Josep Joan Moreso, new UPF rector

Josep Joan Moreso, full professor of Philosophy of Law at UPF, became the new rector of Pompeu Fabra University after winning the elections held on 11 May at which he obtained 53.6% of the votes. The other candidate, Andreu Mas-Colell, full professor of Economics at UPF, won 46.4%.

Moreso, who was elected by direct, free and secret universal suffrage for the first time since UPF’s creation, replaced M. Rosa Virós. During election day, close to 10,500 voters voted at one of the twelve polling stations located in the different buildings of the University. Notable was the high turnout by teaching and research staff—87.7% in the category of doctor lecturer with a civil servant contract— and by administrative and service staff (79.6%). Participation by first and second cycle students reached 23.9%. The voting was weighted by sectors of the University community, according to the percentages established in the UPF Statutes.

In his inaugural speech, which was given on 30 May at the Ciutadella campus exhibition hall in the presence of former rectors Enric Argullol i Murgadas (1990-2001) and M. Rosa Virós i Galtier (2001-2005), the new rector referred to the three loyalties on which he considered he should base his enterprise: the institutional history of UPF, a university with fifteen years of history that is now a reality thanks to the “efforts, the wisdom and the generosity of many people”; the Catalan university system, and the members of the university community. Moreso concluded by stating that “consistently articulating these three loyalties without frustrating any is a most important challenge”. 

Photo:Josep Joan Moreso taking the office of UPF rector.