The CEU Abat Oliba University (CEU UAO) held its official opening ceremony for the 2026-2027 academic year today. The event brought together officials and members of the university community to mark the start of the new academic year.
During the ceremony, Alessandro Mini, Secretary General and Vice-Rector for Research and Knowledge Transfer at the CEU UAO, presented the key findings from the 2025-2026 Academic Report. The report shows sustained growth in the number of new students and highlights the university’s international dimension.
Among the new developments for the 2026-2027 academic year are the launch of the Degree in Medicine and the opening of the Esplugues Campus, a site that will soon house all the activities of the CEU UAO Faculty of Health and Life Sciences.
Francesc Torralba, Professor of Philosophy and lecturer at the Ramon Llull University, then delivered the keynote lecture titled The University: A Dialogical, Autonomous and Diaconal Ecosystem: Notes on John Henry Newman. Drawing on Newman’s thinking, Torralba reflected on the dialogue between disciplines, university autonomy and service to society.
Academic excellence and educational commitment
The ceremony continued with addresses from officials. In his speech, the Rector of the CEU UAO, Marcin Kazmierczak, advocated for a university education that combines professional preparation with humanistic training and teaches students to think freely and responsibly. He also called for dialogue between faith and reason. “Academic excellence and Christian inspiration are not in competition: they enrich one another”, he noted.
For his part, Miquel Soriano, Director General for Universities at the Department of Research and Universities of the Generalitat de Catalunya, highlighted the fundamental role of universities in society. He also congratulated the CEU UAO on the launch of its Degree in Medicine, a course he considered necessary for Catalan society.
Finally, the Grand Chancellor of the CEU UAO, José Masip, highlighted the holistic education of the individual as the vocation of the CEU universities. “We want our students to graduate as better people, capable of putting their talents at the service of others and working for the common good”, he stated.
The event concluded with a performance of ‘Gaudeamus Igitur’ by the University Choir. The CEU UAO thus begins an academic year marked by the expansion of its academic programmes and teaching facilities, with the holistic development of the individual at the heart of its educational project.
