The URL is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its official recognition as a university by the Parliament of Catalonia

Tuesday, 10 May 2016. It is 25 years today since the Parliament of Catalonia unanimously recognised the Ramon Llull University (URL), in accordance with the Law 12/1991 of 10 May 1991, published in the Official Gazette of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia (DOGC) no. 1445 (p. 2648).

This event led to the URL becoming the leading private university in the Spanish state within the scope of the Spanish University Reform Law (LRU). Coinciding with this approval, Josep Laporte, then Catalan minister for education, asserted that the URL was to be “a guarantee of becoming competitive in Europe”. The main objective of the new university was to “consolidate and promote academic and scientific activities”.

The URL began its first academic year in October 1991, offering 11 official qualifications and with around 1,000 first year students, although it started the year with 2,980 diploma and degree students on courses already offered by IQS, Blanquerna, La Salle and the Faculty of Philosophy of Catalonia, centres until then affiliated with Catalan public universities.

Twenty-five years since the creation of the first private, Christian-inspired, socially aware and not for profit university, it has been proven that the URL’s structure as a federal organisation is viable and competitive in a university context that is more complex, more regulated and more globalised than ever, as commented by the current rector of the URL, Josep Maria Garrell.

The URL currently comprises IQS, Blanquerna, La Salle, Faculty of Philosophy, ESADE, Faculty of Social Education and Social Work Pere Tarrés, School of Tourism and Hospitality Management Sant Ignasi, Observatori de l’Ebre Research Institute, Borja Institute of Bioethics, Vidal i Barraquer Mental Health Research Institute and Higher School of Design ESDi (affiliated centre).

The date chosen to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the University is 6 October 2016, the date of the opening ceremony for the 2016-17 academic year. The event will take place at the historical Llotja de Mar venue in Barcelona, and the opening speech will be about the patron of the university, the beatified Ramon Llull, given by Dr Lola Badia, a medieval studies expert on Ramon Llull and director of the Ramon Llull Documentation Centre and winner of the Catalan National Culture Award 2016.

Congratulations to everyone who has helped make this all possible!

More information:
Mireia Córcoles
Press Office and Social Networks
Ramon Llull University
Tel. 936 022 228 | mcorcoles@rectorat.url.edu