www.upcomillas.es - News Comillas

Comillas, recognized as a preparatory institution for the Cambridge ESOL Exams.

Fri, 19 Jan 2012 10:02:23 GMT

Comillas, through its Institute for Modern Languages, has been recognized as a preparatory centre for the ESOL exams (English for Speakers of Other Languages) of the University of Cambridge, by means of an agreement for collaboration signed with ECUS Educational Development, a Cambridge Examination Centre in Spain.

Comillas and "Aulatecnia" create a demo classroom for educational innovation

Tue, 16 Jan 2012 17:09:54 GMT

Aulatecnia, the first global solution to educational innovation, which promotes the integration of information and communication technologies in Educational centres, and Comillas, have signed an agreement for collaboration to create the first Demo Classroom for Aulatecnia at the Cantoblanco Campus of this university in Madrid.

Mercedes Fernández, new Director of the University Institute of Migration Studies

Sat, 13 Jan 2012 13:15:47 GMT

Mercedes Fernández, Director of the University Institute of Migration Studies, or IUEM, in Spanish, took office for her new position, under the supervision of the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ. Those attending the event were her predecessor, Cristina Gortázar; the Registrar General, Clara Martínez, who read the official proclamation of the appointment, and diverse members of the personnel from the University.

A Final End-of-Studies Project by a student at Comillas ICAI receives an award from RENFE and "Fundación Universia"

Wed, 17 Jan 2012 12:34:09 GMT

A system for charting location that allows the handicapped, and especially those who with impaired vision, to be able to move freely in railway stations was the winning project in the RENFE-Fundación Universia Final End-of-Studies Project. José Luis Fernández Gorroño, a student in Computer Engineering at Comillas, received the award for his project "A System for Indoor Multi-Media Guidance through Bluetooth Mobile Electronics", directed by David Contreras Bárcena, Professor in the ICAI School of Engineering.

The University hosts the presentation of the book "John Paul II. The Biography", by Andrea Riccardi

Tue, 16 Jan 2012 12:46:30 GMT

Comillas was the setting chosen by the San Pablo Publishing House and the Community of Sant´Egidio to present the first edition in Spanish of John Paul II. The Biography, a book written by Andrea Riccardi, a historian and founder of Sant’Egidio. Riccardi, who was named Minister for International Cooperation and Integration in the new Italian government, could not attend the presentation due to scheduling difficulties, but those present include Antonio Rouco Varela, Cardinal and Archbishop of Madrid; Rodolfo Martín Villa, former Vice-President of the Spanish Government; Paloma Gómez Borrero, correspondent for COPE at the Vatican, in Rome; Tíscar Espígares Pinilla, from the Community of Sant’Egidio and Juan Antonio Carrera, General Manager of the San Pablo Publishing Company. Presiding over the event was the Dean of the Faculty of Theology and of the Faculty of Canon Law, Gabino Uríbarri, SJ.

The conflict with the Arab States will not end as long as Israel is not certain that Palestine will not become an Islamic State

Sat, 13 Jan 2012 11:12:05 GMT

The solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict comes down to a mutual recognition of the right to exist, to have a homeland, and to legitimate self-defense but, in order to agree to all of these, Israelis must have the certainty, in all respects, that a Republic with an Al Qaeda-orientated Islamic ideology will not be created in Palestine, stated Jonathan Fine, Professor of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, during the lecture which was delivered on the Cantoblanco Campus, under the title "Arab Revolutions: How does Israel react?".

A student at Comillas ICAI, elected by MIT as one of the ten best Spanish innovators under 35 years of age

Fri, 12 Jan 2012 14:26:19 GMT

The Spanish version of Technology Review, a periodical published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and one of the leading technological publications in the world, has chosen Javier Agüera as one of the ten best innovators under 35 years of age, at its TR 35 awards. Agüera, who is a second-year student in Engineering ICT (Telematics), founded Geeksphone, the first Spanish company that designs so-called "smartphones", or intelligent phones, in 2008.

Four German students at Comillas ICADE win the Oliver Wyman Case Competition 2011

Wed, 10 Jan 2012 14:12:01 GMT

Carolin Hug, Carolin Mensch, Katharina Wahl and Theresa Wilhelm, Third Year students in the Undergraduate Degree in Business Administration and Management, International Business Programme (E-4) won the Oliver Wyman Case Competition 2011. "Acquisition of a Mobile Frequency by a Fixed Operator" was the theme on which the 85 groups from the four Spanish Universities that entered the competition had to develop a case. Oliver Wyman chose five teams as finalists, coming from ESADE Business School and from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, the University of Navarra, and the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, which had two groups, one from Comillas ICADE and another from Comillas ICAI.

The greatest obstacles for access to energy by isolated rural communities are political, social and culturalof age

Tue, 09 Jan 2012 10:56:38 GMT

The greatest difficulty in facilitating access to energy to isolated rural communities, and consequently, in helping them to overcome poverty, is not financing, but rather is found in matters of a political, institutional, logistic, social or cultural nature, among others. This conclusion was one of those presented at the latest session of the Group for Reflection on Energy and Sustainable Development (GREDS) at Comillas, which addressed the subject of access to energy for this type of community, with the collaboration of Energy without Borders.

More than 160 experts analyze the processes involved in annulling a marriage at Comillas

Tue, 09 Jan 2012 08:51:32 GMT

The Faculty of Canon Law at Comillas hosted a special conference on processes in Canon Law for marriage annulment, organized by the Spanish Association of Canon Law Scholars, which was attended by some 160 participants; those present included legal vicars, members of ecclesiastical tribunals, university professors and lawyers.

Only the truth and a policy of austerity and deflation in prices and salaries can get Spain out of the crisis

Thu, 04 Jan 2012 09:52:22 GMT

The Main Auditorium ("Aula Magna") of the Universidad Pontificia Comillas was the venue for the round table on "The Banking System and the World Crisis", organized by Comillas and the "Marcial Pons" Publishing House, in which well-known representatives of the financial and academic world participated. Antonio Torrero, Chair of Economic Structures at the Universidad de Alcalá; José Antonio Trujillo, Executive President of "Intermoney Titulación S.A".; César Molinas, Founding Partner of "Multa-Pacis"; Jorge Pérez, Professor of Financial/Business Economics and Accounting at UNED, and José Luis Cava, independent market analyst, debated on the current situation and made predictions for the future. The round table was moderated by the journalist Juan Cuesta, President of "Europa en Suma", and presiding at the session was the Vice-Rector for Financial Matters at Comillas, Cecilio Moral.

The "San Juan de Dios" University School of Nursing and Physiotherapy celebrates its 50th Anniversary

Fri, 22 Dec 2011 10:51:00 GMT

The "San Juan de Dios" University School of Nursing and Physiotherapy, located in Ciempozuelos, an entity of the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, has begun its commemorative events for the 50th Anniversary of its opening, during the academic year 1961-62, when it started its activities for the purpose of setting forth a model of humanization in medical assistance, which this Religious Order, devoted to Health Care, has been developing throughout its almost 500 years of existence.

The ICADE Association presents its yearly awards to César Albiñana, Luis de Carlos, Bernardo Hernández and "Familiafacil.es"

Wed, 20 Dec 2011 16:16:44 GMT

The "Aula Magna" (Main Auditorium) at the University was the venue for the presentation of the ICADE Association Awards, which recognize personal and professional excellence in its affiliates. In 2011, the awards were presented to César Albiñana and Luis de Carlos; Bernardo Hernández and "Familiafacil.es", a project created by Nieves Fernández. The Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, presided over the event, accompanied by the President of the Association, Marcelo Prieto, and by other members of the Board of Directors. In his words of congratulations to the award-winners, Busto affirmed that the history of ICADE is a history of service with quality, of entrepreneurship, doing things right and commitment. "Comillas and ICADE are not only what is taught in these classrooms, but also, and above all, what our graduates do outside of them", he stated.

An association is created to develop the "Campus of International Excellence" at Deusto, Comillas and Ramon Llull

Tue, 19 Dec 2011 13:17:13 GMT

The Universities of Deusto, Pontificia Comillas and Ramon Llull have created an association whose mission will be to develop and manage the Campus of International Excellence Aristos Campus Mundus 2015. After signing the agreement, which created the association, at the main site of the Ramon Llull University, the Rectors of the three universities, Jaime Oraá, SJ (Deusto), José Ramón Busto, SJ (Comillas) and Esther Giménez-Salinas (Ramon Llull) participated in a press conference.

The Seminar "Young Energy Economists and Engineers Seminar" was held at Comillas ICAI

Sat, 16 Dec 2011 14:10:29 GMT

Nearly 40 participants, among them, Doctoral students and professors from Europe and the United States, attended the Seminar "Young Energy Economists and Engineers Seminar (YEEES)", held over a period of two days at the ICAI School of Engineering.

The Spanish demand for energy can be reduced by 40 percent for the year 2030 at a very reduced or zero cost

Fri, 15 Dec 2011 10:18:27 GMT

The evolution of technologies and the implementation of policies that support their application could be transformed, in 2030, into a total reduction of up to 40 percent in the energy demands of Spain vis-à-vis the predictions for a future without taking measures to save. This is the main conclusion of the report “The Economic Potential for Reduction of the Energy Demand in Spain”, which has been presented by the research centre Economics for Energy.

The Faculty of Theology pays homage to the retired professors Santiago Arzubialde, Secundino Castro and Rafael María Sanz de Diego

Wed, 13 Dec 2011 15:48:52 GMT

The Faculty of Theology at Comillas honoured its retired professors Santiago Arzubialde, SJ, Secundino Castro, OCD, and Rafael María Sanz de Diego, SJ, at a ceremony open to the entire university community in which the book "Mil gracias derramando. Experiencia del Espíritu de ayer y hoy" ("A Thousand Thanks Spilling Forth. An Experience of the Spirit of Yesterday and Today") was presented. The following persons participated in the homage: Teófanes Egido, OCD, Professor at the University of Valladolid; Santiago Madrigal, SJ, editor of the book; Santiago Arzubialde, who spoke on behalf of the guests who were honoured; Gabino Uríbarri, Dean of the Faculty, and José Ramón Busto, SJ, Rector.

The University hosts the Graduation Ceremony for the first edition of the Masters Degree in Auditing and Management Development, by Deloitte

Tue, 12 Dec 2011 10:05:42 GMT

The Main Auditorium (Aula Magna) at the University was the venue for the Graduation Ceremony for the first edition of the Masters Degree in Auditing and Management Development, by Deloitte, taught in a collaborative effort by the firm and the universities of Deusto, Polytechnic of Valencia, Pompeu Fabra, Loyola Andalucía (formerly ETEA) and Comillas. More than 140 employees of the company received their diplomas in an event that saw the participation of José Ramón Busto, SJ, Rector at Comillas; Jaime Oraá, Rector at Deusto; Juan Miguel Martínez, Vice-Rector for International Relations and Cooperation at the Polytechnic University of Valencia; José Antonio Espejo, Executive Director and Director for Development at Loyola Andalucía; Ángel Cano, CEO at BBVA, and honorary guest "sponsor" of the graduating class, and Fernando Ruiz, President at Deloitte.

The Chair in Internationalization in Business participates in an official guidebook on the management of diversity

Thu, 07 Dec 2011 13:53:40 GMT

The Director of the Chair in Internationalization in Business, Diversity and Professional Development, Marta Muñiz Ferrer, has participated as an expert in business management in the designing of the Guide for the Management of Diversity in Professional Environments, published by the Ministry of Labour and Immigration. The guide, which is part of a project directed by the General Office for the Integration of Immigrants, through the Spanish Observation Platform on Racism and Xenophobia (Oberaxe, in Spanish), was presented in a final lecture in which businesses selected as an example of success and good practices exhibited to the general public their programmes and initiatives in the management of diversity and immigrants or those belonging to ethnic minorities, in professional environments.

The Doctorate in Electric Energy at Comillas ICAI receives the Distinction for Excellence by the Ministry of Education

Tue, 05 Dec 2011 17:20:37 GMT

The Official Doctoral Programme in Electric Energy at Comillas has received the Distinction for Excellence by the Ministry of Education, which is awarded to doctoral degrees which are held in high regard internationally, as recognition for its solid scientific and technical foundation and training. This Doctorate, which is offered by the ICAI School of Engineering, had already received the Distinction for Quality, which has now been replaced by this new distinction from the Ministry, which it obtained on its first attempt.

An ICAI engineer, winner of the best end-of-studies final project at the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne

Sat, 02 Dec 2011 12:12:55 GMT

Jorge López Moreno, an Industrial Engineer in the ICAI School of Engineering (ICAI), won the award for the best end-of-studies final project at the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne, in Switzerland, for the project "Thermal-Economic Optimization of a Solar Thermal Electrical Plant with a combined Tower-Cylinder-Parabolic Conductor".

Iñigo Navarro takes possession of the office of Dean of the Faculty of Law (ICADE)

Fri, 01 Dec 2011 16:41:55 GMT

The new Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor Iñigo Navarro, took possession of his office in a ceremony presided over by the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and in the presence of his predecessor, Concepción Moliona , and the General Registrar, Clara Martínez

The new Garrigues Chair in the Modernization of Corporate Law is presented

Thu, 30 Nov 2011 17:27:21 GMT

Garrigues and Comillas have created the Garrigues Chair for the Modernization of Corporate Law, which has as its objective to research and reflect on the changes that are coming about in this field of legal specialization. The Chair, co-directed by Abel Veiga, Director of the Department of Economic and Social Law, in the Faculty of Law (ICADE), and Fernando Vives, Director and Board Member at Garrigues, was presented at Comillas, after the signing of the agreement to set up the center, ratified by Fernando Vives and the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ. Ángel Rojo Fernández-Río, Chair of Mercantile Law at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, delivered the key note address for the chair, titled "Contestation of Social Agreements".

Victory of the Women´s Basketball Team at Comillas in the 4th International EuroValencia Tournament

Wed, 29 Nov 2011 17:59:24 GMT

The women´s basketball team at Comillas won the 4th edition of the International EuroValencia Tournament, in which it defeated the University of Belgrade by a score of 29 to 26 in the finals.

Aurora Mínguez Velasco, a student in the double-degree in Law and Business Administration and Management (E-3), was designated as Most Valuable Player in the women´s basketball competition, in which nine teams, from 5 countries, competed.

The University Community pays tribute to Professor Manuel Revuelta in the presentation of his latest book

Tue, 28 Nov 2011 09:57:41 GMT

The University Community at Comillas, together with numerous professors and researchers from other institutions, paid tribute to Professor Manuel Revuelta, SJ, on his 75th Birthday. The event, which was called Dum in Altum, was organised by the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, and served as a forum for the presentation of History and Spirit in Palestinian Lands: The Road to Santiago and other Arduous Trails , the latest book by this guest of honour, called "Palentinian, Jesuit and Historian".

Comillas reaches the quarter finals in the Euromasters International Championship, In Germany

Sat, 25 Nov 2011 08:26:18 GMT

Teams from Comillas reached the quarter finals in the categories of men´s basketball, men´s indoor soccer and mixed volleyball in the Euromasters International Championship, which has been organized since 1997 by the students of the WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management, in Vallendar (Germany), and which has become the biggest and more important tournament for European Business Schools on the continent.

Two students at Comillas ICAI, winners of the Extraordinary Undergraduate Awards of the Autonomous Region of Madrid

Thu, 23 Nov 2011 17:08:21 GMT

Víctor Martín Palacios and Ramón Rodrigáñez Riesco, First Year students in Electro-Mechanical Engineering at Comillas ICAI since last September, have been honoured with the Extraordinary Award for Undergraduate Students 2010-2011, of the Autonomous Region of Madrid. During the award presentation ceremony, the President of the Autonomous Region of Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre, praised the 25 undergraduate students from the Autonomous Region for their talent, studies, and personal effort.

Teaching staff, researchers and companies analyze at Comillas the role of new technologies in schools

Tue, 21 Nov 2011 13:14:42 GMT

The Student Recruitment Offce (OP, in Spanish) at the University organized, for the fifth consecutive year, a meeting for school counselors, within the framework of the Comillas Jobs Fair, and invited educational institutions to a round table in order to analyze the challenges and the opportunities that new information technologies offer in educational counseling. Some 55 counselors attended the session, and lectures were delivered by Juan Manuel Núñez Colás, Director and Board Member of "OTB Innova"; María Fernández Alonso, Manager at "TLS-Telefónica Learning Service", and Vicente Hernández, Professor in the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences at Comillas, and Director of the journal "Padres y Maestros" (Parents and Teachers) and of the "Orión Project"; the sessions were moderated by Begoña Pérez de Lema, Director of the Student Recruitment Office.

Comillas presents the commemorative book "50 Years of ICADE. Many Lives in One Project"

Sat, 18 Nov 2011 12:56:10 GMT

Comillas presented the book "50 Years of ICADE. Many Lives in One Project", to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Institution, in an event presided over by the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, during which the Awards for the Best Entrepreneurial Project in ICADE were also presented.

Ángela Orth receives the Award for the Best End-of-Studies Final Project for International Business Studies (E-4)

Sat, 18 Nov 2011 08:13:28 GMT

Ángela Orth, a graduate in International Business Sciences (E-4) in the Spanish-German programme, received the Award for the Best End-of-Studies Final Project, which has as its title "Truth, Reliability and Transparency in Financial Information in Capital Markets and in Economic Progress", in its first edition, sponsored by the "Agrupación Territorial 1ª del Instituto de Censores Jurados de Cuentas de España (ICJCE)" or First Territorial Group of Official Accounts Auditors of Spain.

Comillas alumni fill the venue of their ninth annual reunion

Thu, 16 Nov 2011 11:33:57 GMT

With a full venue, and noticeably, with a considerable presence of young people, Comillas held the ninth edition of its Annual Alumni Reunion, organized by the Alumni Office or "Oficina de Antiguos Alumnos (OAA)", in Spanish, under the sponsorship of PwC and with the collaboration of Thinking Heads. The special guest speaker for this year was Sebastián Álvaro, creator of the new format for adventure documentaries, which has as its title "Al filo de lo imposible" (Impossible Feats), which has become one of the longest-running, high-quality, prestigious programmes on Spanish Television.

Tribute in recognition to Fernández-Martos as he retires as Director of the Residence and the Comillas

Wed, 15 Nov 2011 17:26:42 GMT

Father José María Fernández-Martos received a tribute due to his retirement as Director of the Residence and the Comillas Pontifical Seminar during the last 12 years in a study conference titled "Vocational Discernment in the Training of Priests", organized by the Faculty of Theology. The opening was in charge of the Rector, Fr. José Ramón Busto, who was accompanied by the Dean of Theology, Fr. Gabino Urribari, and both congratulated and thanked the guest of honour for the work he carried out.

The 8th Edition of the Comillas Employment Fair is held

Tue, 14 Nov 2011 16:51:24 GMT

Organized by the Office for Internships and Employment, the 8th Comillas Employment Fair was held, which brought together some 50 entities from different sectors of the economy over a 2 day period, and which registered an attendance of approximately 5000 students.

The mission of Catholic secondary schools is to educate, transmit knowledge and to spread the Word of God by educating

Fri, 10 Nov 2011 12:32:13 GMT

The specific mission of Catholic secondary schools is to educate, transmit knowledge and to spread the Word of God by educating, or, as Saint Ignatius said, to make students not only wiser, but also better; spreading the Word of God is the first duty of a Christian, which cannot be rejected without betraying baptismal vows. Both affirmations, the first by Antonio Allende, SJ, former Delegate for Education in the Province of Castille, of the Society of Jesus, and the second, by Monsignor Rino Fisichella, Archbishop and President of the Pontifical Council for New Evangelization, were made at the Eighth Conference on Theology at Comillas, devoted this year to the problem of the transmission of faith in today´s world, inspired at the last World Youth Conference (JMJ, in Spanish), held in Madrid.

Comillas collaborates with the Ministry of Justice in the modernization of the language in the legal field

Wed, 08 Nov 2011 10:56:06 GMT

The University collaborated with the Ministry of Justice in a study that has been used so that the Commission for the Modernization of Legal Language could set forth its recommendations to improve the understanding of the norms, tribunals and of those professionals working in the legal field. At the request of the Commission, the research group "Law and Language" carried out a study of comparative policies on the measures that have been taken, up to the present moment in Spain, which include all of the actions taken in the Autonomous Regions, and in numerous countries in the world in the regions of continental Europe, English-speaking countries, and in Latin America.

Western Democratic Values of freedom, dignity and citizenship, essential components of the "Arab Spring"

Tue, 07 Nov 2011 12:21:51 GMT

José María Ferré de la Peña, Ambassador for the Special Mission for the Provisional Forces of the United Nations in Lebanon (FPNUL), delivered the lecture "Arab Revolts: A Road to Freedom" at the Cantoblanco Campus, within the framework of the lecture series "International Tribunal", organized by the Head of Studies of the double degree in International Relations and Translation and Interpreting.

Comillas closes the Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of IC ADE with the presentation of commemorative medallions to 16 companies of the highest standing

Sat, 04 Nov 2011 09:00:18 GMT

The Universidad Pontificia Comillas has finalised the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of ICADE with the presentation of commemorative institutional medallions to 16 companies that have lent their collaboration and support to the institution. The event, presided over by the Mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruiz Gallardón, accompanied by the Rector of the University, José Ramón Busto, SJ, was held in the "Palacio de Cibeles" (Cibeles Palace), headquarters of the City Hall of Madrid. Both of them were in charge of presenting the medallions and honorary diplomas to the award-winners.

The Fourth Edition of the Official Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA) begins for handicapped individuals

Fri, 03 Nov 2011 08:30:44 GMT

Courses for the fourth edition of the Official Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA) began during the month of October in the classrooms of ICADE Business School for those with handicaps, included in the currently-operating programme Xtalento, co-financed by the ONCE Foundation for the Blind and the European Social Fund.

More than 140 runners participate in the Comillas Cross-Country Competition 2011

Sat, 28 Oct 2011 09:28:14 GMT

More than 140 runners participated in the Comillas Cross-Country Competition 2011, which was organized by the Sports Office at the Cantoblanco Campus. The awards ceremony was presided over by Romano Giannetti, Vice-Rector for International Relations and University Services.

A Student in Pre-School Education Is awarded a grant to gain knowledge of the educational system in the

Thu, 26 Oct 2011 12:31:00 GMT

A third-year student in Pre-School Education, María Rosa Hernández García, was awarded a grant for the past academic year which allowed her to spend five weeks in a summer institute for young students in the area of education. The programme, sponsored by the State Department of the United States, and managed by the Fulbright Commission, enabled two students from our country and an equal number of students from Germany, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Sweden to carry out a period of stay at Eastern Washington University, during which they had the opportunity to gain knowledge of the educational system in the United States, to delve into its culture, to broaden their knowledge of the language and to exchange points of view.

Deusto, Comillas and Ramon Llull Universities obtain the seal for European Regional Campus of International Excellence

Wed, 13 Dec 2011 17:27:41 GMT

The International Commission of the Campus for Excellence 2011 has awarded the project Aristos Campus Mundus 2015, submitted and promoted by the Universities of Deusto, Comillas and Ramon Llull, the category of European Regional Campus of International Excellence (CEIR, in Spanish).

F. Martínez Córcoles, Director of Liberalized Business at the Iberdrola Group, 17th winner of the Javier Benjumea Award

Wed, 25 Oct 2011 12:31:40 GMT

The Director of Liberalised Business at the Iberdrola Group, Francisco Martínez Córcoles, has been awarded the Javier Benjumea Award, from the Association of ICAI Engineers, now in its 17th Edition. Javier Benjumea Llorente, in representation of the Benjumea Family, and Miguel Ángel Agúndez, President of the Association, present the award to this year´s winner during an event presided over by the Rector of Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ.

"When professionals do their jobs well, society as a whole works"

Tue, 24 Oct 2011 11:33:17 GMT

The book Profesionales y vida pública (Professionals and Public Life), in the collection "Ethics of Professionals", published by the Jesuit Universities of Spain (UNIJES), was presented at Comillas at an event in which the following participants intervened: José Luis Fernández, Director of the collection; Augusto Hortal Alonso, SJ, Coordinator of the book; Antonio García Santesmases, chair at the UNED (National University for Distance Learning), and Manuel Villoria Mendieta, chair at the Rey Juan Carlos University and founder of the Spanish chapter of Transparency International. For the latter, the idea that the professions are cooperative practices is apparent all throughout the text, "when professionals do their jobs well, society as a whole works", he stated.

Thirty doubles teams competed in the Third Paddle Ball Tournament for Comillas Alumni

Thu, 19 Oct 2011 10:29:41 GMT

The Third Paddle Ball Tournament for Comillas Alumni brought together some 30 doubles teams, 22 men"s teams and 8 women"s teams, at the "Cuidad Deportiva" or Sports Complex at Jarama, in San Sebastian de los Reyes. In the men"s competition, Carlos Arrieta Martínez de Pisón and Luis Torres Basabe placed first, followed by José García Mantinán and Antonio Muñoz Bote. In the women"s competition, the champions were María del Rosario Paradinas Zorrilla and Teresa Paradinas Zorrilla, who were victorious in the finals over the team of María Victoria Henríquez de Luna del Olmo and Gloria Uríbarri Bilbao.

The tournament, organised by the Alumni Office at the University, was held with the collaboration of the "Ciudad Deportiva Jarama", "Padel Lobb" and "Parrilla Clericó Sport".

A student from Comillas ICAI, bronze medallist in the International Mathematics Competition

Wed, 18 Oct 2011 11:22:01 GMT

Pedro Ciller, a student in Fifth Year of Industrial Engineering in the ICAI School of Engineering, won the bronze medal in the mathematics competition for university students, the International Mathematics Competition (IMC), which took place in Blagoevgrad (Bulgaria). Some 305 students attended this 18th edition of the contest, representing some 77 universities from more than 40 countries. Spain participated with 20 students from 6 universities, among them, 2 from Comillas: Pedro Ciller and Sergio Pego, also a Fifth Year Industrial Engineering student.

Comillas celebrated its fourth Alumni Golf Tournament

Sat, 14 Oct 2011 08:12:10 GMT

The Golf Club Las Lomas Bosque hosted the fourth Alumni Golf Tournament of the university, organized by the Alumni Office, where 21 golfers participated. Ana Alzueta, n the women category, won the first place with the Yanes Award, and Carmen Goytre, the second, with the S.T. Dupont Award. In the first category of men, Ignacio Colsa was the first qualified with the Yanes Award, and Antonio Parriego, the second with the S.T. Dupont Award. In second category José Luis Tabuenca won the first price, the Yanes Award, and the second, José Manuel Alvarez, the S.T. Dupont Award.

Deusto, Comillas ICADE and ESADE celebrated their 2nd Alumni Business Encounter

Wed, 11 Oct 2011 17:26:23 GMT

Deusto, Comillas ICADE and ESADE celebrated their 2nd Alumni Business Encounter in Madrid, the biggest alumni business forum of Spanish universities, and a special occasion for debating, sharing and understanding the new political, social and business scene. Joaquín Almunia, Vice President of the European Commission; Javier Solana, President of the ESADE Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics (ESADEGeo), and Cristóbal Montoro, Coordinator of Economy of the Conservative Party (Partido Popular), debated before a large audience about the Europe that will come out of the crisis. The journalist Iñaki Gabilondo was in charge of moderating the debate.

The Vice President of the European Commission warned that "Europe cannot lose more time, as the problems are piling up and to postpone decisions raises costs for everybody". According to Almunia "the euro zone leaders have to adopt urgent decisions, not only regarding Greece, but also in their own interest, as the future of the European integration is at stake".

Further more he pointed out that "these concrete measures must fit with a coherent political answer, bearing in mind that these are decisive moments, not only for the European Economic and Monetary Union, but also for the European Union as a whole".

The IIT will participate in a project to prevent airplane accidents by analyzing black boxes

Sat, 07 Oct 2011 13:23:30 GMT

Rafael Palacios, a researcher in the Institute for Technological Research (IIT) and professor in the ICAI School of Engineering, has participated in a project with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to create a new tool to analyse flight data recorders, commonly known as black boxes in airplanes and to allow the detection of flight abnormalities. The research is the result of cooperation with the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT during the 2009-2010 academic year and the summer of 2011. "In this project, the experience of MIT in themes related to commercial aviation, concretely of the International Center for Air Transportation (ICAT), is enhanced by the experience of the Institute for Technological Research in diagnostics and advanced data treatment within the field of Intelligent Systems", ascertains Palacios.

Two students from the Faculty of Law (ICADE), winners of the Young Legal Officers Award from the Garrigues Foundation

Thu, 05 Oct 2011 14:08:38 GMT

The students from the Faculty of Law (ICADE), Leticia Ballester Azpitarte, a recent gradúate in Law and in International Legal Studies (E-1), and Martín Jordano Luna, a student of the final year of Law and Business Administration and Management (E-3), were the winners of the second and third prizes in the category of current students, in the Young Legal Officers Awards, given by the Garrigues Foundation. Victoria Pérez de la Cruz Oña (E-3) and Antonio de la Esperanza Riesco (E-1) also received diplomas for reaching the final round.

26 students enrolled in the 4th edition of the Masters Degree in Business Taxation, offered by Comillas and Ernst & Young

Wed, 04 Oct 2011 09:29:16 GMT

Comillas and Ernst & Young Lawyers have begun the fourth edition of the Masters Degree in Business Taxation, in which 26 new students are enrolled this year. In total, 65 professionals from the firm have already completed this post-graduate degree which began in 2008.

Comillas opens the academic year 2011-12

Fri, 29 Sep 2011 14:44:56 GMT

The academic year 2011-12 contains news as the advancement of a month in all academic activities, the opening of the new building in the Cantoblanco university campus, the introduction of five new official master degrees and a replacement of the rector´s office, as the rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, expressed in his speech.

More than 3000 people visited Comillas during the World Youth Day in Madrid

Tue, 19 Sep 2011 11:11:31 GMT

The university opened its doors during the celebration of the World Youth Day in Madrid last August and hosted more than 3000 people who participated in the teaching of the catechism, the workshops and the concerts organized by the Pastoral Service. To receive the pilgrims, more than one hundred volunteers, most of them Comillas´ students, worked hard all week. "To some of them it was a once in a lifetime experience, which impacted them and opened their eyes and horizons", says Fernando Galligo, Pastoral Service Director

Germán Arana replaces José María Fernández Martos as the Rector at the "Colegio Mayor Comillas" (Comillas Hall of Residence)

Thu, 14 Sep 2011 17:57:03 GMT

Germán Arana SJ, a Jesuit specialised in spiritual guidance and in the training of priests, has replaced José María Fernández-Martos as Rector of the Comillas Pontifical Seminary, better known as the "Colegio Mayor Comillas", (Comillas Hall of Residence), after 12 years as the head of this international centre, located on the Cantoblanco Campus of the Universidad Pontificia Comillas.

Migraciones has obtained the seal of excellent journal from the Ministry of Science and Innovation

Wed, 13 Sep 2011 16:20:40 GMT

The journal Migraciones (Migrations), published by the Comillas University Institute on Migrations, has successfully passed the evaluation process of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) and has obtained the seal of excellent journal; 443 publications were analysed for the evaluation of which 46 attained the category of excellence. As explained by Mercedes Fernández, Director of the Journal, this recognition means that Migraciones appears among the publications the Ministry considers truly scientific and the next step, in which both the Administration and the university are immersed, is getting through a new evaluation to enter international indices.

Comillas is participating in the cultural programme of the Global Day for Youth 2011

Fri, 01 Sep 2011 12:38:31 GMT

Comillas, together with UNIJES (Federation of universities linked statutorily to the Society of Jesus) will actively participate in the cultural programme of the Global Youth Day (JMJ) 2011 to be held on 16-21 August in Madrid.

A social work alumnus is the winner of the first national award for university excellence for the academic year 2008-09

Tue, 12 Sep 2011 17:43:18 GMT

Pilar Agustín Sanjuán, a Comillas social work alumnus, has won first prize in her speciality among the national awards for university academic excellence for the year 2008-09. Two more Comillas graduates, Maite Peña Alcaraz, Industrial Engineering, and María José Mendiola Antona, Translating and Interpreting, both obtained special mentions. Pilar Agustín, who completed the diploma course in 2008 and carried on with her studies at Comillas with the adaptation course leading to a graduate degree in social work and the masters in cooperation and development from the Institute of Studies on Migrations, assures that, although achieving a brilliant academic curriculum meant significant dedication and effort, it has all been rewarded with the lessons learnt and the results obtained.

The Pope appoints Gabino Uríbarri advisor to the Agency for Evaluation and Promotion of Quality in Universities

Fri, 28 Jul 2011 12:21:28 GMT

His Holiness Benedicto XVI has appointed Father Gabino Uríbarri Bilbao, SJ, Dean of the Comillas" Faculty of Theology, a Member of the Scientific Board of the Holy See"s Agency for Evaluation and Promotion of Quality in Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties (AVEPRO in Spanish).

John N. Riccardi, from Boston University School of Law, visited Comillas to discuss new ways to collaborate

Thu, 27 Jul 2011 12:28:16 GMT

John N. Riccardi, Assistant to the Dean and responsible for international and postgraduate programmes from Boston University School of Law, has visited Comillas to discuss new ways to collaborate with ICADE"s Faculty of Law and dealt with aspects related to the graduate law programme (E-1 American) and the Master in European and International Business Law. Riccardi showed major interest in deepening the relationship that Boston University School of Law and ICADE"s Faculty of Law have had for years by means of a new masters student exchange agreement under negotiation.

Comillas and IBM presented an electric vehicle management model

Wed, 26 Jul 2011 10:09:28 GMT

Comillas and IBM have prepared a model which demonstrates an electric vehicle, presented in the form of a mock-up prepared by students from the Advanced Technical Faculty of Engineering (ICAI). The model reflects the management technology and models necessary for integration of the electric vehicle, and highlights contributions to the environment and smart grids.

Twelve International Jesuit Engineering Schools hold a conference at Comillas

Sat, 22 Jul 2011 10:32:36 GMT

The Thirteenth International Conference of the Jesuit Association of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Universities and Schools/Jesuit International Science and Engineering Association (ISJACHEM/JINSEA), held at the ICAI School of Engineering at Comillas, has brought together the participants from 12 engineering schools founded by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), from different parts of the world: three from the United States, four from Europe and five from Latin America. Some thirty speakers contributed, with their presentations, to the success of the conference, which was inaugurated by the Rector of the University, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and the Director of Comillas ICAI, Mariano Ventosa Rodríguez.

Deusto, Comillas and the Ramon Llull Universities hold the Conference "Think, share and innovate"

Thu, 20 Jul 2011 13:32:05 GMT

The Universities of Deusto, Comillas and Ramon Llull co-organised the Inter-University Conference on Innovation in Teaching, "Think, share and innovate", within the framework of their collaboration in the campus for international excellence Aristos Campus Mundus (ACM). The Conference was held in Barcelona, at the Ramón Llull University; professors from the other two universities participated by means of video-conferencing from their respective institutions, while the speakers offered open sessions on the Conference web page, on which the videos from each of the thematic areas is available.

The students of three graduating classes of the Master in Business Administration-Executive for the 2009-10 academic year received their diplomas

Fri, 14 Jul 2011 14:50:08 GMT

The Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, presided over the graduation ceremony to award diplomas to more than 80 students who completed the Master in Business Administration-Executive (EMBA) at the ICADE Business School, in the twenty-first and twenty-second graduating classes in Madrid, and the sixth graduating class from A Coruña, for the 2009-10 academic year.

The Rector was accompanied by the Dean of the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration (ICADE), Alfredo Arahuetes, the Director of the ICADE Business School, Javier Gómez Lanz; the Director of the EMBA, Virginia Horcajadas, and the Director of Maintenance Sinergies at the International Airlines Group, Sergio López Varela, who acted as the special guest representative, invited by the graduating classes. Oscar Martínez Martín spoke on behalf of the students in the programme.

Nineteen Spanish Universities form the International Conference of Alumni Associations

Wed, 12 Jul 2011 09:39:39 GMT

Nineteen Spanish Universities have formed the International Conference of Alumni Associations (the "Conferencia Internacional de Entidades Alumni" or "Conferencia Alumni", in Spanish), an association which brings together more than two million alumni, and joins professionals in the management of alumni within the realm of higher education.

The high institutions of justice were present during the closing session about Law Profession and Global Society

Tue, 11 Jul 2011 11:42:12 GMT

The highest institutions of the legal profession, the "Consejo General del Poder Judicial (the General Council for Legal Power, or CGPJ in Spanish", the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Justice and the "Consejo General de la Abogacía Española" (General Council of the Spanish Legal Profession), were present during the closing session of the Seventh UNIJES Conference, "The Challenges of the Law Profession vis-à-vis Global Society", which was held for three days at Comillas. The session was presided over by the Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and also in attendance were the Deans of the Faculties of Law at the three universities which jointly sponsored the conference, Deusto, Ramon Llull (ESADE) and Comillas ICADE.

The International Conference "The Jesuits. Religion, Politics and Education (16th-18th Centuries)" was held at

Tue, 04 Jul 2011 08:50:33 GMT

Comillas hosted some one-hundred international experts, coming from 60 universities, research centers and academic entities from Europe, the Americas and Japan for three days, with around 70 lectures, and more than 30 brief speeches, all of which contributed to a full schedule for the International Conference "The Jesuits. Religion, Politics and Education (16th-18th Centuries)", organized by Comillas, the Autonomous University of Madrid and the Rey Juan Carlos I University, the government of the Autonomous Region of Madrid and the Ministry of Science and Innovation. José Martínez Millán, chair of Modern History and Director of the University Institute "La Corte en Europa" (the Court in Europe, or IULCE, in Spanish), of the Autonomous University of Madrid, and Henar Pizarro, professor of Modern History at Comillas, and member of the IULCE, were in charge of the organization of the conference.

Students of Law at Comillas ICADE receive the award for the best written version of a law suit in MOOT Madrid 2011

Sat, 01 Jul 2011 13:39:44 GMT

A team of students of Law at Comillas ICADE won the award for the best written version of a law suit (Premio Albert H. Kritzer) in the International Competition for Arbitration and Mercantile Law MOOT Madrid 2011, culminating six months of tests that the nine university teams that participated in this third edition of the competition have had to pass. The teams came from Madrid, Cádiz, La Rioja, Zaragoza, Colombia, El Salvador, France and the United States of America.

The Seventh Class of the Senior Citizens University graduates from Comillas

Fri, 30 Jun 2011 08:42:46 GMT

Nearly 70 students from the Seventh Graduating Class of the Senior Citizens University received their diplomas in a graduation ceremony held in the Main Auditorium (“Aula Magna”) at Comillas. Nearly 460 students were registered in this five-year educational studies program during the academic year 2010-2011, which has just ended. The programme began officially in the year 2000.

Comillas closes the 2010-11 academic year by presenting diplomas to more than 1700 students

Tue, 27 Jun 2011 09:33:46 GMT

More than 1700 students received their diplomas during the graduation ceremony that closed the 2010-11 academic year, held by Comillas at its Cantoblanco campus, and presided over by the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ.

Specialisation, research, and Innovation, new challenges for social workers, stemming from the European Space for Higher Education

Sat, 24 Jun 2011 13:00:27 GMT

The European Space for Higher Education (EEES, in Spanish) is presenting new challenges to social workers, such as specialization, research and innovation, according to the conclusions of the 5th Conference on Social Work, organized by the Official Professional College/Association of Social Workers of Madrid, which was held at Comillas.

As pointed out by Professor Rosalía Mota, Head of Studies of the undergraduate degree in Social Work at Comillas, in her lecture, the change from the "diplomatura" (three-year undergraduate degree) to the "grado" (four-year undergraduate degree) in this field of studies, besides satisfying a historical reaffirmation of the profession, eliminates the impediment which prevented social workers from continuing on to fields of research, Doctoral studies and an expansion of their knowledge.

Some thirty experts meet at Comillas to advance on the relationship between metrology and health

Thu, 22 Jun 2011 14:23:59 GMT

Comillas organised, in collaboration with Fremap, the Second Conference on Metrology and Health, with the aim of putting health care personnel in touch with those in the field of metrology, given the need to achieve reliability in measurements in instruments and medical and health tools. More than thirty experts participated in a meeting whose objective was two-fold: to make professionals in medicine feel the need for good diagnostics, based on reliable measurements, and to transmit to those in metrology the value of reliability in medical diagnoses. It was concluded that it is necessary to combine efforts on both sides in order to reach a common ground, and a work plan was established to advance in this direction, since traceability and the most exact calibration possible of medical instruments can result in better quality in diagnosis and treatment.

The Spanish energy system needs a new political pact that includes all sources of energy

Wed, 21 Jun 2011 12:09:24 GMT

The 7th Annual Conference for the Rafael Mariño Chair for New Energy Technologies has made known the need to reach a new national consensus on energy among the major political parties, without excluding anyone or without previous conditions, which includes nuclear energy, coal, combined cycles and all renewable energies (wind, geothermal, hydraulic, solar thermo-electric, solar photo-voltaic, solar thermal, biomass and sea), as well as biofuels for transport.

Stefano Zamagni offers a lecture on the message of Caritas in veritate for Business Ethics

Tue, 20 Jun 2011 12:59:17 GMT

Comillas hosted the lecture Caritas in veritate, a Timely Message to Revitalize Business Ethics (in Spanish, "Caritas in veritate, un mensaje oportuno para reconducir la ética empresarial"), which was given by Stefano Zamagni. The lecture, organised by the Javier Benjumea (Focus-Abengoa) Chair for Financial and Business Ethics at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, and the López Quintás Foundation for the Promotion of Creativity and Values, is part of the programme of commemorative events for the 50th Anniversary of ICADE. In his speech, the papal advisor stated that one of the key words in this encyclical is "entrepreneur": "We need more entrepreneurs", says Benedict XVI.

Comillas commemorates the 50th Anniversary of ICADE with a party for teaching, administrative and services staff

Sat, 17 Jun 2011 14:04:49 GMT

Comillas organised an evening of music for its teaching, administrative and services personnel on the occasion of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of ICADE. The programme for the classical music concert, which took place in the setting of the Church of the Immaculate and Saint Peter Claver, combined lyrical and instrumental pieces. Afterwards, those who attended enjoyed the performance of the group Beat, beat, yeah!, which sang a rendition of songs by the Beatles, and others from a lively assortment of music.

The Excellence in Management Club awards the Seal for European Excellence 400+ to the Library at Comillas

Thu, 15 Jun 2011 13:38:00 GMT

The Vice-President of the Excellence in Management Club (CEG, in Spanish), Eduardo Rodríguez, awarded the Seal for European Excellence 400+ to the Library Service at Comillas, in a ceremony held at the Cantoblanco Campus, which was presided over by the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, under the title "The Library: Quality Service in the European Space for Higher Education".

New Masters Degree Programmes round out the offering for Official Postgraduate Programmes at Comillas for the 2011-2012 academic year

Sat, 10 Jun 2011 09:56:21 GMT

The University has increased its offering of University Masters Degree Programmes for the 2011-12 academic year with four new programmes which, added to the 23 which were implemented in the past two academic years, makes a total of 27 Official Masters Degrees, adapted to the European Space for Higher Learning (Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior or EEES, in Spanish). The degrees, which have just passed this stage of verification, are:

ICADE Business School:
Máster Universitario en Dirección Ejecutiva de Empresas-Executive MBA (Master in Executive Management-Executive MBA)

Cente for Innovation in Law (CID ICADE)
Máster Universitario en Derecho Internacional y Europeo de los Negocios (Master in International and European Business Law)
Faculty of Human and Social Sciences:
Máster Universitario en Interpretación de Conferencias (Master in Conference Interpreting)
Máster Universitario en Traducción Jurídico - Financiera (Master in Legal-Financial Translation)

Comillas holds its first Alumni Reunion in La Rioja, which was attended by the President of the Autonomous Region

Wed, 14 Jun 2011 17:07:33 GMT

Some one-hundred degree-holders from Comillas attended the First Alumni Reunion for La Rioja, which was held in Logroño by the Alumni Office at the University, which was attended by the President of La Rioa, Pedro Sanz. The event also served as a ceremony to award diplomas and certificates to some 50 students of the Seventh Edition of the Master in Business Administration-Executive and the Second Edition of the Advanced Programme in Executive Management, which is taught in this Autonomous Region by the ICADE Business School in collaboration with the Marketing Club of La Rioja.

A group of professors from the Faculty of Law publish a study on electoral systems and political participation in

Tue, 13 Jun 2011 12:13:59 GMT

Comillas was the setting for the presentation of "State and Autonomous Regions of Spain: Electoral Systems and Political Participation", a study carried out by professors in the areas of Political Science, Administrative Sciences and Constitutional Law, in the Faculty of Law (ICADE), published by the Senate. The coordinators of the study, are María Isabel Álvarez Vélez and María Fuencisla Alcón Yustas, who have also written some of the chapters along with Federico de Montalvo Jääskelainen, Luis Ángel Méndez López and Abel Veiga Copo, all professors at Comillas, and Irene Correas Sosa, a former student of our university and Professor at San Pablo CEU. The work, which analyses political representation at the national level, proposes an increase in the number of members of the Congress to 400 and a reduction in the initial minimum representation by province to one congressperson in order to achieve greater proportionality. It treats, as well, the current status of political agents and diverse matters related to participative democracy.

Prices and volatility, the greatest risks at the present time for insuring the supply of energy

Sat, 10 Jun 2011 08:00:11 GMT

The high level of prices and their volatility as a consequence of limitations in supply,, the very significant increase in demand, and speculation in some markets, represent the greatest risk for insuring the energy supply at the present time, according to the analysis carried out by more than 30 experts, both Spanish and international, who participated in the BP Forum for Energy and Sustainability, organised by the BP Chair for Energy and Sustainability at Comillas, with the collaborarion of the Spanish Club for Energy. The event was closed with an open session in which conclusions were presented, under the supervision of the Director of the Chair, Ignacio Pérez Arriaga, and a panel, which discussed insuring the supply of energy in Spain.

Four students at the University compete in the International KPMG Tennis Masters Tour Tournament

Thu, 08 Jun 2011 12:16:25 GMT

Joaquín Pérez-Marsá Segurado, Pedro Domínguez Churruca and Marta Echeverría Pérez del Molino, students of Business Administration and Management (E’2), and Julio Martínez Estaire, from Law and Business Administration and Management (E-3), participated in the International KPMG Tennis Masters Tour Tournament, held at La Boule, near Nantes (France). The representatives of the university were eliminated in the quarter finals, finishing within fifth and eighth place.

The tournament, which is prestigious internationally and which enjoys the personal support of Rafael Nadal, had a total of 32 teams from universities and university-affiliated schools in France, one from Switzerland, and only one Spanish team, from Comillas.

Comillas hosted "Best of Spain" organized by ESOMAR, the market research and opinion international association

Wed, 07 Jun 2011 18:15:52 GMT

The university was chosen by ESOMAR, the international association of reference in market research and opinion, to hold the meeting "Best of Spain", an event organized in order to strengthen ties between the market research industry and the academia and to increase the presence of the association in Spain. To this end, there were good examples of innovative and leading practices in the sector.

Five out of hundred who have been granted a scholarship from la Caixa are master students of Comillas

Wed, 07 Jun 2011 09:27:54 GMT

A total of hundred Spanish higher education students have been selected by La Caixa in the sixth edition of its scholarship programme for master studies in Spain. Five of them are currently studying a postgraduate programme at Comillas, four are in the engineering branch and one is studying economics. Alonso Álvarez, Juan Carlos Carrasco Giménez, Mauro Jorge Olcina Ponsell, Lara Paula Pereda Erdaide and Maialen Serrano Arana are the scholarship holders who chose our university to further their studies.

Comillas hosts the presentation of the Human Capital Awards

Tue, 06 Jun 2011 11:46:11 GMT

The Universidad Pontificia Comillas was the setting chosen by Wolters Kluwer and the magazine Human Capital to present the Ninth "José Luis Pérez Award" for Social Responsibility for Companies and the 15th Human Capital Awards for the Management of Human Resources. The Rector,
José Ramón Busto, SJ, stated that he was satisfied that the organisation had chosen the University for the celebration of such a relevant ceremony and congratulated all of the award-winners.

Presentation of the book Finance for Everyone (Finanzas para todos, in Spanish) at the ICADE Business School

Sat, 03 Jun 2011 10:46:09 GMT

LID Publishing House has published, as part of its ICADE Library, Finance for Everyone, (Finanzas para todos, in Spanish), a book by José Luis Martín, a professor in the University Masters Degree Programme in Human Resources. At the presentation, held at ICADE Business School, the following participants intervened: Jesús Labrador, Director of the Masters Degree Programme; María Jesús Blasco, General Manager of Repsol-Butano Spain; César Piernavieja, Editorial Manager of the "Acción Empresarial" Collection at LID; and María Coronado, Director of the Department of Financial Management in the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration (ICADE). Finance for Everyone (Finanzas para todos) explains, with simple examples, the financial concepts that all professionals who are not experts in this field need to know.

Antonio Garrigues Walker and Victor Pérez Díaz discussed about de civil society in the 50th Anniversary of ICADE

Sat, 03 Jun 2011 09:34:04 GMT

Antonio Garrigues Walker, President of the Garrigues Legal Office, and Víctor Pérez Díaz, President of Socio-Political Analysists inaugurate the lecture series "Economics, Politics and Society in the Spain of the past 50 years", within the series of events programmed for the 50th Anniversary of ICADE. Under the presidency of the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and with Miguel Gordillo, Partner Of Counsel of the Garrigues Legal Office and Comillas´s alumni, as moderator, the two lecturers state their reflections about the civil society.

Comillas establishes an agreement for research and training with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Fri, 02 Jun 2011 14:27:58 GMT

Comillas and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have signed a framework agreement for collaboration in research and training, with the objective of improving and transforming energy systems to make them sustainable and efficient, and to study the subject of the transition toward a low-carbon economy.

"Comillas ICAI has been fomenting the internationalisation of its research and its teaching for many years, and in this context, the agreement with MIT is a new affirmation of the quality of our research and of our post-graduate training in the area of energy, coming from the university which is the world leader in Engineering", stated the Director of the ICAI School of Engineering, Mariano Ventosa.

Comillas reinforces its areas of research on energy conservation and efficiency with RENFE

Thu, 20 Jul 2011 19:20:33 GMT

Comillas and RENFE have signed a framework agreement which broadens the foundation of their collaboration and establishes areas of future activities. The agreement, which is being developed within the framework of four specific agreements, one which has already been signed, puts forth three objectives: to develop joint research and innovative projects , which are concentrated on energy conservation through efficiency and a reduction in energy consumption in railways; to collaborate in training programmes, especially in the University Masters Degree Programme in Railway Systems, and to spread the results of research. The area of Railway Systems at the Institute for Technological Research (Instituto de Investigación Tecnológica or IIT, in Spanish) is involved in this agreement.

Comillas presents the Sports Awards for the 2010-11 academic year

Wed, 31 May 2011 17:45:29 GMT

The Sports Office at the University presented the Sports Awards for the 2010-11 academic year at a now traditional ceremony held in the Main Auditorium, located in the Main Building. The members of the University community who participated successfully in in-house and inter-university competitions received their trophies personally from the Vice-Rector for International Relations and University Services, Romano Giannetti; from Álvaro Tabernero, as a representative of Accenture, and from the members of the Sports Office. Moreover, a team of cheerleaders, winners of the Euroesade Tournament, carried out a demonstration.

Comillas hosted the presentation of "The Last Jesuit", by Pedro Miguel Lamet

Tue, 30 May 2011 17:39:20 GMT

The University hosted the presentation of "The Last Jesuit", a book by Pedro Miguel Lamet, SJ, who recounts the expulsion of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) from Spain in times of Charles III, and its subsequent elimination, ordered by Pope Clement XIV. In the words of the Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, it is a story about power.

A team from Comillas ICAI receives the award for the best video at the international contest Fly Your Ideas, by Airbus

Tue, 30 May 2011 14:42:50 GMT

Ecolution, the team made up of students from the ICAI School of Engineering, Gonzalo Almendral, Eduardo Rafael Martín, Francisco Javier Mariscal, Aitor Sanz and Guiomar Rayón, along with Professor Juan Carlos del Real as their academic mentor, won the award for the best video in the international contest Fly Your Ideas, organized by Airbus. In spite of the fact that they have not been selected for the finals, in which other teams will compete, they will travel to Paris to pick up the award and to attend the last round of the competition. The members of the group have expressed their gratitude to their academic mentor, as well as to Professor Jesús Jiménez Octavio.

More than 80 volunteers are preparing Comillas" proposal for the World Youth Conference

Sat, 27 May 2011 12:39:00 GMT

The Pastoral Service at the University is preparing for the World Youth Conference, which will be held in Madrid from August 16 to 21, with the presence of Pope Benedict XVI. More than 80 volunteers have been working for weeks on the organization of spiritual and leisure activities, open to all participants in the WYC. The Pastoral Service calls on students and members of the university community to collaborate, and, above all, to take advantage of the visit to grow in faith.

Six students will receive International Exchange Grants on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of ICADE

Thu, 25 May 2011 10:41:01 GMT

Mónica Barrio Díez, María del Carmen Inclán Núñez, Marta Marqués Huelin, Rafael Carlos del Rosal Carmona, Laura Saiz Trillo and Ana Vene Zafra, students in the Faculties of Economic Sciences and Business Administration and Law, will receive grants from this special edition fund, on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of ICADE, proceeding from the grant programme for international exchange in the ICADE Business Club. Some 20,000 euros have been distributed in the form of financial aid.

Thirteen members of the University, awarded at the 25th "Florencio Segura Memorial Literary Contest"

Thu, 25 May 2011 10:30:00 GMT

The jury of the 25th "Florencio Segura Memorial Literary Contest" presented awards to 13 members of the University community in the categories of essay, journalistic article, poetry and narrative. The award ceremony, which normally coincides with the rest of the contests in the arts, was made a special celebration in itself to commemorate its 25th edition, and the 50th Anniversary of ICADE, whose sponsors collaborated in the contest. A performance by the poet and musician Amancio Prada closed the event.

Tomás Gómez San Román, Counsellor for the National Commission for Energy

Sat, 20 May 2011 10:30:36 GMT

Tomás Gómez San Román, a Professor at Comillas ICAI, was named counsellor for the National Commission for Energy (CNE, in Spanish), a regulatory agency for the energy sector in Spain, at the Council of Ministers Meeting, on May 6. He took office in a ceremony presided over by the Minister of Industry, Miguel Sebastián, and the President of the National Commission for Energy, María Teresa Costa, on May 10, along with Idoia Zenarrutzabeitia, former Vice-President (vice-“lehendakari”, in Basque) of the Government of the Basque Country, the other member of the commission who was appointed on this occasion.

Agreement between the Chair for Internationalisation in Business and the European Institute for Diversity Management

Thu, 18 May 2011 11:36:05 GMT

The Chair for Internationalisation in Business, Diversity and Professional Development at Comillas and the European Institute for Diversity Management have signed an agreement for collaboration, in order to promote diverse initiatives to foment diversity management as a corporative strategy in Spain. The first edition of the Seminar in Diversity Management has been initiated within the framework of this agreement.

The Dean of Law presents the first edition of the lip dub for the 50th Anniversary of ICADE

Fri, 26 May 2011 12:32:24 GMT

The Dean of the Faculty of Law (ICADE), Concepción Molina, presented the first edition of the lip dub, resulting from the impetus of a group of students, classified by the Dean as "one of the nicest activities on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of ICADE".

Comillas signs the Charter for Diversity in Spain

Tue, 16 May 2011 10:55:56 GMT

The Vice-Rector for University Finances at Comillas, Cecilio Moral Bello, signed the Charter for Diversity in Spain, at a ceremony held at the State Secretariat for Equality. With this signature, Comillas makes public its commitment to the principles in the document, which foment the development of diversity in the workplace, as well as its commitment to carrying out the norms in effect in themes of equality and non-discrimination. The inclusion of the university in the agreement responds to the initial impulse given by the Chair in Internationalization in Business, Diversity and Professional Development.

Professor at Comillas ICAI, first prize for best lecture at International Conference Fuzziness, Philosophy and Medicine

Fri, 12 May 2011 16:56:55 GMT

Cristina Puente Águeda, Professor in the Department of Informatic Systems, at Comillas ICAI, won the first prize for the best lecture at the International Conference Fuzziness, Philosophy and Medicine, held at the European Centre for Soft Computing, in Mieres (Asturias). Professors José Ángel Olivas, from the University of Castilla-La Mancha, and Alejandro Sobrino, from the University of Santiago de Compostela, are co-authors of the award-winning study "Mining Causal Mechanisms in Medical Texts" ("Extracción de mecanismos causales en textos médicos", in Spanish).

The Library at Comillas obtains the Seal of European Excellence 400+ from the EFQM

Tue, 09 May 2011 09:27:48 GMT

The Library Service at Comillas has obtained the Seal of European Excellence 400+, awarded by the Club for Excellence in Management, by virtue of the agreement for collaboration with the National Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation (ANECA), after having been submitted to the process of evaluation that ended last April.

Esperanza Aguirre awards the Honorary Plaque of the "Gran Cruz de la Orden del Dos de Mayo" to ICADE

Sat, 06 May 2011 09:40:12 GMT

The President of the Autonomous Region of Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre, awarded the Honorary Plaque of the “Gran Cruz de la Orden del Dos de Mayo” (the Great Cross of the Order of the Second of May) to ICADE, during a ceremony held at the headquarters of the regional government, on the occasion of the Autonomous Region of Madrid Day. The Vice-Rector for Academic Order and Professors, Antonio Obregón, accepted the award.

Three students at Comillas ICAI, on the winning team for the 2011 Deloitte Business Game

Fri, 05 May 2011 17:22:20 GMT

Javier García-Revillo, Eduardo Martín Pérez and Víctor López Cánovas, Third-Year students in Industrial Engineering in the ICAI School of Engineering, were the members of the multi-disciplinary team that were victorious in the 2011 Deloitte Business Game. Another three students from the University, Miguel Márquez de Prado and Carlos de la Nuez, both Fourth-Year Law and Business Administration and Management studenta, (E-3), and Mariana Gaffner, a Fourth-Year Business Administration and Management student, (E-2), participated in the final round of the competition, which was reached by a total of 50 students from different Spanish Universities.

Comillas organises the 2011 Spanish University Indoor Football/Soccer Championship

Wed, 03 May 2011 18:47:45 GMT

Comillas hosted the 2011 Spanish University Indoor Football/Soccer Championship, in which the winners were the University of Valencia, in the men"s competition, and the Autonomous University of Madrid, in the women"s division. Twenty-four teams, both men"s and women"s, participated in the competition.

Twenty-two students from Comillas ICAI receive awards for the best end-of-studies final projects 2009-10

Wed, 03 May 2011 15:24:56 GMT

Twenty—two research projects were selected as the best end-of-studies final projects in the ICAI School of Engineering for the 2009-2010 academic year. The Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, along with the Director of the School, Mariano Ventosa; the President of the Institute of Engineering in Spain, Manuel Acero, and representatives of the sponsoring companies for the awards, presented diplomas to the award-winners. The excellence and the multi-disciplinary nature of the projects that were awarded, as well as the quality of the 36 research projects that were pre-selected as finalists, were the subject of praise at the event.

Comillas and the Tejerina Foundation sign an agreement for collaboration

Wed, 03 May 2011 10:46:50 GMT

The Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and Armando Tejerina, President of the Tejerina Foundation, signed a framework agreement for collaboration, in the presence of Rosa María Fernández-Ayuso, Director of the "San Juan de Dios" School of Nursing and Physiotherapy. The goal of the agreement is to take advantage of, and to stimulate teaching, methodological, technical and practice-related resources at both institutions, as well as to develop programmes for educational cooperation which facilitate the training of future professionals and the recycling of those who are now practicing.

More than 500 people attend the meeting with the recruiting office at the UN held at Comillas

Fri, 28 Apr 2011 18:04:50 GMT

Comillas, through its Masters Degree Programme in International Relations: Economics, Politics and Law, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organized a meeting at the University with members of the recruiting office at the United Nations, on a visit to Spain. The information session on the selection processes for civil servants and personnel hired under contract saw a gathering of more than 500 people, among them, students, alumni from the University, professionals and students from other institutions. The interest on behalf of the UN to hold this meeting comes in response to the goal of increasing the presence of Spanish professionals in their ranks.

A Team from Comillas ICADE, winners of the national round of the International Case Competition of KPMG

Fri, 28 Apr 2011 11:54:53 GMT

Four fifth-year students in Law and Business Administration and Management (E-3), Tamara Alonso, Ramón Cerdeiras, Fernando de Castro and Álvaro Esteban, won the national championship in the Internacional Case Competition, organized by KPMG, with the participation of nearly 80 students from seven Spanish universities. The competition is a part of a world-wide educational project which is organized each year by the firm.

The Faculty of Canon Law holds a Study Conference on "A Couple´s Love in Christian Matrimony"

Thu, 27 Apr 2011 18:30:20 GMT

The Study Conference on "A Couple´s Love in Christian Matrimony", organized by the Faculty of Canon Law at the University, brought together numerous Canon Law specialists, researchers, and students in the Main Auditorium of Comillas, concentrating on the figure of Cardinal Urbano Navarrete, SJ, and matrimonial law. Under the presidency of the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, , the following speakers intervened: José María Díaz Moreno, SJ, Professor Emeritus at Comillas and at the Pontifical University of Salamanca; Federico Aznar Gil, Chair of the Faculty of Canon Law at the same university, and Januz Kowal, SJ, Dean of the Faculty of Canon Law at the Pontifical Università Gregoriana de Roma. The Head of Studies in the Faculty at Comillas, José Luis Sánchez-Girón, SJ, acted as moderator.

José Ángel Sánchez, Alejandro José Zamora, Rafael Carlos del Rosal and Aarón Rodilla, winners of Moot ICADE

Thu, 27 Apr 2011 08:48:30 GMT

The team whose members include José Ángel Sánchez Villegas, Alejandro José Zamora Pérez, Rafael Carlos del Rosal Carmona and Aarón Rodilla Parres won Moot ICADE, the competition in legal simulation, organised by the Faculty of Law (ICADE), within the framework of the commemorative events for the 50th Anniversary of ICADE, in which more than one hundred students participated. Moreover, a special prize for team spirit was awarded to Mariana Casanueva García de Alvear, Patricia Figueroa González, Selina Neira Bustamante, Cristina Zuleta de Reales Castellanos and María Eugenia Zuleta de Reales Castellanos.

The need for a mixture and combination of different sources of energy has not changed after Fukushima

Wed, 10 May 2011 14:41:37 GMT

The Rafael Mariño Chair for New Energy Technologies and the Spanish Nuclear Society (Sociedad Nuclear Española, or SNE, in Spanish), held their traditional "nuclear session" at Comillas, which was devoted this year to the "National and International Panorama on Nuclear Energy". At the opening session of the conference, the Director of the Chair, Yolanda Moratilla, stated that the fact that nuclear energy should be a part of the mixture of different sources of energy cannot be ignored at such a critical time as the present moment, when the lack of safety and the drying up of certain sources of energy are combined with natural disasters and catastrophes, such as at Fukushima. In her opinion , the nuclear sector has a lot to offer and still a long way to go, and sessions such as this one are proof of this. "The needs of the mixture and combinations have not changed since Fukushima", insisted Lola Morales, President of the SNE, who said that as a result of the analysis of what happened, a reinforcement in safety issues concerning nuclear reactors will be brought forth which, she hopes, will be useful to restore and maintain the confidence of the general public.

More than 250 students participate in an employment orientation session at the Office for Internships/Employment

Fri, 14 Apr 2011 14:33:23 GMT

The Office for Internships and Employment (OPE, in Spanish) at the University organized a training and employment orientation session, in collaboration with Jobandtalent, which was attended by more than 250 students from all of the different sites at the University. María Victoria García, Director of the Office of Internships and Employment, gave a presentation on the office, and two colleagues from the platform Jobandtalent, Miguel Gómez-Alexandre and Pablo Gómez-Ballesteros, gave advice to the students on themes of interest.

Thirteen students in the Faculty of Law (ICADE) represent Comillas in the Worldmun Competition

Fri, 14 Apr 2011 11:25:21 GMT

Comillas was represented in the Worldmun Competition by 13 students from the Faculty of Law (ICADE). In recognition of their participation, Concepción Molina, Dean of the Faculty, presented the diplomas certifying their stay in Singapore to them.

The reactors at the Fukishima I nuclear power plant will have to be dismantled and scrapped

Thu, 13 Apr 2011 11:17:12 GMT

The six reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which were designed to resist waves of up to seven meters high, will have to be dismantled piece by piece and scrapped, since they have been rendered useless after the tsunami of last March 11. The President of the Council on Nuclear Safety (CSN, in Spanish), Teresa Estevan Bolea, explained that waves more than 13 meters high severely damaged the facilities, at a lecture organized by the Lecture Series in Energy Technologies, of the Rafael Mariño Chair for New Energy Technologies, with the title "Is the tsunami in Japan the end of nuclear energy?".

The first graduating class in the Comillas-PwC Masters Degree Programme in Finance and Auditing receives its diplomas

Wed, 12 Apr 2011 16:27:14 GMT

A total of 26 students make up the first graduating class in the Comillas-PwC Masters Degree Programme in Finance and Auditing, and have received their diplomas at a graduation ceremony, presided over by the Rector of the University, José Ramón Busto, SJ, who was accompanied by Mario Lara, Board Member responsible for Human Capital at Pwc, Alejandro García, Director of the Masters Degree Programme at PwC, Alfredo Arahuetes, Dean of the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration (ICADE), and Rafael Muñoz Orcera, Programme Director at Comillas.

The experts are in favour of correcting the contradictions in the laws related to minors

Wed, 10 May 2011 10:13:25 GMT

After a detailed analysis from the perspective of law and psychology, the experts in both disciplines coincide in that the contradictions detected in laws related to minors should be revised and corrected in order to obtain coherence in legislation, with regard to the ability to act, and related to responsibility. This was made evident in the Ninth Conference on Law and Minors "Children and Adolescents, what can they do, and what do they respond to?. Dialogue between Law and Psychology", organized by the Santander Chair for Law and Minors at Comillas.

Jay B. Barney and Antonio Hernández-Gil Álvarez-Cienfuegos are made "doctores honoris causa" at Comillas

Tue, 11 Apr 2011 12:01:23 GMT

The Universidad Pontificia Comillas has given honorary Doctoral Degrees, honoris causa, to Jay B. Barney and to Antonio Hernández-Gil Álvarez-Cienfuegos, in an academic ceremony which is part of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of ICADE. The academic sponsors of the honoris causa recipients were Paloma Bilbao, Head of Studies in International Business Sciences (E-4) and professor in the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration (ICADE), and Antonio Obregón, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and professor in the Faculty of Law (ICADE).

Father Teófilo Redondo González, who looked after the musical archives at Comillas for many years, passes away

Sat, 08 Apr 2011 09:23:55 GMT

Teófilo Redondo Gonzáles, SJ, passed away on April 5, at the age of 90, and after 74 years in the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits. Father Redondo started at the University in 1977, and carried out many different tasks, among which can be pointed out his enthusiastic dedication to the musical archives.

The Electric Bill, under scrutiny at the Permanent Seminar for the Rafael Mariño Chair in New Energy

Wed, 10 May 2011 11:10:40 GMT

The Rafael Mariño Chair for New Energy Technologies and the Institute for Engineering in Spain (IIE, in Spanish), organized a new session of the Permanent Seminar for Energy Technologies, which has been devoted to energy planning during the 2010-11 academic year. Eduardo Montes, President of UNESA (Spanish Association of the Electric Industry), and Pedro Mejía, President of ORNEL (Operator of the Iberian Electricity Market), participated in a round table on the electric bill, presented by Manuel Acero, President of the IIE, and moderated by Yolanda Moratilla, Director of the Chair.

A professor at Comillas, wins second place in the García Goyena Legal Articles contest, at the UNED

Thu, 06 Apr 2011 14:51:02 GMT

Professor Albert Sánchez Graells, of the Department of Financial and Social Law, in the Faculty of Law (ICADE) at Comillas, won second place in the tenth edition of the García Goyena Legal Articles contest, in which awards are given each year by the Faculty of Law at the UNED. This prize is aimed at research projects in any area of Law, for which all graduates in the field can compete, both Spaniards and foreigners, with the exception of those who are instructors or researchers in the Faculty of Law at the UNED.

Emilio Botín: "In Spanish companies we are always competing to attract talented graduates from ICADE"

Wed, 05 Apr 2011 14:02:33 GMT

The President of the Santander Bank, Emilio Botín, participated in the lecture series "Great companies and entrepreneurs of Spain in the last 50 years", within the framework of the commemorative events to mark the 50th Anniversary of ICADE, where he emphasized the "fundamental role of this institution in the spectacular process of transformation which has taken place in the last decades". Botín pointed out three characteristics that "make it unique and reflect the open and innovative spirit of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits): excellence, internationalization and connection with the professional world". During his lecture, he was accompanied by the Rector of the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and by the President of the ICADE Business Club, Jesús Sainz.

The Bankinter Foundation for Innovation brings its educational programme Akademia to Comillas

Tue, 04 Apr 2011 10:22:37 GMT

Comillas and the Bankinter Foundation for Innovation have signed an agreement for collaboration which will allow the university to implement, starting the next academic year, a cutting-edge educational programme, Akademia, created by the Foundation With the addition of Comillas, there are now five prestigious Spanish universities that have adopted this programme. Besides this university, the other universities that have developed the programme are the Polytechnic University of Valencia, the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, the Universidad Pompeu Fabra, in Barcelona, and ESTE Deusto, in San Sebastián.

Presentation in Madrid of the Comillas University Foundation for International Education (Comfie)

Fri, 31 Mar 2011 16:32:14 GMT

The Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, presided over the presentation of the Comillas University Foundation for International Education (Comfie), the foundation set up in the United States by the University. Accompanying the Rector and President of the Foundation were the Vice-President, Romano Giannetti, Vice-Rector for International Relations and University Services; the Treasurer, Cecilio Moral, Vice-Rector for Financial Matters; the Executive Director, José Herrero, and the Secretary of the Academic Committee, Álvaro Lozano. Among those in attendance were members of the University Community and representatives of companies and institutions which collaborate on a regular basis with Comillas, and more specifically, with the Inside Programs.

Four teams from Comillas are the winners of the UNIJES 2011 Sports Tournament

Wed, 29 Mar 2011 11:27:53 GMT

Four teams from Comillas were the winners of the UNIJES 2011 Sports Tournament, which was held on March 17 and 18 at the University of Deusto, in Bilbao. The men´s table tennis team came in second place, and the teams in men´s and women´s indoor football, as well as the football 7 team, managed to come in third place in their respective competitions.

A team at Comillas, winner of the 4th Debate Tournament at the Francisco de Vitoria University

Wed, 29 Mar 2011 11:26:42 GMT

The team, whose members were Patricia Cano Gámiz, a student of Second Year of Law and Political and Administrative Sciences (E-5); Carlos Seseña Vaquero, First Year student of Law (E-1 Internacional); Hugo Castañé Hernández, Second Year student of E-5, and the captain, Eva Iglesias González, Second Year student of E-5, won the 4th Debate Tournament at the Francisco de Vitoria University, held on March 10, 11, and 12. The Comillas team was victorious in the final round over one of the teams from the host university.

The Prince and Princess of Asturias receive the students from the 2010 INSIDE Programs in an audience

Fri, 24 Mar 2011 14:15:48 GMT

Their Royal Highnesses Prince Felipe and Princess Leticia received the students from the 2010-11 academic year INSIDE Programs in an audience at the Zarzuela Palace. Sixty-nine students were in attendance, accompanied by the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, the Vice-Rector for International Relations and University Services, Romano Giannetti, and other representatives of the University, collaborators and sponsors of the programs, such as EADS-CASA, the Professional College/Association of ICAI Engineers and the Georgetown Club of Spain.

M.Lozano, chair in Nuclear Physics: "Fukushima will suppose a before and an after for the development of humankind"

Thu, 23 Mar 2011 16:51:07 GMT

The Rafael Mariño Chair for New Energy Technologies at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas presented the book Nuclear Energy: Current Status and Immediate Prospects, a book which, in the opinion of the Director of the chair, Yolanda Moratilla, is a contribution to rigorous information, and a technical analysis of "one of the forms of energy that allows supply to be guaranteed in an economical, clean and convenient manner". The event saw the participation of Manuel Lozano, chair in Atomic, Molecular and Nuclear Physics at the University of Seville, who offered a lecture on "The inevitability of nuclear energy", and ascertained that "Fukushima will suppose a before and an after, not only for nuclear energy, but for the development of humankind".

Comillas holds a Financial and Entrepreneurial Leadership Conference on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of ICADE

Sat, 25 Mar 2011 13:31:16 GMT

The Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, presided over the opening of the Financial and Entrepreneurial Leadership Conference, organized and sponsored by Management Solutions, within the programme of activities to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of ICADE.

The initial lectures were under the direction of the President and CEO of Management Solutions, Alfonso Serrano-Suñer, and the President of Iberia, Antonio Vázquez. Both offered their congratulations to the University on the occasion of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of ICADE. Serrano-Suñer stated that "ICADE, with a doubt, has played a decisive role in Spain during the past 50 years, training human capital, spreading knowledge and fomenting personal skills, and doing this, moreover, with something to which we have always given great importance: well-founded and solid values".

Four students from Comillas ICADE, on the winning team of the Management Solutions business game

Wed, 22 Mar 2011 13:02:53 GMT

The team Ideas New York, composed of Marina Ayala Llorens, a student of Business Administration and Management (E-2) ; María Masshammer Miró, of International Business Studies (E-4); Alejandro González Yánquez, of Law and Business Administration and Management (E-3); Carlos de la Luna Roig, (E-3), and Ferran Nonell Juliá and Natalia Castanys, both from ESADE, were the winners of the business game organized by Management Solutions on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of ICADE

Pablo Isla assures that ICADE should be recognized for the training in values that are transmitted"

Wed, 29 Mar 2011 11:14:38 GMT

Pablo Isla, Vice-President of Inditex, participated this morning in the lecture series “Great Companies and Entrepreneurs in Spain in the Past 50 Years”, organized by the Universidad Pontificia Comillas on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of ICADE. In the presentation, he pointed out the importance of teams, and of personal involvement in the development of a company, and gave a detailed analysis of the trajectory of Inditex, in which he emphasized five essential aspects in the company´s way of doing business: "Personal initiative, the entrepreneurial spirit, not conforming with the status quo, ambition rooted in modesty, and the ability for self-criticism". In his speech, Isla also spoke affectionately about the institution: "ICADE should be thanked for its work in the training of excellent professionals and, even more importantly, in the training in values that are transmitted".

IKEA presents at Comillas ICADE the keys to succeeding in social networks: "Facilitate, listen, learn and participate"

Fri, 17 Mar 2011 17:51:17 GMT

Miguel Ángel Orbaneja, Digital Media Manager of IKEA and person responsible for the development of the on-line computer-based strategy of the company in Spain, delivered the lecture "The IKEA Experience: how to adapt to new ways of relating with consumers" in the University Masters Degree Programme in Marketing in the ICADE Business School, attended by students in Market Research and Techniques, and Business Administration and Management (E-2). In his speech, he defined the keys for succeeding in social networks: "Facilitate, listen, learn and participate".

HRH The Prince of Asturias presides over the Ceremony for the Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of ICADE

Fri, 27 Oct 2011 10:50:55 GMT

His Royal Highness the Prince of Asturias presided over the main event to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of ICADE, held in the Main Auditorium (Aula Magna) at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas. Prince Felipe was accompanied by the Minister of Education, Ángel Gabilondo; the Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ; the Grand Vice-Chancellor of the University and Provincial Leader of Castille, Juan Antonio Guerrero, SJ; the Dean of the Faculty of Law (ICADE), Concepción Molina; the Dean of the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration (ICADE), Alfredo Arahuetes, and the General Registrar of the University, Clara Martínez. At the event, the ICADE 50th Anniversary Medallions were awarded to Antonio María Arroyo Rodríguez, SJ; to José María Díaz Moreno, SJ; to José Ferrandis Vilella and to the "Club Empresarial ICADE" (the ICADE Entrepreneurial Club). Carlos Espinosa de los Monteros y Bernaldo de Quirós, an ICADE alumni and former professor, delivered the speech "The contribution of ICADE to the entrepreneurial development of Spain".

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Some 400 participants attended the Second Conference on Bio-mechanics in Work Medicine

Wed, 15 Mar 2011 16:46:29 GMT

Comillas hosted the Second Conference on Bio-mechanics in Work Medicine, organized by the "San Juan de Dios" University School of Nursing and Physiotherapy, in which some 400 people participated, among them, forensic experts, doctors, and nurses, specialists in work medicine. physical therapists, and professionals in other medical specializations, health and sports sciences, as well as students at Comillas and from other universities. José Ramón Busto, SJ, Rector at Comillas, inaugurated the Conference, accompanied by the General Manager of the ICOT-Baasys Group, Domingo Montes de Oca Hernández, and the Director of the School, Rosa María Fernández Ayuso.

Sergio Adán, from the Universidad Autónoma, and María Rodrigo, from the Universidad Complutense, winners of the Madrid University Chess Championship, held at Comillas

Tue, 14 Mar 2011 14:08:54 GMT

Comillas held the Madrid University Chess Championship, in which representatives of all of the Universities in Madrid participated. In the men´s competition, Sergio Adán, from the Universidad Autónoma, was the winner; Luis Rubio, also from the Universidad Autónoma, finished in second place, and Jesús Vallejo, from the Universidad de Alcalá, came in third. In the women´s competition, María Rodrigo, from the Universidad Complutense, was the winner, followed by Natalia Castejón, from the Universidad Autónoma, and Julia Piña, from the Universidad Complutense. By teams, the Universidad Autónoma finished in first place, with the Universidad Politécnica in second place, and the Universidad Complutense in third place.

In the Rector´s Trophy, the competition in which members of the University Community at Comillas compete, Jose Manuel Camacho, a first year student in the Undergraduate Degree in Electro-Mechanical Engineering, and Ignacio Renés, second year Undergraduate student in Business Administration and Management (E-2), finished in first and second place, respectively.

Twelve teams from ten universities participate in the Debate Tournament on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of ICADE

Thu, 09 Mar 2011 18:46:04 GMT

Comillas hosted the Debate Tournament for the 50th Anniversary of ICADE, which gathered some 12 teams from ten Spanish universities, and a total of 60 participants, who debated the theme "Does a united Europe have a political, social and economic future?". The finals saw team ICADE face the team from the Pablo de Olavide University, from Seville, which won the debate. The members of the winning team, Pablo del Río Loira, Antonio Martín Sánchez and Alberto Arteaga Macías, and the captain, Alberto Barco Moreno, received grants from the INSIDE Program, at Comillas, as prizes.

Comillas ICADE launches a new programme for a double international degree: E-1, American

Thu, 09 Mar 2011 09:59:06 GMT

The Faculty of Law (ICADE) has launched a new programme for a double-degree in Law (E-1, American) and a Master in Laws from partner universities in the USA. "The approval of this programme means a step forward in the strategy for the internationalization of the Faculty, through double international degrees, which we began during the past academic year with the programme E-1, International, French", stated the Dean, Concepción Molina.

Ignacio Pérez-Arriaga: "It is reasonable to set regulatory measures on the domestic mobility of travellers"

Fri, 03 Mar 2011 12:55:58 GMT

The latest government initiatives concerning the mobility of travellers "should be welcome, but are transitory, and not structural, which is what our country really needs", stated Ignacio Pérez-Arriaga, Director of the BP Chair for Energy and Sustainability, at the presentation of the 2010 Report of the Observatory of Energy and Sustainability in Spain, one of the main activities of the Chair.

Comillas and BP Spain presented the report at the event, in which participants included Alfonso Beltrán García-Echaniz, General Manager of the Institute for Energy Diversification and Conservation ("Instituto para la Diversificación y Ahorro Energético", IDAE, in Spanish); José María Pérez-Prat, Vice/President for Institutional Affairs and Marketing for BP Spain, and two of the authors of the study, Ignacio Pérez-Arriaga, and Pedro Linares, Professor at the ICAI School of Engineering and researcher for the Chair. They commented on the most relevant aspects of the report, which reflects information on energy and financial data from 2009, and novel aspects in regulation for 2010, as well as the most recent measures approved by the Spanish government.

Toni M. Fine from Fordham University School of Law visits Comillas to explore new forms of collaboration

Thu, 02 Mar 2011 11:17:38 GMT

Toni M. Fine, Assistant Vice-Dean and Director of International Programs at Fordham University School of Law, visited Comillas to explore new possibilities for collaboration with the Faculty of Law (ICADE), and to address those aspects related to the Law program (E-1 American) and the Masters Degree in European and International Business Law. Moreover, she took advantage of her visit to teach a class in the Masters Degree in International Affairs: Economics, Politics and Law, and to deliver a lecture, for students and alumni of the Law School, on the Supreme Court of the United States of America.

Comillas and the Professional College of Lawyers of Madrid have signed an agreement for collaboration in the sponsorship of the 50th Anniversary of ICADE

Wed, 01 Mar 2011 13:43:42 GMT

The Rector of the University, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and the Dean of the Professional College of Lawyers of Madrid, Antonio Hernández-Gil Álvarez Cienfuegos, have signed an agreement at Comillas for collaboration in the sponsorship of the 50th Anniversary of ICADE.

César Alierta: "All Spaniards should be grateful to ICADE for its work in the training of professionals"

Wed, 29 Mar 2011 11:31:06 GMT

César Alierta, President of Telefónica, inaugurated the lecture series "Great companies and entrepreneurs in Spain in the past 50 years" , organised by the Universidad Pontificia Comillas on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of ICADE, and which will continue with the presence of Pablo Isla, Vice-President of the Inditex Group, and Emilio Botín, President of the Banco Santander, in the month of March.

Alierta, who was accompanied by José Ramón Busto, SJ, Rector at Comillas, and Eva Castillo, Board Member of Telefónica, and a former student at Comillas ICADE, spoke before an audience of some 800 people, who filled different rooms at the University. "I am deeply convinced that all Spaniards should be grateful to ICADE for its work in training professionals. The economic development of the country would have been impossible without ICADE". he commented as he began his speech.

Comillas hosts an international conference on fire protection engineering

Wed, 01 Mar 2011 11:57:05 GMT

Comillas hosted a conference, organised by the Ibero-American Chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE), on fire protection engineering. One of the conclusions of the meeting, which was attended by nearly one-hundred professonals from the areas of universities, companies, public authorities and users, was that Spain needs to implement training and specific regulation for professionals in the field.

The Sixteenth Meeting of School Principals at Educational Institutions welcomes more than 200 professional educators

Fri, 24 Feb 2011 12:13:14 GMT

More than 200 School Principals and Counsellors at Educational Institutions attended the annual meeting, which is organised by the Promotion Office at Comillas, now celebrating its 16th edition. On this occasion, they were able to attend a lecture by Fernando Vidal, Director of the University Institute for the Family, on the narrative and associative reforming of schools . The Rector of the University, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and the Director of the Office, Begoña Pérez de Lema, welcomed the participants, and accompanied them throughout the day´s proceedings, which ended with a luncheon in which professores from the University participated.

Two teams at Comillas ICAI are among the 80 teams selected for the second round of the contest Fly Your Ideas, at Airbus

Tue, 21 Feb 2011 14:55:02 GMT

Two teams at Comillas, "ICAI Air Team" and "Ecolution", were selected from among the 80 teams from around the world to participate in the second round of the contest Fly Your Ideas, organised by Airbus, which is seeking a more ecologically-friendly aviation.

More than 2600 students, 0f 75 nationalities, registered for the first round, to compete on 315 teams, representing 287 universities. Eighty teams, five of them from Spanish Universities, moved to the second round, and those 5 teams that come out on top will proceed to the finals, which will be held at the International Aeronautical Trade Fair, in Paris, next June.

Slate Gas will revolutionise the world energy model and will substitute the use of highly-contaminating fossil fuels

Sat, 18 Feb 2011 11:07:09 GMT

Slate Gas, which has appeared in new reserves in the United States, will revolutionise the world energy model in the coming years, as pointed out by the group of experts who met at the Ramón Areces Foundation, at the seminar "Economic challenges for energy", organised jointly with Economics for Energy, with the collaboration of the Alcoa Foundation and the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei. At the seminar, in which some 70 Spanish and international experts participated, themes of great relevance and current importance were analysed with regard to the energy sector. Economics for Energy is a private research centre which specialises in the financial analysis of energy matters, in which the University of Vigo and the Universidad Pontificia Comillas participate, as well as the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the Barrié de la Maza Foundation, and the companies Acciona, Alcoa, Caixanova, Gas Natural Fenosa, Iberdrola and Banco Santander.

Comillas hosts the presentation of The person vis-à-vis migration. Manual for psychological and social intervention with migrants

Fri, 17 Feb 2011 14:38:25 GMT

The University Institute for Migration Studies at Comillas (IEM, in Spanish) and the CeiMigra Foundation presented The person vis-à-vis migration. Manual for psychological and social intervention with migrants at the university, a tool for work, training and raising social awareness for professionals who work with migrants, and in culturally diverse environments. It was published jointly by the Foundation and by "Compromiso Social Bancaja" (the Bancaja Social Committment Office). At the event, the authors defended the psychological and social approach because "it is necessary to progress from working with migrants as "things", to working with persons who are agents of change and who have determination.

A Research project on political debate and media coverage of immigration wins the 12th Holy Father Rubio Award

Fri, 17 Feb 2011 13:50:05 GMT

Noemí Mena Montes, a Professor at the King Juan Carlos University, won the 12th Holy Father Rubio Award for Advances in Knowledge on Immigration with a research project on the evolution of political debate and media coverage of immigration in Spain. In second place, the jury for the award, presented by the University Institute for Migration Studies (IEM, in Spanish), and sponsored by the Province of Castille, and the Society of Jesus, Jesuits, distinguished the work by Katrien Dekocker, a Doctoral Student in the IEM, on resident Venezuelan immigration in the Autonomous Region of Madrid.

The Dean of the Washington College of Law visits Comillas to analyse new possibilities for collaboration

Thu, 20 Jul 2011 18:45:09 GMT

The Dean of theWashington College of Law at American University, Claudio Grossman, visited Comillas to speak with the academic authorities at our university concerning joint programmes between both institutions, and to study new possibilities for collaboration. Both institutions currently have two exchange agreement for both undergraduate and post-graduate studies, respectively.

During his stay in Madrid, Professor Grossman held meetings with the Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and with the Dean and her management team in the Faculty of Law (ICADE), headed by the Department Chair and Dean, María Concepción Molina.

Vera Santiago and Miguel Urra, winners of the 10th Ignacio Ellacuría Award for Studies of Social Interest

Tue, 14 Feb 2011 12:56:53 GMT

The tenth edition of the Ignacio Ellacuría Award for Studies of Social Interest has recognised, for the first time, two winning works, those of Vera Santiago Iglesias and Miguel Urra Canales, one in each of the two categories that were introduced for the first time this year. Both awards were presented during the ceremony held on University Day.

A professor at Comillas presides over the jury for the first edition of the European Festival for Advertising and Humour

Wed, 08 Feb 2011 13:05:00 GMT

The Smile Festival, the European Festival for Advertising and Humour, held its gala celebration for its first edition, in which the awards were given to the most humourous advertising projects of 2010. They were awarded by a jury of university professors and professionals from the world of advertising, presided over by Carlos Ballesteros, a Professor in the Department of Marketing, of the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration (ICADE).

The awards which were presented highlighted the best media action, the best interactive campaign, the best creative effects in radio, television and direct marketing, the best company annoucements, the best website, the best campaign, the best radio spot productions, best television spots and direct marketing, and the best newspaper or margazine ad. Moreover, an honourary award was presented as well as awards for historical career paths and to young talent.

The University welcomes more than 200 international students for the second semester of the 2010-11 academic year

Sat, 04 Feb 2011 10:47:25 GMT

Comillas has welcomed more than 200 international students, who will spend the second semester of the 2010-11 academic year at the University. Having arrived from 84 universities from 24 different countries, they have joined classes in the Faculties of Law (ICADE), Economic Sciences and Business Administration (ICADE), Human and Social Sciences, and in the ICAI School of Engineering.

Eusebio Hernández Sola, a former student at Comillas, has been named new Bishop of Tarazona

Fri, 03 Feb 2011 17:48:52 GMT

The member of the order of the Agustine Recollect Eusebio Hernández Sola, a former student and graduate in Canon Law at Comillas, has been named bishop of Tarazona (Aragón) by Pope Benedict XVI. Up to the present time, he has carried out responsibilities as the Director of the Department of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic LIfe, where he has worked since 1975.

Comillas pays tribute to University personnel at the commemorative ceremony for Saint Thomas of Aquinas (University Day)

Wed, 22 Feb 2011 11:27:36 GMT

"The celebration in which we are participating today brings to light the fact that the people and the work of our university are in line with the answers that the Father General invited us to give to the challenges of our world" stated the Rector of Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, in his speech on the occasion of the celebration of University Day, during the festivity of Saint Thomas of Aquinas. The event saw the presence of the Papal Nuncio, His Holiness, Monsignor Renzo Fratini, and of the Grand Vice-Chancellor of the Univesity and Provincial Leader of Castille, Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves, SJ.

"In order to work in India, international companies need to understand diversity; otherwise, they will fail"

Thu, 02 Feb 2011 17:05:51 GMT

The concern of international companies for safeguarding their talent is common worldwide, but in India cutural differences must be added to the usual problems. Basing himself on this premise, Kunal Bhattacharya, Director of the Department of Human Rescource Management at the Sinhgad Institute of Business Administration and Research (SIBAR), at the University of Pune, explained the converging and cultural peculiarities of his country in a lecture organised by the Chair for Internationalisation in Business, Diversity and Professional Development. "In order to work in India, international companies need to understand its diversity; otherwise, they will fail", he stated.

The Santander Chair for Law and Minors will head a thematic network which comprises 40 international organisations

Wed, 01 Feb 2011 10:14:46 GMT

The Santander Chair for Law and Minors will present its project for an international academic network, with a thematic focus, called Childhood Law and Children"s Rights, for the next round of proposals for academic networks, within the framework of the Lifelong Learning Programme, managed by the General Offce for Education and Culture of the European Union. The project will be headed by Comillas.

The Library at Comillas is participating in the virtual exhibit "America in Writing"

Tue, 31 Jan 2011 12:47:40 GMT

Comillas is one of the 15 universities in the Working Group for Bibliographical Patrimony, in the University Libraries of the CRUE (Rebiun), which have organised the virtual exhibit "America in Writing" (www.americaescrita.us.es/america). The exhibit, which has the participation of the "Archivo General de Indias" (General Archives of the Indies) and the sponsorship of the "Agencia Española de Cooperación para el Desarrollo (AECID)", the Spanish Agency for Development Cooperation, and that of EBSCO, commemorates the Two-Hundredth Anniversary of the Independence of the Ibero-American Republics through the American book reserves of Spanish University Libraries.

Sarina Sandbiller, winner of the Accenture Award for the Best End-of-Studies FInal Thesis in International Business Studies (E-4)

Sat, 18 Feb 2011 17:49:47 GMT

Accenture has granted the award for the Best End-of-Studies Final Project in the Advanced Degree in International Business Sciences to Sarina Sandbiller, for her project "The Management of Social and Environmental Values in the Cosmetics Sector", directed by Professor Carmen Valor Martínez.

A team from Comillas ICADE finishes in second place in the finals of the Oliver Wyman Case Competition

Fri, 27 Jan 2011 12:24:59 GMT

Four students in their Fifth Year of studies in Business Administration and Management (E-2), Juan Salas, María Pereira, Luisa Sánchez and Marta Valer, reached the finals of the Oliver Wyman Case Competition, in which they finished in second place. The team from Comillas ICADE competed against ESADE, the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Polytechnic University of Madrid) and the Tecnum Universidad de Navarra.

"Energy Accumulation", the fourth publication of the Permanent Seminar on New Energy Technologies

Tue, 10 Jan 2011 12:33:53 GMT

“The sun is the greatest source of energy that we have, but, if we do not possess a system for storing it, it is very difficult to take advantage of this. The union of the sun and the wind, as sources of renewable energy, requires a method of storage" stated Domingo Guinea, a researcher at the "Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, CSIC", in Spanish, or the High Council on Scientific Reserach, in English, during the presentation ceremony for the book Energy Accumulation, the fourth publication of the Permanent Seminar on New Energy Technologies, organised by the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, of the Institute for Engineering in Spain (IIE, in Spanish), and the Rafael Mariño Chair for New Energy Technologies at Comillas.

The Centre for Innovation in Law (CID-ICADE) has constituted its Board of Advisors

Wed, 04 Jan 2011 12:55:22 GMT

On December 17, the University hosted the ceremony to constitute the Board of Advisors for the Centre for Innovation in Law (CID-ICADE). The new officially-recognised organisation for the centre has representation from 21 legal offices and four entities which have links to the Faculty of Law (ICADE), and its members carry out the task of helping the Director of CID-ICADE, in an official capacity, in its general management as well as in activities such as its sponsorship.

Comillas ICADE participates in the study of the paid leave of absence for parents of chronically-ill children, which will take effect in 2011

Thu, 22 Dec 2010 18:45:48 GMT

The parents of chronically-ill children will be able to opt for a new social benefit from the Social Security Administration which will cover a reduction in the work day of at least fifty percent, or suppresion of the work contract and job responsibilities, which will take effect in 2011, thanks to a modification in the Law which establishes the National Budget. The presentation of the "Study on the care-taking of chronically-ill minors: guidelines for a proposal", drawn up by the "Fundación Mujer, Familia y Trabajo" (Foundation for Women, Family and Work), with the participation of Professors Dolores Carrillo and Ana Higuera, served as the framework to explain the details of this new social benefit. At the event, which was presided over by the National Secretary for Social Security, Octavio Granado, other participants include Gloria Juste, President of the Foundation, Blanca López-Ibor, Head of the Hematology and Children´s Cancer Unit at the "Hospital Universitario de Madrid Montepríncipe" (University Hospital of Madrid at Montepríncipe); Dolores Carrillo, Coordinator of the Department of Labour and Social Security Law in the Faculty of Law (ICADE, and Ana Higuera, a lawyer at the Legal Offices of Uría Menéndez ,and Associate Professor at Comillas ICADE.

Santiago Gómez Sierra, former student in Theology at Comillas, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Seville

Thu, 22 Dec 2010 10:29:44 GMT

Pope Benedict XVI has named Santiago Gómez Sierra, alumni in Theology at Comillas (specialisation in Dogmatic and Fundamental Theology), to be the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Seville, at its main site in Vergi. He is currently the Dean of the Cathedral of Cordoba.

Comillas hosts the presentation of the Dictionary of Patristic Literature, by the San Pablo Publishing House

Thu, 22 Dec 2010 08:25:48 GMT

The San Pablo Publishing House presented the Dictionary of Patristic Literature at Comillas, directed by Angelo Di Berardino, Giorgio Fedalto and Manlio Simonetti, in its Italian edition, and by Fernando Rivas, in its Spanish edition. At the event, presided over by the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, the following people participated: Di Berardino and Rivas, along with Gabino Uríbarri, Dean of the Faculty of Theology at Comillas, Patricio Navascués, co-author and Dean of the San Justino Faculty of Christian and Classical Literature, and Juan Antonio Carrera, General Manager of the San Pablo Publishing House. The presentation confirmed the fact that the study of the Fathers of the Church is in good health in our country.

"La Fundación Gas Natural" (The Natural Gas Foundation) encharges Comillas with a study on intelligent electrical networks

Wed, 21 Dec 2010 12:11:51 GMT

The Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and the General Manager of the "Fundación Gas Natural" (Natural Gas Foundation), Pedro Fábregas, have signed an agreement for collaboration in the carrying out of a study on intelligent electrical networks. The object of the study, which the Natural Gas Foundation has encharged to a team from the Technological Research Institute of the ICAI School of Engineering, directed by Professor Tomás Gómez San Román, is to analyse the technological development and the practical applications of intelligent electrical networks in current society and that of the future.

The Psychology Laboratory of the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences receives the Amafe Award of Honour

Wed, 21 Dec 2010 08:35:27 GMT

Amafe, The Madrid Association of Friends and Family Members of the Ill with Schizophrenia, has awarded the Psychology Laboratory of the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences for its work in research and in spreading knowdedge concerning schizophrenia. The Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, accepted the award at the 1st Conference on the Awareness of Schizophrenia and the Family, accompanied by Rafael Jodar Anchía, Director of the Laboratory, Juan Pedro Núñez Partido, his predecessor in the position, and Rufino Meana, co-author, along with those formerly mentioned, of the study "Quality of Life and Schizophrenia", carried out in collaboration with Amafe and the Social Work Office of the "Caja Madrid" Savings and Loan.

A team from Comillas wins the 5th Unijes San Francisco Javier Debate Tournament

Sat, 17 Dec 2010 11:12:16 GMT

José Ángel Sánchez Villegas, Alejandro Zamora Pérez, both from Fourth Year of Law and Business Administration (E-3), and Carlos Seseña Baquero, from the First Year Undergraduate Degree in Law (E-1), make up the team from Comillas that was crowned champions of the 5th San Francisco Javier University Debate Tournment, sponsored by Unijes, the organisation that is composed of the Jesuit Universities of Spain. It was held in Bilbao, at the University of Deusto, from the 1st to the 3rd of December.

Thirty members of the University Community participate in a ski trip to Andorra

Fri, 16 Dec 2010 10:33:04 GMT

An expedition of 30 people, made up of students, their friends and university personnel, left for Andorra on December 3rd to participate in a ski trip organised by the Sports Office. The trip had not been made in the past four yeasrs, due to a lack of snow on the slopes, at times, or a lack of the necessary number of people to fill the excursion, on other occasions.

The "San Juan de Dios" School of Nursing and Physiotherapy holds its 2nd Conference on Physical Therapy

Thu, 15 Dec 2010 20:14:08 GMT

The Conference on Physical Therapy organised by the "San Juan de Dios" University School of Nursing and Physiotherapy at Comillas has brought its second edition to fruition with the title "On the development of our competencies. Opening the doors to the 21st Century." With nearly 30 percent more participants than in the first edition, 187 compared to 145, the sessions witnessed the participation of professors from seven Spanish universities, and professionals from 6 institutions from the area of Physical Therapy, many of whom collaborate in the training activities in the undergraduate and graduate degrees, and who contribute to the different lines of research which are carried out at the School.

"Escuelas Católicas" (Catholic Schools) holds its 2nd National Conference on Quality at Comillas

Thu, 15 Dec 2010 13:40:19 GMT

Comillas was the site of the 2nd National Conference on Quality "Assuming the responsability for a sustainable future", organised by "Escuelas Católicas", Catholic Schools, (FERE-CECA and EyG)", at which some 120 members of managerial teams, heads and coordinators of quality at institutions of this organisation gathered. The sessions were inaugurated by the General Secretary for Catholic Schools, Juan Antonio Ojeda, who was accompanied by the Vice-Rector for International Relations and Services for the University Community at Comillas, Romano Giannetti, and Juan Moro, Advisor for the Presidency of the "Club de Excelencia en Gestión" (Club for Excellence in Management).

Comillas presents a book in honour of Professor Adolfo Ruiz de Velasco

Wed, 14 Dec 2010 17:45:40 GMT

A year and a half after the passing away of Adolfo Ruiz de Velasco, a book has been presented at the University in honour of this Professor of Mercantile Law at Comilllas ICADE for nearly four decades. The Dean of the Faculty of Law (ICADE), Concepción Molina; the Dean of the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration (ICADE), Alfredo Arahuetes, as well as Professors Daniel Prades and Abel Veiga, reminisced on the figure of this "unique person who could never be replicated", associated with this University for a good part of his life. They presented the book "Créditos, garantías y concursos. Estudios jurídicos en homenaje al profesor Ruiz de Velasco" (Credits, guarantees and public offers. Legal studies in honour of Professor Ruiz de Valasco). published by Civitas and Thompson Reuters, in which 18 authors carry out a specific and encompassing analysis of the challenges that certain creditors face in insolvency and bankruptcy law.

The Committee for Arbirtration in Energy and Engineering was presented at Comillas

Wed, 14 Dec 2010 10:08:14 GMT

The Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, presided over the presentation ceremony for the Committee for Arbritration and Mediation in Energy and Engineering, an initiative of the European Association of Arbirtration (Aeade) and the Association - National College of ICAI Engineers. For the purpose of providing knowledge on the functions of the committee and its objective, the following participated: Miguel Ángel Agundez, President of the Committee; Juan Ignacio Barrero, President of Aeade; José Fernando Merino, President of the Committee on Guarantees and Designations of Aeade, and Rafael Miranda Robledo, President of the Endesa Foundation.

Father Jesús María Marañón Richi passes away

Tue, 13 Dec 2010 11:36:08 GMT

Jesús María Marañón Richi has passed away in Alcalá de Henares at the age of 87, after 67 years in the Society of Jesus. He was the Rector of the "Instituto Católico de Artes e Industrias" (Catholic Institute of Arts and Industries, "ICAI", in Spanish) from 1962 to 1968, and he held numerous offices at the University.

Comillas honours Matteo Ricci, who brought Catholicism and Western culture to China

Sat, 10 Dec 2010 13:14:04 GMT

In the year of the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the death of the Jesuit Matteo Ricci, the Service for Solidarity and Development Cooperation. amd the Departments of Cultural Activities, Seminars and Conferences, Social Services, and Sports have organised the lecture series "A Jesuit in the Court of the Dragon", for the purpose of bringing us closer to the person who was the central figure in introducing Catholicism and Western culture into China.

Economics for Energy recommends basing policies for energy savings on the residential and transport sectors

Sat, 10 Dec 2010 10:09:41 GMT

Directing economic livelihood toward activities with a high degree of added value and low energy consumption, and basing policies for savings and efficiency on the residential and transport sectors, due to their large repercussion on Spanish energy intensity, are two of the recommendations in the report "Analysis of the evolution of energy intensity in Spain", drawn up by Economics for Energy, a private research centre, managed jointly by the Universities of Vigo and Comillas, with the participation of public administration, companies and foundations.

Diego Tortosa and José Ángel Sánchez, winners of the 10th Rector´s Trophy in Debate

Fri, 09 Dec 2010 14:23:26 GMT

Two students in Fourth Year of Law and Business Adminstration and Management (E-3), Diego Tortosa and José Ángel Sánchez, won the tenth edition of the Rector´s Trophy in Debate, after scoring a victory over Patricia Cano and Hugo Castañé, students of Second Year in Law and Political and Administrative Sciences (E-5), in the finals. In the opinion of the jury, the final debate "reached the highest level, owing to its argumentative depth, as well as to the technical explanations and persuasive skills in oratory".

46 percent of Spanish youth do not have confidence in a promising future

Tue, 14 Feb 2011 18:19:10 GMT

46.3 percent of Spanish youth declare their lack of confidence in a promising future, and more than one in three considers that "no matter how much effort you make in life, you will never get what you want". Furthermore, 62.2 percent state that they agree with the statment "the current economic crisis will have a very negative impact on my professional and personal future". This data comes from the study which has just been presented "Spanish Youth 2010", the eighth of those published by the "Fundación SM" (SM Foundation) since 1982, in which José Antonio López Ruiz, Director of the Research and Social Studies Unit in the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences at Comillas participated, along with the sociologists Juan María González-Anleo Sánchez, Maite Valls Iparraguirre, Luis Ayuso Sánchez and Gonzalo González Sanz, directed by Juan González-Anleo and Pedro González Basco.

Two students at Comillas participate in the 10th National Conference on Research in Psychology for Secondary School Students

Sat, 03 Dec 2010 11:05:47 GMT

Raquel Ferreiro and Amaia Halty, students of Psychology in the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences at Comillas participated in the 10th National Conference on Research in Psychology for Secondary School Students, organised by the Association for Professors of Psychology in Cantabria. Inaugurated by Miguel Ángel Revilla, President of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria, the conference saw the participation of more than 300 students from secondary and high schools.

Spanish consumers do not take into account the social and environmental attributes of a product when choosing a brand

Fri, 02 Dec 2010 19:48:30 GMT

In Spain the motivational obstacle for responsible consumer behaviour is more present than in other countries: social and environmental attributes of a product are not taken into account when choosing a brand. Consumers hardly consult the information provided on product labels. Around 70% consult the date of expiration and the nutritional information on products. And, only two of every 10 say that they read the information provided on the label carefully. Women, those associated with social organisations, those with advanced studies and the middle-aged have a much more active behaviour with regard to labelling than those of other groups.

Six students at Comillas ICADE were "auditors for a day"

Sat, 18 Feb 2011 18:29:15 GMT

Nearly 60 university students, six of them from Comillas ICADE, participated in the fourth edition of "Auditor for a day", whose call for participation was organised by the First Territorial Group of the Institute for Legal Financial Auditors in Spain, in collaboration with 12 auditing firms and approximately the same number of other universities from Madrid, which offered students the chance to act as auditors for a working day.

Consternation in the Faculty of Canon Law on the death of Cardinal Urbano Navarrrete, SJ, distinguished Jesuit Canon Law expert

Thu, 01 Dec 2010 17:29:49 GMT

The Faculty of Canon Law has received with consternation the news of the passing away of Cardinal Urbano Navarrete, SJ, at the age of 90 years. For many years, he was "Father Navarrete" to everyone, a Jesuit devoted in heart and soul to Canon Law, especially to matrimonial llaw, as a professor and researcher at the Pontifica Università Gregoriana (PUG), the prestigious academic institution that the Society of Jesus possesses in Rome. The Dean and the professors in the Faculty of Canon Law at Comillas have sent their deepest sympathy to the Dean of the Faculty of Canon Law at the PUG.

Comillas receives the Award for Company Spirit from the Franco-Spanish Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Thu, 01 Dec 2010 08:42:10 GMT

The Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, received the Award for Company Spirit from the Franco-Spanish Chamber of Commerce and Industry (La Chambre), as the head of the institution, given to the Universidad Pontificia Comillas for fomenting entrepreneurial spirit and for its work in the training of professionals and directors who bring knowledge and drive to economic development. The President of the organisation, Gilles Serra, presented the award to Professor Busto during a dinner at the Casino de Madrid.

Nanotechnology, cerebral neuro-regeneration, and biomechanical evaluation, stars at the Tenth Science Week at Comillas

Wed, 30 Nov 2010 18:46:06 GMT

More than 1400 people registered to attend the nearly 40 activities organised by Comillas during the Tenth Science Week, organised by the Autonomous Region of Madrid: guided tours, workshops, round tables, lectures and exhibits, with which the University collaborates in fomenting the participation of citizens, in matters related to science and technology.

The report "Global Change Spain 2020/50" proposes a reduction in greenhouse gases to half the currrent level in 2030

Wed, 30 Nov 2010 11:16:51 GMT

"The transition toward a sustainable energy model is not only desirable, but is also possible", is the conclusion of the report Global Change Spain 2020/50. Energy, Economics and Society", drawn up by a team of experts, and co-directed by Pedro Linares, a Professor at the ICAI School of Engineering, and Joaquín Nieto, Honourary President of the "Fundación Sustainlabour". This new energy model, which will allow a reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases by 50% in 2030, and by 80% in 2050, broadens the outlook envisaged by the European Union for 2020, which will attempt to reduce emissions by 20 percent, and allow the same percent for the participation of renewable energies. The document, published by the "Centro Complutense de Estudios e Información Medioambiental" (the Complutense Centre for Studies and Environmental Information) and the "Fundación Conama", was presented at the National Conference for the Environment.

Fernando Abril-Martorell, Rafael Benjumea and Tressis receive the 2010 ICADE Association Awards

Tue, 29 Nov 2010 19:47:43 GMT

The Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, presided over the 2010 ICADE Association Awards, accompanied by the President of the organisation, Marcelo Prieto Coterillo, and other members of the University Government. The Award for a Well-Consolidated Career went to Fernando Abril-Martorell, first officer at Crédit Suisse in Spain; the Award for a Spectacular Career was for Rafael Benjumea, founder of "Fotowatio FRV", and the Award for Excellent Entrepreneurial Project , was given to Javier López Madrid and José Miguel Maté, along with the management team at the stockbrokers Tressis S.V..

Juan Pedro Montañés, Director of the Department of Quality Control Management, receives the "Leader in

Tue, 29 Nov 2010 14:47:56 GMT

The Spanish Association for Quality (AEC, in Spainsh), has chosen Juan Pedro Montañés, Director of the Office of Quality Control Management at Comillas, as the "Leader in Quality 2010". With this award, given to him by Armando Veganzones, President of the AEC, at a ceremony organised to celebrate World Quality Day, he now becomes the Spanish Candidate for the European Award "European Quality Leader 2011". This distinction, in the words of the jury, recognises his committment, and that of the University, to excellence in quality management.

Comillas and the Spanish Engineering Institute organise a seminar on nuclear waste at the Spanish Parliament

Tue, 29 Nov 2010 09:09:10 GMT

Comillas and the Spanish Engineering Institute ("Instituto de la Ingeniería de España", or IIE, in Spanish) organised the Seminar on Nuclear Energy: The Management of Used Fuel, called by the Association of ex-Representatives and ex-Senators of Parliamet, in a meeting room at the Congressional Building.

At the inaugural session, the Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, showed his satisfaction on holding the seminar, and pointed out that energy and sustainablity are central themes in research at Comillas ICAI. In the medium term, the most important worldwide problem is that of energy, added Busto, who believes that the time has come to move from the realm of specialists to the world of politics.

The 12th Comillas Employment Fair sets a new record for participating companies

Sat, 26 Nov 2010 10:44:55 GMT

The 12th Comillas Employment Fair was held With the participation of 95 companies, a 6.7% increase over last year, and slightly more than a 2% increase over the the previous year. This edition registered the largest number of companies since the beginning of the forum, as pointed out by María Victoria García Mellado, Director of the Office fo Internships and Employment (OPE, in Spanish), who organised the fair.

"A good reason to be an entrepreneur is that you can implement your own ideas and choose when and how to work"

Fri, 25 Nov 2010 10:51:32 GMT

"There are four reasons for which is it worthwhile to be an entrepreneur: I am my own boss, it is marvellous to be able to implement my own ideas, I earn a lot of money and I can choose when and how I work", stated Tim Rowe, founder and Board Member of the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC), at the lecture-colloquium "Promoting an entrepreneurial spirit in society", within the framework of the activities planned on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of ICADE. He was accompanied by Alfredo Arahuetes, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (ICADE), and Juan Rosas, former student at Comillas-ICADE, and General Manager of the Foundation for Innovation.

The Rafael Mariño Chair presents the book Energy Efficiency: Technology and Support Policies

Thu, 24 Nov 2010 14:38:06 GMT

The Rafael Mariño Chair for New Energy Technologies presented the book Energy Efficiency: Technology and Support Policies, the seventh volume in the collection "Advances in Engineering: Situation Analysis and Future Outlook for New Energy Technologies", which contains the contributions from the Annual Conference which the Chair held in 2008. The presentation, presided over by the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, saw the participation of the following persons: Miguel Ángel Agúndez, Dean of the National College of ICAI Engineers,Yolanda Moratilla, Director of the Chair, and,Alberto Coronas, Department Chair from the Rovira i Virgili University.

Comitas Exchange Club and the International Relations Service organise the 6th International University Exchange Fair

Wed, 23 Nov 2010 17:28:13 GMT

Comillas hosted the sixth edition of the International University Exchange Fair, organised by Comitas Exchange Club and the International Relations Service at the University. Held on the patio of the building located at calle Alberto Aguilera, 23, the Fair contained more than 20 stands with university services, special guest universities, such as the University of San Diego (USA) and the "Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey" (Technological Institute for Advances Studies, in Monterrey, Mexico, the "TEC de Monterrey"), and from different countries and regions. Students had the opportunity to obtain information on universities with which Comillas has agreements, and with which student exchanges can be carried out.

The women´s indoor football team, runners-up in the Euromasters WHU Tournament

Tue, 22 Nov 2010 12:41:36 GMT

The players on the women"s indoor football team from Comillas finished in second place in the Euromasters WHU Tournament, also known as EuroGermany, held in Vallendar, at the Otto Beisheim School of Management. They played ESADE in the finals, who beat them by a score of two goals to one.

Leopoldo Abadía: "Nobody knows when the economic crisis will end"

Sat, 19 Nov 2010 11:52:05 GMT

"Nobody, neither Spaniards, nor foreigners, know when the present economic crisis will be over. They have no idea. The scientific answer is that the crisis will be over when God wants to, and for now, he doesn"t", declared Leopoldo Abadia, author of the book The Ninja crisis and other mysteries of the present economy, and famous for explaining the details of the subprime mortgages in a simple and easy to understand way, during the Annual Alumni Gathering 2010 at Comillas, organized by the Alumni Relations Office of the university on November 13, and with such great attendance that the seating capacity was completed.

Bernardo Hernández, Comillas ICADE alumni, "Doctor honoris causa" at the Camilo José Cela University

Fri, 18 Nov 2010 11:04:32 GMT

The Camilo José Cela Univeristy has granted the title of "Doctor honoris causa" to Bernardo Hernández, an alumni of Business Administration and Management (E-3) at Comillas, and World Director of the New Products Line at Google. The academic ceremony, in which the Minister of Science and Innovation, Cristina Garmendia, acted as mentor for the doctorate, also enjoyed the presence of the Rector of our University, José Ramón Busto, SJ.

Cardinal Martínez Sistach: "The State must be non-denominational. Society is religious"

Thu, 17 Nov 2010 10:30:36 GMT

The Faculty of Theology at Comillas has organized the 7th Conference on Theology, devoted to analysing the relationship between faith and politics. For two days, representatives of the academic world and of the ecclesiastical hierarchy analysed matters such as the origin of political theology, the specificity of Christian ethics, religion in liberal democracies, religious-affiliated political parties, and the debate on non-confessionality as a neutral philosophy or with political connotations. In his closing lecture, Cardinal Luis Martínez Sistach, Archibishop of Barcelona, spoke on the relationship betwen the Church and the State, and on religious freedom. "The State must not have a religious affiliation, but not society. Society is religious", he explained.

The President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts visits the Faculty of Canon Law at Comillas for a second time

Thu, 17 Nov 2010 10:30:05 GMT

Monsenior Franciesco Coccopalmerio, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts (PCTL, in Spanish), paid a brief visit to the Faculty of Canon Law at Comillas. In April of 2009, he had already had the opportunity to familiarize himself in great detail with the Faculty during a longer visit, which contributed to enriching the relationship between the Faculty and the PCLT, and which was proof of the personal attachment with its President. This previous sentimental bond was prevalent in this second visit, which Coccopalmerio carried out at Comillas, taking advantage of this stay in Madrid for other committments.

A Computer Science Engineering Student wins the 2010 Christmas Card Contest

Tue, 15 Nov 2010 12:18:48 GMT

Ignacio Carlos Arnedo Rojas is the winner of the contest to create the 2010 University Christmas Card. The work, by this Fifth Year student in Computer Science Engineering, titled "The birth of Light", was chosen from among the 80 works presented, and will receive a cash award of 600 euros.

“High School students are creative and curious, but they do not have enough space or time to develop these skills"

Sat, 12 Nov 2010 09:00:51 GMT

The 4th Forum for School Counsellors at Comillas saw the gatheing of professionals in education and the business world to speak about entrepreneurship. "Learning to be entrepreneurial" was the title chosen by the University Promotion Office to make high schools and businesses familiar with the framework of the 12th Employment Forum at Comillas. Luis García, Director of the"Puerta Bonita" Institute for Secondary Education (IES, in Spanish), Laura Asiain, Director of tbe Department of Human Resources at Pwc, and Eduardo Martín, student and entrepreneur at the ICAI School of Engineering participated in the round table in which the qualities and characteristics of the entrepreneur were spelled out, as well as the obstacles and barriers that need to be overcome. The session was moderated by or Carmen Agudo, Director of the Pre-University Campus and Professor in the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences at Comillas. The speakers agreed that, besides the human factor, institutional support is fundamental, while one of the school counsellors in attendance confirmed that "high school students are creative and curious, but they do not have the space nor the time to develop these skills".

José Damián Bogas, Director General for Spain and Portugal at Endesa, 16th "Javier Benjumea Award" Winner

Thu, 10 Nov 2010 12:01:50 GMT

José Damián Bogas, Director General of Business for Spain and Portugal at Endesa has been selected as the "Javier Benjumea Award" winner in its 16th edition. These awards, aimed at industrial engineers from the ICAI School of Engineering, recognise alumni from Comillas ICAI who have stood out publickly, and with notoriety, in the carrying out of their profession, or in the international arena; those who have achieved indisputable merit in their activities, and who have made significant contributions to the prestige of the profession, having lent outstanding service to their field, to the association, and to the ICAI Professional College of Engineers as a collective social group. Linked to this honour is the proposal by the general assembly for nomination as Meritous Member of the ICAI Association of Engineers.

Comillas will offer the fifth edition of the Training Course for Professionals who Work with Victims of Gender-Related Violence

Sat, 05 Nov 2010 14:21:31 GMT

The University Institute for the Family at Comillas will offer the Advanced Training Course for Professionals who Work with Victims of Gender-Related Violence, a specific training programme that is promoted by the "Comunidad de Madrid" (Regional Government of the Autonomous Region of Madrid). The Rector of the University, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and the Regional Delegate for Employment, Women and Immigration, Paloma Adrados, persented the fifth edition of the course, the fourth which is offered at Comillas, before a crowd of students, professors and institutional representatives from the area of the fight against gender-related violence. After the inauguration, Fernando Vidal, the Director of the Institute for the Family, delivered the first lecture.

Comillas holds the Inaugurational Event for the 50th Anniversary of ICADE with a tribute to its pioneers

Fri, 25 Nov 2010 18:09:24 GMT

Comillas held the Inauguration Ceremony for the 50th Anniversary of ICADE, with a tribute to its pioneers. The Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, was accompanied by the President of the Autonomous Region of Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre, the Regional Delegate for Education, Lucía Figar, the Dean of the Faculty of Law (ICADE) Concepción Molina, the Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences (ICADE), Alfredo Arahuetes, and the Director of the ICADE Business School, Javier Gómez Lanz. The President of the Autonomous Region praised the contribution of ICADE to financial, social and educational life in the country: "This 50 year old project is a model for the Spain of the 21st Century". The Rector stated in his speech that ICADE knew how to foresee the "new needs for new times", with the first double degree in the Spanish University system.

Diplomas are awarded to the students who participated in the Inside Programs for 2010

Thu, 03 Nov 2010 16:50:55 GMT

Nearly 90 students from the Inside Programs 2010 received their diplomas in a graduation ceremony presided over by the Vice-Rector for International Relations and University Services, Romano Giannetti, and in which Wang Zhiwei, the First Secretary for Education at the Embassy of the People´s Republic of China in Madrid, and Elaine Samson, Political Advisor at the Embassy of the United States of America in Madrid, participated. Along with them, Inés Fernández, the Director of the International Relations Service, José María Herrero, Director of Inside Programs in the United States, Emiliano García Coso, Director of the Master´s Degree in International Relations at Comillas, and Álvaro Lozano Sanz, Coordinator for Inside Programs, also handed out diplomas.

Comillas hosts the 8th conference for School Counsellors organised by Catholic Schools

Wed, 02 Nov 2010 16:09:48 GMT

"Escuelas Católicas" ("FERE-CECA" and "EyG", in Spanish), an organisation that groups together the owners of Catholic Schools in our country, held its 8th Conference for School Counsellors at Comillas, titled "Learning to learn, Teaching to think". The conference was inaugurated by Belén Urosa Sanz, Dean of the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences at the University; Irene Arrimadas, Director of the Department of Pedagogical Innovation at "Escuelas Católicas" (Catholic Schools), and Eduardo Coba Arango, Director of the Institute of Teacher Training, Research and Educational Innovation at the Ministry of Education.

The Autonomous Region of Madrid awards the "Gran Cruz del 2 de Mayo" to the Universidad Pontificia Comillas

Fri, 28 Oct 2010 18:09:00 GMT

The Regional Council of the government of the Autonomous Region of Madrid has approved the awarding of the "Gran Cruz del 2 de Mayo" (the Great Cross of May 2) to the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, after a proposal from the Regional Director of the Council for Education, Lucía Figar, in recognition of the work carried out by the university on the occasion of this year of celebration of the 50th Anniversary of ICADE.

The Chair on Internationalization in Business, Diversity and Professional Development holds its first study conference

Sat, 10 Dec 2010 13:18:19 GMT

The Chair on Internationalisation in Business, Diversity and Professional Development at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas has organised its first working conference centered on globalisation and internationalisation in business, companies and personnel. "In order to understand what is happening in the world, it is necessary to observe from a multi-polar perspective", affirmed Mark Spelman, Board Member and Director of Strategic Services at Accenture Global, the person responsible for company relations with the Word Economic Forum and a regular speaker at Davos. In the keynote speech at the conference, "The Rise of a Multi-Polar World. From Global Connection to Global Orchestration”, Spelman insists on the need to know what is happening in the world from both a "super global" and "super local" viewpoint, which allows us to know what is occuring in the same environment as the job market as well as where resources are located, which are, simultaneously, being internationalised and fragmented.

Deusto, Comillas and Ramon Llull Universities present the Campus for International Excellence Programme (CIE), 2010

Wed, 26 Oct 2010 11:20:40 GMT

Esther Giménez-Salinas, Rector of the Ramon Llull University, Jaime Oraá, SJ, Rector of the University of Deusto, , and José Ramón Busto, SJ, Rector of the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, presented the Aristos Campus Mundus 2015 Project before an International Tribunal for the Call for Projects "Campus for International Excellence Programme 2010". As the Rector of the Ramon Llull University pointed out, "Our project, with the passion of Aristos and its international vocation, is not just about change, but about bringing about change, a change stemming from quality and leading to excellence."

Nearly two-hundred runners compete in the 2010 Comillas Cross Country Race

Sat, 22 Oct 2010 12:29:31 GMT

The 2010 Comillas Cross Country Race was held on the Cantoblanco Campus with another success in participation. 198 runners competed in the men"s and women"s competitions of this race which opens the university racing season for cross country in the Autonomous Region of Madrid. The race doubles up as a competition for the Rector"s Trophy for the athletes involved.

Spain has one of the highest rates of prisioners in Europe, which is not justified by the level of delinquincy

Fri, 21 Oct 2010 17:25:41 GMT

"We have one of the highest rates of confined prisioners in Europe, but, to the contrary, we do not have a grave problem of crime. We are below the European average for crimes committed, but from 1980 to 2009, the prison population has increased four-fold," stated Manuel Gallego, SJ, a Professor of Penal Law at Comillas, at the presentation of the book "Andar 1 km en línea recta. La cárcel del siglo XXI que vive el preso" (Walking 1 km in a straight line. Prisions, as lived by prisioners, in the 21st century), of which he is co-author, along with Pedro Cabrera and Julián Ríos, Professors of Sociology and Penal Law, respectively, also at Comillas, and the lawyer José Luis Segovia.

Comillas analyzed the "Ley del Contrato de Seguro" (Insurance Contract Law) at its thirty anniversary

Thu, 20 Oct 2010 17:32:05 GMT

Comillas held a Conference on the Thirty Anniversary of the Spanish Insurance Contract Law, co-organized by the Faculty of Law (ICADE) and “Línea Directa Aseguradora“ (an insurance company). The day before the thirty anniversary of the law, which became a legal milestone, various speakers analyzed the most important topics and questions on the insurance contracts, not exempt from complexity and controversy. They offered solutions but also criticized the new projected regulation. Four professors from public universities, two lecturers at Comillas, one judge of the “Tribunal Supremo” (Spanish High Court), lawyers and insurance professionals treated the facts and controversies about the insurance law, particularly in the contract terms.

The Archbishop of Panama, former student of the Faculty of Canon Law

Thu, 20 Oct 2010 10:46:53 GMT

The new Archbishop of Panama, named by Benedicto XVI, is a former student of the Faculty of Canon Law. José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta finished his studies in 2002, with the final work "The Canon Law, essential element in pastoral care with families and marriages".

Twenty-one new professionals from Deloitte begin the fourth edition of the Masters Degree in Business Taxation

Tue, 18 Oct 2010 12:24:16 GMT

Deloitte Legal and Tax Advisors and Comillas have begun the fourth edition of the Masters Degree in Business Taxation, with 21 new students. During the inauguration ceremony, which was presided over by the Rector of the University, José Ramón Busto, SJ, diplomas were awarded by him to the students of the third graduating class.

Twenty-eight couples participate in the Second Alumni Paddle Ball Tounament

Sat, 15 Oct 2010 10:14:48 GMT

The Alumni Office at Comillas has organised the Second Paddle Ball Tournament for university alumni, which was held at the "Ciudad Deportiva Jarama" (Jarama Sports Complex). 28 couples participated in the competition, 20 in the men´s competition and 8 in the women"s competition.

El "Colegio Mayor Berrospe" (Berrospe Hall of Residence) is now affiliated to Universidad Pontificia Comillas

Fri, 14 Oct 2010 09:44:58 GMT

The "Colegio Mayor Berrospe" (Berrospe Hall of Residence), managed by the Congregation of the Daughters of Jesus since the 1968-69 academic year, is now affiiliated with the Universidad Pontificia Comillas. This women´s university institution, located at Avenida de la Moncloa, 9, in the
"Ciudad Universitaria " ("University City") area of Madrid, is a member of the National Council for "Colegios Mayores" and University Residences.

The EU renews the status of Erasmus Mundus for the International Masters Degree in Economics and Management of Industries Networks

Thu, 13 Oct 2010 10:19:39 GMT

e European Union has renewed the status of Erasmus Mundus for the International Masters Degree in Economics and Management of Industries Networks - EMIN, which has been taught since the 2006-07 academic year at the ICAI School of Engineering.

Two professors at Comillas ICAI receive an award for the best article at the International Conference of Fuzzy Systems

Tue, 11 Oct 2010 14:55:14 GMT

José Ángel Olivas and Cristina Puente, professors in the Department of Computer Systems in the ICAI School of Engineering, have won the Best Paper Award at the IEEE International Conference of Fuzzy Systems, the most important international conference on fuzzy systems, for the article "Causality and imperfect Causality from texts: a frame for causality in social sciences", written in collaboration with Alejandro Sobrino, a researcher at the European Centre for Soft Computing.

The Third Golf Tournament for university alumni was held

Thu, 06 Oct 2010 15:42:54 GMT

The Alumni Office has organised the Third Universidad Pontificia Comillas Alumni Golf Tournament, which brought together some 40 golfers, all university alumni, at the Lomas Bosque Golf Club.

Francisco José Ruiz Pérez takes possession as the Provincial Officer for the Society of Jesus in Spain

Thu, 06 Oct 2010 09:01:16 GMT

The new Provincial Officer for the Society of Jesus in Spain, Francisco Ruiz Pérez, SJ, has taken office with the reading of his appointment and the celebration of a Holy Mass, in the Jesuit parish of San Francisco de Borja (Madrid) The ceremony made the nomination official, after being made public last Spring by Father General Adolfo Nicolás, SJ. An alumni of Comillas, his office makes him a member of the "Consejo Superior", or Board of Directors, at the University.

Two professors from Comillas ICADE participate in the study which analyses paid leave of absence for parents of chronically-ill children

Wed, 05 Oct 2010 17:29:41 GMT

María Dolores Carrillo Márquez and Ana Higuera Garrido, Professors in the Area of Labour and Social Security Law at Comillas-ICADE, are the legal advisors for the multi-disciplinary team composed of doctors, lawyers and psychologists, who have been drawing up, for the past months, an elaborate piece of research titled "Study of a new benefit for extraordinary care-taking of minors". They will define the contents of the paid leave of absence for the parents of chronically-ill children, cancer patients, or those with other diseases, which has been passed by the Congress.

A team from Comillas ICAI wins the the Sika Prontuary Game 2010

Tue, 04 Oct 2010 10:39:20 GMT

Imanol García Vicario, Javier Muñiz Corral and Cristina Sánchez Rebollo, recent graduates in Industrial Engineering, have won the the Sika Prontuary Game 2010, carried out in the framework of the Ninth Conference on Adhesion and Adhesives, which was held at Comillas and organised by the ICAI School of Engineering (ICAI), in collaboration with the Spanish Technical Scientific Group for Adhesion and Adhesives (ASEFCA).

The Franco-Spanish Chamber of Commerce awards Comillas for its work in fomenting an entrepreneurial spirit

Fri, 30 Sep 2010 11:24:55 GMT

The Universidad Pontificia Comillas has been recognised for its trajectory in the training of professionals with the awarding of the "Premio al espíritu de empresa” (the Business Spririt Award), given by the Franco-Spanish Chamber of Commerce and Industry, known as "La Chambre", in French. In his speech to inaugurate the academic year, the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, thanked the professors of French who have contributed to receiving the award. "The port of entry for this award to have been given to our university was opened by the degree in Translation and Interpreting, to whose professors, especially those of French, I would like to make manifest the gratitude of the university as a whole", he asserted.

Comillas will celebrate the Fiftieth Anniversary of ICADE during the 2010-11 academic year

Tue, 04 Oct 2010 13:04:28 GMT

"Throughout this year we will once again be celebrating, as ICADE reaches its fiftieth anniversary", said the Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, upon announcing the highlights of the 2010-11 academic year, whose solemn opening ceremony took place on September 22. Seated along with the Rector were all of the members of the rectoral team. Previously, Cardenal Archbishop of Madrid, Antonio María Rouco Varela, presided over the Holy Mass at the Church of the Immaculate and Saint Peter Claver.

A student at Comillas ICAI, chosen as one of the best speakers at The European International Model United Nations (TEIMUN)

Thu, 29 Sep 2010 09:22:33 GMT

Each year, in The Hague, The European International Model United Nations is held, known as TEIMUN by its initials in English, an international university programme that reproduces the model of the UN with students from many different nationalitie. Manuel Peix Castiella, an Industrial Engineering student at Comillas, participated in the last edition and gained recognition as one of the best speakers at the conference.

Fernando Vidal takes office as the Director of the University Institute of the Family at Comillas

Wed, 28 Sep 2010 12:02:13 GMT

Fernando Vidal, a Professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Work, in the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, is the new Director of the University Institute of the Family. He is successor to María Isabel Álvarez Vélez, a Professor in the Faculty of Law (ICADE), who has completed two terms in office since her appointment during the academic year 2004-05. The ceremony to take office was presided over by the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and numerous members of the university community were in attendance.

A student at Comillas ICAI, winner of the first edition of the "Yuzz" contest for young entrepreneurs

Thu, 22 Sep 2010 18:27:13 GMT

Eduardo Martín Pérez, a second year student in Industrial Engineering, was one of the winners of the first edition of the "Yuzz" contest, organised by the Banesto Foundation, which awards the talent of young entrepreneurs with ideas on base technology. After winning the final round of the competition, he travelled to California in order to visit the city of San Francisco, the Silicon Vally and, above all, to become familiarised with its business and entrepreneurial culture.

Comillas and EADS CASA sign an agreement for educational collaboration

Sat, 17 Sep 2010 08:48:57 GMT

The University and EADS CASA Defence & Security Spain have signed a framework agreement for educational collaboration, which reinforces the joint work of both institutions. This cooperation is reflected in the participation of EADS CASA in the Chair for Internationalisation in Business, Diversity and Professional Development and in the Inside Program, as well as it collaboration with the Office for Internships and Employment.

A team from the IIT receives the Young Researcher Award at the NInth Conference on Transport Engineering

Fri, 16 Sep 2010 15:53:00 GMT

Three researchers from the Institute for Technological Research have received the Young Researchers Award from the Ninth Conference on Transport Engineering, organised by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Polytechnic University of Madrid) and the Forum for Transport Engineerings (FIT, in Spanish). In order to achieve this, Carlos Sicre, Maite Peña and María Domínguez presented the article "Optimum distribution of flexible time frames in train timetables with restrictions on punctuality", which was recognised by the jury. The award-winning paper proposes a method to design train timetables with the least energy consumption and to ensure that they arrive punctually at their destination.

Comillas welcomes nearly 300 Erasmus and exchange students for the 2010-2011 academic year

Fri, 16 Sep 2010 11:58:27 GMT

Comillas has received some 300 students from 34 countries, coming mainly from France, the United States, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany, who will become part of the student body at this university throughout the 2010-2011 academic year. These students, who belong to Erasmus and exchange programmes, respectively, have temporarily left their home universities, such as ESSEC and ICAM, in France, Georgetown and San Diego, in the United States, or LUISS Guido Carli University and Bologna, in Italy, to study in various Faculties and Schools at Comillas.

López Garrido: "It is necessary to make European identity in defense of human rights coherent with immigration policies"

Thu, 15 Sep 2010 08:18:35 GMT

Comillas hosted the 2010 Scribani International Conference, organised by the Institute for Migration Studies, and the Scribani Network, whose title was European Migration and Asylum Policies: Coherence or Contradiction? - An Interdisciplinary Evaluation of the EU Summits of Tampere (1999), The Hague (2004) and Stockholm (2009). The Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ; the Secretarry of State for the Euopean Union, Diego López Garrido; the President of the European Conference of Provincial Leaders of the Society of Jesus, Mark Rotsaert, SJ, and the Director of the Institute for Migration Studies, Cristina Gortázar all participated in the opening of the event.

The University welcomes the first "Comillas Internacional" students for the 2010-11 academic year

Wed, 14 Sep 2010 08:36:44 GMT

Students enrolled in semester programmes coming from the Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey (Monterrey Institute of Technology, TEC) and from the University of San Diego are the first international students to have arrived at Comillas. In two orientation sessions, the Vice-Rector for International Relations and University Services, Romano Giannetti, and the members of the "Comillas Internacional" team and the Office for Information and Student Reception welcomed them and explained the main details concerning their daily routine at the University.

A researcher from the Institute for Technological Research receives one of the 38 grants from Iberdrola for Postgraduate Studies on energy and the environment

Tue, 13 Sep 2010 12:11:47 GMT

The researcher from the Institute for Technological Research (IIT, in Spanish) Jesús García Matos, has been awarded one of the 38 grants from the Iberdrola Foundation to carry out Postgraduate Studies on energy and the environment, whose goal is to contribute to excellence in training and research within the energy sector, with special attention to renewable energies, environmental protection and the fight against climate change.

Comillas participates in the second World Conference on Catholic Theological Ethics, held in Trento, Italy

Sat, 10 Sep 2010 12:35:20 GMT

Julio Martínez, Vice-Rector for Research, Development and Innovation at Comillas, and José Manuel Caamaño, both professors in the Faculty of Theology and in the Department of Moral Theology, participated in the second World Conference on Catholic Theological Ethics which, under the title "On the tides of history: from Trento to the future", brought together some 600 moral theologians from around the world in this small Italian city, with a view to the future in which technology, globalisation and pluralism require bringing moral theology up to date.

Comillas collaborates with the Costa Rica educational project La Ciudad de los Niños ("The Children"s City")

Wed, 07 Sep 2010 10:55:23 GMT

Comillas, through its Servicio de Compromiso Solidario y Cooperación al Desarrollo - Solidarity Commitment and Development Cooperation Service - has recently taken part in an educational project La Ciudad de los Niños ("The Children"s City" in Costa Rica, collecting thousands of text books. The enthusiastic involvement of the university community in helping with this project meant we were able to send 600 kilos of book, which have now arrived at their destination.

DePaul University College of Law teached its summer programme at the Faculty of Law (ICADE)

Sat, 03 Sep 2010 11:47:54 GMT

DePaul University College of Law, from Chicago, once again chose the Faculty of Law (ICADE), through its Centro de Innovación del Derecho (CID-ICADE), as the venue in which to organise its summer programme for its students and, for the first time, for Comillas students as well. The course, which this year ran from the 21st of June to the 14th of July 2010, was attended by 38 students from the American university and seven students from Comillas who will receive a diploma jointly issued by DePaul University and our university.

Comillas and Landwell further strengthen their collaboration with the signing of two agreements

Fri, 02 Sep 2010 14:35:02 GMT

The university and Landwell have signed two sponsorship agreements for two Masters’ degree courses in Corporate Law and in International Taxation, both of which will be taught at the Faculty of Law (ICADE) in the 2010-11 academic year. As a result of these two agreements, a grant scheme "Landwell-PriceWaterhouseCoopers Jurídico Fiscal" has also been launched, available to two students, one for each Master"s course.

The second Master"s course in International Fiscal Policy concludes, jointly run by Ernst & Young and Comillas

Fri, 29 Jul 2010 08:40:31 GMT

A graduation ceremony, including the award of grants, brought to a close the second Master’s course in International Fiscal Policy, jointly run by Ernst & Young and Comillas. The event was attended by Javier Gómez Lanz, Director of the Institute of Post-Graduate Study and Continuous Training; José María Ruiz de Huidobro, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Law (ICADE); Víctor Gómez de la Cruz, Chairman of E&Y Abogados; Eduardo Sanfrutos, Partner Head of Training at E&Y Abogados; Ramón Casero Barrón, professor at Comillas and Programme and Juan Cobo, Management Executive at E&Y Abogados and Head of the Masters Degree within the company.

A team from the ICADE Faculty of Law successfully competes at Moot Madrid 2010

Thu, 28 Jul 2010 09:58:24 GMT

A group of students from the ICADE Faculty of Law at Comillas concluded a brilliant participation at Moot Madrid 2010, one of the leading international competitions in the field of law. The Comillas team won the Albert H. Kritzer Award for the Best Statement of Case as well as two second places in the Best Answer to the Complaint and Best Team in an Oral Hearing.

Comillas hosts the 7th International European Energy Market Conference

Wed, 27 Jul 2010 13:42:48 GMT

Comillas recently hosted the 7th International European Energy Market Conference, bringing together close to 200 attendees, the majority of whom (around 60 per cent) were university specialists in engineering, as well as also attracting economists, lawyers and the members of regulatory bodies and companies operating in the sector. The conference served as a perfect forum at which to debate the development of the energy sector and creating a Common European Energy Market.

The university has hosted the presentation of Luz de linterna (desde mi mirada), by Rafael Carcedo

Fri, 22 Jul 2010 14:35:18 GMT

Rafael Carcedo, a former student of ICADE"s first year of admission to study Law and Business Administration and Management and a delegate of the Board of Directors of ICADE Asociación, presented his book Luz de linterna (desde mi mirada) at Comillas during an act chaired by the Chancellor, José Ramón Busto, SJ.

Marco Benedetti and Olga Cosmidou are now honorary collaborators of Comillas

Wed, 20 Jul 2010 08:55:28 GMT

The Director General of the European Commission"s DG Interpretation, Marco Bennedetti, and the Director General for Interpretation and Conferences of the European Parliament, Olga Cosmidou, have been appointed honorary collaborators of Comillas in recognition of their close relationship with the university and their work to disseminate and promote the training of translators and interpreters.

Second edition of the doctoral students workshop on corporate ethics, CSR and corporate governance

Fri, 22 Jul 2010 14:09:10 GMT

Javier Benjumea (Focus-Abengoa), the Comillas University Chair in Financial and Corporate Ethics, has organised-together with the sponsorship of Bankinter-the second edition of the university"s doctoral students workshop in corporate ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Corporate Governance. The meeting, which took place over two days in Los Molinos in the mountain range outside Madrid, sought to be a point for researchers who work on ethics in the corporate field to meet and dialogue.

The Comillas Urban Camp celebrated its tenth anniversary with a concert

Sat, 16 Jul 2010 14:20:59 GMT

For the last 10 years, Comillas lecture theatres have welcomed some younger than normal visitors in summer. They are aged from 3 to 12 and are the children and family of university employees who participate in the urban camp. This service for the university community, which organises activities for children in summer while parents continue to work, began in 2000. The activity—organised by the Social Work Unit—commences in June once school classes have ended; the activity continues during July and starts up again in September up until the beginning of the academic year. The camp therefore enables combining parents" work responsibilities with school holidays and children"s needs for education and leisure.

Pablo Ruz, the judge replacing Garzón at Spain’s National Court, is a former student of Comillas ICADE

Sat, 16 Jul 2010 08:54:37 GMT

Pablo Rafael Ruz Gutiérrez, the magistrate judge selected to temporarily replace Baltasar Garzón at Court of Instruction number 5 of Spain’s National Court, is a former student of Comillas, where he completed a law degree in 1998, and a collaborator on ICADE Law Faculty’s Competitive Exam Training Course, where he has been responsible for preparing candidates for judgeships since October 2009.

Comillas gets through the initial phase of the call for an International Excellence Campus 2010

Fri, 15 Jul 2010 14:44:57 GMT

The technical committee set up by the Ministry of Education to resolve the initial phase of the call for an International Excellence Campus 2010 has approved the project presented by Comillas to compete in the second phase together with Deusto and Ramon Llull universities, with the project Aristos Campus Mundus 2015.

Comillas has laid down the first stone for the enlargement of its facilities on the Cantoblanco university campus

Thu, 22 Sep 2010 16:22:04 GMT

Comillas has celebrated the ceremony for laying the first stone of the building work to enlarge its Cantoblanco university campus which was attended by the President of the Community of Madrid (CAM), Esperanza Aguirre, the Councillor for Education, Lucía Figar, the Mayor of Alcobendas, Ignacio García de Vinuesa, the Chancellor, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and the Chairman of the Comillas-ICAI University Foundation, Ignacio Bayón.

The Masters Degree in Intellectual Property organise a seminar on financial analysis of copyright laws

Tue, 12 Jul 2010 13:17:52 GMT

Ruth Towse, a Professor at Bournemouth University and at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, delivered the lecture "The financial analysis of companies that manage copyrights", at a seminar organised by the University Masters Degree in Intellectual Property at Comillas. along with "Ibercrea" and the "instituto Autor". The former President of the European Parliament, Enrique Barón, and the President of Ibercrea, Manuel Medina, joined the speaker.

Comillas and the University of Vigo are members of the recently created association Economics for Energy

Sat, 09 Jul 2010 17:13:26 GMT

The association Economics for Energy, a private research center on energy economics, has been formally created in Vigo. It will see the participation of members such as the Universities of Vigo and Pontificia Comillas, the Government of Spain (Institute for Fiscal Studies, Ministry of Economy and the Tax Office), the Foundation "Pedro Barrié de la Maza", Acciona, Banco Santander, Caixanova, Gas Natural Fenosa and Iberdrola (all Spanish enterprises).

Ignacio Pérez-Arriaga is named Review Editor for the next Report on Climate Change for the United Nations

Sat, 09 Jul 2010 10:40:54 GMT

The Director of the BP Chair for Energy and Sustainability, and Professor in the ICAI School of Engineering, Ignacio Pérez Arriaga, has been named Review Editor for the purpose of drawing up the next report for evaluation by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for the United Nations. The organisation opened the application period for candidates last January and member nations presented applications for a total of 3000 scientists, among whom 831 were chosen, including 13 Spaniards.

Father Manuel Abella Suárez passes away

Wed, 06 Jul 2010 09:15:07 GMT

Father Manuel Abella Suárez, SJ, has passed away in the town of Alcalá de Henares at the age of 85, and after 66 years in the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He was a professor of chemistry at the ICAI School of Engineering and university librarian between 1985 and 1995.

Comillas holds the Third Class Reunion for Alumni from the Canary Islands, on Tenerife

Tue, 05 Jul 2010 09:23:48 GMT

The Third Class Reunion for Alumni from the Canary Islands was held on the island of Tenerife, at which forty university graduates who were educated in the classrooms at Comillas assembled. Present at the event were the Director of the Alumni Office, Carmen Jiménez; the alumni representative at that time, Antonio Muñoz Carmona; his successor, Pedro Domínguez Vidal, and Alfonso de Benito, Director of Executive Interim Management, who delivered a lecture. The Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, spoke to the participants by video, due to the fact that it was impossible for him to attend, since the reunion coincided with the graduation ceremonies at the University.

The Rector inaugurates the Sixth International and Inter-University Seminar on Bio-Medicine and Human Rights

Thu, 30 Jun 2010 11:27:03 GMT

José Ramón Busto, SJ, Rector at Comillas, opened the Sixth International and Inter-University Seminar on Bio-Medicine and Human Rights. During his speech, he expressed his concern, as not everthing made possible by science is ethically desirable. "When faced with the development of bio-medical sciences as never before seen in history, it is important to reflect on what we can do".

Alumni from the Class of 1950 visited the ICAI School of Engineering

Wed, 29 Jun 2010 11:21:48 GMT

Seven former students from the Class of 1950 from the ICAI School of Engineering visited the facilities in this institution to celebrate their 60th anniversary. Invited by the delegate of the graduating class, Luciano Martínez Luengo, the following joined in for the reunion: Ricardo Cucala Máñez, Vicente Gil Gallegos, Juan Luchsinger Lobelos, José Martí Llorens, Rafael Quijano Agüero and José Luis San Juan Rubio.

The Awards for the best End-of-Studies Final Projects in the ICAI School of Engineering

Tue, 28 Jun 2010 14:41:44 GMT

The Director General of Universities and Research in the Autonomous Region of Madrid, Jon Juaristi Linacero, attended the awards ceremony for the best End-of-Studies Final Projects in the ICAI School of Engineering, which was presided over by the Rector at Comillas José Ramón Busto, SJ. He was accompanied by the Director of the School of Engineering, Mariano Ventosa. This year´s edition received the sponsorship of the Association-Professional College of ICAI Engineers, Accenture, the BP Chair for Energy, and Sustainability, Endesa, Everis, Iberdrola, and PriceWaterhouseCoopers Business Advisors.

Comillas closes the 2009-10 academic year with the graduation of more than 1600 students

Tue, 28 Jun 2010 10:39:46 GMT

More than 1600 Undergraduate and Postgraduate students at Comillas received their diplomas in the graduation ceremony which closed the school year, presided over by the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ. It was held from June 18 to 20 on the Cantoblanco Campus, and a large number of family members and friends of the graduates attended.

Almost 600 people participate in the Seventeenth Comillas Family Party

Sat, 25 Jun 2010 09:13:56 GMT

The Cantoblanco Campus hosted the Seventeenth Comillas Family Party in which almost 600 people participated, among them, employees of the university and their family members. Throughout the day, participants were able to enjoy rides, 3D flight simulators, an acrobatic apparatus, a fun room and inflatable toys, karaoke, a dance floor and puppet shows. Moreover, lunch was served in the tent installed on the campus.

Comillas holds the First Conference on Bio-Mechanics in the Evaluation of Injuries

Thu, 23 Jun 2010 13:52:25 GMT

The First Conference on Bio-Mechanics in the Evaluation of Injuries, held at Comillas, represented a forum for dialogue and discussion among professionals in the sector, and was energised by the participation of speakers of acclaimed prestigie in the development of bio-mechanical evaluation. They reflected on the different objective tools that currently exist for the evaluation of patients. The conference was organised by Comillas, through its "San Juan de Dios" University School for Nursing and Physiotherapy and Baasys, a centre for research specialised in the analysis and evaluation of pathologies in the movement of the extremities by using advanced technology.

“In order to end violence against minors, it is necessary to combat impunity"

Wed, 22 Jun 2010 11:58:17 GMT

The Santander Chair for Law and Minors at Comillas, organised, together with the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees), the Commission for Aid to Refugees in Madrid-CEAR, "La Merced" Migrations, Save the Children and UNICEF, the Conference on Childhood and International Protection in Europe: "Child refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection". In the framework of the conference, the Special Representative for the Secretary General of the United Nations for Violence against Children, Marta Santos Pais, ascertained that "in order to end violence against minors, it is necessary to combat impunity, to invest in changes in attitude, to offer economic and social improvement, and to give minors the ability to act against violations of their rights".

The Rafael Mariño Chair centered its Eighth Annual Conference around geothermal energy

Tue, 21 Jun 2010 13:46:40 GMT

The Eighth Annual Conference by the Rafael Mariño Chair for New Energy Technologies was dedicated to the analysis and the future of geothermal energy. This renewable energy source, which has been absent from national planning up to the present moment, aroused the interest of the more than 300 participants in the sessions, who completely filled all space available. In the words of Yolanda Moratilla, Director of the Chair, the conference served as a forum of reflection on the current state of geothermal energy, with the most relevant opinions in the sector. This edition was sponsored by the National College of ICAI Engineers and Iberdrola, and also witnessed the participation of the Government of the Autonomous Region of Madrid.

The IIT participates in the most ambitious European project on energy in the Seventh Framework Programme

Sat, 18 Jun 2010 14:34:45 GMT

Comillas, through the Instiute for Technological Research, in the ICAI School of Engineering, is the only Spanish University institution which is participating in the Twenties Project, financed by the European Union, whose objective is to advance in the development and implementation of new technologies that will allow a large-scale incorporation of wind power energy in to the European electrical system. With a duration of three years and a budget of nearly 60 million euros, this project is the most far-reaching of those on energy in the Seventh Framework Programme on Research, Development and Demonstration of the European Commission.

Jesuit Universities meet in Mexico to work for a more humane, just and sustainable world

Sat, 18 Jun 2010 08:46:23 GMT

The Conference "Networks of Jesuit Higher Education for a globalised world: Outlining the future for a humane, just and sustainable world", sponsored by the Secretariat for Higher Education, headed by Father Paul Locatelli, SJ, brought together some 200 rectors and represenatives of universites of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) from all over the world at the Universidad Iberoamericana in México.

Comillas ICADE and the University of Cardiff organise a seminar on constitutional decentralisation in Europe

Tue, 14 Jun 2010 16:52:01 GMT

The Faculties of Law at Comillas ICADE and at the University of Cardiff organised the seminar: Constitutional Decentralization in Europe: Problem or Solution?, in which the Professor of Comparative Constitutional Law at Comillas, Federico de Montalvo Jääskeläinen, participated by means of a video-conference.

The Laboratory for Industrial Testing ("Laboratorio de Ensayos Industriales", or LEI, in Spanish) at Comillas ICAI obtains its new accreditation

Sat, 11 Jun 2010 11:25:50 GMT

The Laboratory for Industrial Testing, at the ICAI School of Engineering, appears among the few Spanish facilities in its area of specialisation which is accredited to carry out mechanical testing in adhesive bonding, after having been granted theappropriate technical competence by the National Entity for Acreditation, at the end of May.

Francisco José Ruiz Pérez, appointed new Provincial Head for Spain of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits)

Thu, 09 Jun 2010 13:44:11 GMT

The Father General of the Society of Jesus, Jesuits, Adolfo Nicolás, SJ, has appointed Francisco José Ruiz Pérez, SJ, who has just finished his term as Provincial Head of the "Bética" Region, as the new Provincial Head of Spain. A former student at Comillas, Ruiz Pérez will take possession of his office on September 22, and will succeed Elías Royón Lara, SJ, current Provincial Head of Spain.

Awarding of diplomas to the fifth graduating class of the Specialist Course in Electrical Systems Operations REE-ICAI

Wed, 08 Jun 2010 18:51:34 GMT

The students of the fifth graduating class of the Specialist Course in Electrical Systems Operations REE-ICAI received their diplomas in a closing ceremony presided by the Director of the school, Mariano Ventosa, accompanied by the Director of the course, Enrique Lobato and managers from Red Eléctrica Española.

Almost 90 students graduated from the Master in Business Administration Executive (EMBA)

Wed, 08 Jun 2010 10:12:43 GMT

A total amount of 87 students of the Master in Business Administration Executive (EMBA), from the fifth edition of graduated from La Coruña, the sixth from Zaragoza and the eighteenth and nineteenth from Madrid who finished during the academic year 2008-2009, received their degrees in a ceremony chaired by José Ramón Busto Sáiz, Rector of Comillas, and accompanied by Alfredo Arahuetes, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (ICADE) and Javier Gómez Lanz, Director of the Institute of Postgraduate and Continuous Education.
The Institute of Postgraduate and Continuous Education runs his EMBA Programme at La Coruña in collaboration with the Instituto Tecnológico Empresarial (ITE) de Caixa Galicia, and in Zaragoza, with Caja de Ahorros de la Inmaculada (CAI).

A graduate of Comillas obtains a place as a Resident Intern Psychologist

Tue, 07 Jun 2010 15:18:28 GMT

María Martín Martínez, a graduate in Psychology from Comillas in 2009, has obtained, with only four months of preparation, place number 34 out of the 131 places available for specialised health training in Clinical Psychology (PIR, in Spanish) in the latest examination given last January, in which some 3000 aspiriing candidates participated. "I was very lucky and I could choose the place and assignment that I wanted", says María, who has a grade point average of 8.99 on her academic transcript; she adds that she has always liked to study, and that, since she was a little girl, she has always been attracted by Psychology. "I was very sure that I wanted to do the "PIR" because I believe in Clinical Psychology, and that is fundamental to devote oneself to this", she emphasises.

Raquel González Corral, national award-winner for academic excellence 2007-08 in Industrial Organisation Engineering

Sat, 04 Jun 2010 08:41:44 GMT

Raquel Gonzalez Corral, an Engineer in Industrial Organisation Engineering at Comillas, has won the first national award for excellence in academic performance for the 2007-08 academic year, which carries a cash prize of 3300 euros. She received the award during a ceremony which was presided over by the Minister of Education, Ángel Gabilondo, on May 25.

Deusto, Comillas and the Ramon LLull Universities develop a Campus for International Excellence Programme

Thu, 02 Jun 2010 08:40:47 GMT

The Universidad de Deusto, the Universidad Pontificia Comillas and the Universitat Ramon Llull will present a joint project for association in the "Campus de Excelencia Internacional 2010" (Campus for International Excellence). This can be perceived in the framework agreement for collaboration which was signed this morning by the Rectors of the three universities: Jaime Oraá Oraá (Deusto), José Ramón Busto Saiz (Comillas) and Esther Giménez-Salinas i Colomer (Ramón Llull).

The recognition of judicial rights in trials is not sufficient in cases where children are involved

Tue, 31 May 2010 11:58:01 GMT

One of the areas of research in which intense work is being done in the Santander Chair for Law and Minors at Comillas is the situation of minors in judicial proceedings, an interest which was reflected in the Conference, "The protection of minors and the right to a fair trial". The organisation was conceived as a result of the concern for the treatment which is given to minors in trials, whether they may be victims, witnesses or legally responsible. The University took advantage of the occasion to explain the latest memorandum from the Spanish Attorney General´s Office on the protection of minors, who are victims and witnesses, to those professionals who intervene in these situations, common in the activities of the chair: lawyers, judges and psychologists.

Four researchers at Comillas win the Tenth Talgo Award for Technological Innovation

Sat, 28 May 2010 12:14:28 GMT

Four researchers at Comillas have received the Tenth Talgo Award for Technological Innovation 2010, the most prestigious in the railway sector, for which the University competed for the first time, with the project "Simulation, calculation and optimisation of railways". The award carries a cash prize of 30,000 euros.

Two students from Comillas win the ACCRI Award for the university entrepreneur Graduate Programme competition

Thu, 26 May 2010 17:12:08 GMT

Manuel Peña Alcaraz and Eduardo Martín Pérez, second year students in Industrial Engineering, have won the ASCRI Award, which is given by the Spanish Asociation for Capital Risk Enterprises to the most viable project presented for the university entrepreneur Graduate Programme competition, sponsored by the "Fundación Universidad-Empresa" (University-Business Foundation or "FUE" in Spanish) and the Junior Achievement Foundation. Their project, called EMWOK, and sponsored for the contest by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, attempts to bring emotional intelligence to high schools and institutes.

Virginia Cagigal presents a book "Family Orientation in the Educational Environment. The experience at the Padre Piquer School"

Thu, 26 May 2010 11:17:56 GMT

The history of the past ten years of existence of the Centre for Attention to the Family at the Padre Piquer Secondary School is described in "Family Orientation in the Educational Environment. The experience at the Padre Piquer School", a book which is co-edited by Comillas and the Social Work Office at Caja Madrid Savings and Loan. It was coordinated by Virginia Cagigal, a Professor in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. In attendance at the event were the Rector of the University, José Ramón Busto, SJ; the Director of the Secondary School, Ángel Serrano; the representative of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) at Padre Piquer, Augusto Hortal, SJ, and the Director of Educational Programmes at the Social Work Office of Caja Madrid Savings and Loan, Juan Antonio Jiménez.

One thousand students participate in the Third Professional Orientation Day at Comillas

Wed, 25 May 2010 10:45:12 GMT

The Office for the Promotion Of Studies at the University organised, for the third consecutive year, "Professional Orientation Day", for students of First Year of "Bachillerato" (High School) and from other Secondary Education institutions. Nearly one thousand students participated in this orientation day, coming from 17 high schools and institutes, accompanied by their professors and counsellors from their institutions. The objective is to provide students with information which helps them in choosing a field of university studies, taking into account such relevant matters as the content of studies and admissions requirements, university experience and job opportunities after graduation.

Comillas celebrates the Day of Europe with thoughts of victims and those marginalised by society

Fri, 20 May 2010 11:23:24 GMT

The Jean Monnet Chair and the Area of International Law and International Relations of the Faculty of Law (ICADE) organised the Ninth Day of Europe with the title "Reflections on the European Year for the Fight Against Poverty and Social Exclusion". Two round tables dealt with politics in the EU in this realm, and focussed on the most most disadvantaged sectors of society.

Carmen Valor coordinates one of the first books in the new collection "Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility"

Thu, 19 May 2010 09:50:47 GMT

Carmen Valor, a Professor in the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration, has coordinated on of the first two books in the new collection "Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility", edited jointly by the Netbiblo Publishing Company and the Jaume I University. It is hoped that the work, of a collective nature, becomes a point of reference for entrepreneurial sustainability.

The book Ciencia y religión. Dos visiones del mundo (Science and Religion. Two visions of the world), by Agustín Udías, presented at Comillas

Tue, 17 May 2010 20:01:08 GMT

The University hosted the presentation of Ciencia y religión. Dos visiones del mundo (Science and Religion. Two visions of the world), the latest book by Agustín Udías, SJ, published by the "Editorial Sal Terrae" (Sal Terrae Publishing Company). The event was presided over by the Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ; the Director of the Publishing Company, Antonio Allende, SJ; the Director of the Chair in Science, Technology and Religion, Javier Leach, SJ, and the Director of the Publications Service at the University, Camino Cañón.

"Hydrogen is not in competition with any energy resources, but rather, it is a companion to current ones"

Tue, 17 May 2010 11:58:25 GMT

The Rafael Mariño Chair for New Energy Technologies and the National Association of ICAI Engineers have published "Hydrogen and Combustible Batteries: Actual Status and Immediate Perspectives", the sixth volume in the collection "Advances in Engineering", which compiles and publicises the lectures from the annual conference, which was held by the Chair in 2007.

The Director of the Master in International Affairs, international observer for the Colombian elections

Sat, 14 May 2010 13:23:04 GMT

The Electoral Comission of Colombia and the National Registrar have appointed the Director of the Master in Foreign Affairs: Economics, Politics and Law at Comillas. Emiliano García Coso, as member of the Mission of International Observers, who will act as guarantors of the transparency and legality of the general election to be held on May 30 in Colombia.

Father Guillermo Rodríguez-Izquierdo, named Provincial Superior of the "Bética" Province

Thu, 12 May 2010 17:09:20 GMT

The Superior General of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), Adolfo Nicolás, has named Father Guillermo Rodríguez-Izquierdo Gavala, SJ, who was Rector of Comillas from 1984 to 1994, as Provnicial Superior of the "Bética" Province (Andalusia and the Canary Islands), of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits.

Researchers at Comillas present the book Francisco Giner de los Ríos. Actualidad de un pensador krausista

Tue, 10 May 2010 12:11:06 GMT

The book, Francisco Giner de los Ríos. Actualidad de un pensador krausista (Francisco Giner de los Ríos. A Krausist Thinker for our Times.), was presented at the "Residencia de Estudiantes" (well-known residence for writers, intellectuals and researchers) in Madrid. Coordinated by José Manuel Vázquez Romero, it is a collection of five original essays, written by the following authors: Ricardo Pinilla, Antolín Sánchez Cuervo, Leticia Sánchez de Andrés and Enrique Menéndez Ureña, SJ, with a prologue by Pedro Álvarez Lázaro, SJ.

Comillas achieves a victory in the Eurocup Paris 2010 Football Competition

Sat, 07 May 2010 14:10:03 GMT

The team from Comillas won the football championship in the "Eurocup Paris 2010", the inter-university sports tournament which is organised by the Université Sciences Po, of Paris. The university participated also in handball and rugby, with a total of 43 students.

Javier Lostalé, Ana María Rosetti and Antonio Lucas participate in the Seventh Conference on Poetry at Comillas

Sat, 07 May 2010 09:11:23 GMT

The Seventh Conference on Poetry at Comillas brought together the poets Javier Lostalé, Ana María Rosetti and Antonio Lucas. In front of them, in addition to the community of poets and readers who habitually attend the conference, sat a new generation of poetry-lovers in the audience, a group of students from the Padre Piquer High School, invited by the organisers of the event, the Department for Cultural Activities, Seminars and Conferences.

Comillas obtains four medals at the Kenpo Open University Championship

Wed, 04 May 2010 09:14:18 GMT

Cristina Martínez Arralde and Darío Jusdado Ecai participated successfully in the Kenpo Open University Championship, held at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Polytechnic University of Madrid). Martínez, a student of Psychology, won a gold medal in the category of combat and another in techniques. Jusdado, a student of Industrial Engineeering, won the silver medal in the category of personal defense and a bronze medal in techniques.

Comillas begins the bicentennial independence celebration with three Latin American Universities

Thu, 28 Apr 2010 18:13:54 GMT

Four universities, managed by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), the Iberoamericana University of Mexico, the Alberto Hurtado University of Chile, the Pontificia Javeriana University of Colombia, and Comillas participated in a conference on the bicentennial of independence in Latin America, held at the University. The sessions served as a starting point for a series of conferences, lectures and encounters, which will be carried out on each side of the Atlantic Ocean, during the year which has been selected by Spain, Portugal and the Latin American countries to join together in celebration of this anniversary event.

The Prefect for the Congregation for Clergy closes the International Conference on the Priesthood and Priests at Comillas

Wed, 27 Apr 2010 18:28:56 GMT

With a lecture by Cardinal Claudio Hummes, OFM, Prefect of the Congregation of the Clergy ,and with a co-celebration of the Holy Mass, presided over as well by the cardinal, the International Conference "Priests and the Priesthood: Foundations and Integral Human Dimensions" was officially closed this morning. It was organised by the Faculty of Theology at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, from April 19 to 22.

Three students from Fourth Year of "ESO" carry out an educational period of stay at Comillas

Wed, 27 Apr 2010 08:57:12 GMT

The Library Service and the Corporative Marketing Service at Comillas hosted three students in Fourth Year of "ESO" (Mandatory Secondary Education) on an educational period of stay at the University, through the programme "4ºESO+Empresa" (Fourth Year ESO + Company), which is sponsored by the Government of the Autonomous Region of Madrid. Sandra Blanco González and Juan Carlos Salvador Mayoral, from the "Avenida de los Toros" High School, and Alejandro Pascual Leyva, from the "Padre Manyanet" High Schook, spent four days at the university, becoming familiarized with the day to day operations and the tasks that are carried out in the different services.

Comillas wins three titles in the 12th Edition of the UNIJES Championship

Tue, 26 Apr 2010 19:15:09 GMT

Three teams from Comillas participated successfully in the !2th Edition of the UNIJES Championship, the sports event for higher education institutions of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). The first and second places in the indoor football (soccer) tournament went to two teams from Comillas. In men´s basketball, the representatives from the University finished in third place.

The General of the Jesuits, Adolfo Nicolás, opens the international conference on the priesthood and priests

Sat, 23 Apr 2010 13:15:27 GMT

"The training of candidates for the priesthood and priests should be characterized by rigour, critical dialogue and discernment regarding the modern world, an opening to new questions and confronting different problems in a true inter-disciplinary approach. All of this is an integral and spriritual human process in which, as Benedict XVI says, "intelligence becomes love", and heological reflection ends in prayer", affirmed the Superior General of the Society of Jesus and Grand Chancellor of the University, Adolfo Nicolás, SJ, in his inaugural address at the International Conference "Priesthood and priests: Foundations and integral human dimensions", which, from April 19 to 22, is being organized by the Faculty of Theology at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas.

The CEOE (The Spanish Confederation of Entrepreneurs) and Comillas sign an agreement for collaboration

Fri, 22 Apr 2010 13:40:14 GMT

The CEOE (Spanish Confederation of Entrepreneurs) and Comillas have signed an agreement for educational cooperation which will allow the training of university students in internship programmes, which include carrying out end-of-studies final projects, taking advantage of teaching and methodological resourses, and current practices of both institutions.

The Faculty of Law (ICADE) will offer a course in negotiating for students at the Portuguese Catholic University

Thu, 21 Apr 2010 09:39:44 GMT

Seventeen students of the "Mestrado em Direito e Gestao" (Masters Degree in Law and Management) at the Portuguese Catholic University visited Comillas to attend the Contracts Negotiation Workshop. The programme, which was carried out entirely in English, was taught by Agustín Garzón and Carlos Llorente and was organised by the Centre for Inoovation in Law and was organised by the Centre for Innovation in Law (CID-ICADE).

The Faculty of Canon Law at Comillas hosts the 30th Conference on Current Themes in Canon Law

Wed, 20 Apr 2010 11:23:39 GMT

The Faculty of Canon Law at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas hosted the 30th Conference on Current Themes in Canon Law of the Spanish Association of Experts on Canon Law, with more than one-hundred participants in attendance, among whom judicial vicars, members of ecclesiastical courts, professors and lawyers, as well as representatives of the Portuguese Association of Experts in Canon Law, could be found.

Comillas wins two gold medals in tennis in 2010 EuroESADE University Championship

Tue, 19 Apr 2010 17:32:48 GMT

Tennis players from Comillas have won two gold medals at the 2010 EuroESADE tennis championship. Julio Martínez Estaire, a Law and Business Administration (E-3) student was crowned champion in the men´s singles competition and repeated his success in mixed doubles, along with Alejandra Huete Ramos, a student of Translation and Interpreting.

HRH Béatrice d´Orléans explains her work in public relations to students at Comillas-ICADE

Sat, 16 Apr 2010 13:27:58 GMT

The 90 people in attendance at the seventh Seminar on Real Cases in Marketing witnessed the participation of Her Royal Highness, Béatrice d´Orléans, who is responsible for Public Relations at the Sha Wellness Clinic, by delivering the lecture "How to launch a luxury brand name successfully in times of crisis", organised by Alejandro Bataller, Director of Marketing and former student of Marketing Research and Techniques (ITM, in Spanish).

Childhood poverty has a faint appearance in Spanish public policies

Sat, 16 Apr 2010 08:37:34 GMT

The Conference on Poverty and Social Exclusion in Childhood, organised by the Santander Chair for Law and Minors at Comillas, and the Platform for Childhood, have manifested the faint appearance of childhood poverty in our society and, in particular, in public policies.

The Youth Cross stops at Comillas on its pilgrimage across the world

Fri, 15 Apr 2010 14:39:27 GMT

On its pilgrimage throughout the world, the cross that Pope John Paul II presented to youth at the end of the Holy Year of 1984 arrived at Comillas, where it remained for two days, during which diverse religious ceremonies were held.

Comillas and the University of Nanterre (París X) set up a double degree in Law

Wed, 13 Apr 2010 13:48:10 GMT

Students from Comillas will be able to obtain a double degree in Law with the Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense (Paris X), thanks to an agreement signed by both institutions. Through this international programme, it will be possible to obtain a degree in Law from each of the universities, without having to follow the complete course syllabus at both, by means of the recognition of credits taken at each institution. As the Vice-dean for International Relations in the Faculty of Law at Comillas, Salomé Adroher, states, "this is what is considered a doble degree programme stricto sensu".

For the second year, a project at Comillas ICAI places among the 100 Best Ideas of 2009 in ACTUALIDAD ECONÓMICA (A Finance Magazine for Current Topics)

Tue, 12 Apr 2010 16:50:47 GMT

The final year of studies project by Ernesto de la Rocha, a computer systems engineer from the graduating class of 2009, has been selected as one of the 100 Best Ideas of 2009 by the magazine Actualidad Económica (A finance magazine for current topics of interest). His work, co-directed by professors from the ICAI School of Engineering, David Contreras and Rafael Palacios, proposes an improvement in traffic at intersections, controlled by traffic lights with a system based on artificial vision. The TEA (Traffic Enhancement Application) takes decisions affecting traffic lights in real time in order to optimize traffic at an intersection by means of IP cameras and Bluetooth antennas installed at traffic lights.

Comillas collaborates in the organisation of the First Editorial Forum for Hispanic and American Studies

Tue, 12 Apr 2010 10:52:43 GMT

Comillas, through its Publications Service, is collaborating in the organisation of the First Forum for Hispanic and American Studies, with the title "Spain and America on the Bicentennial of their Independence", which will be held from April 21 to 23, 2010, at the Jaume I University in Castellón.

Computer illiteracy of users impedes the detection of risks in virtual social networks

Fri, 08 Apr 2010 18:48:29 GMT

Spain is the first European nation and the second in the world in the use of social networks on internet. However, users have a high degree of computer illiteracy, since they lack critical knowledge, not only to detect the risks, but also to protect themselves against the commercial utilisation of companies in the sector, since laws do not exist which defend the rights of computer users in an efficient manner. These problems have been the object of an extensive study and debate at the Eighth Conference on Minors and the Law, "The protection of the privacy of minors in social networks", organised by the Santander Chair for Law and Minors at Comillas.

A delegation of students from the Faculty of Law at the Radboud University Nijmegen visits Comillas

Fri, 08 Apr 2010 08:36:17 GMT

A group of some 40 students from the Faculty of Law at the Radboud University Nijmegen (The Netherlands) visited Comillas. During the morning, accompanied by Joseph Munz, Head of International Promotion in the International Relations Service, they attended a trial for real-estate fraud in the Fifth Seciton of the Provincial Court of Madrid, presided over by Arturo Beltrán, a Professor in the Faculty of Law (ICADE).

Audience with the Prince and Princess of Asturias for the group of students that participated in the Inside Program 2009

Thu, 07 Apr 2010 19:13:50 GMT

His Royal Highness, Prince Felipe, and Her Royal Highness, Princess Letizia, welcomed the students from the Inside Program who participated in the four courses in 2009: Washington, New York, China and the Executive Inside which took place during Easter Week to an audience at the Royal Palace. The participants in the program were accompanied by the Rector José Ramón Busto, SJ, and by other representatives from the University, as well as by collaborators with the program, such as EADS-CASA.

The "San Juan de Dios" University School of Nursing and Physiotherapy presents its awards for the best projects and research papers

Wed, 06 Apr 2010 19:29:05 GMT

The "San Juan de Dios" University School of Nursing and Physiotherapy presented its awards for the Thirtieth Nursing Contest and for the First Physiotherapy Contest, in a ceremony which coincided with the Nursing Conference "Patient security:

Carlos Ballesteros participates in the Thirteenth European Chair, at the Universidad del Norte, in Colombia

Fri, 25 Mar 2010 17:10:25 GMT

Invited by the Universidad del Norte (University of the North), in Colombia, Professor Carlos Ballesteros García, of the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration (ICADE), participated in the Seminar in Psychology of the Consumer, within the framework of the programme of the Thirteenth European Chair. This is an annual forum in which this Colombian institution attempts to spread information on advancements in European culture, for the purpose of stengthening academic ties and defining projects of common exchange and interaction.

Comillas, first Spanish University to treat new themes in Church Law

Wed, 23 Mar 2010 15:07:47 GMT

The Faculty of Canon Law at Comillas is organising a study conference to analyse the changes that the recent M.P. Omnium in mentem, by Benedicto XVI, have introduced into the Canon Law Code. Comillas thus becomes the first academic institution to study this document, which was made public on 15 December 2009.

The experts express their preoccupation concerning the rights of immigrants in the of the Law for Foreign Residents

Wed, 23 Mar 2010 11:43:30 GMT

Experts in matters of foreign immigration and residency coincide in expressing their preoccupation concerning how rights will be set forth for foreigners in the future regulations which will be spelled out by the Organic Law for Foreign Residents. A conference was dedicated to this debating this theme, organised by the Spanish Committee for Social Welfare (CEBS, in Spanish) and the University Institute for Migration Studies (IUEM, in Spanish), at Comillas.

Professor Carlos Ballesteros, elected as a member of the first Fiare Ethics Committee

Tue, 22 Mar 2010 14:49:38 GMT

Carlos Ballesteros García, a Professor in the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration (ICADE) and Coordinator for the Research Group "The Consumer and his/her Environment", has been appointed as a member of the first Fiare Ethics Committee, a banking ethics project, along with seven other representatives from the university world and social circles.

A young man from Mauritania studied a course on Cooperation with a scholarship from the Banco Santander and Comillas

Fri, 18 Mar 2010 13:25:41 GMT

A scholarship for "the movement of so-called "brains"" from the Banco Santander and the University Institute for Migration Studies (IUEM, in Spanish) has allowed Ousmane Amadou N"Gaide to study for the University Master"s Degree in Development Cooperation at Comillas. Now he will return to Mauritania to put everything that he has learnt into practice: "My future plan is to work in the area of cooperation development projects in my country and in other third-world countries". This financial aid has as its goal to facilitate the training of talented individuals who come from developing countries on the condition that they subsequently return to their countries.

Representatives of ten Chinese Universities visit Comillas

Thu, 17 Mar 2010 13:48:51 GMT

Twenty-five delegates from some ten Chinese universities and from the Service for Educational Exchange visited Comillas, accompanied by members of the Embassy of the People´s Republic of China in Madrid. They were welcomed by the Director of the International Relations Service, Inés Fernández, and by the coordinators for international relations from the different faculties and schools.

Hanako Fujino, a Professor at Comillas, presides over the Association of Japanese Professors in Spain

Thu, 17 Mar 2010 08:17:18 GMT

Hanako Fujino, a Professor at Comillas, is the President of the recently constituted Association of Japanese Professors in Spain. Among the objectives of this new organisation are the promotion of research and teaching of the Japanese language in Spain, and a contribution to academic development, cultural exchange and a better understanding between Spain and Japan.

More than 70 skiers participate in the Madrid University Ski Championship

Tue, 15 Mar 2010 14:24:30 GMT

The University organised the Madrid University Ski Championship, which was held at the Valdesquí ski station. The competition, which consisted of a Giant Slalom, witnessed the participation of more than 76 skiers. As in all competitions organised by Comillas, the sportsmen and women from the University also competed for the Comillas Rector´s Trophy in Skiing.

Jorge Pons Matilla wins the Ninth Ellacuría Award for Studies of Social Interest

Fri, 11 Mar 2010 18:41:34 GMT

Jorge Pons Matilla, a student in Law and Business Administration and Management (E-3) has won the Ninth Ellacuría Award for Studies of Social Interest for "The Design for a business micro-structure in an environment with HIV: A project for Kenya from Kenya". The project stems from his experience as a volunteer in the Kenya Project last summer, where he collaborated with the NGO Nyumbani, which provides medical assistance to children infected with AIDS in the suburbs of Nairobi and attempts to improve the lives of the families with support groups which may provide economic aid.

The Santander Chair for Law and Minors, consulted by the Commission for Justice, Freedom and Security, of the EU

Thu, 10 Mar 2010 15:30:25 GMT

Federico de Montalvo, Professor of the Department of Common Disciplines of the Faculty of Law (ICADE), represented the Santander Chair for Law and Minors, at Comillas, in a Meeting for Experts on the Protection of Victims and their Rights, organised by the Commission for Justice, Freedom and Security, of the European Union (EU). More than 50 experts from almost all of the member states, who represented government organisations (mainly, Ministries of Justice), and organisations, associations, and research groups that work in fields related to victims, attended the meeting.

Rosa Díez participated in the Postgraduate Programme in the Management of Electoral Campaigns

Wed, 09 Mar 2010 14:05:07 GMT

Rosa Díez, congressional representative and spokesperson for "Unión, Progreso y Democracia" (UPyD, or Union, Progress and Democracy, a political party), participated in the Postgraduate Programme in the Management of Electoral Campaigns, organised by the Centre for Innovation in Law (CID-ICADE), a department of the Faculty of Law (ICADE), and MAS Consulting España/Spain.

Comillas organises the Madrid University Chess Championship

Tue, 08 Mar 2010 10:03:07 GMT

The University, through its Sports Department, organised the Madrid University Chess Championship, with the collaboration of the council of the Autonomous Region of Madrid, on February 26 and 27. At the competition, which facilitated the participation of the members of the University Community in the Rector´s Trophy in this sports category as well, 47 chess players from universities located in Madrid were able to participate.

Mariano Ventosa takes over as Director of the ICAI School of Engineering

Sat, 05 Mar 2010 09:51:06 GMT

The new Director of the ICAI School of Engineering, Mariano Ventosa, took charge of his office in a ceremony presided over by the Rector and in the presence of his predecessor, Fernando de Cuadra, and of the General Registrar, Clara Martínez, who read the resolution with the appointment.

Road transportation and energy efficiency, the big challenges facing the Spanish Energy System

Fri, 04 Mar 2010 17:20:14 GMT

Road transportation and energy efficiency are the big challenges facing the Spanish energy system, according to the conclusions of the 2009 report by the Platform for Energy and Sustainability, drawn up by the BP Chair for Sustainable Development at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, sponsored by BP España (Spain).

Deusto, Comillas ICADE and ESADE propose formulas to overcome the crisis in a Business Forum presided over by the King

Fri, 04 Mar 2010 16:33:21 GMT

His Majesty, the King, presided over the Business Forum for Alumni, organised jointly by Deusto, Comillas ICADE and ESADE. At the event, which was also attended by the Second Vice-President and Minister of the Economy and the Treasury, Elena Salgado, nearly 2000 alumni from the three institutions debated the Spanish economic model and its need for competitiveness. Along with them, Jaime Oraá, SJ, Rector at Deusto; José Ramón Busto, SJ, Rector at Comillas, and Carlos Losada, General Manager of ESADE, as the top persons responsible for their institutions, contributed their viewpoints on the role of the academic world in the creation of a new economic model for Spain.

The King pointed out the "immeasurable social, business and human worth" of the executives and professionals gathered at the meeting. "The patrimony which the three organising institutions, linked to the Society of Jesus, have been able to generate and foment -- with a high-reaching and humanistic regard, and a sense of ethics -, the training of entrepreneurs with a vocation for service to society" was affirmed.

The Senior Citizens University holds its tenth anniversary with a conference on professors

Wed, 02 Mar 2010 19:50:51 GMT

The Senior Citizens University has begun the celebration of its tenth anniversary with a conference on teaching in the university programme for adults. Those responsible, and professors from different divisions, debated, along with students from Comillas, on the qualities and characteristics of a professor for adult education. Such questions as research and the evaluation of these programmes were also the subject of debate.

Integration into the job market was the main theme of the Open Classroom for Employment, Companies and Handicaps

Sat, 26 Feb 2010 14:00:06 GMT

The Alumni Office and the Javier Benjumea (Focus-Abengoa) Chair for Business and Financial Ethics organised the Open Classroom for Employment, Companies and Handicaps: "A multi-dimensional vision of integration into the job market", with a view to offering a wide perspective on the role played by companies, handicapped professionals and the organisations that they represent.

Comillas welcomes the presentation of Notebooks on Law for Engineers

Sat, 26 Feb 2010 13:34:36 GMT

The Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and the President of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán, presented the Notebooks on Law for Engineers, a work which is published and coordinated jointly by this electric company and by the Association - College of ICAI Engineers. Along with them, the co-publishers of the book, the Dean of the College, Miguel Ángel Agúndez, and the Secretary General and the Director of the Board of the electric company, Julián Martínez-Simancas, explained the contents of these notebooks, which follow the style of Manual for Law for Engineers, published last year, and offer an approach to the legal aspects of a professional career in Engineering, with language that is "understandable and user-friendly".

Professors from the IIT teach a course on Electrical Systems Modelling at MIT

Fri, 25 Feb 2010 14:57:50 GMT

The Institute for Technological Research (IIT, in Spanish) participated in a course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Electric Systems Power Modelling, with lessons given by Professors in the ICAI School of Engineering, Ignacio Pérez Arriaga, Javier García González, Andrés Ramos, Tomas Gómez and Luis Rouco, who taught classes along with Mort Webster, a professor at MIT.

The former President of the Fulbright Association delivered a lecture to the students of the Masters Degree in International Relations

Thu, 24 Feb 2010 17:20:42 GMT

Richard T. Arndt, Professor and Diplomat, Counsellor for the Streit Council for a Union of Democrats, US member of the National Commission for UNESCO, former President of the Fulbright Association and author of numerous publications, delivered a lecture on cultural diplomacy for the students of the University Masters Degree in International Relations: Economics, Politics and Law, which is given by the Faculty of Law (ICADE).

More than 200 Headmasters and Educational Guidance Counsellors gather at the 15th Annual Meeting at Comillas

Wed, 23 Feb 2010 13:57:38 GMT

The 15th Meeting of Headmasters and Guidance Counsellors from Educational Institutions, which is organised by the Office of Promotion at Comillas, brought together more than 200 participants who came to the university to deal with problems linked to the authority of teachers and to gain knowledge on the new aspects of the institution for the next academic year.

Joel Trachtman delivers a seminar at Comillas on international law in migration stemming from economic causes

Tue, 15 Feb 2010 13:52:46 GMT

The reaching of a framework agreement which allows states to liberalise international migration due to economic causes, providing the respective benefits to those affected , and under the control of an international organisation, such as the World Trade Organization, the International Labor Organization, the International Organization for Migration or a new, specialised institution created by the UN, is the main conclusion that the recognised expert Joel P. Trachtman, Professor in International Law at the Fletcher School (Tufts University, Boston), offered during the Seminar "The International Law of Economic Migration. Toward the Fourth Freedom", organised jointly by the University Institute for Migration Studies and the research group in Immigration Law at Comillas.

The Open Classroom, in the Alumni Office, analyses the management of Information and Communication Technologies vis-à-vis unexpected incidents and catastrophes

Sat, 12 Feb 2010 10:03:44 GMT

"The management of Information and Communication Technologies with a view to unexpected situations and catastrophes: how to guarantee the continuity of a company" was the title of the third session of the Open Classroom on Information and Communication Technologies (referred to as "TIC" in Spanish), organised by the Alumni Office at the University. Luis Díez García, Quality and Auditing Technician at the National Institute of Communication Technologies (Inteco, in Spanish) and Luis M. Carro Martínez, partner in Risk Management Technologies at Deloitte, as well as the moderator, Javier Jarauta Sánchez, Professor at the Advanced Technical School of Engineering (ICAI), laid forth the principles and foundations of the strategies that institutions must design to confront potential security problems from the point of view of computer systems and communication networks, which are essential today in business management. The speakers agreed that "the plans for continuity of a business are fundamental for all companies, whatever their activity or size may be".

Comillas and the "Círculo de Empresarios" (Professional Organisation for Business Men and Women) sign an agreement for educational cooperation

Tue, 08 Feb 2010 16:37:32 GMT

The Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and the President of the "Círculo de Empresarios", Claudio Boada, have signed an agreement for educational cooperation in order to collaborate in the training of students through a programme of internships. Included among these internships is the possiblity of carrying out an end-of-studies final project at the "Círculo", or in those companies whose managers are members of the organisation and who desire to participate in this programme.

The new Papel Nuncio, Renzo Fratini, attended the celebration of "University Day"

Fri, 04 Feb 2010 09:45:33 GMT

The new Papal Nuncio of His Holiness, Monsignor Renzo Fratini, atttended the commemerative event for "University Day", on the festivity of Saint Thomas of Aquinus. During this academic ceremony, 26 new Doctors were awarded their PhD."s and 13 professors and two tenured researchers were awarded the medallion in their respective teaching categories.

Monsignor Fratini presided over the Holy Mass which opened the celebration; following this, the academic ceremony began, presided over by the Rector, who was accompanied by the Papal Nuncio, the Provincial Leader of Castille and the Society of Jesus and the Grand Vice-Chancellor of the University, Juan Antonio Guerrero, SJ, and by members of the University governing body.

Professor Santiago Madrigal is made a numbered member of the Royal Academy of Doctors in Spain

Wed, 02 Feb 2010 18:44:12 GMT

Professor Santiago Madrigal Terrazas, SJ, has taken possession of a numbered place as a member of the Royal Academy of Doctors in Spain, with medallion number 61, ascribed to the Theology Section. His acceptance speech treated "Jesuitic Tradtion in ecclesiastical matters", which was followed by a speech in reply to the keynote address by Doctor Martín Gelabert Ballester, OP, on behalf of the institution.

Operation Kilo collected a ton of food and more than 600 euros

Tue, 01 Feb 2010 11:42:06 GMT

The Solidarity Service at Comillas organised, for yet another year, Operation Kilo during the Christmas season, to collect non-perishable foodstuffs (sugar, rice, lentils, beans...) and financial contributions from members of the University community for the Food Bank of Madrid. In total, almost a ton of food, as well as more than 600 euros, was collected.

Comillas pays tribute to Professor Luis Vela Sánchez with the publication of a book

Sat, 29 Jan 2010 13:20:00 GMT

The edition of the book Judicial personalism and Canon Law. Legal studies in homage to Fr. Luis Vela Sánchez, SJ has served as a show of affection and tribute by the Faculty of Canon Law and the entire university community to this Comillas professor who, with almost 50 years of service, is a required point of reference for those in the field of Canon Law. At the homage and presentation of the book, which was presided over by the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and at which the special guest of honour was present, the following people participated as speakers: José María Díaz Moreno, SJ, classmate and fellow professor of Vela, and his student disciples, Rafael Rodríguez Chacón and Carmen Peña García.

Comillas and "LID Editorial Empresarial" (LID Business Publishing House) present the ICADE Library Collection

Sat, 29 Jan 2010 08:14:54 GMT

Comillas was the site for the presentation of the next two books in the new ICADE Library Collection: Challenges and Strategies of the EU (Desafíos y Estrategias de la UE), by José Ramón de Espínola, and Sustainable Communication (Comunicación Sostenible), by Pablo Burgué, Ángela Díaz and Pilar Pato, published in collaboration with LID Editorial Empresarial (LID Business Publishing House) by means of an agreement between both institutions to publish works with business themes by professors at the university. At the event, presided over by the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, the President of LID, Marcelino Elosua, and the authors, were present.

Comillas joins the "Vive y Convive" (Live Together and Provide Company) Programme of the Caixa Catalunya

Fri, 28 Jan 2010 09:03:31 GMT

Comillas and Caixa Catalunya have come to an agreement that allows students at the University to join the "Vive and Convive" Programme, a project for inter-generational sharing of living experiences, in which university youth and elderly people of 65 years of age or older share housing for a whole academic year. With this programme, which has a social objective and is non-profit, the participants carry out an exchange in solidarity in such a way that the elderly person offers lodging and the young person, his or her company.

Isabel Lázaro: "The protection of minors should take precedence over the condition of being a foreigner"

Wed, 26 Jan 2010 14:57:27 GMT

The Santander Chair for Law and Minors has participated in a project to improve the identification of, attention to, and protection of unaccompanied minors ("Menas", in Spanish) who request assylum in our country. "It is necessary to put the protection of minors before the condition of being a foreigner", affirms its Director, Isabel Lázaro. The project, which will culminate in the publication of a guide for good practices regarding the situation of "Menas" who are potential assylum-seekers, was begun with the previous work on the editing of the text, and has advanced with a seminar, held at Comillas. This served as common ground to bring forth perspectives on ethical foundations, identification, procedures for assylum and related protection, intervention and re-location, all of which will make be contained in the manual.

Sherezade González-Quijano, winner of the Accenture Award for the Best End-of-Studies Thesis in International Business Administration (E-4)

Fri, 21 Jan 2010 10:49:22 GMT

The work "Co-branding for solidarity with an NGO brand, application and strategic analysis" has led Sherezade González-Quijano to win the Second Accenture Award for the Best End-of-Studies Thesis in International Business Administration (E-4). This research project, directed by Profesor Alfonso Fernández del Hoyo, attempts to find a solution that combines business challenges with those of NGO"s and society.

Two industrial engineers at Comillas, award winners in the 2009 "Arquímedes" Competition

Thu, 20 Jan 2010 11:52:32 GMT

Abel Ramos and Maite Peña, industrial engineers in the specialization in Mechanics at Comillas, have won the second prize and runner-up award, respectively, in the area of engineering and architecture, in the eighth edition of the "Arquímedes" Competition for Introduction to Scientific Research, a contest which is aimed at university students, and which is set up every year by the General Management for University Policy in the Ministry of Education.

Comillas qualifies in sixth place in the Carrera de las Empresas ( "Race of the Companies")

Sat, 15 Jan 2010 09:22:43 GMT

Comillas placed sixth in the "Race of the Companies", in the men´s competition, with three runners, thanks to the participation of Daniel Muñoz, Professor in the Department of Electronics and Automatic Control; Félix Ramos, from the Central Administration Office, and Francisco Izquierdo, from the Institute of Post-graduate Studies and Continuing Education.

University publishers will no longer be discriminated against in the system for teacher evaluation

Thu, 13 Jan 2010 14:33:11 GMT

The National Commission for Evaluation of Research Activity (CNEAI, in Spanish) has modified its previous teacher evaluation system, which discriminated against publications printed by university publishers. The previous resolution, which set the criteria for evaluation in the fields of Philosophy, Philology (Literature), Linguistics, History, Artistic Expression, Law and Jurisprudence, considered those [books and chapters] which are not published by the same institution in which the researcher works, which are published in specialised publishing companies of recognised prestige and which are accredited for a rigourous selection process and evaluation of the original work to be "especially relevant".

Ernesto de la Rocha receives the award for the best "end of studies final project" at Sun Microsystems

Wed, 12 Jan 2010 12:46:24 GMT

Ernesto de la Rocha, a computer engineer from the graduating class of 2009, has won the Second National Edition of the End of Studies Final Projects Awards at Sun Microsystems Ibérica. His project, directed jointly by David Contreras and Rafael Palacios, is a proposal for the improvement of the traffic flow at intersections controlled by traffic lights with a system based on artificial vision. The project consists of the development and carrying out of experimental tests on an intelligent system that, using IP camaras and Bluetooth antennas installed at traffic lights, takes decisions in real time, thus affecting the traffic lights for the optimal performance of traffic at intersections.

The Spanish Presidency will be crucial for the future development of the European Union

Fri, 07 Jan 2010 12:52:39 GMT

The upcoming Spanish presidency of the European Union Council will be the most transcendental of the four that have been carried out by our country. The taking effect of the Treaty of Lisbon and the institutionalisation of the new powers foreseen in it, a Permanent President and High Representative of Foreign Affairs, will define the next six months of the Spanish mandate, which will set the pace for successive presidencies. These statements were corroborated by the speakers that particpated in the Conference on the Spanish Presidency of the European Union Council in 2010, organised jointly by Comillas and the Minstry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MAEC in Spanish).

Comillas, the Institute for Spanish Engineering and the Nuclear Forum present the book Nuclear Energy for the 21st Century

Tue, 11 Jan 2010 17:20:21 GMT

"It is not possible to make ideological decisions on the subject of energy", affirmed the Rector of the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, a statement also reiterated by the President of the Forum on Spanish Nuclear Energy, María Teresa Domínguez, during the presentation of the book Nuclear Energy for the 21st Century. This work which compiles activities devoted to this energy source during the 2008-09 academic year in the Permanent Seminar on New Energy Technologies, organised by the Rafael Mariño Chair for New Energy Technologies at Comillas, and the Committee for Energy and Natural Resources, of the Institute for Spanish Engineering (IIE, in Spanish), at whose headquarters the event was held.

Conference on Engineering at ICAI at the Spanish Institute for Engineering

Wed, 22 Dec 2009 08:47:16 GMT

The Association of ICAI Engineers presented their branches of Engineering during a conference held at the Spanish Institute for Engineering (IIE, in Spanish), within the framework of the process of drawing up the Report on Engineering. Various representatives of the Advanced Technical School of Engineering (ICAI), of the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, participated in the session as speakers: the Director, Fernando de Cuadra, the Director of the Institute for Technological Research (IIT, in Spanish), Antonio Muñoz, and the Professor of the Department of Industrial Organisation, Andrés Ramos.

Miguel Ayuso Torres, new President of the International Union of Catholic Legalists

Tue, 21 Dec 2009 10:09:20 GMT

Miguel Ayuso Torres, professor of Constitutional Law at the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas, is the new President of the International Union of Catholic Legal Officers, a private, international association of the devout, devoted to pontifical law, with its headquarters in Rome. He is the first Spaniard to preside over this institution, after the previous periods of Sergio Cotta, until his passing away, and of Joël-Benoît d"Onorio.

The University and the Publishing House "San Pablo" present "Bioética Básica Comillas" (Basic Comillas Bio-ethics)

Fri, 17 Dec 2009 09:39:28 GMT

Comillas and the Publishing House "San Pablo" have presented "Basic Comillas Bio-ethics", a new collection which attempts to put themes in bio-ethics within the grasp of everyone. With the goal of reaching a non-specialised audience, in books of easy, but deeply rigourous reading, issues such as abortion, euthanasia, genetic manipulation, AIDS, transplants, disabilities, cloning and paliative care will be treated. The first three volumes of the collection, already in print, are Abortion: A social and moral challenge, by Luis González Morán; Ethics and Nursing, by Lydia Feyto Grande, and Ethics and Birth Control. A history, a reality and a decision, by Javier de la Torre.

Only with total flooding of the parklands will the problem of the slow burning of the turf in "Tablas de Daimiel" be solved

Wed, 15 Dec 2009 13:23:27 GMT

Guillermo Rein, international expert in fire protection and combustion at the University of Edinburgh delivered a lecture at Comillas on underground peat fires, with special attention to the case of the National Park of the "Tablas de Daimiel". In his opinion, the international community has a lot to learn concerning the speed in extinction and the tasks of compartmentalisation and prevention that are being carried out. But, in spite of the correctness of the decisions taken up to the present time, "the only global and definitive solution is the total flooding of the park. If this is not done, the fire could become a permanent evil."

Four Masters Degree students in the University Masters Degree in International Relations will carry out an internship at Repsol

Tue, 14 Dec 2009 13:38:21 GMT

Four students in the University Masters Degree in International Relations: Economics, Politics and Law, at Comillas, will carry out internships at the company Repsol. These students are Ana María Neira, from Colombia, and Daniela Bazoberry, Patricio Gonzalez and Jaclyn Ostronic, from the United States.

Two Comillas students win the Autonomous Region of Madrid"s Special Undergraduate Award

Fri, 10 Dec 2009 09:01:33 GMT

Philosophy student Marta Medina Balguerías and José Felipe Carbonell García, who is studying the Law and Business Administration and Management (E-3) dual degree, have been named as winners of the Autonomous Region of Madrid"s Special Undergraduate Award for the 2008-09 academic year. In addition to the accolade, they also receive a €600 prize.

Comillas team wins the 4th Unijes Saint Francis Xavier Debate Tournament

Thu, 09 Dec 2009 12:04:32 GMT

A team from Comillas Pontifical University has won the 4th Unijes Saint Francis Xavier Debate Tournament. The question posed this year was "Can a change in Spain"s economic model be achieved in the near future?" The tournament was won by Law and Business Administration and Management (E-3) students Valentín Rivas and Diego Tortosa.

Experts consider media literacy and the new Audiovisual Act to be children"s best protection in the digital age

Thu, 09 Dec 2009 11:40:57 GMT

The Santander Chair for Law and Minors and the Spanish Child Rights Coalition recently held the "Third Conference on Infancy and Communication: Digital Technology … A Blackout on Rights?" Spain"s Ministry of Health and Social Policy and the above-mentioned chair sponsored the event, at which participating researchers and experts discussed the future of children"s television in the context of the digital switchover and the expansion of digital terrestrial television (DTT). Experts stated that the new Audiovisual Act, which will create an independent watchdog and, above all, media literacy, will provide children"s best protection against the dangers presented by digital television and new media.

Comillas lecturer Juan Carlos Torre appointed to the IFCU"s Board of Administration

Sat, 04 Dec 2009 12:32:27 GMT

Juan Carlos Torre Puente, lecturer in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences" Department of Education, Research Methods and Assessment, has been appointed to the Board of Administration of the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU) to represent the organisation"s various sectors. This appointment adds to the already notable contribution made to the IFCU by Comillas staff, as Torre Puente also holds the post of President of the Association of Catholic Institutes of Education, one of the Federation"s sectorial groups; while Jesús Labrador, a member of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences" Department of Psychology, is President of the Conference of Catholic Institutions of Psychology; and Miguel Ayuso, member of the Department of Shared Disciplines in the Faculty of Law (ICADE) , is President of the Political Sciences sectorial group. In addition, María Isabel Álvarez, Director of the University Institute of Family Studies and Co-ordinator of the Area of Constitutional Law in the Faculty of Law (ICADE), is Secretary-General of the European Family Institutes Network.

Heads of the EU"s interpreting services visit Comillas

Fri, 03 Dec 2009 13:52:49 GMT

As part of their trip to Madrid to establish political contacts in preparation for Spain"s forthcoming EU presidency, the European Commission"s Director-General for Interpretation, Marco Benedetti, and the European Parliament"s Director-General for Interpretation and Conferences, Olga Cosmidou, visited Comillas and gave a talk to students on the university"s Translation and Interpreting and International Relations and Translation and Interpreting courses.

Comillas holds its eighth Annual Alumni Meeting

Thu, 02 Dec 2009 17:04:53 GMT

Comillas" eight Annual Alumni Meeting filled the university"s Main Auditorium to capacity and was so well-attended that the event was also broadcast on closed-circuit TV in another room to cater for demand.

The meeting began with the Eucharist celebrated by Comillas" Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ. It then continued with an introduction by the Rector, who welcomed the attending alumni and thanked them for accepting the invitation to attend so willingly.

Fourteen Comillas students awarded Universia-Fernando Alonso International Mobility Grants

Wed, 01 Dec 2009 14:23:45 GMT

Comillas Pontifical University students have been awarded 14 of the 265 Universia-Fernando Alonso International Mobility Grants available. The theme set for this year"s applicants was Formula 1 and environmental efficiency. In total, over 10,000 applications were submitted, of which number almost 2,500 met the programme"s criteria. Award of these 14 grants places Comillas first in the ranking by number received among Spain"s private universities and third in the overall table of both public and private universities in Madrid.

Valentín Rivas and Diego Tortosa win the Rector´s Trophy for University Debate

Wed, 01 Dec 2009 14:22:28 GMT

This year´s Rector´s Trophy for University Debate, which posed the question "Is China a true political and economic giant?", was contested by a dozen two-person teams. Following over 20 hotly debated sessions, Valentín Rivas and Diego Tortosa, third-year Law and Business Administration and Management (E-3) students, lifted the trophy after winning the final against Juan Díaz-Laviada (E-3, third year) and Manuel Peix Castiella (Industrial Engineering, first year).

Eleventh Comillas Forum for Employment offers opportunity in the midst of economic crisis

Tue, 30 Nov 2009 17:09:13 GMT

In some business sectors, economic crisis does not automatically mean fewer jobs. Although the current economic outlook has slowed recruitment in certain fields, others not only remain unaffected but are actively exploiting the environment to strengthen their position and expand. These are the findings of a survey taken among human resource managers attending the Eleventh Comillas Forum for Employment held on 4 - 5 November by the university´s Internship and Careers Office. This year, 89 leading companies and organisations from a variety of sectors and approximately 5,000 students attended the event.

The Orion Project opens a new work space and connection for counsellors: the Agora 2.0

Tue, 30 Nov 2009 11:23:08 GMT

The Orion Project, Observatory for Career Choices and Platform for Aid in Vocational Orientation for Secondary and High School Students, has opened a new work forum for counsellors, aiming to provide a greater degree of connection and exchange. This initiative is a step forward, bringing Orion nearer to the challenge of becoming a social network and meeting point for students, counsellors and companies, and a point of reference in career orientation in Spain.

Antonio Pau, Ana García Fau and Idealista.com, ICADE Association Awards, 2009

Sat, 27 Nov 2009 14:47:59 GMT

The ICADE Asociación Awards 2009 have recognised Antonio Pau Pedrón, for a well-consolidated career; Ana García Fau, for a brilliant career, and the founders of Idealista.com, César Oteiza, Jesús Encinar and Fernando Encinar, for their excellent business reputation. With these awards, which are celebrating their second edition, the association wishes to recognise those former students who have demonstrated an excellent professional trajectory and who have stood out in the business world due to their achievements and their professional, ethical and academic values.

Three graduates of the Institute for Post-graduate Studies are working on the preparation of the upcoming Spanish presidency of the European Union

Sat, 27 Nov 2009 08:30:41 GMT

Andrea García Vidal, Gabriela Lizcano Aguiar and Raquel Montes Torralba, graduates of the University Masters Degree in International Relations: Economics, Politics and Law, have been hired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where they are collaborating in the preparation of the upcoming Spanish presidency of the European Union.

Emiliano García Coso, Director of the Masters Degree, which is offered jointly by the Faculties of Law (ICADE) and Economic Sciences and Business Administration (ICADE), explains that, since 2003, the University and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have had an agreement which includes the possibility of hiring students with internships. In September of 2009 the ministry launched a call for open and public grants, for which the three post-graduate students applied, and which they subsequently obtained. However, in the end they are not interns, but were hired for the entire year, since they are no longer students. "I think that this is a success for the three of them to have obtained a position" - adds García Coso - since this was an open call for applications. Moreover, for this academic year there are seven students who have been selected by the Ministry to carry out internships".

Comillas welcomes the "RedOTRI" (Office for the Transfer of Research Results Network) conference on economic aspects of European research projects

Thu, 18 Nov 2009 13:27:46 GMT

Comillas was the conference venue for the Technical Conference of the "RedOTRI" (Office for the Transfer of Research Results Network) on Financial Justification of Projects in the 7th Framework Programme, in which approximately one-hundred professionals, coming from universities and research centres from all over Spain, participated.

The Vice-Rector for Research, Development and Innovation at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Julio Martínez, SJ, opened the conference, which, in his words of welcome, highlights the vital importance of the work done by project manageres, as well as the need to have "a European outlook" with regard to the development of research in Spain and its internationalisation.

Nuria Martínez, winner of the University Christmas card contest

Wed, 17 Nov 2009 10:41:35 GMT

Nuria Martínez López, member of the Administrative and Services Staff at the University, is the winner of the contest to design the Comillas Christmas card, with the work that has as its theme "He visited us...to set our feet straight on the path of peace" (Lk. 1,79)

Comillas and the Engineering Sector for Fire Prevention and Protection sign a cooperation agreement

Tue, 16 Nov 2009 18:47:41 GMT

Comillas has signed a framework cooperation agreement through which the practical training of Masters Degree students in Engineering for Fire Prevention and Protection will be provided support by the Association of Engineering Professionals in Fire Prevention (APICI, in Spanish) and by the companies which are members of APICI.

Comillas, ranked as the 27th University in the world in the training of professionals

Sat, 13 Nov 2009 09:32:09 GMT

The Universidad Pontificia Comillas occupies position number twenty-seven in the world ranking of institutions in higher education drawn up by the École des Mines de Paris (MINES ParisTech). This classificiation, headed by the University of Tokyo, followed by Harvard and Stanford, places Comillas ahead of institutions of renowned international prestige.

Developing emotional competencies prepares students for learning as well as for life

Sat, 13 Nov 2009 09:22:17 GMT

Thirty educational counsellors and more than 60 students in the first year of Pre-School and Primary School Education attended the Third Encounter for Educational Counsellors, which is organised by the Office for Promotion in the framework of the Comillas Employment Forum, for the purpose of building bridges between schools and the business world. On this occasion, the importance of emotional education in teaching, learning, selection processes and employment was treated. A professional in education, a representative of the business world, and a professor at Comillas presented their points of view on this issue.

Faith and science can establish a fertile dialogue, because they are complementary and not contradictory

Fri, 12 Nov 2009 10:42:27 GMT

The Conference on "Bible, theology and evolution" revealed the commitment of the Faculty of Theology to the continuing task of thinking and reflecting in order to contribute to a dynamic evolution in understanding the Bible, as pointed out by the Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, in the inaugural session of the sixth edition of the conference, organised each year by the Faculty.

After advising that, through the conference programme, reflection would be done on how evolutionist thought and mentality have affected the Bible and theology, Professor Busto noted that the advance in Bible studies is due to, above all, a constant and critical approach to the texts, and he emphasized that advances in technology and computer sciences are of great help to the researcher.

Manuel Sánchez Ortega receives the 15th Javier Benjumea Award from the Association of ICAI Engineers

Thu, 11 Nov 2009 16:45:37 GMT

Manuel Sánchez Ortega received the 15th Javier Benjumea Award, which is presented by the Association of ICAI Engineers. The jury, presided over by the Rector of the University, José Ramón Busto, SJ, recognised his professional achievements, his service to the Association of ICAI engineers, and his social and human values.

The Superior General of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) visits the University

Wed, 10 Nov 2009 09:00:49 GMT

The Superior General of the Society of Jesus and Grand Chancellor of the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Father Adolfo Nicolás Pachón, SJ, carried out a private visit to the University on the occasion of the celebration of the one-hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Colegio de la Inmaculada y San Pedro Claver (the High School of the Immaculate Conception and Saint Peter Claver, commonly referred to as the "Colegio de Areneros"), of which he is a former student.

Almost one-hundred students participated in the Inside Programs 2009

Sat, 06 Nov 2009 09:10:49 GMT

The ceremony in which diplomas were awarded for the Inside Programs 2009 represented the closing of another edition of the courses, affected by some new developments and incidents. During this past year, the Comillas University Foundation was presented, in Washington; the executive version for young professionals took place for the first time, and the participants in the courses had to confront the threat of the H1N1 virus.

Rejection to taking care of terminally-ill relatives is an impediment to the work done by teams for paliative care

Thu, 04 Nov 2009 09:37:20 GMT

Professionals in paliative care have been detecting a progressive increase and general condition in cases in which young adults are reticent to take care of their terminally-ill relatives, which causes conflicts and hostile conduct toward the members of these health care teams. This recent and little-studied phenomena, described for the first time in scientific journals two years ago, has taken health care professionals by surprise. This was pointed out in the Conference on The Family vis-à-vis Illess, organised by the University Institute for the Family at Comillas, with the sponsorship of the Councils for Health and that of the Family and Social Affairs, of the Autonomous Region of Madrid.

In 20 years of interventions, no Spanish soldier has ever been convicted of violating human rights

Wed, 03 Nov 2009 17:16:28 GMT

The Faculty of Law (ICADE) organised the Second Conference on Peace-keeping Operations and International Humanitarian Law, coinciding with the twentieth anniversary of the participation by the Spanish army in these operations. The conference, aimed at broadening horizons for a well-rounded and extra-curricular education for Law students, enjoyed the participation of, and financing from, the General Office for Institutional Relations of the Ministry of Defense.

"During the last 20 years of intervention, no Spanish soldier has ever had to confront a trial stemming from violations of human rights. Unfortunately, not all countries can proudly proclaim this", pointed out General José Luis Rodríguez-Villasante y Prieto, in recognition of Spanish troops. In his inaugural address "Systems for Efficiency in Humanitarian Actions: the Application of International Humanitarian Law by the Armed Forces in Peace-keeping Operations", the speaker explained that humanitarian actions are based on a pressure point between two principles of the United Nations Charter: respect for human rights and that of non-intervention. For that reason, humanitarian assistance should have precedence over intervention, and, of course, interference.

New record of participants in the Comillas Cross-Country Race

Wed, 03 Nov 2009 09:51:31 GMT

One-hundred thirty-three runners broke the record for participants in the Comillas Cross-Country race. The competition, which usually opens the university circuit for cross-country in the Autonomous Region of Madrid, has become a landmark in inter-university competitions. Moreover, the race is also used for athletes at Comillas as a competition for the Rector´s Trophy.

- The Sectorial Commission for R+D of the CRUE calls for a modification of the budgets for research in the Parliament

Tue, 26 Oct 2009 19:35:29 GMT

In their last meeting held in Santander, the Sectorial Commission for R+D of the Conference of Rectors at Spanish Universities (CRUE, in Spanish), which is composed of Vice-Rectors for Research, has requested that the General State Budgets "be modified by parliamentary measures and that the National Strategy for Science and Technology, approved in 2008, remain intact, so that we may continue the process of convergence with Europe in matters of R+D+I."

In a declaration distributed after the meeting, the sectorial commission considers, at the present time, "that along with maintaining policies of social cohesion, it is absolutely essential to support research, development, and innovation, and for that reason, it does not seem wise to us to decrease the funds available in the General State Budgets nor in the majority of the autonomous regions".

The Alumni Office organises the First Paddleball Tournament

Tue, 26 Oct 2009 12:44:47 GMT

Seventy-two players participated in the First Paddleball Tournament, organised by the Alumni Office and held in the Jarama Sports Complex. Eduardo Laviña Richi and Francisco Méndez Ureña were crowned champions in the men´s competition, beating Alfredo Biel Turón and Borja Sacristán in the finals. In the women´s competition, Mercedes Bootello Tezanos and Carmen Salgado Criado finished in first place, followed by Ana Soler Severino and Inés Vaño.

The University presents the book "CAI 1908-2008. The way we were, the way we are"

Fri, 22 Oct 2009 13:18:21 GMT

The University fulfilled its wish to conclude the one-hundredth anniversary of ICAI, with the book ICAI 1908-2008. The way we were, the way we are, written by Professor Rafael Sanz de Diego, SJ. The event was attended by José Ramón Busto, SJ, Rector at Comillas; Javier Uceda Antolín, Rector at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Polytechnic University of Madrid); Alejandro Tiana, General Director of the Centre for Higher University Studies at the Organisation of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture and Manuel Revuelta, SJ, Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, who wished to accompany the author with a few words.

Severo Moto: "Spain granted independence to Equatorial Guinea in a disastrous and precipitous manner"

Thu, 21 Oct 2009 11:35:11 GMT

Spain handed over its former colony of Spanish Guinea, now Equatorial Guinea, too quickly. "It was done in a disastrous and precipitous manner", pointed out Severo Matías Moto Nsá, known as Severo Moto, exiled opposition leader to the regime of Teodoro Obiang, and head of the Party for Progress in this country.

Acoording to Moto, who visited Comillas de deliver a lecture organised by the "Inside Club", on "The Present and Future of Equatorial Guinea", Spain called for the sovereignty of Gibraltar in the international community in 1967, and African countries and those of the Americas demanded independence from Spain for Equatorial Guinea. The Spanish government had already abandoned the colonial system and this African country enjoyed the status of autonomous region, which lasted for four years, described as positive by Moto. But, in order to obtain the Rock of Gibraltar, Spain granted independence to the colony without control or supervision, leaving the country abandoned to its own fate, without really being prepared to meet the challenges of democracy immediately.

"With times as they are now, it is necessary to be brave to speak about the things that the Pope mentions"

Tue, 19 Oct 2009 17:13:44 GMT

The Faculty of Theology has begun the academic year with a study conference on Caritas in veritate, the first social encyclic published by Benedict XVI. The encyclic, which commemorates 40 years of the Populorum preogressio, by Paul VI and attempts to bring his teachings up to date for today´s world, has development as its main theme. "With times as they are now, it is necessary to be brave to speak about the things that the Pope brings up", stated Profesor Julio Martínez, SJ. Boldly, Luis González de Carvajal pointed out as "the main argument of the encyclic, his defense of the alternatives to capitalism".

The two best lawyers of under 40 years of age from the Iberian Peninsula, alumni of Comilas - ICADE

Sat, 16 Oct 2009 08:45:31 GMT

Teresa Paz-Ares, a member of Uría Menéndez, and Leopoldo González-Echenique, Secretary General of the NH Hotels Group and Vice-Secretary of the board of directors, have been honoured with the Outstanding Achievement Award in the Iberian Lawyer under Forty Award 2009, which honours the best lawyers of under 40 years of age. The prize recognises them as the best two lawyers in the Iberian Peninsula in their age group. Both lawyers were classmates in the graduating class of 1993 in the undergraduate degree in Law and Business Administration and Management (E-3), in the Faculty of Law (ICADE).

More than 50 players participate in the second alumni golf tournament

Fri, 15 Oct 2009 18:20:45 GMT

The Alumni Office organised, for the second consecutive year, the Universidad Pontificia Comillas Golf Tournament. More than 50 golfers ventured to the Lomas - Bosque Golf Club in order to participate in the competition.

Among the champions in the men´s competition are the winners of the first prize: Javier Boter Vidal, Yanes Trophy for first place and Ignacio Colsa Suárez de Tangil, Dupont Trophy for second place. In the second category, Samuel Oquiñena Muguerza obtained the Yanes Trophy for first place, and Javier Jarabo Vela, the Dupont Trophy for second place. María Luisa Sayas Ibáñez obtained the Yanes Trophy for the winner of the women´s competition, and Anna Bajo Sanjuan, who came in second place, won the Dupont Trophy.

Some 30 graduate students are enrolled in the Masters Degree in Finance and Auditing PricewaterhouseCoopers Comillas

Sat, 09 Oct 2009 12:01:04 GMT

Some thirty students, university graduates, who are joining PricewaterhouseCoopers in a professional capacity comprise the first eventual graduating class in the Masters Degree in Finance and Auditing, which Comillas has begun to offer in collaboration with this professional services firm. This programme for in-company training, which represents a private degree from the University, will end in December of 2010 and is taught principally by professors from the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration (ICADE).

Comillas begins the academic year with 12 undergraduate degrees, 16 Official Masters Degrees and 5 Doctoral Programs

Thu, 07 Oct 2009 08:48:03 GMT

The Universidad Pontificia Comillas inaugurated the academic year 2009-10 with 12 undergraduate degrees, 16 Official Masters Degress and 5 Doctoral Programmes, adapted to the European Space for Higher Education (EEES, in Spanish). During this new academic year, the University will submit the degrees in Engineering and new Masters Degrees and Doctoral Programmes for official recognition, until its degree offering is complete, as the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, stated in his opening speech for the academic year.

Comillas offers the Masters Degree in Auditing and Managerial Development, by Deloitte

Wed, 06 Oct 2009 18:47:18 GMT

Comillas is one of the five University institutions that are offering the Masters Degree in Auditing and Managerial Development, which has just been created, in collaboration with the professional services company Deloitte, together with Deusto Business School (Bilbao), ETEA (Seville), the IDEC, at the Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona) and the Valencia Polytechnic University.

Manuel da Silva Rodrigues, new Auxiliary Bishop of Braga, is a Doctor of Theology at Comillas

Wed, 06 Oct 2009 15:32:23 GMT

The new Auxiliary Bishop of the Portuguese city of Braga, since last September 20, Monseñor Manuel da Silva Rodrigues Linda, obtained his Doctorate in Theology from our University.

This Portuguese Bishop, who obtained his Doctorate in Moral Theology in 1998, with the thesis entitled "Andragogia política em D. António Ferreira Gomes", was born 53 years ago in Freguesia de Paus (Portugal). He obtained an Undergraduate Degree in Humanities from the Faculty of Philosophy in Braga, at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Portuguese Catholic University, UCP, in Portuguese); he is a graduate in Theology, from the Faculty of Theology (Porto) at the UPC, and he has a canon law degree in Theology, with a specialization in Moral Theology (Second Cycle of Ecclesiastic Studies), from the Accademia Alfonsiana, at the Instituto Superior de Teología Moral at the Universidad Pontificia Lateranense (Advanced Institute of Moral Theology at the Universítà Pontificia Lateranense, Rome).

Manuel da Silva was ordained as a priest in 1981 and carried out diverse responsibilities in the priesthood. He was parish priest, diocesan assistant for Acción Católica (Catholic Action), military chaplain, Promotor of Justice and Defender of the Link to the Diocesan Ecclesiastical Tribunal, as well as a member of the diocesan team, responsible for the Pastoral Youth Service and for the Movimento dos Convívios Fraternos (Movement for Fraternal Cohabitation), as well as many other duties.

Javier Berriatúa San Sebastián, General Registrar at the University between 1995 and 2001, passes away in August

Thu, 30 Sep 2009 13:52:54 GMT

Born in Bilbao, in 1934, Berriatúa studied as an undergraduate with the Jesuits and graduated in Law at the University of Oviedo, in 1956. He devoted himself to widening his knowledge of Private Law until 1962. From 1965 to 1966, he studied Philosophy for two years at the Facultad San Ignacio de Loyola (Saint Ignatius of Loyola Faculty), at the University of Deusto, and subsequently he obtained his undergraduate degree in Theology at Comillas

Comillas helps to build a home in Kenya

Thu, 30 Sep 2009 11:22:39 GMT

They left as companions and they returned as brothers, "Kenyan brothers". Jorge, Marta, Idoia, María, Miguel, Ignacio and Belén travelled to Kenya to work with children who are ill and those affected by the HIV epidemic, in projects by the organisation called Nyumbani ("home", in Swahili), and they returned feeling that, in effect, they had left behind a home. Each one of the programmes in which they collaborated had become their home, and the people that participated, their families. "There I felt like a part of a big family; the children were my brothers and sisters and the "mammies" (the care-takers), my mothers", affirmed María.

The Kenya Project,which began this year, is one of the international volunteer programmes that isorganised by the Commitment to Solidarity and Development Cooperation Service,in which the members of the University Community at Comillas can participate. As explained bythe Director, Carlos Prieto, the initiative arose from the Development NGO "Friends of Nyumbani", and fits in perfectly with the plans of the Service, since it involves "a project with characteristics different from previous ones; it involves contact with the reality of Africa and HIV, but within an active project and where the participation of the volunteersisgiven at specific times".

Father Ignacio Iglesias, former Grand Vice-Chancellor at Comillas, passes away

Thu, 23 Sep 2009 15:30:28 GMT

Father Ignacio Iglesias González, aged 84, with 68 years of service in the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), and Vice-Rector of the "Seminario Menor", and Rector of the "Colegio Máximo" at Comillas, passed away in Valledolid. He was named Provinicial Director for Spain of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1981, and was Grand Vice-chancellor of the Universidad.

"T-Reto (T-Challenge)", by David Martín, winner of the Fifth Edition of the Business Project Award of the ICADE Business Club

Wed, 22 Sep 2009 17:07:17 GMT

David Martín, former student in Business Administration and Management (E-2), has won the Fifth Edition of the Business Project Award, organised by the ICADE Business Club, with the entry "T-Reto" (T-Challenge). Proenergetics Europe Inc. and From the Musician for the Musician obtained the second and third places, respectively. Moreover, the jury awarded an additional special mention to the projects Asclepio and NSQP.

Professor José Luis Fernández is inducted as a member of the Caux Round Table

Wed, 22 Sep 2009 09:18:52 GMT

José Luis Fernández, Director of the Javier Benjumea Chair (Focus Abengoa) in Business and Work Ethics and professor in the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration (ICADE), has been made a member of the Caux Round Table (CRT), an organisation of international leaders who are working for a reasonsible business and political system. The slogan of the instituition is "moral capitalism for a better world".

Father Joaquín López de Prado, former Professor of Canon Law at Comillas, passes away

Tue, 14 Sep 2009 13:20:28 GMT

Father Joaquín López de Prado, SJ, Emeritus Professor in the Faculty of Canon Law at Comillas, passed away on August 26, at the age of 93 years, and with 74 years as a Jesuit, in Villagarcía de Campos.

Three students from the Faculty of Law (ICADE), among the best law students of the year

Sat, 11 Sep 2009 09:21:44 GMT

The Young Law Students Award 2009, organised by the Thomson Reuters Aranzadi Publishing Company, the Garrigues Centre for Studies, and the University of Navarra, was attended by a large number of students from Comillas. Joaquín Martín, a Law and Business Administration and Management student (E-3), and Gonzalo Bleda, from Law (E-1), won the second and third places, while Daniel Pérez, also of E-1, reached the finals.

The General Council for The Judicial Branch and Comillas sign an agreement for collaboration

Fri, 10 Sep 2009 08:49:17 GMT

Students in the Faculty of Law (ICADE) will be able to do their internships in law offices, with judges and with magistrates as tutors, thanks to the agreement which has been reached between the University and the General Council for the Judicial Branch (CGPJ, the Consejo General del Poder Judicial, in Spanish).

Comillas is the only Spanish university which coordinates an Erasmus Mundus international doctorate

Wed, 08 Sep 2009 09:57:10 GMT

Sustainable Energy Technologies and Strategies (SETS) is the only international doctorate among the 13 Erasmus Mundus awarded all over Europe for all areas of knowledge which is coordinated by a Spanish university. SETS will lead to the awarding of a joint degree by Universidad Pontificia Comillas, which coordinates the programme, Delft University of Technology (Holland) and KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden), together with Johns Hopkins University (USA), Florence School of Regulation (Italy) and Paris SUD 11 Université (France).

Carlos Ballesteros has been invited to collaborate with the Observatory for Advertising and Communication on Environment and Development

Tue, 07 Sep 2009 10:09:19 GMT

The IPADE Foundation has invited the lecturer Carlos Ballesteros from the Department of Marketing of the Comillas Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (ICADE), to collaborate with the Observatory for Advertising and Communication on Environment and Development, which is being implemented together with other institutions.

Miguel Ayuso Torres has been awarded a honorary doctorate by the University of Udine

Sat, 04 Sep 2009 12:05:04 GMT

The lecturer Miguel Ayuso Torres from the Commillas-Icade Faculty of Law has been awarded a honorary doctorate by the University of Udine. During the celebrations of the tenth anniversary of its Faculty of Law, the Italian university paid tribute to Ayuso together with the Argentinean jurist Eugenio Raúl Zaffaroni. In the words of the Dean, Danilo Castellano, we have given "equal recognition to two different scholars, with differing disciplines, profiles, and approaches, which demonstrates the spirit of a faculty open to plurality of thought and capable of considering all positions, even those which are different, when they are based on solid and valid science and which are capable of raising problems which stimulate the rationale of jurists".

The Santander Chair for Law and Minors has participated in a United Nations meeting on health

Fri, 30 Jul 2009 11:14:38 GMT

The Proferssor from the Faculty of Law (ICADE) Federico de Montalvo has participated -as a member of the Santander Chair for Law and Minors- in a United Nations Organization (UNO) conference on health. The meeting, which was held in Geneva, coincided with the Year of Health celebrations.

The Programme Inside Beijing-Shanghai has been suspended because of the alarm caused by an alleged spread of H1N1 flu

Fri, 30 Jul 2009 08:39:14 GMT

The 4th edition of the programme Inside Beijing-Shanghai, which should have taken place from 8 to 28 July, was interrupted by the health scare caused by the suspicion that the group comprised of 21 students and 2 coordinators from Comillas, who participated in the course, could be affected with H1N1 flu.

"The stereotype of the abandoned minor does not fit in with the actual situation"

Thu, 29 Jul 2009 08:20:15 GMT

The Comillas University Institute for Studies on Migrations (IUEM) and the Nuevo Sol Foundation have conducted research on the international migration of sub-Saharan unaccompanied foreign minors (MENAS) to the Canary Islands. In his presentation, Juan Iglesias—university researcher and co-author of the study alongside Francisco Legaz—assured that "the stereotype of the abandoned minor does not fit in with the actual situation".

The published study depicts the social markers and migratory profile of the minors. The fact they belong to large or very large families where the father is frequently present is notable. This fact breaks the myth of the abandoned child, an issue which the study looks at in greater depth by stating that its migration-related cases are family-related and form part of wider networks: 80% of cases have a history of migration within the family.

The Faculty of Theology ends the academic year with six doctoral theses and numerous scientific publications

Wed, 28 Jul 2009 10:14:30 GMT

Six doctoral theses defended during the academic year 2008-09 and numerous scientific works published in the last three years (books, chapters, papers, etc.) are the result of the constant research activity carried out by the Faculty of Theology of Universidad Pontificia Comillas, in its decided approach to research.

Of the six doctoral theses defended, three were in the Department of History of the Church, two in the department of Spiritual Theology, and one in the department of Dogmatic and Fundamental Theology. The six new doctors include two of Portuguese nationality, two lay people, one woman, and one lecturer from the department.

Rafael Palacios received the award for the 100 Best Ideas of 2008 from the journal ACTUALIDAD ECONÓMICA

Tue, 27 Jul 2009 18:30:12 GMT

Rafael Palacios—a researcher from the Institute of Technological Investigation (IIT) and a lecturer at the Advanced Technical School of Engineering (ICAI)—received the award for the 100 Best Ideas of 2008, given by the journal ACTUALIDAD ECONÓMICA, for a cheque reading system developed by the IIT in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Comillas and ESADE create a joint programme on leadership for next academic year

Fri, 23 Jul 2009 14:10:11 GMT

The ESADE Foundation and Comillas have signed a collaboration agreement to teach the new Programme for Leadership Development (PLD). The programme -aimed at managers with consolidated corporate experience (at least 5 years)- could be offered as of next academic year 2009-10 and will be taught by staff comprised of lecturers from both institutions. José Ramón Busto, SJ, Chancellor of Comillas, and Carlos Losada Marrodán, Director General of ESADE, signed the agreement.

Julio Martínez and Romano Giannetti are the new Vice-Chancellors for Research and International Relations

Thu, 22 Jul 2009 10:09:02 GMT

The lecturers Julio Martínez, SJ, and Romano Giannetti have begun their new posts of Vice-Chancellor of Research, Development, and Innovation and Vice-Chancellor of International Relations and Services for the University Community respectively, during an act chaired by the Chancellor, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and which was attended by a large number representing the university community.

Comillas and the Adecco Foundation sign an agreement to help disabled students find work

Wed, 21 Jul 2009 13:37:23 GMT

The Chancellor of Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and the Chairman of the Adecco Foundation, Emilio Zurutuza, have signed a collaboration agreement to commence a programme for insertion into the labour market for disabled students and former students.

The Adecco Foundation will work together with the university"s social work unit with the aim of disabled students managing to finalise their knowledge and experiences in order to have more opportunities when seeking work.

The book Innovation and Management of new products. A strategic and practical vision, has been presented

Sat, 17 Jul 2009 10:15:36 GMT

There was no other book like this on the Spanish market which, combined with the broad training and experience of the author as a lecturer and professional in public and private companies, makes Innovation and Management of new products. A strategic and practical vision very useful for teaching and extremely attractive for experts, stated Miguel Santesmases Mestre, lecturer at the University of Alcalá, during the presentation of this book by Alfonso Fernández del Hoyo, lecturer at the Faculty of Economic and Corporate Sciences (ICADE), of Comillas; the book is published by Ediciones Pirámide.

Comillas will collaborate with the ICAI Engineers Foundation for Development

Fri, 16 Jul 2009 10:52:01 GMT

The Chancellor of Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and the Chairman of the ICAI Engineers Foundation for Development (ICAI Foundation pD), Miguel Ángel Agúndez, who also chairs the ICAI National College of Engineers, have signed a joint collaboration agreement with the shared aim of fighting the causes of poverty and the undertaking to educate and increase awareness of students on cooperation and social responsibility in order to train ethically prepared and socially responsible engineers.

Comillas celebrates the 25th anniversary of the foundation of its Institute of Technological Research (IIT)

Tue, 13 Jul 2009 09:41:16 GMT

Comillas commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Institute of Technological Research (IIT) with a day in which the three Chancellors who have led the university during the centre"s quarter century participated: Guillermo Rodríguez Izquierdo, SJ; Manuel Gallego Díaz, SJ, and José Ramón Busto Saiz, SJ, in addition to representatives of entities and institutions linked to the IIT since its foundation.

Comillas and the Office of the Citizen"s Ombudsman sign an agreement for collaboration

Wed, 07 Jul 2009 09:51:09 GMT

The University and the Office of the Citizen´s Ombudsman (for Protection of Citizen´s Rights and Complaints) have signed a framework agreement for collaboration in order to take advantage of, and to maximize, their teaching, methodological and technical resources. Among the areas of work included are educational and academic cooperation, the development of research projects and studies concerning social problems, development cooperation in the Third World, and cooperation in European programmes.

The debate on the future of nuclear energy is plagued with political, regulatory and economic uncertainties

Tue, 06 Jul 2009 08:58:21 GMT

The Second Annual Conference of the Spanish Association for Energy Economics (AEEE, in Spanish) on "The cost of investment and the economic viability of new nuclear power plants", held at Comillas, allowed those attending to confront arguments by proponents and critics of nuclear energy, and to hear opinions, as well, which unveil uncertainties and doubts in the debate on the future of nuclear energy.

The children of immigrants in Barcelona do not feel rejection from the native residents of the city

Sat, 03 Jul 2009 09:19:19 GMT

The children of immigrants -the second generation- residents in Barcelona, do not feel rejection from the native residents of the city: more than half have never felt discrimination and only 6 percent (5 percent in Madrid) state that they have felt this "many times", although the reasons are often self-induced - weight, height, personality - and not necessarily related to race or nationality. However, there is a clear gap between their aspirations and their educational expectations. 56.8 percent hope to attend university (53 percent in Madrid), but only 38.3% really believe that they can achieve it. Only 10 percent (9 percent in Madrid) aspire to the highest degree of education, a University post-graduate degree, and only 6.1% (5% in Madrid) believe that they can reach this goal.

This data comes from the first phase of the research study "The second generation in Barcelona. A longitudinal study", on the social and economic adaptation of the children of immigrants in Spain, presented in the city of Barcelona (often referred to as the "Ciudad Condal" in Spanish), at the main office of the CIDOB Foundation. The results of the research done in Madrid were presented last March. The authors of this study are Alejandro Portes, of the Centre for Migration and Development, at Princeton University; Rosa Aparicio, of the University Institute for Migration Studies, at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas-ICAI-ICADE and William Haller, of Clemson University. There is no knowledge of any other project with the same scope and reach as this one in other European countries.

Father Adolfo Fernández Díaz-Nava, long-time Director of the Colegio Mayor Comillas (Comillas Hall of Residence) passes away

Fri, 02 Jul 2009 11:02:19 GMT

Father Adolfo Fernández Díaz-Nava, SJ, a former student and Professor of Theology at the University, and long-time Director of the Comillas Hall of Residence (Colegio Mayor Comillas), passed away at the age of 86 years in Salamanca, having spent 65 years with the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).

The graduates in Social Work at Comillas, the first Spanish university students to receive the diploma adapted to the European Space for Higher Education

Wed, 30 Jun 2009 13:45:51 GMT

The first Spanish university students who have obtained the undergraduate degree adapted to the European Space for Higher Education (EEES, in Spanish), the graduates in Social Work at Comillas, received their diplomas in the graduation ceremony for the academic year 2008-09, held from June 19 to 21 at the Cantoblanco campus at this university. The first graduates in Social Work make up the almost one hundred students receiving a degree in this specialization who have finished the course work in completion of the degree, which Comillas has been offering since last October, in which they have received a complementary academic training which allows them to be awarded the new degree adapted to the European Space for Higher Education.

Another new feature of the graduation at Comillas was that, among the nearly 1650 new graduates, there were students for the first time from a dozen new University Masters Degress which are a result of the implementation of the European Space for Higher Education, taught by the different Faculties, Schools and Institutes at the University.

Awards for the Best Final Projects in the Advanced Technical School of Engineering (ICAI) are handed out

Wed, 30 Jun 2009 10:38:02 GMT

The Regional Secretary for Education for the Autonomous Region of Madrid, Lucía Figar, participated in the award ceremony for the prizes for the Best Final Projects in the Advanced Technical School of Engineering (ICAI), sponsored by the Association-Professional Colleage of ICAI Engineers, Accenture, Endesa, Iberdrola, PriceWaterhouseCoopers and the la BP Chair for Sustainable Development, in a ceremony presided over by the Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ.

The ACAP holds a conference on evaluation systems and national and international accreditation at Comillas

Tue, 29 Jun 2009 11:12:39 GMT

Comillas welcomed the International Conference "New tendencies in the evaluation of results of knowledge and the accreditation of programmes", organised by the Agency for Quality, Evaluation and Control for the Universities in Madrid (ACAP, in Spanish), at which Spanish and international experts, academic authorities, professors and university administrators involved in these themes met, as well as representatives of the ANECA, and from some of the evaluation agencies from the autonomous regions of Spain.

More than 400 students attend the programme in the Senior Citizens University during the 2008-09 academic year

Wed, 23 Jun 2009 11:48:21 GMT

The fifty fifth-year students in the Senior Citizens University received their diplomas during the graduation ceremony for the programme, which was presided over by the Rector of Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ. He was accompanied by the former Rector of ICAI-ICADE, José María Díaz Moreno, SJ, who delivered a graduation speech on "New moral problems in the family. A Christian attitude", and by the Director of the programme, Isabel Romero, and the Coordinator, Ángelo Valastro.

Approval by ANECA for the nine undergraduate degrees presented by Comillas for the academic year

Tue, 22 Jun 2009 14:36:10 GMT

The ANECA has given a definitive favorable report on the nine undergraduate degrees, adapted to the European Space for Higher Education (EEES, in Spanish), which Comillas had presented for the process of approval for this academic year.

The nine undergraduate degrees which were approved are: Law, Business Administration and Management, Political Science and Public Administration, Translation and Interpreting, International Relations, Philosophy, Psychology, Nursing and Physiotherapy. In addition to this list, it is necessary to add the three degrees approved during the past academic year, which are being taught during the current academic year: Pre-School Education, Primary School Education and Social Work. All nine degrees add up to an academic offering of 14 programmes adapted to the European Space for Higher Education for the next academic year.

In 2008 families from Asturias adopted more children from Spain than from abroad

Sat, 19 Jun 2009 11:36:08 GMT

For the first time in nine years, in 2008 adoptions of Spanish children in Asturias were greater in numbers than adoptions of children from abroad: there were 29 adoptions of Spanish children compared to 28 adoptions of minors from abroad, according to the data compiled in the First Guide on Adoption and Adjustment to the Family in and from Asturias, drawn up by researchers from the University Institute of the Family at Comillas, as requested by the Association of Adopting Families of Asturias, Asturadop.

Father Antonio López de la Rica teaches his last class at Comillas-ICAI

Thu, 17 Jun 2009 12:46:38 GMT

Father Antonio López de la Rica, SJ, taught his last class at the Advanced Technical School of Engineering (ICAI), after 44 years of teaching, on Wednesday, June 10. Throughout his extensive academic career, he was a Professor at Comillas-ICAI, as well as at the Complutense University. where he taught Calculus, Algebra, Differential Equations, Differential Geometry, Complex Variable Analysis, Numeric Calculus and Mathematical Logistics. His last class, in the subject of Calculus, was given to students of first year in Industrial Engineering. As stated on the web page of the One-Hundredth Anniversary Celebration of ICAI, López de la Rica is one of the protagonists of the history of the institution.

Nearly 200 international students, in Summer Courses at Comillas

Wed, 16 Jun 2009 13:19:26 GMT

Nearly 200 students from a dozen universities located in 8 European and Latin American countries, as well as in the United States, are participating in the first session of International Summer Courses which, inaugurated at the end of May, are being taught during the month of June, organised by the International Relations Service.

The BP Chair devotes the sixth edition of its forum to the challenges of sustainable tranport in Europe and Spain

Tue, 15 Jun 2009 13:57:21 GMT

In order to achieve a sustainable model for transport it is necessary to evolve in three fundamental aspects: from a model based on mobility to another that seeks accessibility, from the current tendency of urban dispersion to protection from density, and from the search for speed, as a unique model to compensate for distance, giving priority to proximity. This is the main conclusion reached by more than 30 Spanish and international experts, after two days of reflection, at the Sixth BP Forum for Energy and Sustainability 2009, organised by the BP Chair for Sustainable Development at Comillas, in collaboration with the Spanish Club for Energy, which is committed to debating the most appropriate solutions to confront the challenges of sustainable transport in Europe and in Spain.

Comillas and the Spanish Society for Radiological Protection sign an agreement for collaboration

Fri, 04 Jun 2009 16:21:44 GMT

The university and the Spanish Society for Radiological Protection (SEPR, in Spanish) have signed a framework agreement for collaboration to carry out activities and studies of common interest and educational cooperation programmes which facilitate the training of future professionals, the possibility to do internships and the recycling of those who are practicing professionals.

An application for iPhone developed by Comillas-ICAI, leader in downloads at Apple iTunes

Sat, 05 Jun 2009 12:51:41 GMT

An application developed by researchers at Comillas-ICAI holds first place in downloads from Apple Store in the category of travel. iMetro-city is a programme for iPhone and iPod Touch that finds the best route on the underground for different cities and is the only one that calculates appropriate routes for the handicapped. Neither the web pages of the most important underground systems nor the rest of the web or mobile applications take into account accessiblity in stations when calculating the routes.

A student from Comillas-ICADE, among the best three business law students in Europe

Tue, 08 Jun 2009 08:53:51 GMT

Asun Almajano, a fifth-year student of Law and the Diploma in Business Studies (E-1), placed third in the European Prize 2009 for the Best Business Law Student, organised by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and the Financial Times. The award involves the possibility of carrying out internships in the office of Freshfields and a financial reward, either in cash or as a grant for the furthering of studies.

Yolanda Moratilla presides over the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Institute for Engineering in Spain

Fri, 04 Jun 2009 16:29:32 GMT

The Director of the Rafael Mariño Chair for New Energy Technologies and Professor of the Advanced Technical School of Engineering (ICAI), Yolanda Moratilla, has been named President of the Committe on Energy and Natural Resources of the Institute for Engineering in Spain (IIE, in Spanish).

Nuclear energy, at the crossroads of political blockage and the economic state of emergency

Fri, 04 Jun 2009 10:02:31 GMT

The possibility for Spain to find a competitive economic model which allows it to overcome the particular causes of its crisis clashes with political attitudes that block the role that reasonably corresponds to nuclear energy in the Spanish model for energy. This is one of the central ideas in the speech of the respresentatives of the academic, scientific and entrepreneurial world that participated in the Sixth Annual Conference of the Rafael Mariño Chair for New Energy Technologies at Comillas, dedicated this year to "Nuclear Energy: Analysis and future possibilities", which saw the attendance of some 200 participants.

Comillas awards trophies to the best sportsmen and sportswomen

Thu, 03 Jun 2009 16:29:09 GMT

Comillas held, as it does each year, the award ceremony for trophies to honour the best sportsmen and sportswomen at the University during the 2008-09. The Vice-rector for International Relations and Services for the University Community, Miguel Juárez, SJ, presided over the ceremony. Along with him, the representatives of the sponsoring entities were also present: Pilar Rotaeche, from PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and Álvaro Tabernero, from Accenture, and the members of the Sports Office: Alberto Giménez, Roberto Pérez and Victor Delgado.

A team from Comillas-ICAI has won the Deloitte Business Game

Thu, 03 Jun 2009 09:34:46 GMT

Diego Martínez, María Teresa Peña, Francisco Javier Nieto and Jorge Lobo won the second edition of the Deloitte Business Game, by carrying out work in Strategical Consulting on the winning team, in the competition composed also of teams from other universities. With the help of their tutor, Alexis Cantizano, these students of Fifth Year of Industrial Engineering won the competition which awards a good atmosphere and team work in the decision-making process. "We were able to all come together perfectly and defend a viable solution together, taking into account all of the data", they explain.

"Immigrants have contributed to the period of greatest economic development in Spain"

Tue, 01 Jun 2009 17:02:50 GMT

The Forum for Social Work at Comillas, organised by the Department of Sociology and Social Work, in the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, addressed the subject of "Immigration and social work in times of crisis" in its latest edition. Professionals and researchers analysed the consequences of the crisis in matters of immigration, and reviewed the past years of immigration in Spain. Among the conclusions, there are three that stand out: immigrants have contributed to the period of greatest economic development in Spain, with their participation in Social Security (socialised medical care), a positive balance and lower crime rate. Immigrants are not a problem, but rather, a solution, since they represent a work force with a great deal of mobility and a capacity to adapt, and they offer a degree of internationalisation, rare in Spain. And, finally, a certain social risk is being detected, since the system lacks resources for the purpose of attending to immigrants; thus, social cohesion could be broken.

Students from the fourth graduating class of the Specialist Course in Electric Systems Operations receive their diplomas

Tue, 01 Jun 2009 16:08:28 GMT

The twelve students from the fourth graduating class of the Specialist Course in Electric Systems Operations REE-ICAI received their diplomas personally from the Rector of the University, José Ramón Busto, the Director of the Course, Enrique Lobato, and high-level managers from Red Eléctrica de España (REE, the Electric Network of Spain).

Students of Human and Social Sciences will be able to do internships abroad and perfect their languages

Tue, 01 Jun 2009 12:52:42 GMT

Comillas and Sheffield Centre have signed an agreement for collaboration for the perfecting of linguistic and professional skills for students in the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, who will be able to do internships abroad while perfecting their knowledge of languages. Moreover, thanks to this agreement, the company is offering a grant for a three-week language course in other countries. The winner of this grant was Miriam Lozano Jimenez, a first-year student from Social Work.

José Ramón Busto: “We owe what we know today as Philosophy at Comillas to Professor Hortal"

Wed, 26 May 2009 16:39:10 GMT

Comillas has published Ethics, thought out and shared, a book which represents a tribute to Augusto Hortal, SJ, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy who has left his mark on many generations of students, professors and researchers, and who, in the words of the Rector,
José Ramón Busto, SJ, during the presentation ceremony for the book, has been vital for the development of this discipline. "We owe what we know today as Philosophy at Comillas to Augusto Hortal".

The number of future university students participating in the University Open House Day at Comillas increases

Thu, 20 May 2009 12:04:23 GMT

10% more candidates than last year participated in the University Open House Day which is organised by the Promotion and Recruitment Office to orientate future university students. More than one thousand high school students attended, together with their relatives, for the purpose of famiiliarising themselves with the different university sites and the academic offering, which has been overhauled this year due to the implementation of the European Space for Higher Education (EEES, in Spanish).

Successful first year of the Executive Inside New York-Washington Program

Tue, 11 May 2009 18:32:30 GMT

Post-graduate students and young professionals participated in the Executive Inside New York-Washington Program, organised by the International Relations Service at Comillas, in collaboration with Georgetown University. This course, for young people with a more professional profile than that of undergraduate students, was adapted for Easter Week from the already veteran Inside summer courses.

The Rector of Comillas attends the Nineth Board Meeting of Universia

Sat, 08 May 2009 13:28:41 GMT

Universia, the largest network of universities in the world, held its Nineth General Board Meeting at the "Paraninfo" (on the campus) of the Complutense University, in which José Ramón Busto, SJ, Rector of Comillas, participated. The meeting was presided over by the Rector of the Complutense University, Carlos Berzosa, who was accompanied by Emilio Botín, President of Universia; Federico Gutiérrez-Solana, President of the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE, in Spanish); José Antonio Villasante, General Manager of the Santander Universities Global Division, and Jaume Pagés, General Manager of Universia. The entire board of Universia in Spain, 77 Spanish universities and institutions of higher education, was also in attendance.

"It was not the war, nor the holocaust, but the violence afterwards that turned the survivors into refugees"

Sat, 08 May 2009 12:38:10 GMT

Rhoda Henelde Abecasis, a survivor of the holocaust, participated in the day of commemoration of the Shoah (of the Holocaust) which was held at Comillas, organised by the Centre for Judeo-Christian Studies, and in collaboration with the Sefarad Israel House. This Jewish woman of Polish origin, who forms part of the generation of the children of the holocaust, narrated her experience during the conflict, but above all, during the time that followed it: "It was not the war, nor the holocaust, but the violence afterwards which turned the survivors into refugees" she confirmed. Besides her testimony, the round table, presided over by the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, saw the participation of Jacobo Israel Garzón, President of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain (FCJE); Miguel García Baró, philosopher and professor at Comillas; Alex Baer, philosopher and professor at the Complutense University, and Henar Corví, who is responsible for cultural activities at the Sefarad House.

A professor at Comillas, elected Vicar General of the Barefoot Carmelites

Sat, 08 May 2009 09:00:17 GMT

Emilio J. Martínez González de Santa Teresita, professor and former student at Comillas, has been elected Vicar General of the Barefoot Carmelites, for the six-year period 2009-2015. He received his Doctorate in Theology from the Advanced Institute of Moral Sciences, when it was affiliated with Comillas. Martinez was, until now, a Professor in the Faculty of Theology, where he carried out his teaching and research responsibilities in the area of Spiritual Theology. Previously, he had taught classes at the San Esteban Theological Institute, in Salamanca, and at the Advanced Institute for Moral Sciences, in Madrid.

Cancelling the information on a certificate of baptism is not renouncing Church membership according to Canon Law

Fri, 07 May 2009 11:38:02 GMT

Declarations of renunciation of the Church which are carried out as an instrument of protest against certain doctrinal pronouncements or activities by members of the ecclesiastical hierarchy do not have anything to do with renunication of the Church under canon law standards, typified in the code, since cancelling the information on the certificate of baptism is not a renunciation of the Church. The speakers at the conference to study declarations of renuniciation of the Church, organized by the Faculty of Canon Law at Comillas, agreed on this argument.
José Luis Sánchez-Girón, SJ, Professor in the Faculty and Silverio Nieto, Professor and Director of the Judicial-Civil Service of the Episcopal Conference, analysed canon law and judicial-civil aspects of the formal abandoning of the Church, together with the Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Canon Law, Gabino Uribarri Bilbao, SJ, and Professor Cristina Guzmán, who acted as moderator.

The Dean of the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration (ICADE) in The Economist

Fri, 07 May 2009 11:25:59 GMT

The prestigious weekly magazine The Economist, in its edition of last May 2, offers the opinions of Alfredo Arahuetes, Dean of the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration (ICADE) at Comillas, concerning the protective effect of investments in Latin America against the economic slowdown in Spain.

Acccording to Profesor Arahuetes, while unemployment in Spain has just reached 17 percent, more than double the European average, and the International Monetary Fund is warning that the Spanish GNP will shrink 3 percent this year and 0.7 percent in 2010, it seems that production in Latin America will shrink less and will recover sooner. The international strength that this region has should protect it from the worst part of the crisis, and for that reason, Spanish companies with business in Latin America trust that they will be able to weather the global downturn better, according to Arahuetes.

Students from Comillas-ICADE visit European institutions in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg

Wed, 05 May 2009 09:22:13 GMT

Students from the double degree in Law and Business Administration and Management (E3) visited, over a period of five days, the home offices of European political organisations in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg, the geographical triangle known as the heart of the European Union. This activity was organised by the Jean Monnet Chair, in the Faculty of Law (ICADE), with the sponsorship of EADS (European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company EADS N.V.).

Professors from Comillas participate in the Second Internacional Conference on Human Development

Wed, 05 May 2009 09:24:11 GMT

The Professors from Comillas Cristina Gortázar, Director of the University Institute for Migration Studies, and Fernando Vidal, of the Department of Sociology and Social Work, participated in the Second Conference on Human Development, held in Madrid, whose central motif was sustainable cities and the challenges of human poverty. These themes were addressed by well-known scholars and relevant figures, both national and international, from the world of development cooperation.

Julieta Moreno-Torres: "Judicial proceedings do not consider the time of minors"

Wed, 05 May 2009 08:53:02 GMT

The Santander Chair for Law and Minors presented the book Judicial Security in the System of Protection of Spanish Minors, by Julieta Moreno-Torres, coinciding with the celebration of the Day of the Book. The event consisted of the participation of: Consuelo Madrigal Martínez-Pereda, court lawyer and Coordinator for Minors on the Supreme Court; Isabel Lázaro González, Director of the Chair; Camino Cañón Loyes, Director of the Publications Service at Comillas, and the author. The work, serious and bold, examines the system of protection of minors, detects wide gaps in judicial insecurity and invites the treatment of a reform which guarantees the higher interests of children in an efficient manner. One of the aspects that causes the most problems is that of time frames, according to Moreno-Torres, "judicial procedures do not consider the time of minors".

Antonio Obregón: "The most outstanding aspects of the Bologna have their roots in the tradition of our university"

Fri, 30 Apr 2009 18:18:30 GMT

The Vice-rector for Academic Order and Professors, Antonio Obregón, explained the process of adaptation at Comillas to the European Space for Higher Education on the web of the UNESCO Chair for Political and University Management, at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, and commented on the most controversial matters and current events that surround the so-called Bologna Process.

The President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts requests the collaboration of the Faculty of Canon Law

Thu, 29 Apr 2009 17:39:06 GMT

The President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts of the Holy See, Archbishop Monsignor Francesco Coccopalmerio, has requested the collaboration of the Body of Professors of the Faculty of Canon Law at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas in the tasks of his dycastory. During his visit to the Faculty, Monsignor Coccopalmerio offered orientation on concrete ways of carrying out this collaboration and emphasised the fact that he expects his visit to be returned, In Rome, by members of the University.

Father Albert Dou, Rector of ICAI during the years of its merging with Comillas, passes away at age 93

Tue, 27 Apr 2009 12:54:29 GMT

On April 18, Father Albert Dou i Mas de Xexàs, SJ, aged 93, passed away in Sant Cugat. In 1977 he was named Rector-Academic President of the Catholic Institute of Arts and Industries (ICAI), which is commemorating its one-hundredth anniversary during the current academic year, where he was a professor, occupied different high offices and formed part of the mixed commission on the incorporation of ICAI and ICADE into the Universidad Pontificia Comillas in 1978.

Two students from Comillas-ICADE reach the finals in the BNP Paribas international strategy game

Fri, 23 Apr 2009 18:16:28 GMT

Ignacio Zunzunegui and Marcus Saxby, students in their second year in Business Administration and Management (E-2) have reached the finals of ACE Manager, the BNP Paribas international strategy game. The Comillas-ICADE students put together a multi-national team, called The Elite (International), in which Elizabeth Lawrence, from the University of Pennsylvania and Xiang Li, from the National University of Singapore also participated.

In Paris, The Elite will compete against four other teams made up of students in the first years of their degree from around the world. As Ignacio Zunzunegui, the manager of the group, explained, the possibility of working and competing with students of other nationalities is one of the most attractive points of the game. Moreover, the chance to test the knowledge acquired and personal skills is especially interesting for students in their first years of university, who do not possess much experience in the practical aspects of their studies. Some 4000 students from all over the world participated in the game, of which 78 are students from Spanish universities, and among these, 36 are students from Comillas.

The Rector inaugurates the exhibit "The Year of Saint Paul in 27 Bibles"

Thu, 22 Apr 2009 09:27:21 GMT

"We have before our eyes a sample of the greatest cultural monument of mankind", stated the Rector of Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, on the inauguration of the exhibit "The Year of Saint Paul in 27 Bibles", which will remain open until April 28, in one of the vestibules of the University Library (located at calle Alberto Aguilera, 25), and from May 4 to 13 at the Cantoblanco campus, where a small sample of the valuable bibliographical patrimony of the University can be viewed.

The exhibit brings together six publications from the 16th century, three more from the 18th century, five from the 19th century and seven from the 20th century. All of them have been selected as the most representative ones to highlight the commemoration of the life of Saint Paul because of their age, illustrations or due to their bibliographical relevance.

Monsignor Braulio Rodríguez Plaza, former student at Comillas, named Archbishop of Toledo

Wed, 21 Apr 2009 14:07:33 GMT

Pope Benedict XVI has named Monsignor Braulio Rodríguez Plaza, currently the Archbishop of Valladolid, and former student at Comillas, where he graduated in Theology, with a major in the Holy Scripture in 1973, as Archbishop of Toledo, the Prime Archbishopric of Spain.

Two students from Comillas-ICAI win second place in a European programming competition

Sat, 17 Apr 2009 12:18:57 GMT

José Luis Gorroño and Pablo Moncunill, third year students in Computer Science Engineering in the Advanced Technical School of Engineering (ICAI), have placed second in the national finals of the European programming competition Ricoh and the Sun Java Platform Powered by U!, organized by Sun Microsystem and Ricoh.

Students from Engineering represent Comillas in the International Fair at the University of Sydney

Sat, 17 Apr 2009 09:12:19 GMT

The students from the Advanced Technical School of Engineering (ICAI), Ismael Fernández and Eduardo Uriarte Ruiz, who are on exchange in the University of Sydney (Australia), have represented Comillas in the International University Fair, organised by this academic institution.

The University and the Spanish Nuclear Society sign an agreement for training and the recycling of professionals

Fri, 16 Apr 2009 15:41:13 GMT

Comillas and the Spanish Nuclear Society (SNE, in Spanish) have signed a framework agreement for cooperation to develop activities and studies of mutual interest, as well as programmes for educational cooperation that facilitate the training of future professionals and the recycling of those that are now working in the field.

Comillas wins the Fourth Debate Tournament at the Francisco de Vitoria University

Wed, 14 Apr 2009 18:37:03 GMT

A team from Comillas has won the Fourth Debate Tournament at the Francisco de Vitoria University, held at the main site of this academic institution. 24 teams from 13 educational institutions met for this fourth edition: Pablo de Olavide University, Complutense University, San Pablo-CEU University, Camilo José Cela University, Comillas University, the University of Extremadura, the University of Las Palmas, Carlos III University, Miguel de Cervantes University, Antonio de Nebrija University, Deusto University, the host university for the competition, and the university-affiliated institution, ETEA.

Comillas, final champions, for the second year in a row, in the UNIJES 2009 Tournament

Sat, 03 Apr 2009 12:45:24 GMT

The Universidad Pontificia Comillas has been declared the winner, for the second straight year, in the overall totals in sports competitions in the UNIJES 2009 Tournament. At this competition, in which all of the university institutions which belong to the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in Spain meet, the participants were: IQS (Instituto Químico de Sarríá, the "Chemical Institute of Sarriá"), which organised this edition, ESADE, ETEA, INEA, SAFA (all Jesuit institution in Spain, with their Spanish acronyms) and the Universities of Deusto and Pontificia Comillas.

Presentation of “The echo of those voices. The Schola Cantorum of the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas”

Sat, 03 Apr 2009 12:22:35 GMT

Comillas has published the book "The echo of those voices. The Schola Cantorum" of the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas", a review of the history of the institution that was the soul of Spanish religious music and whose sounds can still be heard in musical groups in Spain and Latin America. The work, written by Carlos Muñoz Álvarez, reviews the life of the Schola from its founding in 1910 to its disappearance in 1967, through bibliographical and journalistic references, concerts, liturgical acts, radio re-transmissions, trips abroad, and above all, biographical memories of the protagonists. The book is published with an accompanying DVD, which includes historical recordings which have been recovered from slate-based and vinyl records.

Charles Vest, President of the National Academy of Engineering of the USA, "doctor honoris causa"

Sat, 03 Apr 2009 12:19:00 GMT

The President of the National Academy of Engineering of the United States of America, and President Emeritus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Charles M. Vest, has been named "doctor honoris causa" at Comillas, at the proposal of the Advanced Technical School of Engineering (ICAI). The academic act is a part of the celebration of the one-hundredth anniversary of ICAI.

Comillas is the first European university to concede this award to Vest, which, in addition to the recognition of his teaching and research accomplishments, attempts to serve as an expression of gratitude to MIT for the close relationship that it maintains with ICAI, thanks to which professors and researchers from the School have enlarged and enrichened their knowledge through periods of stay at this US institution.

Internships are fundamental for university students, according to 95 percent of companies in Madrid

Sat, 03 Apr 2009 09:22:56 GMT

95 percent of companies in Madrid consider that internships are fundamental for the process of training in university students, according to conclusions drawn from the Project "EU Converge", a forum for collaboration between companies and the 16 universities in Madrid, in which Comillas participates. The final report, whose title is "University training versus business needs" was presented by the "Fundación Universidad-Empresa" (Foundation of Universities and Companies) and the Chamber of Commerce of Madrid, catalysts of the initiative.

The European Space for Higher Education will increase the doubtfulness when choosing degree and university

Fri, 02 Apr 2009 11:47:32 GMT

The implementation of the new European Space for Higher Education (EEES, in Spanish), which is a result of the Declaration of Bologna, will suppose a considerable increase in the doubtfulness of students and their families upon choosing a degree and university. This is one of the conclusions of the first information session on the European Space for Higher Education, aimed at parents, high school students, teachers and counsellors, organised by the Office for Recruitment and Promotion at Comillas, in which the speaker was the Vice-rector for Academic Order and Professors at Comillas, Antonio Obregón. This talk will be repeated on three different dates: April 27, May 20 and June 17, at 7:00 pm, at calle Alberto Aguilera, 23.

A system for reading cheques created by researchers at Comillas, among the 100 Best Ideas of 2008

Sat, 27 Mar 2009 13:56:59 GMT

A team of researchers from the Institute for Technological Research (IIT, in Spanish) at Comillas has developed, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a system for reading bank cheques that deciphers handwriting and allows transactions to become automatically read, thus speeding up work and reducing mistakes. This initiative has been selected by the periodical ACTUALIDAD ECONÓMICA as one of the 100 Best Ideas of 2008.

Upon presenting this invention, the periodical points out that "it saves time and money, since a computer system recognises all of the data on the cheque, even though it may be written by hand and in bad handwriting". According to Rafael Palacios, Professor at Comillas-ICAI and co-author of the project along with Amar Gupta of MIT, the volume of cheques that banks must process carries with it a high and spiralling expense; for that reason, the interest in making the process automatic has been responsible for the development of this method, which uses optical recognition techniques of figures based on neuron networks to read the amount of the cheque.

"The theory of evolution supposes a point of introspection into the understanding of the human condition"

Thu, 25 Mar 2009 18:36:43 GMT

Theology, anthropology, technology, philosophy and economics, all with regard to Darwin. Through these fields of knowledge, and through a multitude of transversal matters, the author of the theory of evolution has been paid homage to in a series of lectures and round tables which celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of the Origin of the Species, organised by the Pastoral Service, the Service for Solidarity and Development Cooperation, and the Departments of Cultural Activities, Seminars and Conferences, Social Services and the Chair in Science, Technology and Religion.

The "San Juan de Dios" University School decides the awards for its 29th Nursing Competition

Wed, 24 Mar 2009 10:19:26 GMT

Three employees at the Cabueñes Hospital of Gijón have won the first prize in the category of research projects for the 29th Competition in the "San Juan de Dios" University School of Nursing and Physiotherapy. "Prevailing suspicions of mistreatment of patients over 65 years in age visiting a hospital emergency ward" is the title of the study with which María del Carmen Álvarez, principal researcher and nurse in the Emergency Ward; Adolfo Suárez, teaching specialist in the Area of the Digestive Apparatus, and Guadalupe de la Riva, Medical Coordinator for the Emergency Ward, won the 9000 euro cash prize.

In times of economic recession, the priority should be a reinforcement of the social infrastructure

Thu, 18 Mar 2009 17:17:37 GMT

The Director of the Institute for Migration Studies (IEM, in Spanish), Cristina Gortázar, and one of its researchers, Mercedes Fernández, participated in the Meeting "Immigration, training and employment in times of crisis", organised by the law firm Gómez-Acebo & Pombo, the "Centro Pueblos Unidos" (the United Peoples Centre), of the Jesuits of Castille, and the Institute for Migration Studies.

In her lecture "Economic growth, employment policies and social cohesion", Mercedes Fernández ascertained that in times of economic recession, it is fundamental to support cohesion, in such a way that the priority for authorities should be the reinforcement of social infrastructure, such as health or education, with the goal, among others, being that the native population does not perceive that there is an excess of people. Regretably, the government has applied a cut of 30 percent to the Funds for the Integration of Immigrants, a "lamentable" gesture, in the words of Fernández, compared to the deficit in basic infrastructure to absorb new inhabitants in the country.

Attendance record for the University Open House Day at Comillas-ICADE

Thu, 18 Mar 2009 12:37:49 GMT

Almost 1500 candidates to study at the university and their family members attended the University Open House Day in the Faculties of Law (ICADE) and Economic Sciences and Business Administration (ICADE), organised by the Office for Promotion and Recruiting at Comillas. This figure establishes a new record for attendance at the Open House Day, with approximately a 30 percent increase over last year´s participation.

PricewaterhouseCoopers and Comillas-ICADE launch the first Masters Degree in Auditing and Finances on the market

Thu, 18 Mar 2009 09:12:59 GMT

Comillas and PricewaterhouseCoopers have signed an agreement to begin the PricewaterhouseCoopers-Comillas Masters Degree in Finances and Auditing, the first of these characteristics which is being launched in Spain. This Postgraduate programme will have a duration of 15 months; its first graduationg class will begin the course next September and will finish in December of 2010. Throughout the duration of the Masters Programme, participants will be able to combine their professional life with this educational activity.

"Dynamics of violence: minors as assailants, minors as the assailed", theme of the First Conference on Psychology

Sat, 13 Mar 2009 12:58:15 GMT

“Dynamics of violence: minors as assailants, minors as the assailed", is the global theme of the First Conference on Psychology which, organised by the Department of Psychology, of the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences at Comillas, has been carried out for the past two years at the central campus of the university, with the sponsorship of CES Project Mankind and the Association Aspacia for Fraternal Existence Institute Stoa (Asociación Aspacia para la Convivencia Instituto Stoa), and the collaboration of the Santander Chair for Law and Minors, the Department for Psycho-social Intervention (Uninpsi) and the University Institute for the Family, all of these at Comillas.

Comillas organises the University Ski Championship of Madrid

Thu, 20 May 2009 10:06:29 GMT

Sixty-four skiers participated in the University Ski Championship of Madrid, which Comillas organised at the Valdesquí ski station, with the collaboration of the Madrid Federation of Winter Sports and the Pilar Club.

Comillas organises the University Chess Championship of Madrid

Fri, 12 Mar 2009 17:07:57 GMT

Sixty-three participants competed in the University Chess Championship of Madrid, which was held at Comillas. Thanks to widespread participation, this year it was possible to establish, for the first time, a women´s competition. Students from Comillas competed for the Rector´s Trophy, at the same time as competing for the inter-collegiate trophy.

The graduates of the last graduating class in the Post-graduate Programme in Electric Energy are working in the sector

Fri, 12 Mar 2009 11:18:31 GMT

The growth of the electric sector and the challenges that is is raising, along with the experience and the prestige that the Advanced Technical School of Engineering (ICAI) has accumulated, and teaching in energy technologies have contributed to the fact that all of the students in the last graduating class of the Masters Degrees in the Post-graduate Programme in Electric Energy are working in the sector. Many of the professionals that register for classes come from the large companies and organisations in the field, and upon completing their course, all of them find work in these institutions. Endesa, which sponsors one of the courses, Red Eléctrica Española (Spanish Electric Network), Iberdrola, Unión Fenosa or the National Commission for Energy are the main origins or final destinations of the graduates.

Presentation of "The ICAI Engineer and Sustainable Development", a work by 88 professors at the University

Wed, 10 Mar 2009 13:15:44 GMT

"Sustainability means that we cannot maintain the current level of consumption. This is the greatest conflict that humanity faces today. The fact that our School of Engineering is delving into this problem is a motive of satisfaction, since this is the work of the University". The Rector of Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, delivered these words at the presentation ceremony for The ICAI Engineer and Sustainable Development, a joint work by 88 professors at the Advanced Technical School of Engineering (ICAI), published by Comillas and the Association of ICAI Engineers, with the sponsorship of the National College of ICAI Engineers, Endesa and Indra.

The presentation of the book, which was presided over by the Rector, is a part of the commemorative events for the one-hundredth anniversary of ICAI, and was under the supervision of Manuel Acero García, President of the Engineering Institute of Spain, and of the Secretary of State for Climate Change, Teresa Ribera Rodríguez. Also participating were the Director of the School, Fernando de Cuadra, and the President-Dean of the Association-College of ICAI Engineers, Miguel Ángel Agúndez.

The Prince and Princess of Asturias in the commemorative ceremony for the One-Hundredth Anniversary of ICAI

Tue, 27 Apr 2009 13:10:30 GMT

Their Royal Highnesses, the Prince and Princess of Asturias, presided over the main commemorative ceremony for the One-Hundredth Anniversary of ICAI, held today in the Main Auditorium (Aula Magna) at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas. Among those accompanying HRH Felipe and HRH Letizia at the presidential table were: the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ; the Apostolic Papal Nuncio, Manuel Monteiro; the President of the Autonomous Region of Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre; the Secretary of State for Research, Carlos Martínez Alonso; the Great Vice-Chancellor of the University and Provincial Head of Castille, Juan Antonio Guerrero, SJ, and the Director of the Advanced Technical School of Engineering (ICAI), Fernando de Cuadra.

Technology and training form the core of the collaboration between Comillas and the Banco Santander

Sat, 06 Mar 2009 08:30:29 GMT

The technological modernisation of the Universidad Pontificia Comillas and the development of training activities, fundamentally in matters of finance and law, are specified as the main areas of collaboration in an agreement signed by José Ramón Busto, SJ, Rector of the academic institution, and Emilio Botín, President of the Banco Santander. The agreement renews and expands the relationship that both institutions have maintained since 1998.

The Prince and Princess of Asturias received the participants in the Inside 2008 courses at an Audience

Sat, 06 Mar 2009 08:18:24 GMT

Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Asturias, HRH Felipe and HRH Letizia, received the students on the Inside 2008 courses in an Audience. Sixty-four students, accompanied by the Rector of the University, José Ramón Busto, SJ; the Vice-rector for International Relations and University Services, Miguel Juárez, SJ; Professor Laura Gismera; the Director of Inside Programs in the United States, José Herrero; and the coordinator of the courses, Álvaro Lozano, as well as the Vice-president of the Georgetown Club of Spain, Sergio Iranzo.

At the audience, which the Prince offers traditionally in his role as Honourary President of the Georgetown Club of Spain, there was time to talk about the students´experience, both in the United States as well as in China, and of the importance of internationalisation for students, a field in which the Inside Programs are leaders. The Prince and Princess also commented on matters related to the monarchy in Spain with the participants, their role in international relations in our country and their daily life.

Comillas and Princeton carry out in Spain the most important study on second generations in Europe

Thu, 04 Mar 2009 18:04:11 GMT

The children of immigrants, the so-called second generation, do not perceive, at least in Madrid, a large-scale rejection coming from the native population and have faith in the existence of opportunities for upward mobility for all. However, there is a clear gap between their aspirations and their expectations. 52 percent aspire to go to university, but less than half - 23 percent - really count on gaining access to it. 9 percent aspire to the highest educational level - university post-graduate studies - but only 5 percent believe they can achieve it. For many of those scholars on the theme of migration studies, this gap between aspirations and expectations has been the source of conflicts which have occurred in other European countries with second generations (France, Great Britain).

The previous data comes from the first phase of the research study The second generation in Madrid: A longitudinal study, presented today, on the social and economic adaptation of the children of immigrants - the second generation - in Spain, and includes only results which refer to Madrid. The authors of the study are Alejandro Portes, of the Center for Migrations and Development, of the University of Princeton; Rosa Aparicio, of the Institute for Migration Studies at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, and William Haller, of the University of Clemson. The former two participated in the press conference offered today.

This initial phase of research, which relied on the support of the Spencer Foundation, of Chicago (Illinois), consists of a representative sample of second generation students from schools in the metropolitan areas of Madrid and Barcelona, both public and government-funded. The objective of the study is to give the survey once again to those that make up this sample within a few years, to find our how their lives and their expectations for integration in Spanish society have evolved.

Work is a fundamental step in the integration of immigrant youth

Thu, 04 Mar 2009 09:43:49 GMT

Integration into the job market for the children of immigrants constitutes a fundamental step in order to mature into adult life, as work represents the first step toward the integration of a full-fledged citizen. This is one of the essential ideas of the Conference "Young children of immigrants: the process of integration into adult life", organised by the University Institute of Migration Studies (IUEM, in Spanish) at Comillas, for researchers, professors, Post-graduate students and social agents.

The conference was opened by the Vice-rector of Research, Development and Innovation, Ángela Jiménez; the Director of the Institute for Migration Studies, Cristina Gortázar, and the Director of the Spanish Observatory for Racismo and Xenophobia, Amapola Blasco. The experiences presented centered around the detection of needs, to support immigrant youth in different aspects of their lives and the development of projects for intervention. Leisure and free time, educational supervision of those that leave school, counselling for parents, and professional training for youth without papers were the subjects that were treated.

18 percent of adolescents in Madrid have had sexual relations, on the average, at age 14

Wed, 03 Mar 2009 18:25:30 GMT

18 percent of adolescents in Madrid have had sexual relations, on the average, at age 14, and these relations increase with age. In the past year, among those that had sexual relations, 93 percent of adolescents used some method of contraceptive device. 76 percent had received some type of information on sexuality or contraception in their education, through school, friends or, as a last resort, parents.

This data, which refers to adolescents in Madrid, is part of the conclusions in the research paper Adolescence and risk: a comparative study in three autonomous regions, sponsored by the National Plan R+D+i, of the Ministry of Science and Innovation, between the years 2006 and 2008. The study was coordinated by Comillas, by a research team composed of Carmen Meneses (Director), Jorge Uroz and Silvia Giménez, of the Department of Sociology and Social Work, of the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences. In the project, which includes the autonomous regions of Andalusia, Madrid and the Basque Country, researchers from the Universities of Granada, Seville and the Basque Country, and the Basque Health Services, also participated.

Although the data presented by the professors at Comillas centers around Madrid, since they were the first to be processed, comparing the results obtained in the three autonomous regions, Madrid stands out for its violent conduct; Andalusia, for its lack of street safety, and the Basque Country for drug use, especiallly alcohol abuse.

Gala concert at the Royal Theatre to commemorate the One-Hundredth Anniversary of ICAI

Tue, 02 Mar 2009 18:24:52 GMT

The music of Mozart and the extraordinary setting of the Royal Theatre of Madrid came together to enhance the commemorative concert on the one-hundredth anniversary of ICAI, organised with the sponsorship of the Santander Bank, National College of ICAI Engineers, Endesa, IBM, Sitech, Structuralis and Wincor Nixdorf; and the collaboration of the ICAI Engineers Association, the Association of Technical Engineers of ICAI and the Alumni Office of the University.

The musical programme by Mozart opened with the 29th Symphony in La Major K 201, interpreted by the Andrés Segovia Chamber Orchestra, with Karl Sollak as conductor. Following this, the orchestra interpreted the Exsultate, jubilate, K 165, with soprano Alina Furman. After the intermission, mezzosoprano Angélica Mansilla, tenor Luis Dámaso, bass Miguel Ángel Zapater and the Choir of the Prince of Asturias Foundation came on stage to perform the Mass of the Coronation, in Do Major K 317, together with Furman and the orchestra, with maestro Sollak conducting.

There is no reliable data concering the situation of unaccompanied foreign minors in Spain

Sat, 27 Feb 2009 12:53:35 GMT

There is no reliable official data concerning the current situation of immigrant minors who are alone in Spain, which prevents us from knowing their numbers, how the established legal protection system is working, and how it can be improved. This situation was exposed at the Meeting on Unaccompanied Foreign Minors, organised in February by the Santander Chair for Law and Minors at Comillas, with more than 250 participants.

The Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, opened the event, accompanied by Alfredo Albaizar, Director of the Area of Universities for Spain, and Professor Isabel Lázaro, Director of the Chair, which is sponsored by the aforementioned financial institution. Albaizar expressed the pride of the Santander Bank on participating in this research activity with such a rigourous university institution, and resulting from the social and human transcendental nature of the subject.

Javier Gómez Lanz, new Director of the Institute for Post-graduate Studies and Continuing Education

Fri, 26 Feb 2009 14:55:19 GMT

Francisco Javier Gómez Lanz, Professor in the field of Penal Law in the Law School (ICADE), has taken on the position of Director of the Institute for Post-graduate Studies and Continuing Education, in which he replaces Pilar Melara San Román, in a ceremony presided over by the Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ.

Henar Rodríguez wins the Tenth Holy Father Rubio, SJ Award with a work on immigrant student integration

Wed, 24 Feb 2009 13:32:44 GMT

Henar Rodríguez Navarro, a researcher and professor from the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Valladolid, has won the Tenth "Holy Father Rubio, SJ Award for Advancement in the Knowledge of Immigration", held by the Institute for Migration Studies at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas-ICAI-ICADE, with the sponsorship of the Society of Jesus (Province of Castille). The jury awarded the first prize to the piece of research "The process of integration of the new immigrant student in primary education", for having concentrated on a highly sensitive social issue, with broad and complex field work, and whose results are significant, practical and operative for the optimization of educational policies in the field of migration studies.

Comillas holds University Day on the occasion of the festivity of Saint Thomas Aquinus

Wed, 17 Feb 2009 10:16:18 GMT

"Those of you who have received a special award on the completion of your studies are a shining example of the intellectual and personal excellence of our students and an incentive for our professors and all of us involved in the university community, since excellent students require professors and services of high-quality as well", stated the Rector of Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, upon congratulating the 28 students who received their awards during the commemorative act to celebrate University Day, which is celebrated on the occasion of Saint Thomas of Aquinus. Also in attendance were the Apostolic Papal Nuncio, Manuel Monteiro de Castro; The Provincial Representative of Spain for the Society of Jesus, Elías Royón, SJ, and the General Director for Religious Affairs, from the Ministry of Justice, José María Contreras Mazarío.

"Our university is well-known and recognised not only because of the attention that our professores devote to the students, but also due to the human and intellectual excellence of our students: because of their values, their critical spirit, their capacity for work, their responsibility and their availability for collaboration", added the Rector.

Comillas-ICAI offers a Masters Degree in Regulation of the Electrical Industry in the Dominican Republic

Wed, 03 Feb 2009 11:54:06 GMT

The Advanced Technical School of Engineering (ICAI) and its Institute for Technological Research (IIT) will offer the Masters Degree in Regulation of the Electrical Industry in the Dominican Republic, in collaboration with the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (FUNGLODE, in Spanish). Besides designing the content and methodology for teaching and learning, Comillas-ICAI is contributing the majority of the professors on the course.

Students from Comillas-ICAI will represent Spain in the international finals at L´Oréal Ingenius 2009

Tue, 02 Feb 2009 13:32:45 GMT

A team of fifth-year Industrial Engineering students, composed of Alicia Peña, Óliver Al-Nabhani and Enrique Donaire, will represent Spain in the international finals of the L´Oréal Ingenius 2009 game simulation for Engineers, which will be held in March.

"In schools in the Congo, not only learning to add or to speak French are taught, but also living in peace"

Sat, 30 Jan 2009 12:02:58 GMT

Juanjo Aguado, SJ, a former student at Comillas and member of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS, in its acronym in English), visited the university to explain his experience with the displaced in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the region of North Kivu, in a talk organised by the Pastoral Service, the Service for Solidarity and Development Cooperation and the Departments of Cultural Activities, Seminars and Conferences and Social Services.

Aguado has been working in the past months as Director of a JRS educational project in the city of Rutshuru. His objective, to integrate displaced children into the schools in the area: "In schools in the Congo, not only learning to add or to speak French are taught, but also living in peace", he confirmed. "They are sacred ground. The first thing that children do if they manage to arrive at school is to take off their shoes, showing respect and reverence for the school and its teachers". There, with classes of up to 80 students, "the spirit of learning is greater than that which I was able to find here in my days as a professor", said Aguado. "Any place protected from the sun and the rain is good for learning".

The ICAI Engineers Foundation for Development opens a delegation office at Comillas

Fri, 29 Jan 2009 12:55:32 GMT

The ICAI Engineers Foundation for Development has opened a delegation office at the University - office D-123 in the Advanced Technical School of Engineering (ICAI) - for the purpose of attending to students´ concerns for acquiring social values through work on Engineering projects.

The foundation has the support of three basic pillars, which are present in the School of Engineering: the Foundation "Entreculturas - Fe y Alegría" (a Jesuit NGO), the Association of ICAI Engineers, and the National College of ICAI Engineers. It receives, moreover, collaboration from other organisations, such as Energy without Borders, and Engineering without Borders.

Comillas presents the first edition of the Executive Inside Programme for Easter Week

Sat, 23 Jan 2009 13:42:00 GMT

With a programme aimed at young professionals and Post-graduate students, International Courses at Comillas are expanding with the Executive Inside Programme to be held during Easter Week. From April 2 to 12, participants will spend five days in New York and five days in Washington in order to familiarise themselves with the world of business, banking and international relations in the United States.

On the occasion of the one-hundredth anniversary of ICAI, Iveco Spain donates an engine to the university

Fri, 22 Jan 2009 17:49:34 GMT

On the occasion of the celebration of the one-hundredth anniversary of ICAI, which is being commemorated throughout the entire 2008-2009 academic year, Iveco Spain has donated a supercharged diesel engine to Comillas, which will be used in practical classes in the Advanced Technical School of Engineering (ICAI).

Gabino Uríbarri takes over from Santiago Madrigal as Head of the Faculties of Theology and Canon Law

Sat, 23 Jan 2009 11:31:20 GMT

Gabino Uríbarri Bilbao, SJ, is the new Dean of the Faculties of Theology and Canon Law at Comillas, substituting Santiago Madrigal Terrazas, SJ, who has occupied this position for the past six years. The changing of officers was held in the Main Auditorium (Aula Magna) at Cantoblanco, and was presided over by the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, with the presence of the Vice-Great Chancellor of the University and Provincial Head of Castille of the Society of Jesus, Juan Antonio Guerrero, SJ.

Michel: "Football is not a sport; it is, more than anything, an absolute business"

Thu, 21 Jan 2009 16:29:38 GMT

The former football player and trainer, Michel -José Miguel González Martín del Campo- participated in the Wednesday Lecture Series at Comillas, with a talk in which students, professors and university personnel had the opportunity to ask him about his life in sports, his experience as a trainer, his disputes with Real Madrid and the status of the club, in particular, and football, in general. Regarding the latter, he was especially critical: "Football in not a sport; it is, more than anything, an absolute business".

Michel points out three types of people in the world of football: opportunists, more interested in the business than the sport; those with knowledge of the sport, under suspicion by all; and those that do not have a clue, but who impose themselves on the ones with knowledge. In his opinion, the first type and the latter are the majority, and the second type "only once in a while, by chance, manages to sneak in. It is customary to say that the environment surrounding this sport is rotten, but this is no longer valid, because it is rotten from within", ascertained Michel.

The "San Juan de Dios" School of Nursing and Physiotherapy awards its Thirteenth Short Story Prizes

Sat, 16 Jan 2009 12:19:55 GMT

Juan Antonio López Segura, physical therapist from Castellar del Vallés (Barcelona), won the first prize in the Thirteenth "San Juan de Dios" Short Story Prizes with a story titled "The brown donkey". The award, given by the "San Juan de Dios" University School of Nursing and Physiotherapy, in collaboration with the San Rafael Hospital, has a cash prize of 2100 euros.

Graduation and awarding of diplomas to the fifteenth and sixteenth graduating classes of the Executive MBA

Fri, 15 Jan 2009 19:24:25 GMT

The students of the fifteenth and sixteenth graduating classes of the Executive MBA received their diplomas in an academic ceremony presided over by the Rector of Comilllas José Ramón Busto, SJ, who was accompanied by Pilar Melara, Director of the Institute for Post-graduate Studies and Continuing Education, and Vicente Rodríguez Rubio, General Director for the Economic Office of the Navy, who was the special guest and honorary witness of the graduates.

Carmen Valor: "Social action is not a gift, the donation has an opportunity cost"

Fri, 15 Jan 2009 12:00:35 GMT

Carmen Valor, a Professor in the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration (ICADE), has won the Alimerka Foundation Award for short essay on social actions in the business world. The prize-winning article, "Proposal for a strategic global model for business action", describes an alternative model to the current policies concerning social action. The study proposes, among other matters, that "social action is not a gift, because the donation has an opportunity cost".

The men´s indoor football team at Comillas wins third place in "Euromilano 2008"

Wed, 13 Jan 2009 11:44:58 GMT

More than 20 universities from all over Europe and 1200 athletes participated in the championship, held in Milan The men"s indoor football team at Comillas placed third in the university championship "Euromilano 2008", held in Milan, after eliminating a Russian team in the quarter finals.

The team from our university was composed of 19 students who competed in men´s indoor football, women´s basketball and tennis in both categories and for both sexes. Some 1200 students from more than 20 universities from all over Europe, who competed in the men´s and women´s competitions, in the areas of indoor football, basketball, volleyball and tennis, participated in the championship.

European and Latin American Jesuits consider European immigration policies to be unjust and contrary to freedom

Tue, 12 Jan 2009 12:46:02 GMT

For European and Latin American Jesuits, the Directive on the Return of Illegal Immigrants and the European Pact on Immigration and Assylum "gives precedence to security to the detriment of freedom and justice", according to the declaración of the declaration of the Jesuit Social Apostolate of Europe and Latin American and the Caribbean, in which Comillas participated through its University Institute of Migration Studies (IUEM, in Spanish). This was on the occasion of the celebration of World Migrants Day, on December 18, which commemorates the signing of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all Migratory Workers and their Families, from 1990.

The Inter-Provincial Commission for the Spanish Social Apostolate encharged a legal report some time ago on the consequences of the Directive on the Return of Illegal Immigrants and the European Pact on Immigration and Assylum to the Jesuit Service for Migration, to which the University Institute of Migration Studies at Comillas belongs. The Director of the Institute (IUEM), Cristina Gortázar, drew up the report, which, along with other analyses of this issue, has given rise to the declaration of the delegations of the Jesuit Social Apostolate of Europe and of Latin America and the Caribbean.

José Luis Cano, appointed as the new Executive Secretary of the Catholic Education Foundation

Fri, 08 Jan 2009 14:56:06 GMT

José Luis Cano, SJ, has been appointed as new Executive Secretary of the Catholic Education Foundation, substituting Valentín Matilla, SJ, who recently passed away. This foundation was created in 1992 on the recommendation of the Spanish Federation of the Religious in Teaching (FERE, in Spanish) for the purpose of avoiding the closure of any Catholic instititions which could be viable, and which met their social and ecclesiastical function of training children and youth in a human and Christian manner.

José Luis Cano was born in Murcia, and joined the Society of Jesus in 1957, in the center for novice priests in Aranjuez, and was ordained as a priest in 1970. As a graduate in Theology at Comillas, in Philosophy at the Faculty of Theology of the Sociey of Jesus in Alcalá de Henares, and in Chemisty at the University of Murcia, he has dedicated his entire life to teaching. Cano was an Instructor in Mathematics, Chemisty and Religion at several high schools.

Birgitta Baumann, first prize from Accenture for the best final-year thesis in International Business Sciences

Thu, 07 Jan 2009 16:50:43 GMT

Birgitta Baumann won the first prize from Accenture for the best final-year thesis in International Business Sciences (E-4) for her work on "Business Answers to the Daily Consumer Needs of the Handicapped", directed by Professor Carlos Ballesteros García.

Moreover, from the 18 works that were presented, three runner-up prizes have been awarded to Vanessa Campion Álvarez, for her thesis on "Real estate assets as an example of investment", directed by Marta Ramos Aguilar; Rita Muller, for "The Internationalisation of wholesale commercial distribution: conditioning factors and current challenges. The case of the Spanish textile sector", directed by María Victoria Labajo González; and Nadine Schenten, for "The impact of the liquidity crisis on the activity of capital risk", directed by Rocío Sáenz-Díez Rojas.

Presentation of "This is our history", a book that helps children to understand the process of their adoption

Fri, 18 Dec 2008 13:24:46 GMT

Ana Berástegui and Blanca Gómez Bengoechea, researchers in the University Institute of the Family at Comillas, presented This is our History. The book of your adoption. The work, published by SM, is the first to be written and published in Spanish to help children in the understanding of the process of their adoption and to speak to them about their roots and the training of the family to which they now belong.

José Bono, President of the Congress of Deputees, was the special guest at the presentation and explained his experience as an adopting father. He stated that, to him, the most important thing is that the child knows that he or she is adopted before understanding its meaning. Bono said that the past is a right of the child and should not be "missing", and for that reason, it is necessary to "treat it with repect and to be natural". Moreover, he reminded the audience that Spain is the second country, after the United States, which carries out the most adoptions.

A team from Comillas, runner-up in the Second Round-Robin Debate Tournament

Fri, 18 Dec 2008 09:33:16 GMT

A team at Comillas finished as runner-ups in the Second Round-Robin Debate Tournament. Miriam Pastor Martínez, a student in her Fifth Year of Law (E-1), and Beatriz Pardo González, Daniel Pérez García, Cristóbal Rodríguez Giménez and the captain Rocío Villegas Martos, all in their Fifth Year of Law and Business Administration and Management (E-3), competed in the finals with the Competitive Debate Society (Sodeco), debating one of the two subjects proposed by the tournament organisation: "Will the Bologna Project cause an improvement in the quality of teaching in Spain?".

Presentation of "Historical Atlas of the councils and the synods", latest work by Juan María Laboa

Thu, 17 Dec 2008 17:40:38 GMT

"In 40 years of delving into the details of the history of the Church, I have learnt that human beings commit, time and time again, the same mistakes", said Juan María Laboa, Professor Emeritus at Comillas, during the presentation ceremony of his latest work, "Atlas histórico de los concilios y de los sínodos" in Spanish ("Historical Atlas of the councils and synods"), at the main campus of the University, with the Rector José Ramón Busto, SJ, presiding.

The book, published by the San Pablo (Saint Paul) Publishing Company, is a compilation from what is commonly known as the Jerusalem Council, a meeting of the apostles and elders, until the last meeting of the American bishops with Benedict XVI in Aparecida (Brazil). A story which has taken place over the past 20 centuries, of meetings, synods and councils, generally for bishops and, often, with the collaboration of priests and lay people, in which the current state of the Church was assessed, difficulties were examined and precepts and doctrines were adopted. The work is illustrated with numerous maps and photos of paintings, mosaics and bas-relief.

Psychology Professors at Comillas disclose the serious social status of the mentally ill in Madrid

Thu, 17 Dec 2008 10:36:23 GMT

A male between 30 and 50 years of age, diagnosed with squizophrenia, who lives with his mother, on a meager family income, jobless and without any training to fend for himself, lacking aid and information to obtain it, is the profile of the mentally ill person from Madrid which is disclosed by the study "Quality of life and squizophrenia", carried out by a team of psychologists at Comillas, AMAFE (Madrid Association of Friends and Family Members of those Ill with Schizophrenia, in Spanish) and the Social Work Office of Caja Madrid.

This is a matter of the most-extensive research project carried out in Spain, based in the Autonomous Region of Madrid, regarding the serious situation that the mentally ill are facing, their behaviour, needs, and professional deficiencies, in their habits and in their experiences with professionals. The sample for the study is composed of 778 people from the Autonomous Region of Madrid, which includes both the mentally ill patients and their family members.

The authors of the study are Doctors in Psychology, Juan Pedro Núñez Partido, Head of the Psychology Laboratory; Rafael Jódar Anchía and Rufino Meana Peón, SJ, the latter being the Director of the Department for Psycho-social Intervention (UNINPSI); all of them are professors at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas-ICAI-ICADE, and María Teresa Ruiz Jiménez, graduate of Psychology and Director of AMAFE. The Vice-Rector for Research, Development and Innovation participated in the presentation of the project, and pointed out that Comillas can be found at the cutting-edge of research on schizophrenia.

Comillas hosts the presentation of the Greek-Spanish bilingual edition of the "Synopsis of the Four Gospels"

Wed, 16 Dec 2008 12:06:55 GMT

The university was the site of the presentation of the "Synopsis of the Four Gospels", a Greek-Spanish bilingual edition published by the Biblical Society, with the Greek text of a previous editoin by Kurt Aland, and the adaptation and Spanish translation by Antonio Vargas-Machuca, SJ, Professor of the Faculty of Theology.

Second Meeting of Universidad Pontificia Comillas Alumni from the Canary Islands

Wed, 16 Dec 2008 11:38:57 GMT

Ten business organisations from the Canary Islands have signed the United Nations World Agreement and two of them are members of the Spanish network of this pact, as the General Manager for this network, Isabel Hernández, manifested during the speech that she delivered on the occasion of the celebration of the Second Meeting of Universidad Pontificia Comillas Alumni from the Canary Islands, held at the Hotel Santa Catalina, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

"It is up to universities to dream about a better future"

Sat, 12 Dec 2008 12:20:57 GMT

The Rector of the University, José Ramón Busto, SJ, affirmed at the inauguration of the course that "the Declaration of Human Rights invites us to incorporate our committment to freedom and justice into the work of the university". With this underlying statement, and convinced that "it is up to universities to dream about a better future", the Pastoral and Solidarity Services and the Departments of Cultural Activities, Seminars and Conferences and Social Work organised a series of debates on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the passing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Alfredo Arahuetes takes possession of the office of Dean of the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Studies

Sat, 12 Dec 2008 11:26:49 GMT

The new Dean of the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Studies (the Business School, ICADE), Professor Alfredo Arahuetes, took possession of his office in a ceremony presided over by the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and in the presence of his predecessor, María Josefa Peralta, and the General Registrar, Clara Martínez

Natalia Sánchez wins the Special Undergraduate Award from the Autonomous Region of Madrid

Wed, 09 Dec 2008 19:27:06 GMT

Natalia Sánchez, first-year student of Law and the Diploma in International Relations (E-1), at Comillas, has won one of the 23 Special Undergraduate Awards which correspond to the academic year 2007-08 in the Autonomous Region of Madrid. The prize consists of an economic award of 600 euros, an official diploma and an official note of recognition signed on the academic transcript and in the official record book of grades.

In Natalia´s opinion, Law is something that is vocational. "I would like to devote myself to it in the future. When I finish my studies, I would like to do "oposiciones" (exams to be a State Civil Servant) for a public position, something that I have been thinking about for a few years. But I don´t know very well yet if for property registrar, State Attorney, notary, or legal member of the State Council, as one never knows what one is capable of, and there are many goals that can be fulfilled".

José Bono: "I began in politics because of my religious committment and I have been able to keep it"

Wed, 09 Dec 2008 12:18:05 GMT

José Bono, President of the Congress of Deputees (the Spanish House of Representatives or House of Commons), and a former student at Comillas, participated in the Nineth Conference for Orientation and Committment to Solidarity "Yes, you do have rights. Comillas in the real world" by speaking about his relationship with politics and social reality. "I began in politics because of my religious committment, and even though it has not been easy, I have been able to keep it", confirmed Bono, upon remembering that this university was "a Jesuit island, which some of us knew how to take advantage of to begin to participate in politics".

He was clear regarding his political committment: "I am a Socialist, I believe in solidarity and I am Spanish". And he confirmed that, for him, solidarity is on the same level as equality: "Radical equality is a fact, although privileges may be disguised to convert them into rights". Asked about his ability to work for the rights of the most marginalised people, he responded that one must be a rebel with a cause, because rebellion against the establishment is a sign of committment and respect. "Everyone has the right to eat and to live and, either we give it to them, or they will take it for themselves", he pronounced.

Secretary General for the Defense of Minors: "We must do justice with the most vunerable"

Fri, 04 Dec 2008 13:51:41 GMT

Comillas hosted the International Conference on Childhood and Adolescence, organised by the Freudian Analysis Association, in collaboration with the University. With the title "Contributions from psycho-analysis and other fields of reflection", the sessions purport to be a contribution from the point of view of psycho-analysis and other fields of reflection to the problems of children and adolescents.

Edward Freeman, father of the Stakeholder theory, Doctor honoris causa at Comillas

Wed, 02 Dec 2008 17:16:48 GMT

The creator of the Stakeholder theory for modern business, Professor Edward Freeman, has received the award of Doctor honoris causa from the Universidad Pontificia Comillas-ICAI-ICADE, proposed by the Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences (the Business School, ICADE), in a solemn academic ceremony held this morning.

This is the first time that a university has given Freeman an award of this kind, but as his academic sponsor in the ceremony, Professor José Luis Fernández, Director of the Javier Benjumea Chair (Focus-Abengoa) for Economic and Business Ethics stated, "it will not be the last time to receive an award for his contribution to the task of consolidating this area of knowledge and the practical environment of business ethics, and for contributing to the inward explosion of the phenomena of corporate social responsibility, which now is perceived to be growing vigorously".

60 universities participate in the Fourth International University Exchange Fair

Tue, 01 Dec 2008 18:46:50 GMT

The University Exchange Club, Comitas Exchange, in collaboration with the International Relations Service, held its fourth International University Exchange Club. Some 60 universities from more than 20 countries were present to inform students concerning the different possibilities for which they can opt in the event that they wish to request an Erasmus grant or a bilateral exchange.

Alex Rovira fills the house at the Anual Alumni Meeting 2008

Tue, 01 Dec 2008 18:41:17 GMT

With the venue filled to the brim, which forced the closing of registration for participants several days before, Comillas held the Annual Alumni Meeting 2008 on November 15 in which, besides the attractive nature of a collective meeting, an added attraction was the keynote speaker included in the programme: Alex Rovira.

The Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, opened the round of speeches and, after welcoming those present, said that this year life at Comillas is taking a path between the celebration of the one-hundredth anniversary of ICAI and the implementation of the new degrees adapted to the European Space for Higher Learning.

"We have been trying –he added- to make that founding impulse a reality. Our institution has changed, it has grown, and it has become bigger, but the goals of its founders continue to be ours. All of this is being made possible, to a large extent, thanks to the collaboration of alumni who, individually and also grouped together in different associations which the university provides, have been encouraging and supporting the work of our university institution in many different ways". Precisely, in order to thank and to recognise the collaboration of alumni, the Rector stated that the "Junta de Gobierno" (University Senate) has agreed to concede the Gold Medal of the University to the ICAI Engineers Association.

Professor Alfredo Arahuetes, new Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences (Business School)

Fri, 27 Nov 2008 17:17:18 GMT

On Tuesday, December 2 at 1:00 pm in the Sala de Conferencias (Lecture Hall), located at calle Alberto Aguilera, 23, Professor Alfredo Arahuetes García will take possession as Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences (the Business School), replacing Professor María Josefa Peralta Astudillo, who has been in this position for six and a half years. The Rector and all of the members of the University wish to thank Professor María Josefa Peralta for her efforts and for her generous availability throughout these years as Head of the Faculty, and would like to send their best wishes to the new Dean as he embarks on this new era.

A research team from the IIT (Institute for Technological Research) creates a system for reading bank cheques

Thu, 26 Nov 2008 18:45:02 GMT

A research team from the Institute for Technological Research (IIT, in Spanish) has carried out, together with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a system for reading bank cheques which deciphers handwriting and allows transactions to be mechanised, thereby fomenting these tasks and reducing mistakes.

The volume of cheques that banks need to process currently supposes increasing costs each year. The interest in mechanising the process has led to the development of this system, which uses techniques of optical character recognition based on neuron networks in order to read the amount of the cheque.

The Ministry of Science and Innovation awards the "distinction of quality" to a Doctorate in Electric Energy at Comillas-ICAI

Fri, 20 Nov 2008 09:05:51 GMT

The Doctoral Programme in Electric Energy at Comillas - ICAI has obtained the "distinction of quality" awarded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, through the Secretary of State for Univerisities. This distinction is a recognition of the scientific and technical solvency of the programme that, as its Director Pablo García González explains, encompasses the quality in training of the Doctorate, the research activity of the professors involved, and the Doctoral theses defended by students.

The program is evolving and there are more and more students who are carrying out periods of stay in other countries, and visiting professors who are teaching there. "I believe that the true challenge of the Doctorate is its internationalisation. European funds for research are greater and greater and, moreover, it is the only way of maintaining an acceptable volume of students. In Europe, we compete with the same conditions as other universities, and not being public does not suppose a limit to the accessing of funds", assures García González.

The Superior General of the Jesuits congratulates ICAI on the celebration of its one-hundredth anniversary

Thu, 19 Nov 2008 12:10:20 GMT

The Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Father Adolfo Nicolás, expressed his congratulations to ICAI on the celebration of its one-hundredth anniversary during his stay in Barcelona, where he delivered a lecture at the campus of ESADE, on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary, and where he visited the John XXIII Centre, in Bellvitge, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the presence of the jesuits in this neighbourhood.

In the context of his lecture on the mission of the Society of Jesus in the realm of the university, titled "Mission and University: what future do we want?", delivered at ESADE, Father Nicolás said: "I cannot conclude this greeting without referring to another joyous commemoration for the Society. On October 15, 1908, the "Instituto Católico de Artes e Industrias" or "Catholic Institute of Arts and Industries", ICAI, in Spanish, began its teaching activity with 25 students in classes for workers, which were free of charge, and with another 40 students in classes of mechanical technicians and electricians. The happiness of this celebration is interspersed with my emotional personal recollections, since I was a student for three years in the other section of the institution, the Areneros High School." "That utopian dream of the creators of ICAI is still alive today in those that inherited and furthered it, those who believe in the value of university training to make other people´s lives better, and in Christian and Social humanism as a necessary ingredient for the training taught at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, to which I send my heartfelt congratulations and my best wishes for the future", concluded Father Nicolás.

Beatriz Vara de Rey, awarded as Student of the Year at the Alfonso Ussía Awards, at LA RAZÓN (Spanish Newspaper)

Wed, 18 Nov 2008 15:29:22 GMT

triz Vara de Rey, a student of Law and Business Administration and Management (E-3), at Comillas, has won the Student of the Year Award at the first edition of the Alfonso Ussía Awards, given by the newspaper LA RAZÓN. The award acknowledges one of the best academic transcripts of marks in the second year of studies for the 2007-08 academic year, in which she received the final comprehensive mark of "matricula de honor" (highest honours). The distinction has meant "a reward for my efforts" to Beatriz, and "encourages her to keep striving".

Beatriz chose Comillas because of the prestige that it enjoys and the opportunities for employment which, as a consequence, arise. "I did not do an entrance exam for any other university", she states. Comillas-ICADE has surpassed the expectations that I had, she likes her professors "very much", and her desire to be in a favourable environment, which she considers so important, has been met to perfection. "Here I am comfortable in class and I come eagerly. The people make you like to be in class, I ask questions unashamedly, I pay attention and I understand what they say.

"Noche de Paz (Night of Peace, "Silent Night")" wins the Christmas card contest 2008 at Comillas

Fri, 13 Nov 2008 19:48:41 GMT

Rosa María Martín Gudiel, member of the Department of Administration and Services at the Universidad, has won the Christmas card contest 2008 at Comillas, with the work titled "Noche de Paz" (Night of Peace, "Silent Night").

The Dean of Theology and Canon Law enters the Royal Academy of Doctors of Spain

Fri, 13 Nov 2008 19:43:32 GMT

The Royal Academy of Doctors of Spain, in a decision adopted at the plenary session of full members, has elected Professor Santiago Madrigal Terrazas, SJ, Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Canon Law at Comillas, as a full member of the First Section of Theology.

Competencies, underlying theme at the Second Meeting for School Counsellors, organised by Comillas

Thu, 12 Nov 2008 19:33:19 GMT

Some thirty school counsellors, about half coming from private schools and half from public schools in Madrid, attended the Second Meeting for School Cousellors, held under the framework of the Tenth Comillas Employment Forum, whose underlying theme was competencies.

After being welcomed by the Vice-Rector for Financial Affairs, Cecilio Moral, and visiting the Forum, the work session began, which was opened with the presentation of the Web Orion, a unique tool available for school counselling, directed by Comillas Professor Vicente Hernández and which has been remodeled recently.

Following this, a round table was begun which treated the central theme of the meeting.

In times of crisis, the number of candidates and their interest in the selection process increases

Wed, 11 Nov 2008 18:13:12 GMT

Under the present economic circumstances, the number of candidates interested in participating in selection processes is increasing, while at the same time expectations are being lowered, and as a consequence, the possibilities of being selected by a company are increasing. This is the main conclusion of the questionnaire that the Universidad Pontificia Comillas has distributed in 93 companies, leaders in their respective fields, which participated in the Tenth Comillas Employment Forum, held on November 5 and 6, in the main building of the University.

Although it is still early to detect large variations in the access to the job market for recent graduates, companies recognise that in times of crisis, such as the present time, student interest in selection processes is increasing vis-à-vis a first job and that, moreover, students become less selective. Proof of this is the success of the attendance at the Forum by students and former students at Comillas, who flocked to the company stands to provide them with their resumés and to receive information on the possiblities of selection and the options for professional development offered to them by the companies, in case they join their professional staff.

Health, technology, sustainability and challenges to the family, at Science Week at Comillas

Wed, 11 Nov 2008 13:18:35 GMT

Health, sustainable development and energy technologies, the application of new technologies to knowledge and more stimulating and current challenges which families face today make up the varied themes of the programme that Comillas will offer during the Seventh Madrid Science Week 2008, organised by the Autonomous Region of Madrid, from November 10 to 23, with the intervention of specialists in the different subject matters.

Spain lacks global programmes for the problems of immigrant families when taking in immigrants

Tue, 10 Nov 2008 17:13:34 GMT

The complex phenomena of transnational immigrant families requires global and inter-disciplinary responses to their problems, so for that reason, it is adviseable to incorporate the transnational perspective into the academic arena, into migratory policies and into intervention into social, economic and health areas, etc., according to the conclusions reflected in the Eleventh Conference of the Meeting FOrum for Universities - Social Agents "Family and immigration: the transnational immigrant family, indispensable agent in Spanish society", organised by the University Institute for Migration Studies (IUEM, in Spanish), at Comillas.

The more than 60 participants at this latest edition of the annual meeting between universities and social agents who are acting in the field of immigration manifested the absence of global programmes to take in immigrants, aimed at immigrant families.

In the words of the coordinator of the conference and member of the IUEM, Joaquín Eguiren, the legal measures adopted by the Spanish Administration do not appear to be sufficient for the re-grouping of families among immigrant parents and their children. This situation originates psychological problems for the members of the family and difficulties in the evolution of the family. "A woman of twenty-some years of age, who arrives in Spain as an immigrant and who has to spend, at least, five years egalising her situation in the country, could be separated from her children during the formative stages in which they most need her", emphasises Eguren.

Francisco Javier López Bartolomé received the Javier Benjumea Award in its fourteenth edition

Tue, 10 Nov 2008 11:33:35 GMT

Francisco Javier López Bartolomé, President of the Regions of America and Iberia of Wincor Nixdorg, received the Javier Benjumea Award, in its fourteenth edition, at the commemoration of the one-hundredth anniversary of ICAI, which was held in the Aula Magna (Main Auditorium) at Comillas, with the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, presiding. The graduating classes of ICAI which are holding their golden and silver anniversaries this year were also welcomed.

José Ramón Busto: "Benedict XVI is a Pope who has been a theologian and who would like to continue to be one"

Fri, 06 Nov 2008 10:33:42 GMT

The Faculty of Theology has organised its fifth conference with the title of "The thoughts of Joseph Ratzinger, theologian and Pope." For three days, instructors and researchers delved into the theology of Ratzinger, through his works and his judgements. In his inaugural speech, José Ramón Busto, SJ, Rector of the University, certified that, if analising the thoughts of a prestigious theologian is always interesting, it is even more so when he has been Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and is the Pope. This dual role is important because, in the words of the Rector, "Benedict XVI is a Pope who has been a theologian and who would like to continue to be one".

Comillas, in solidarity with the University of Navarra after the terrorist attack

Thu, 05 Nov 2008 18:42:33 GMT

Students, professors and academic authorities at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas gathered in the hall of each of the buildings of the university to express their solidarity, by means of a minute of silence, with the University of Navarra, for the terrorist attack suffered on that university campus.

The Association "Club Inside" (The Inside Club) is born for cultural exchange and the training and creating of awareness in free peoples

Thu, 05 Nov 2008 11:41:30 GMT

The graduation ceremony to award diplomas for the sixth edition of the Inside Programmes served as a platform for the presentation of the Association "Club Inside" (The Inside Club). This organisation, open to all of those who have participated in any of these international programmes, and to those who have worked for them, has the intention of "fomenting a critical and independent social group, which will contribute to cultural exchange and to the training and creating of awareness in free peoples, capable of analising events and reasoning in an objective manner."

The Inside Programmes, which have been running since 2003, have provided a unique international experience to nearly 500 students, the majority from Comillas. This sixth edition witnessed the participation of 92 students: 34 in the Inside Washington Program, 35 in the Inside New York Program y 23 in the Inside Beijing–Shanghai Programme.

Comillas joins the CRUE in condemming the terrorist attack on the University of Navarra

Sat, 31 Oct 2008 12:57:28 GMT

The Universidad Pontificia Comillas is joining the declaration of condemnation by the Rectors Conference of Spanish Universities (CRUE, in Spanish) as a result of the terrorist attack which occured on the campus of the University of Navarra. As a sign of solidarity and rejection for the attack, a minute of silence will be kept tomorrow, Friday, October 31, at 12:30 pm, in the hall of each building.

The first Graduating Class for the Masters Degree in Business Taxation, which is offered together with Deloitte, receives its diplomas

Tue, 03 Nov 2008 14:48:32 GMT

The first graduating class for the Masters Degree in Business Taxation which is taught by Comillas, in collaboration with Deloitte, Attorneys and Tax Consultants, has received their diplomas in an academic ceremony presided over by the Rector of the University, José Ramón Busto, SJ, in which the second edition of the programme was inaugurated at the same time.

The goal of this Masters Degree is to provide undergraduates who are joining Deloitte every year as tax consultants with specialised training and the largest measure of academic and professional excellence required to carry out their work. The classes are given over the length of the academic year and are taught on Fridays at the Instutite for Post-graduate Studies and Continuing Education at Comillas, which is organising the programme together with the Faculty of Law (ICADE), on behalf of the University. The teaching team includes Inspectors from the Tax Office and professionals from Deloitte, Attorneys and Tax Consultants, as well.

Daniel Pérez and Cristobal Rodríguez, winners of the Eighth Rector´s Trophy for University Debate

Sat, 31 Oct 2008 10:41:24 GMT

Daniel Pérez García and Cristobal Rodríguez, students of the Fourth Year of Business Administration and Management and Law (E-3), are the winners of the Eighth Rector´s Trophy for University Debate. In the finals, the teams composed of Daniel Pérez García and Cristóbal Rodríguez (Fifth Year of E-3), and Rafael Agrafojo Ramos and Álvaro de Diego Pérez-Cameselle (Fourth Year of E-3) competed against each other.

The Eighth Rector´s Trophy was held over two days, with a total of 23 debates in which 10 teams participated. The theme chosen for this edition was "Should Madrid host the celebration of the Olympic Games?", a question which, according to the organisation, has hardly been discussed in the public realm despite its importance.

José Ramón Busto: "Saint Paul was never an anti-feminist. This is one of the unfair statements that he has to withstand"

Fri, 30 Oct 2008 17:25:03 GMT

The Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, opened the Alonso Schökel Lecture Series with a lecture titled "Was Paul an anti-feminist?". The question was answered quickly, since at the beginning of the presentation, he stated: "Saint Paul was never against women. This is one of the unjust statements that he has to withstand". Professor Busto insisted, in front of an audience largely composed of women, that "with the exception of Musonio Rufo, there is no one in the ancient world more feminist than Paul".

One hundred thirty runners take part in the Comillas Inter-university Cross

Wed, 28 Oct 2008 17:26:55 GMT

One hundred thirty runners take part in the Comillas Inter-university Cross held at the Cantoblanco campus at Comillas. The race, with a new record of participation, is the first of the Madrid university circuit for the 2008-09 academic year. As usual, along with the Inter-university competition, the Comillas Rector´s Trophy was held for students from this university.

"We have not invented anything; people have always been communicating, and we have only given them a more efficient and better tool"

Wed, 28 Oct 2008 13:41:18 GMT

"We have not invented anything; people from all over the world have always been communicating. We have only given them a new tool, and we have made it more efficient and better". Mark Zuckerberg, 24 years of age, creator and Board Member of Facebook, answered one of the most applauded questions asked by students at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas this afternoon in this way, during a lecture which he gave for the programme of activities planned for the one-hundredth anniversary of the Advanced Technical School of Engineering (ICAI), introduced by its Director, Fernando de Cuadra.

Carlos Espinosa de los Monteros, Eva Castillo, Javier Calvet and Kishore Shyam, winners of the ICADE Association Awards

Thu, 22 Oct 2008 17:54:33 GMT

Carlos Espinosa de los Monteros, Eva Castillo Sanz, Javier Calvet Stoffel and Kishore Shyam Karani have received the first ICADE Association Awards. With these distinctions, the Association wishes to recognise those former students who have demonstrated an excellent professional trajectory, and who have stood out in the field of business for their accomplishments and professional, ethical and academic values.

The awards ceremony, which was held at the main site of the university, was presided over by the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, who presented the awards along with the President and the Vice-President of ICADE Association, Marcelo Prieto and Daniel Villar, respectively. Among the general public in attendance were family members, friends and workmates of the award winners, as well as recognised members of the business world.

Comillas hosts the first meeting of the Network for International Adoption

Thu, 29 Oct 2008 15:26:18 GMT

Fifty-eight researchers from different universities, hospitals, companies, public enterprises and associations of adopting families make up this Network for International Adoption, which has held its first meeting at Comillas, with the title "The Integration of the internationally-adopted: inter-disciplinary perspectives."

This network arose as an initiative by Comillas to bring together the efforts of different research teams located all around Spain, and joins work groups involved in 11 projects active in the National Plan I+D+i(Research+Development+Innovation).

The network has created a web page (www.upcomillas.es/adopcion) in order to spread the knowledge which is being generated in Spain in relation to adoption from the point of view of different groups.

Professor José Ignacio Pérez Arriaga receives the Outstanding Engineer Award

Thu, 15 Oct 2008 12:01:53 GMT

José Ignacio Pérez Arriaga, Professor in the Advanced Technical School of Engineering (ICAI), Director of the BP Chair for Sustainable Development and member of the Royal Academy of Engineering, received the Outstanding Engineer Award, given by the Spanish Chapter of the Society for Power and Energy, of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). Victoriano Casajús, President of the Spanish section of the institution, presented the prize to him, obtained for his contribution to "the theory and practice of the electrical markets".

This recognition is the highest distinction that the chapter awards to one of its members for his or her professional career. Professor Pérez Arriaga is the third recipient of this award and the second ICAI Engineer to receive it, after Professor José Luis Torá, who is now retired.

Forty percent of students in the Master in International Cooperation are from Latin America, Africa and the EU

Wed, 14 Oct 2008 17:12:00 GMT

The University Masters Degree in International Development Cooperation has begun its classes in the twelfth edition for 2008-09, which is the first as an official post-graduate programme adapted to the European Space for Higher Education (EEES, in Spanish), with its 50 places covered by 60% of Spanish students and the remaining 40%, students coming from Latin America, Africa, and the European Union.

The "Comunidad de Madrid" (Autonomous Region of Madrid) is the place from which the majority of the Spanish students come, followed by the Autonomous Region of Valencia, Andalucía, the Basque Country, Castille and Leon, Extremadura, and others.

Ninety percent of the students registered in this course have university undergraduate degrees. The academic background is varied, from Technical Architecture to Philology, covering areas such as Sociology, Political Science, Law, History, Economics, Business, Veterinary Studies and different fields of Engineering, and those who are working do so in the so-called third sector, which included non-profit organisations.

Comillas welcomes more than 300 international students during the first semester of the academic year 2008-09

Wed, 14 Oct 2008 17:11:32 GMT

More than 300 university students coming from 139 universities in 28 foreign countries chose Comillas to continue their studies in the first semester of the academic year 2008-09. The classrooms of our university have opened their doors to 305 international students during this semester, compared to 284 that visited us in the same period for the past academic year, amounting to a 7 percent increase.

This numerous group of students arrived at Comillas thanks to Erasmus grants, different bilateral agreements and specific programmes. During the past academic year, the International Relations Service expanded its network of collaboration, signing exchange agreements with new universities in China, The Philippines, The United States, Colombia, France, Norway, The United Kingdom, and Russia.

The students were welcomed by the Vice-Rector for International Relations and University Services, Miguel Juárez, SJ; the Director of the Interational Relations Service, Inés Fernández, and by representatives of the different University services.

"Outsourcing" services represent 36 percent of income in the consulting sector

Sat, 10 Oct 2008 10:38:56 GMT

The Asociación Española de Empresas de Consultoría (Spanish Association of Consulting Firms, AEC, in Spanish) presented its report "Outsourcing. Lever of growth and creation of worth". Fernando de Cuadra, Director of the Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería (Advanced Technical School of Engineering, ICAI); José de Rafael, Director General of the AEC; Ricardo Penalva, Vice-President of the AEC and member of the Board of Directors of Everis, and Antonio Crespo, Director of Quint for Spain and Portgual, participated in the event.

The AEC is drawing up an annual report on consulting, as well as three studies on the sector. This year it has chosen "outsourcing" as the theme of one of these reports, because of the great interest that it stimulates in the sector. According to the report, in the consulting business, the services of "outsourcing" or "lowering of costs" are the most dynamic and represent 36 percent of the income in the sector.

The Universidad Pontificia Comillas opens the 2008-09 academic year, during which the School of Engineering, ICAI, will celebrate its 100th Anniversary

Thu, 08 Oct 2008 19:39:18 GMT

The Universidad Pontificia Comillas inaugurated the 2008-09 academic year, during which the one-hundredth anniversary of the School of Engineering, ICAI, the "Instituto Católico de Artes e Industrias" (Catholic Institute of Arts and Industries) will be celebrated. It has formed a part of this university since 1978, as the Rector, José Ramón Busto, SJ, pointed out in his speech.

The Undergraduate Degrees in Social Work, Pre-school Education and Primary School Education offered now for the first time

Wed, 07 Oct 2008 10:39:55 GMT

With the beginning of the academic year, Comillas has begun to offer the new undergraduate degrees in Social Work, Pre-school Education and Primary School Education. The students that are beginning their classes will be the first graduates of our university to enter the labour market in four years. In the Autonomous Region of Madrid, only Comillas offers the European Degree in Social Work; in the case of Pre-school Education and Primary School Education, it is the only Spanish University that offers the degree adapted to the European Space for Higher Education (EEES, in Spanish).

On the occasion of the one-hundredth anniversary of ICAI, Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler donate two vehicles to the university

Tue, 06 Oct 2008 17:42:11 GMT

On the occasion of the celebration of the one-hundredth anniversary of ICAI, which will be commemorated throughout the entire 2008-09 academic year, Mercedes-Benz Spain and Chrysler Spain have donated one vehicle each to the Universidad Pontificia Comillas-ICAI-ICADE, which will be used in practical classes in the Advanced Technical School of Engineering (ICAI).

The two cars donated are a Mercedes Benz Vito 109 CDI and a Dodge Caliber with a 1.8 liter gas engine. Both vehicles will be used so that the students in the final years of studies in Engineering can carry out experiments with their engines and mechanical systems.

These donations are the result of the many years of collaboration between the university and the two automobile manufacturers, and of the interest of the latter in having one of the best schools in the country train its future engineers with their brand-name products.

The Masters Degree in Railway Systems begins its seventh edition, now becoming an official degree

Thu, 01 Oct 2008 15:14:31 GMT

The University Masters Degree in Railway Systems began the 2008-09 academic year with the graduation ceremony for the members of the sixth graduating class, and the presentation of the new edition, in which the degree has now become official, with its adaptation to the European Space for Higher Education. Both former and new students, as well as the large number of people attending, had the opportunity to witness a round table on super high-speed trains, with the participation of the main operators and manufacturers in the world.

Antonio Fernández Cardador, Director of the Masters Programme, reminded those present that the degree was born as a result of the demand of the Spanish railway sector for high-speed trains and from a number of lines in Madrid. Thanks to the productive relationship between universities and companies which Comillas-ICAI enjoys, the Masters Degree has numerous and important collaborating entities, which bring both students and professors to the course.

Fernando Vidal and Rosalía Mota present the largest survey on early childhood in Spain to the media

Wed, 30 Sep 2008 17:52:50 GMT

The professors from Comillas, Fernando Vidal and Rosalía Mota, presented their research, "Survey on early childhood in Spain 2008", a sociological study published by the university, the SM Foundation and the "Movimiento Júnior-Acción Católica" (Júnior-Acción Catholic Movement), which reflects the situation of childhood in our country, at a press conference. This study is the largest survey on the childhood population carried out in our country and offers an ample and extensive portrait of its current situation.

Among its main conclusions, the survey points out that Spanish children live in close-knit and sociable homes. The physical presence of parents is habitual at home, although there are 17% of children that spend all afternoon without them and 27% of the childhood population eventually feels lonely at home. The children of immigrant parents are those that are most left alone all afternoon, those that have the greatest number of televisions in their room, and those that most recur to video games on a daily basis.

The Library at Comillas receives the Seal of Quality Commitment for European Excellence from the EFQM

Tue, 29 Sep 2008 14:06:05 GMT

The Universidad Pontificia Comillas has received the Seal of Quality Commitment for European Excellence from the EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) for the management of its library archives.

In order to obtain this distinction of quality, the university was submitted to a process of external evaluation whose last phase, between July 17 and 23, was carried out by the Club for Excellence in Management, as the organism that represents the EFQM in Spain.

The Council of Ministers has approved three new university degrees at Comillas

Tue, 22 Sep 2008 12:07:31 GMT

Bachelor´s Degree in Social Work, Bachelor´s Degree in Primary Education, and Bachelor´s Degree in Pre-School Education are the degrees adapted to the European Space for Higher Education (EEES, in Spanish), which were approved by the Council of Ministers and which will be offered beginning in October.

Comillas is the only university that will offer the new degrees, Bachelor´s Degree in Pre-school Education and Bachelor´s Degree in Primary Education. Moreover, only Comillas will offer the Bachelor´s Degree in Social Work in Madrid, adapted to the European Space for Higher Education.

Only Comillas will offer the European Undergraduate Degree of Social Work next school year

Tue, 15 Sep 2008 14:56:46 GMT

In Madrid, next school year 2008-09, studying the undergraduate degree in Social Work, which has been adapted to the European Space for Higher Education (EEES, in Spanish), and which has lived up to the academic level expectations, will only be possible in Comillas Pontifical University.

More information.

Comillas, only university to offer Primary School Education and Pre-School Education European degrees

Fri, 11 Sep 2008 18:50:52 GMT

Comillas Pontifical University is the only Spanish institution offering undergraduate degrees in Pre-School Education and Primary School Education, which have been adapted to the European Space for Higher Education, in the academic year 2008-2009. Classes will take place in 21, Quintana Street, in the centre of Madrid.

More information.

Juan Antonio Guerrero was sworn in as Provincial Leader of Castille

Fri, 04 Sep 2008 14:25:46 GMT

Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves, SJ, has been sworn in as Provincial Leader of Castille before more than 130 jesuits, in Villagarcía de Campos (Valladolid). Father Guerrero was a former student and teacher at Comillas and, as Provincial Leader, is also Vice Grand Chancellor of this university. Father General Adolfo, SJ, elected Guerrero to substitute for Joaquín Barrero, SJ, who was named Regional Representative of the Southern European Region.

First class to complete the Masters in Finance from Comillas-ICADE graduates

Thu, 30 Jul 2008 12:56:16 GMT

The first class, composed of 24 students, to complete the Masters in Finance from the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (ICADE) has graduated. Out of the class, 58 per cent came from other Spanish universities (one of them private), 33 per cent from foreign universities in Europe, America and Asia, and 8 per cent from Comillas.
Despite the programme’s novelty, created after the reform in the European Higher Education Area, this course ensued from a previous programme called Masters in Business Administration Executive which was taught to 32 classes, and from a subsequent Masters in Finance Economy, taught to 15 classes, as pointed out by Cecilio Moral, programme director.

Metanexus Institute, from the United States, holds its 2008 annual Conference at Comillas

Wed, 02 Sep 2008 09:54:23 GMT

For the first time, Metanexus Institute, Pennsylvania, is holding its annual conference away from the United States and is taking place in Madrid, from July 13 to 16. The gathering has been organized in collaboration with Comillas Pontifical University, under the title Subject, Self, and Soul: Transdisciplinary Approaches to Personhood. Metanexus is an international network of scientists, theologians, philosophers, historians, teachers, artists and religious leaders.
José Ramón Busto, SJ, Rector of Comillas; Edward Devinney, President of Metanexus Institute; Javier Leach, Director of the Chair of Science, Technology and Religion; David Schrader, Executive Director of the American Philosophical Association, and Eric Weislogel, Executive Director of Metanexus all participated in the welcoming session.

The Rector of Comillas went over the Institution’s history and insisted that both the spirit inspiring Metanexus and the topic chosen for the annual conference are remarkably linked to the university’s future. "Given its history and tradition, Comillas is an ideal place for this conference to take place", he stated. In addition, José Ramón Busto emphasized the work of Comillas-ICAI and the Chair of Science, Technology and Religion, since both institutions Qhave proven that science and technology can not only dialogue, but also integrate with religion".

Jesuit Luis Ladaria appointed as Secretary for the Doctrine of the Faith

Thu, 30 Jul 2008 12:55:23 GMT

Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Luis Ladaria, SJ, from the province of Aragon, as Secretary for the Doctrine of the Faith, with a rank of Archbishop. Father Ladaria was professor at Comillas Faculty of Theology, where he had also been a former student, from 1976 until 1987. He will be ordained in Rome on July 26.

Ladaria was born in Manacor (Balearic Islands) on April 19, 1944. He joined the Society of Jesus on October 17, 1996, and was ordained as priest on July 29, 1973. He holds a degree in Law from Madrid University (1961-66), he studied Philosophy at Comillas Pontifical University (1967-69), and attained a degree in Theology from Sankt Georgen (Frankfurt, 1968-73). He obtained a PhD in Theology fom the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome (1973-75), with a thesis on "The Holy Spirit in Hilary of Poitiers".

The second class to complete the Master of Company Law graduates

Fri, 24 Jul 2008 08:45:00 GMT

The Vice Dean of the Madrid Bar Association, Luis Rodríguez, has fostered the second graduating class to complete the Master of Company Law. Comillas, University of Deusto and ESADE-Ramon Llull University have adapted this official degree to the European Higher Education Area and issue the degree.

Almost 95 per cent of students enrolled on this programme came from different universities: 60 per cent from state universities, and the rest, from private universities.

William Nordhaus: Technologies which take into account the real cost of fuel must be developed

Wed, 15 Jul 2008 08:47:20 GMT

William Nordhaus, Economics professor at Yale University has visited Comillas to deliver a conference on "Economic aspects of global warming", organised by Iberdrola Chair of Investigation on Economy of Climate Change, and the Institution of Studies in Applied Economics (FEDEA), in collaboration with Comillas Pontifical University.

In his lecture, Nordhaus admitted that, according to present research, climate change is predicted to have a relatively small impact on more advanced economies in the next 50 to 100 years. However, "great potential problems lay beyond this margin: abrupt changes of temperature, ecological disruptions, pressure on developing economies, or even gradual floodings which will rise the sea level". A clear example is that of hurricanes. In previous years, the increase of temperatures and the rising of sea level have resulted in currents which have caused cyclones of higher intensity leading to severe consequences on local economies and infrastructures.

A new approach, suggested by Nordhaus, would be the "international harmony on carbon taxes". This tax would draw fossil fuels value near to their real ecological and economic price. Therefore, each country would pay the fees of climate change in due proportion, without forgetting necessary compensation for developing economies, and as a consequence, fostering sustainable technology. Nordhaus recognized taxes are unpopular, but hopes attitudes will change. After all, "it is a topic which will be present throughout our lives and even beyond", he stated.

A graduate of Comillas-ICADE, the best student in the Master of Laws, at Columbia University

Sat, 11 Jul 2008 08:28:59 GMT

"I was very eager to study in an English-speaking country, not only to perfect the language, but also to acquire a good overview of its legal system", notes Teresa Méndez Flórez, a graduate in 2004 in Law and Business Administration (E-3), who has just been awarded the Walter Gellhorn Prize at Columbia University for being the Master of Laws student with the highest grade point average in her graduating class.

Teresa remembers that E-3 was a great training ground for her as far as the organisation of her time, capacity for group work and performance under pressure are concerned. "At Columbia, marks are given in a competitive way There is a set grade curve. Only between five and ten percent can get the best mark, and for foreign students it is especially difficult because we are competing against American students, who are in their second or third year, and who know the system much better, besides not having any problem with the language", explains Teresa, who studied the Master of Laws at Columbia thanks to a Fulbright Continuing Education Scholarship.

The first graduating class to complete the five years of studies in the Senior Citizens University receives their diplomas

Fri, 10 Jul 2008 09:15:33 GMT

The first graduating class in the Senior Citizens University at Comillas, which has finished the five years of academic studies in the programme, received their official diplomas. The Vice-Rector for International Relations and University Services, Miguel Juárez, SJ, along with the Director, Isabel Romero, the former Director, Alfonso Ángel Cuadrón de Mingo, and the coordinator of the courses, Angelo Valastro presided over the ceremony in which diplomas were awarded to 39 graduates.

Success in participation at the First "Comillas - ICAI - ICADE Alumni" Golf Tournament

Thu, 09 Jul 2008 09:24:22 GMT

The First "Comillas - ICAI - ICADE Alumni" Golf Tournament, organised by the Alumni Office at the university, with the sponsorship of Lovells and of S.T. Dupont, and the collaboration of BMW Movilnorte and Aymerich Golf Management, was held with a great success in participation. Forty-four alumni travelled to the Lomas-Bosque Golf Club to take part in the competition.

Relations between bishops and those in religious professions, debated at an event organised by the Faculty of Canon Law

Thu, 02 Jul 2008 13:55:12 GMT

The Faculty of Canon Law at Comillas organised the academic event "Bishops and religious in Spain: current challenges 30 years after Mutuae Relationes", which was presided over by the Rector of the University, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and moderated by Professor José Luis Sánchez-Girón, SJ. Intervening as speakers were the President of the Episcopal Commission for Religious Life (CEVC, in Spanish) and Bishop of Huesca and Jaca, Monseñor Jesús Sanz; Vice-President of the Spanish Conference of Religious (CONFER, in Spanish), and Superior General of the Theresian Carmelite Sisters of San José, Sister Cecilia Barreda, and Professor of Canon Law Teodoro Bahillo.

Awards for the best final projects presented to 14 engineers from Comillas-ICAI

Wed, 01 Jul 2008 09:07:09 GMT

Fourteen graduates in Engineering at Comillas-ICAI have received the Awards for the Best Final Projects for the academic year 2006-07, which are sponsored by Accenture, Endesa, Iberdrola, the Association-Professional College of ICAI Engineers and,for the first time, Barloworld-Finanzauto and the BP Chair for Sustainable Development, during an academic ceremony which saw the participation of the General Director for Universities of the Ministry for Science and Innovation, Felipe Pétriz Calvo, and which was presided over by the Rector José Ramón Busto, SJ.

All of the representatives of the sponsoring organisations pointed out that the decisions regarding the awards turned out to be very difficult, given the high level of all of the projects presented. The Director General for Universities personally extended his congratulations to Comillas, to the Advanced Technical School of Engineering (ICAI), to the award-winners, their relatives and to the directors of the projects, and emphasised that these awards are a sample of the excellence which is contained in the university slogan.

Official closing of the academic year 2007-08 with the graduation ceremony and awarding of diplomas to graduates

Sat, 27 Jun 2008 14:11:34 GMT

The campus at Cantoblanco hosted the closing ceremonies for the academic year 2007-08 in which, from June 20 to June 22, more than 1400 students at Comillas, accompanied by their relatives and friends, received their diplomas under the direction of the Rector of the University, José Ramón Busto, SJ.

On the afternoon of Friday, June 20, graduates of the Faculty of Law (ICADE), in the degrees of Law (E-1 and E-3) and from Political Science and Admininstrative Sciences received their diplomas. Mónica García Álvarez, a student of E-3, spoke on behalf of her classmates in the graduating class, to point out that the memories of this event would remain engraved forever in their hearts. After a brief look at the past, she remembered fondly her classmate Cristina Melero, who passed away just a few days before graduation, due to a serious illness, and added that it will always be the "perfect memory of a perfect person who will remain anchored in our hearts".

The Faculty of Law honours Profesors Blanco Gómez, Pérez de la Cruz and Ruiz de Velasco

Sat, 27 Jun 2008 09:47:10 GMT

The Faculty of Law (ICADE) held a ceremony to pay homage to three of its professors: Juan José Blanco Gómez, Antonio Pérez de la Cruz and Adolfo Ruiz de Velasco, members of the professorial staff who, because they have reached the legal retirement age, will retire this year.

The Dean of the Faculty, Concepción Molina Blázquez, was responsible for conducting the ceremony and transmitting her joy to these three professors for having shared both the classroom and the halls with them, and her sadness on their moving on. Along with her, three colleagues from the professorial staff were responsible for paying homage to the retirees.

Comillas-ICADE and Ernst & Young Lawyers will offer an innovative Masters Degree for new professionals in the law office

Thu, 25 Jun 2008 09:58:09 GMT

Ernst & Young Lawyers and Comillas have signed an agreement to teach jointly a Masters Degree specialised in fiscal matters to young professionals who are joining the law firm. This post-graduate course is a part of the new carreer plan that Ernst & Young Lawyers has implemented within the international project EY University, with which it plans to foment the carreer of its professionals, for the purpose of attracting the best, and training future prestigious international lawyers. The Rector of the University, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and the General Managing Director of Ernst and Young Lawyers, Víctor Gómez de la Cruz signed the agreement.

The Masters Degree has a theoretical orientation, taught by the professorial staff at Comillas-ICADE, and an innovative, practical perspective, as it provides professionals from Ernst & Young Lawyers and the Tax Agency, which will teach two thirds of the programme.

Forty-four prison inmates receive classes at Comillas/Post-graduate Institute to work as telephone call centre operators

Wed, 24 Jun 2008 11:44:44 GMT

Forty-four prison inmates were trained as telephone call center operators at the Institute for Post-graduate Studies at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, thanks to the programme of Grants for Prison Inmates, of the Social Work Office at "La Caixa", in collaboration with the Secretary General for Penal Institutions, which depends on the Ministry of the Interior.

The Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ; the General Director of the "La Caixa" Foundation, Jaime Lanaspa; the Secretary General for Penal Institutions, Mercedes Gallizo, and the General Delegate for Entreprises at "La Caixa" in Madrid, Luis Cabanas, awarded the diplomas for the successful completion of the course to the 44 students, encarcerated at the Penitenciary Centre Madrid III-Valdemoro and the Centre for Social Reinsertion Victoria Kent.

José Ramón Busto congratulated and thanked the participants and informed them that they can consider themselves alumni of Comillas, with the obligations and guarantees that this represents. "Wherever you may go, you will take with you our name; whatever people think of you, they will think of us", affirmed the Rector. Mercedes Gallizo encouraged them to use the opportunity that has been given to them responsibly. "Do not fail us", asked the Director of Penal Institutions, "because the opportunity that other inmates have to obtain a diploma depends on what you do with your diploma". Jaime Lanaspa also addressed the students on the programme in order to congratulate them for their "excellent performance".

Comunication, mediation and recognising mistakes, the best tools in health conflicts

Wed, 24 Jun 2008 08:30:02 GMT

Good communication between doctors and patients can solve many of the problems that arise from claims concerning medical mistakes, in the opinion of Francisco Miranda, one of the speakers at the third day of the International Conference "The advances of law vis-à-vis the advances in medicine", held by the Faculties of Law of Jesuit Universities in Spain (Deusto, Comillas-ICAI-ICADE and ESADE), which has been officially closed by the deans of the three institutions, Juan Ignacio Echano, Concepción Molina and Pedro Mirosa.

At the conference, Francisco Miranda, Chilean attorney of law, specialist in medical law and Director of the Ibero-American Society of Medical Law (SIDEME, in Spanish), presented his pioneer experience in Chile, where mediation has been established in health conflicts, as a mandatory tool, before the legal process. "Mediation is an ideal move so that patients or their relatives establish appropriate communication, clarify the nature of their expectations and create voluntary and creative solutions to the conflict, as well as solving claims and even promoting better inter-personal relations in the long term, avoiding the problems of the judicial system", he explained.

Confidentiality of health information, a personal right of minors vis-à-vis their parents

Sat, 20 Jun 2008 11:19:28 GMT

Legislation does not solve conflicts between the confidentiality of health information of the minor when compared to the right of the parents to know. For that reason, doctors who are involved can turn to judges, if necessary, as the protection of the privacy of mature minors and their right to confidentiality is innate to them as persons. This proposal was defended by Isabel Lázaro and Eduardo Molinero, Professors in the Law School (ICADE), in the speech presented on the second day of the conference, dedicated to patients´ rights, at the International Conference "Advances in Law vis-à-vis advances in Medicine", organised by the Faculties of Law at the Universities of Deusto, Comillas and ESADE (Ramon Llull), in Madrid.

The maturity of the minor remains at the discretion of doctors, although, after age 16, it is understood that he or she has sufficient maturity to grant consent for medical treatment. But, this criteria is not transferred to the right to be informed or to access hospital records, according to the speakers, and there are some sentences in which the judge considered that parents do not have the right to access hospital records. In one case, which became famous, a father obtained the hospital records of his daugher by force upon learning that she had become pregnant and had terminated the pregnancy, and the judge declared the father guilty, considering that this was a matter of privacy for the minor, whose maturity level was lowered to 14 years of age, from 16. Surely, concludes Isabel Lázaro, "the fundamental criteria is the priority of the minor".

The State cannot constantly award indemnizations when there is no direct guilt in the health system

Sat, 20 Jun 2008 08:57:24 GMT

Public Administration cannot become a universal insurance company for the general population regarding the negative consequences of health care without the existence of a direct system of responsibility. This idea, supported by different speakers, was made manifest on the first day of the International Conference "The advances of law vis-à-vis the advances of medicine", inaugurated on Monday, June 16 at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, organised by the three faculties of Law of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in Spain, at the Universities of Deusto, Comillas and ESADE (Ramón Llull).

The first day of the conference, whose inauguration was presided over by the Rector at Comillas, José Ramón Busto, SJ, focussed on the progress made in medical responsibilities. Luis González Morán, member of the Chair in Bioethics at Comillas, pointed out that positions previously held concerning objective responsibility, which is produced independently of the guilt of the responsible party, cannot be sustained, because the State cannot take on permanent indemnizations resulting from any negative results. González Morán purports that there was never an objective responsibility by public institutions and that this cannot exist.

Comillas brings its inter-disciplinary point of view on illness, death and beliefs to the Tenth World Conference on Psycho-Oncology

Thu, 18 Jun 2008 16:31:25 GMT

Five professors from the Faculties of Theology and Human and Social Sciences at Comillas particpated in the Tenth World Conference on Psycho-Oncology, held in Madrid from June 10 to 13, at the round table "Illness, death and system of beliefs", undertaken with an open approach to inter-disciplinary themes, and with a special preoccupation for connecting psychology with other viewpoints on the human condition, from the point of view of Philosophy, Ethics and Theology.

Clara Martínez García is sworn in as the new General Registrar at Comillas

Wed, 17 Jun 2008 10:33:25 GMT

The new General Registrar at Comillas, Clara Martínez García, took possession of her office in a ceremony presided over by the Rector of the University, José Ramón Busto, SJ, and in the presence of her predecessor, Ana Soler Presas, members of the university management team, her colleagues in the Law School (ICADE) and of numerous representatives of the core of professors and services at the University.

After five years of decreases, interest in professional training grows from students in Madrid

Tue, 16 Jun 2008 10:12:24 GMT

After a significant period of decline between 2002 and 2006 in the global demand for the Advanced Cycle in Professional Training studies (FP, in Spanish) in the Autonomous Region of Madrid, a slight increase of 2.95% during the past academic year 2007-08 over the previous school year can be observed, which raises the trend to 15.4%, while 13.2% are still undecided with regard to the studies that they will pursue, according to data collected in the study "Vocational Interests of students. On-line Evaluation". This study represents a part of the Orion Project carried out by Comillas, with the sponsorship of the Social Work Office of Caja Madrid (Savings and Loan) and the Regional Council for Education in the Autonomous Region of Madrid.

Orion is a research project which reflects the academic and professional preferences of secondary students in the Autonomous Region of Madrid, and offers, through its web page (www.upcomillas.es/orion), a comprehensive and practical tool to educational counsellors to help in the selection of studies by students.

According to the data in the study, directed by Professor Vicente Hernández, in the training cycles of the latter years of studies, an imbalance continues to exist between the places available and the number of applications by students for their first choice, depending on the different fields of studies. During the 2007-08 school year, 59 degrees were offered in higher education. In 23 of them (39 percent), the number of applications was greater than the number of places available; for that reason, almost 2000 students (1975) were not able to enter the cycle that most interested them as a first choice. On the contrary, in 36 of these professional degrees, there were places remaining that went unfilled because of a lack of interested students.

The Rafael Mariño Chair dedicates its Fifth Annual Conference to energy efficiency

Fri, 12 Jun 2008 19:20:28 GMT

Twenty-four companies and institutions have participated in the Fifth Annual Conference of the Rafael Mariño Chair for New Energy Technologies, devoted this year to energy efficiency, which was attended by more than one-hundred participants.

The conference, which was organised in conjunction with the Spanish Association for Energy Consumption, for the purpose of bringing in line the technological viewpoint of the chair with available strategies and successful experiences, was structured around five round tables, in which 25 speakers participated.

Eighteen members of the university, awarded in cultural contests and competitions for 2007-08

Thu, 11 Jun 2008 14:10:51 GMT

For yet another year, the awards ceremony for the contests and competitions organised by the Department of Cultural Activities, Seminars and Conferences was held at Comillas. In total, 19 prizes were awarded, counting first and second prizes and honourable mentions. Essay, poetry, philosophical essay, journalism, photography and plastic arts are the categories in which all of the members of the university community competed. In the current edition, five undergraduate students received awards, as well as five students from the Senior Citizens University, two Post-graduate students, three former students, two professors and a member of the university services.

Comillas inaugurates its presence at the Book Fair of Madrid

Fri, 05 Jun 2008 18:37:00 GMT

Comillas is participating, for the first time, in the Book Fair of Madrid which, from May 30 to June 15, is holding its 67th edition in the Retiro Park; it is celebrating, moreover, its 75th anniversary since its inauguration in 1933, interrrupted for several years due to the Civil War, among other causes.

Comillas will be located at stand 196 of the 364 that have been opened in this edition, dedicated to Latin America (20 more stands than last year), with a total of 428 exhibitors, in an activity dedicated to spreading its image for quality and promoting its editorial inclinations, which are carried out by the Publications Service.

Violence within a family is more dramatic as the perpetrator is someone who should protect the victim

Fri, 05 Jun 2008 12:32:23 GMT

The consequences of violence within a family turn out to be more dramatic, and intervention is more complex, since it procedes from the very people who are called to support, take care of and protect the victims with whom they have a family relation, as pointed out in the conclusions of the Conference on Intra-Family Violence: Toward Family Relationships without Violence, held at Comillas, whose University Institute for the Family organised this meeting, along with the General Office for Women, and the General Office for the Family, of the Autonomous Region of Madrid.

For two days, the leading Spanish specialists related in an inter-disciplinary way to the problem of violence within the area of families (university researchers, psychologists, doctors, lawyers, social workers, among others) met to study this phenomena from all possible angles which, up to the present time, had not been focussed as a whole, but rather from scattered points of view regarding the different types of violence (abuse of minors, school violence, violence against women, sexual harrrassment, etc.)

Juan Antonio Guerrero, elected new Provincial Leader of Castille and Vice Grand Chancellor of Comillas

Thu, 04 Jun 2008 20:02:40 GMT

Father Juan Antonio Guerrero, SJ, will be the new Vice Grand Chancellor of the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, for which he was elected by the Father General, Adolfo Nicolás, SJ., when he takes possession as Provincial Leader of Castille of the Society of Jesus on July 26, in the Jesuit residence of Villagarcía de Campos.

Father Guerrero substitutes Joaquín Barrero Díaz, SJ, who has carried out this responsibility since June 18, 2004 and was named Regional Representative of the Southern European Region, which comprises Portugal, Italy and Spain, during the past General Congregation 35.

Father Guerrero Alves was born on April 20, 1959 in Mérida (Badajoz). In 1979 he entered the Society of Jesus, in the novice residence of Madrid (Saconia). Ordained a priest in Madrid on May 30, 1992, he completed the third phase in Puente Grande (Mexico) between 1997 and 1998, and he took his final vows on June 18, 1999, in Alcalá de Henares.

He is a graduate in Economic and Business Sciences (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 1986), Philosophy (Universidad Pontificia Comillas and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 1993), and in Theology (Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Faculty of Theology of Lyon, France, and the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, 1994). He also studied Political Philosophy (1998-99) in Boston (USA). He was the moderator of the Jesuit Volunteer Communities, Professor of Social and Political Philosophy at Comilllas (1994-2003), Superior Head of two Jesuit residences, one of them that of the Pozo del Tío Raimundo (Madrid), and Provincial Delegate for Social Action (2000-03). He has been a member of the board of editors of the magazine Sal Terrae since 2002. In 2003 he was named Rector and Instructor of Novices of the Jesuits in Spain, and in addition to this position that of Advisor for the Province of Castille, since 2004, can be added, .

The Province of Castille (which added the former provinces of Toledo and Castille in June of 2004) includes nine autonomous regions (Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, La Rioja, Castille and Leon, Castille-La Mancha, Madrid, Extremadura and Murcia), and has a presence of Jesuits in 17 cities (La Coruña, Burgos, Gijón, León, Logroño, Oviedo, Palencia, Salamanca, Santander, Santiago de Compostela, Valladolid, Vigo, Alcalá de Henares, Badajoz, Madrid, Murcia y Toledo) and two towns (Villafranca de los Barros, Badajoz, and Villagarcía de Campos, Valladolid). 624 Jesuits take part, who lend their services in 18 high schools, three university institutions, 11 parishes, 10 houses of worship, 7 houses of spiritual exercises, one publishing company, various intellectual centres which promote the duality of faith-culture, various foundations and numerous social services.

The Rector at Comillas explains his experience at the General Congregation of the Society of Jesus

Thu, 04 Jun 2008 18:22:55 GMT

José Ramón Busto, SJ, Rector at Comillas, offered the University Community the possiblity of gaining more in-depth knowledge of the happenings of the General Congregation 35 of the Society of Jesus, in which he participated as an elected member. At the lecture, organised by the Pastoral Service, the Rector revealed the different phases of the meeting: the resignation of Father Kolvenbach, SJ, the process of the election of the new General, the election of Father Adolfo Nicolás, SJ, and the drawing up and approval of the new decrees.

See "A universal mission under the Roman Pope", article by the Rector of Congregation 35