Social Councils have been established as society’s participatory body within universities. Standing out among our objectives is the promotion of the relationship between the university and its social, cultural and economic backdrop. Therefore, since its creation in 1985 the Social Council of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has committed itself to providing Canarian society with an effective point of contact between academic and research pursuits, and the intellectual, cultural, societal, scientific, economic, and employment needs of the Canary Islands.
Furthermore, over the more than 25 years of its history, the Social Council which I currently chair has played a vital role in supporting the work of the university and in consolidating its position. This is because despite the university being young, it cannot be denied that it is already a social reference point. Consequently, the Social Council has fought and continues to fight for the development and improved quality of life of the Canarian people, in whose service the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and in turn the Social Council, has been.
The past few years have, therefore, been a period of sustained, heightened activity at the ULPGC Social Council, promoting scientific and cultural activities within the university sphere and Gran Canarian society. We organise a yearly University-Society Forum along with our University-Society Conference, through which we seek to provide the ULPGC’s social and economic spheres with new access to knowledge. The aim of this is to reinforce the links and cooperation between the islands’ different economic sectors and university researchers, within the context of new lines of work which help to drive the Archipelago’s entrepreneurial development.
In addition, the Social Council seeks to promote the entrepreneurial and creative spirit of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria’s current students. This is achieved through attractive initiatives such as the University Debate League, which enjoys greater levels of participation each year, or the Creativity Awards for Poetry, Storytelling, Cinema, and Theatre.
Alongside these activities, the ULPGC Social Council aspires to continue providing effective support to the university’s leadership team in its day-to-day business, in its strategic planning, in adequately adhering to its budgets, and through introducing new qualifications which respond to the demands of our labour market. This aspiration stems from the ULPGC Social Council’s commitment to promoting the wellbeing of Canarian society through the dissemination of knowledge, and as this knowledge is supported by the collaboration of the Archipelago’s productive sectors.
Jesús León Lima
Chairman of the ULPGC Social Council
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