El rector de la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Carlos Solà, aprobó unas bases claramente discriminatorias para los candidatos de fuera de dicha universidad. Se llegó al extremo de convocatorias restringidas de profesores asociados en las que sólo podían participar los propios profesores de la UAB (!).
La actitud de Carlos Solà Ferrando, que marcó la ruta endogámica que seguiría la UAB en el futuro, fue denunciada en la revista Nature por investigadores brillantes del extranjero que, simplemente, pedían regresar a España y estabilizarse.
Un rector sumiso: La firma de la resolución por parte de este rector nos remite a la consabida pregunta sobre el liderazgo que necesitan en la actualidad las universidades: Si fueran empresas privadas, ¿las dejaríamos en manos de directores generales tan sumisos con los directores de departamento?
Nature 407: 6807 (2000) Page 941 JUNE.
"Returners not welcome at Spanish universities"
PAU FERRER
Sir
Nature has published several articles regarding some of the obstacles that the Spanish scientific community faces in matters of appointments and research funding policies (Nature 396, 709 (1998),Nature 396, 712 (1998), Nature 400, 203 (1999),Nature 405, 723 ( 2000)).
We would like to draw attention to the case of many researchers who, having completed doctoral or postdoctoral training abroad, return to Spain with the financial support of very selective programmes sponsored by the EU, the state or the regional governments. The number of these "reincorporation contracts" is very small, and they are awarded after meticulous selection on the basis of scientific achievement. However, the selected candidates have to face discrimination in several areas in order to continue their academic careers.
As a group of current and former reincorporated researchers at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), we believe our experiences are typical of the difficulties faced by people in our position.
Despite long negotiations with the university rectoral team, we still do not enjoy full academic status, our teaching and scientific activities at the UAB notwithstanding. We do not belong to the university elected body, where academic and administrative personnel as well as students are represented. Consequently, we do not have democratic rights. This situation is common to many Spanish universities.
Most importantly, the UAB officials have designed a lecturing policy document ~ now being implemented ~ that involves the creation of assistant professor positions for which only current UAB assistant lecturers are eligible. This allows our own PhD students to apply for these posts, while neither UAB researchers like us nor those from outside the UAB are eligible even if they are more qualified.
Our university was recently named as the top-scoring institution in a pioneering study, sponsored by the Ministry of Education and Culture, on the quality of Spanish universities in terms of educational development, organization, teaching resources, women's participation, doctorates and student success (Nature 402, 848; 1999). Yet we are still subject to blatant endogamic practices, a barrier to the further development of high-quality research and teaching in the university.
Pau Ferrer Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193-Bellaterra, Spain
Other signatories to this letter: Anna Gavarró, Josep M. Palet, Jordi Surrallès, Lluïsa M. Mir-Martínez, Jordi Ortiz, Alexandra Uscatescu, Lydia Giménez-Llort, Teresa Férriz-Roure, Begonya Saez-Tajafuerce UAB, Bellaterra, Spain Josep Quer University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Maria A. Escobar ESERP SA, Barcelona, Spain Sandra Montón-Subías Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain Carles X. Simó Universität Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany Ramon Herrero Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
La línea endogámica de Carlos Solà fue seguida posteriormente por su sucesor: Lluís Ferrer Caubet. Haga clic para consultar la convocatoria endogámica de éste último.