speech from President

ALFONSO SÁNCHEZ-TABERNERO, President

Your Excellency, President of the Government of Navarre
Your Excellency, President of the Parliament of Navarra
Your Excellency, Mayor of Pamplona
Your Excellency, President of the UPNA
Your Excellency Archbishop of Pamplona-Tudela
Authorities, faculty colleagues, students, ladies and gentlemen,

Gaur goizean, Nafarroako Unibertsitatearen kurtso irekieran, gurekin batera zaudeten, gure lagun maiteok.

Today we officially begin academic year 21-22 in this time of uncertainty and shared suffering... but also of illusion and hope. The pandemic has put us all at test : families, companies, universities, hospitals, governments... Some responses have been agile and coherent; in other cases - on the other hand - we have been able to detect a perhaps more erratic or ineffective behavior.

In recent months I have often repeated that science and solidarity are getting us out of the health crisis. Science has enabled extraordinary advances in the therapies administered to patients with covid and has made effective vaccines available to the public. Solidarity in families, neighborhoods, hospitals... and in so many other places has meant that, on many occasions, the most vulnerable people find a helping hand close at hand, ready to help them without expecting a reward.

Now it is up to us to improve the way we deal with what is left of the pandemic: we know better, we have learned from our successes and mistakes, and at final, we are better trained. "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst". This proverb seems to me to be particularly appropriate for living in the present moment. Hope comes from the realization that the most dramatic status has surely already passed; and caution - preparing for the worst - is the logical consequence of verifying the capacity for adaptation and survival of the coronavirus, reminiscent of the apocalyptic seven-headed dragon.

I have reviewed these days some of the latest speeches at the opening of the academic year. In all of them, the common thread is shaped by the University's projects: new Degrees and postgraduate programs, internationalization plans, teaching innovations, the Art Museum, the new research centers in Big Data and Bioma, the campus in Madrid - with the new Clinic and the headquarters of postgraduate program-, the future Science Museum...

On this occasion, I do not know if it is because of the health situation or because it is my tenth speech opening of the academic year, I have decided to refer to less specific issues that, perhaps at first sight, may seem less interesting. Moreover, the University's priorities are included in Strategy 2025 and are already well known. My intention today is to share with those of you listening to me some of the ideas that have illuminated the University's strategic decisions in recent years.

The University of Navarra has advanced this decade, but not because of the absence of mistakes and errors. I am well aware that we make many every day. Nor can we point to the abundance of gifted professors, researchers and students as a reason for progress. Certainly, some of the people who work and study at the University are exceptionally talented, but it seems to me that the proportion is similar to what exists in other universities (besides, given the choice, I prefer the equanimity of normal people to the extravagance of geniuses).

Nor can it be said that we have done well because we are lucky. It does not seem reasonable to me to expect the permanent financial aid of the goddess of fortune in the workplace. I am rather convinced by the aphorism of President Jefferson, who said: "the harder I work work, the luckier I am".

In reality, we have been able to make progress at the University, we have overcome various obstacles, mainly for three reasons.

First of all, we have always had clear priorities. In this regard, we financial aid are invaluable in that our project educational , researcher and health care are based on the great principles of the Christian message. Values such as freedom, respect, truthfulness, honesty, hope and solidarity constitute, in my opinion, a solid foundation on which to continue building a university institution capable of serving our society.

With this compass of fundamental ideas that I have just mentioned, the university does not become an institution obsessed with success or prestige; nor does it degenerate into a group of "geeks" of the research, who do not care about the social impact of scientific discoveries, or into a community of professors who perceive themselves as "entertainers" of students.

Those who work in the University, before any other purpose, search for the truth related to the science they cultivate and try to discover their own mission statement in the world. In many areas of knowledge this search constitutes a compromising task because when we ask ourselves questions about poverty and inequality, about the beginning and end of human life, the care of the planet, the ethical behavior of the media, tax and labor legislation, or other similar intellectual challenges, we only find accurate and balanced answers if we live honestly.

In other words, it is possible to obtain an Olympic medal or acquire a certain technical skill being an evildoer. In the University, on the other hand, only those who, in addition to being competent in their professional field, usually act with generosity and a spirit of service, work well.

In turn, truth demands a free environment, without external pressures or self-censorship, so that debates on relevant issues are commonplace, in which respect for the opposing opinion is non-negotiable. This avoids university conversation being limited to repeating what is fashionable, or to assuming contemporary or past dogmas without subjecting them to criticism.

In the University everyone should feel free, respected and appreciated. Differences in criteria and perspective do not separate one from the other: on the contrary, they enrich life at campus.

A few months ago, one of the best known journalists in our country asked me why in his newspaper the alumni of the University referred to it with pride: "they wear the T-shirt -he told me- even though they do not always fully share your project educational ". I replied what you all assume. Those who study or work at the University -I explained- value this experience positively because they feel loved, regardless of their ideas.

In the university community, each person finds his or her own path: he or she asks himself or herself what person he or she wants to be, what positive impact he or she wants to generate. The University proposes ideals and principles that can encourage, guide and give meaning to each path. And, at the same time, it delicately respects individual choices, because it values people, defends their dignity and their freedom.

The priorities, therefore, are summary in the idea of serving the Clinic's employees, students, alumni, patients and society as a whole, making the best of the daily work , with enthusiasm and hope, treating people as they wish and deserve.

After priorities, a second basic element for moving forward is the admirable commitment of those who work at the University of Navarra. We have been working very hard for a year and a half: we and all the people, families and institutions around the world. There are now 6,300 employees at the University. Well, I am still surprised every day to see that, despite the extraordinary effort of these months, I have not heard a complaint or a lament, I have not seen a long face, I do not remember anyone making excuses to cut back on their work.

On the contrary. result Particularly touching was the attitude of the Clinic's professionals who, like their colleagues in other hospitals, demonstrated the vocational nature of their work service to patients. During the pandemic, schedules and assigned missions were overturned: any previous procedure or guideline was subordinated to providing the best possible response to the health emergency.

Great motivation has also been shown by the staff administration and services staff, who are committed to continuing to perform their tasks in all circumstances, for the benefit of all. And I am certainly very proud of our professors and researchers: the former have devised innovative systems to provide excellent training for the generation that will leave the university classrooms during covid-19; and the latter have had the task of making scientific discoveries that will prevent - or at least mitigate - the health, social and economic consequences of the pandemic.

It seems to me that the value contribution of professionals to the institutions in which they work comes from multiplying their knowledge, experience or skills by their Degree of commitment: only if they are intellectually prepared to perform the task and, at the same time, if they want to give the best of themselves -of themselves- the result of multiplication is extraordinary.

Throughout history, alternatives to people's lack of motivation have been sought. In this sense, one of the most singular projects was devised at the end of the 18th century by Jeremy Bentham. This English utilitarian philosopher devised the panopticon: it was a subject of prison architecture, with individual cells located around a central tower where the warden was located. The purpose of the panopticon was that the inmates would never be sure whether they were being watched or not: this uncertainty - according to Bentham - would guarantee the automatic functioning of power, even if the guard did not exercise his task effectively.

The panopticon did not end up being imposed in the British prison system and, of course, it is a procedure -like any other of a coercive nature-, incapable of making an organization work. In fact, I have always thought that those who have a directive mission statement and do not know how to govern -encourage and guide- dedicate themselves to control.

Together with the priorities and commitment of our professionals, our friends are the third factor that guarantees our ability to respond in moments of truth. At such a decisive juncture - such as the one we have been experiencing since March 2020 - the solidity of our convictions, the courage with which we face adversity and the tenacity with which we solve major problems can be detected.

Although we try to face the most difficult challenges with our best will, experience tells us that we are not superheroes: we lack superpowers to solve situations that surpass our vigor and talent. It is at such moments that we truly appreciate the value of friends, who - in the most compromising circumstances - bring the energy and ingenuity that we lack.

"If you want to go fast, walk alone. If you want to go far, go with others". This well-known African proverb aptly sums up the danger that lurks for people and institutions that only care about their own things, that do not seek the company and support of others because they do not perceive their own fragility.

Cultivating friendships, sharing dreams, taking an interest in other people's projects, joining forces, looking for common ground meeting, detecting common aspirations... that is the way to go far, even if it is tempting for everyone from time to time to "go our own way", with apologies for the use of student jargon.

Friendship requires mutual rapprochement and, in this two-way relationship, there is a risk that one party may withdraw into his or her inner world or priorities, fail to live up to expectations or betray the trust placed in him or her.

financial aid But that vulnerability - that possibility that people or institutions may not react as we expected - also makes us more human: it spurs us to be more understanding, it encourages us to recognize our limitations, it encourages us to rely on the strength of others, it encourages us to be more understanding, it encourages us to recognize our limitations, and it encourages us to rely on the strength of others.

During the pandemic many friends have helped our University. Some have offered scholarships to mitigate the economic impact of the health crisis on families; the alumni have helped recent graduates enter the job market; and several companies have financed research projects related to covid-19. I list only a few examples, but there are many and very diverse solidarity initiatives of the friends of the University of Navarra - starting with the association of Friends, whose support we can never thank enough - that encourage us to contemplate the horizon with hope.

Friendship also favors the idea that in Navarre we must work together. We join forces, we collaborate from the public and private spheres in educational and health matters, because we know that this way we provide a better service to the citizens. It seems to me that this is a bequest, with no turning back, of which we should all feel proud.

Clear priorities. Committed professionals. Excellent friends. With these three pillars you can build a solid building that can withstand the force of the wind, the onslaught of rain and the passage of time.

The best is always yet to come at the University. For seventy years now, the dreams of St. Josemaría Escrivá, our first Chancellor, have been coming true: every day we are amazed by marvelous and unexpected events, and goals that seemed unattainable almost yesterday.

One of these surprising realities has been the behavior of the students during the health crisis: in such an arduous context they have shown their maturity and sense of responsibility; they have faced adversity with determination and good humor; and they have turned difficulties into opportunities to grow and learn. I am convinced that this year they will move us again with such a positive and hopeful attitude.

I'm done now. I like to imagine what the University of Navarra will be like in another ten years. How our strategic plan focused on sustainability will have transformed us; how we will have improved the offerings professor face-to-face and online; what new centers research will have promoted; what innovative therapies the Clinic will offer; what Cultural Activities Office will take place in the Museum of Art; what companies and jobs will have arisen with the support of the entrepreneurship office; what service tasks our alumni will be carrying out.

We will be, God willing, witnesses to these admirable events, even if it is up to others to promote and govern them. In this sense, it is necessary to learn from the waves of the sea, which wisely withdraw to give way to those that come after them.

Thank you very much.