The University held the Opening Ceremony for the 2025–26 academic year. The event began with a mass celebrated
by Father Fernando Cruz Conde, the national chaplain of
the ACdP. This was followed by the presentation of the report on the 2024–25
academic year by the Vice-Rector for Institutional Relations and University
Secretary General, María Bellido.
The Rector, Rosa
Visiedo, reviewed the University’s progress since 2019, a period marked by
a strategic focus on three pillars: research and innovation, employability and
entrepreneurship, and internationalisation, in addition to a strong commitment
to service to individuals and to society.
Within this framework, the Rector highlighted key
achievements such as a 47% increase in total student numbers across
undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral studies, to a figure now exceeding
12,000 students; the granting of €66 million in scholarships and financial aid;
the SISCAL certification of the Internal Quality Assurance System and the
Institutional Accreditation of all University Schools; and accreditation by the
WASC Senior Colleges and Universities Commission, among others.
She went on to affirm that the results achieved in
recent years are not the product of chance, but rather “the result of the
values and contributions of the people who make up our university. Our foremost
commitment is to educating individuals of exceptional intellectual and
professional calibre, and, above all, to their personal development, guided by
the principles of Christian humanism and the Social Doctrine of the Church.”
The Rector emphasised values such as commitment,
loyalty, respect, integrity, empathy, solidarity, professionalism, innovation
and inclusivity and said that “these values characterise the members of our
academic community and define our culture, as well as our distinctive approach
to education and the world around us. These are the values that we strive to
instill in our students.”
In conclusion, she stated that: “The university we
offer to society seeks to strengthen its position as a global institution that
is innovative in spirit and entrepreneurial in practice. It is dedicated to
educating individuals who have outstanding intellectual, professional, and
human qualities, and it strives to achieve this with ever-greater excellence.'
She added that the university “is committed to generating a positive impact,
both directly and through its graduates, contributing to caring for and
improving our common home.
Professor María
Saavedra, Director of the CEU Elcano International Chair in Naval History
and Culture, delivered the inaugural lecture entitled ‘A Spaniard in the
Capitol: Bernardo de Gálvez and Spain’s Support for the Independence of the
United States.’ Professor Saavedra
highlighted Spain’s pivotal role in American independence, focusing
particularly on Bernardo de Gálvez,
the Málaga-born Governor of Louisiana, whose military and political actions
proved decisive in the battles of Mobile and Pensacola.
She gave of an account of key events, including
financial support from Cuba, Louisiana and mainland Spain in the form of ships
transporting funds, uniforms, weapons and provisions; the intelligence network
led by Francisco de Saavedra; and the Franco-Spanish naval alliance,
which was decisive in both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. She also referenced
the importance of the siege of Gibraltar and the recapture of Menorca in
achieving Spain’s strategic objectives.
Professor Saavedra concluded by highlighting
the importance of acknowledging this historical chapter in the context of the
upcoming 250th anniversary of US independence and of recognising Spain's important
contribution, and that of figures such as Gálvez, to the emergence of a modern
global power.
The Deputy Delegate for Universities, Research and
Science of the Autonomous Community of Madrid, Ana Ramírez de Molina, officially inaugurated the academic year,
expressing the region’s “firm commitment” to a free, plural, quality higher
education system. “Thank you to CEU San Pablo University for your commitment,
hard work and excellence, values which are shared by the Community of Madrid.
You are a driver of connection and innovation, enriching the whole region,” she
stated.
The Deputy Delegate went on to praise CEU San Pablo’s
role in training highly qualified professionals and in shaping responsible
citizens, as well as in fostering creativity, attracting and retaining talent,
and acting as a hub for innovation. She called for the pursuit of excellence as
a shared goal so as to continue to be a catalyst for knowledge, for preparing
future generations and for building a better future.
The academic
ceremony was brought to a close by the Grand Chancellor of the University, Alfonso Bullón de Mendoza.