commitment to invest in research, teaching and learning, to focus on the student experience of both national and international students, student experience and to the importance of looking after our educational model and its quality.

To conclude, she expressed the solid will of CEU San Pablo University to "contribute, without affectation and with modesty, everything in our power for the improvement of the Madrid university system and Spanish society as a whole, through research, through the transfer of innovation and knowledge, and through the training of committed people, willing to work, even more so in difficult times, for the progress and growth of our Community and our country."

During the Academic Ceremony, awards were presented for Teaching and Research Quality of Departments for the 2021-2022 academic year, Teaching Quality of Bachelor's Degree Programs for the 2021-2022 academic year, and Teaching Innovation for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Finally, the Great Chancellor of the University, Alfonso Bullón de Mendoza, was responsible for closing this academic event.