The Faculty of Economics and Business unveils new Alumni Wall

Elisenda Paluzie, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Barcelona, has unveiled the first plaques of the new Alumni Wall. The names of all former students that have made a donation to the Faculty have been engraved in metal plaques, which have been placed in one of the main entrance lobbies of the Faculty. “With this project, the University of Barcelona and the Faculty of Economics and Business have reaffirmed their position within the Catalan university system. We are the first university in Catalonia. We are known for our self-criticism, but we have not reaffirmed our position very often. We need to do that more”, the Dean said during the inauguration ceremony.

After this first phase of the Alumni Wall campaign which was launched last February, up to €6,375 have been collected through Verkami in order to fund a project by Athina Raftopoulou, a PhD student in Economics at the Faculty. Raftopoulou is working on a doctoral thesis about obesity and social inequalities in Spain. “The Alumni Wall is a demonstration of the vitality of the University of Barcelona, an institution that links tradition and modernity”, Paluzie has added.

The former Minister of Economy of Catalonia and Faculty’s donor Andreu Mas-Colell said that “it is a very important initiative for all the world’s large universities. It allows former students to get fully involved with their Alma Mater”. He has also highlighted that “it must be good that more and more alumni synchronise with this idea. This will have a positive impact on the activities that the Faculty can carry out”.

“It is an excellent initiative. I encourage everyone that has been trained in our classrooms to return part of what they received through the Alumni Wall”, former Rector of the University of Barcelona and former Dean of the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Joan Tugores added.

Elisenda Paluzie has also presented the Faculty’s online donation platform, key to helping the Alumni Wall project grow from now on. Donations might be allocated entirely to a programme chosen by the donor: internationalisation and attracting talent, project financing for young researchers and upgrading of infrastructure and facilities.

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