On 2 July, the Faculty of Humanities at UIC Barcelona held the graduation ceremony for students from the Bachelor’s Degree in Humanities and Cultural Studies, the Master’s Degree in Arts and Cultural Management and the Postgraduate Degree in Artwork Analysis, Documentation, Expertise and Appraisal in the Aula Magna on the Barcelona Campus.

The ceremony brought together students, family members and teaching staff to mark the end of an academic journey guided by critical thinking, culture and a commitment to society. The event was presided over by the Faculty dean, Dr Laura Gandolfi, and featured Sara Puig Alsina, president of the Joan Miró Foundation and member of the University Advisory Board, as guest of honour.

Culture in response to today’s challenges

The first institutional address was delivered by Christoph Pasour, director of the Master’s Degree in Arts and Cultural Management, which this year celebrated its 25th anniversary. He reflected on the role of future cultural managers in a context of profound social and technological change. Pasour reminded those present that culture cannot be separated from the reality that surrounds it and that the rise of artificial intelligence requires the sector to reaffirm the importance of what is genuinely human.

“Cultural managers are not simply administrators. We are co-creators. Cultural management is a force that shapes culture,” he contended. In this regard, he urged the students to embrace the responsibility that comes with their profession: “It is up to you to make sure that culture reaches its full potential. Therefore, each one of you holds part of the future of culture in your hands. Do something with it.”

Transforming the world by understanding people

The class’s guest of honour, Sara Puig Alsina, centred her keynote lecture on the importance of pursuing one’s vocation and the value of the humanities in today’s society. Reflecting on her early years at university, she explained how she discovered that her true calling was Art History after initially beginning a degree in Law.

“Sometimes we need to make mistakes, try different paths and dare to change direction to discover what drives us. It was not an easy decision. Switching paths never is, but it was one of the best decisions of my life,” she explained.

Puig also noted that university is only the start of a journey of lifelong learning: “While university education is essential, learning is for life. Every project, every person we meet and every experience teaches us something."

During her address, she reaffirmed the continued relevance of the humanities in the face of today’s major challenges. "The humanities teach us to understand people, and understanding people will remain a key part of any profession and of every society. They teach us to open our minds and broaden our vision."

As a final message, drawing inspiration from Joan Miró, she encouraged graduates to look to the future with confidence: “Dare to explore, innovate and take risks, and to be courageous with the responsibility and fears that doing so entails.” She also reminded the graduates that the world “needs new professionals, but it also needs honest, generous, committed people capable of acting with a sense of ethics. People who contribute not only talent but also humanity."

A period of shared growth

Following the presentation of diplomas to the bachelor’s, master’s and postgraduate students, the student representatives shared reflections on their time in the Faculty.

On behalf of the students from the Bachelor’s Degree in Humanities, Núria Ferrer and Marta Pursals assured attendees that they had completed their studies “with more questions than answers”, but that “perhaps therein lies the true meaning of learning”. They also reaffirmed the relevance of humanistic studies, stating that “those who choose to study the humanities do so for a profoundly human reason: the desire to be happy, to understand, to seek meaning and to view the world through different eyes.”

The representatives of the Master’s Degree in Arts and Cultural Management, Nicolas Ticchi, Lina Barrera, Maria Agius and Juliette Djemani, highlighted the programme’s international dimension and the connections forged during the year. In this regard, they noted that “culture is not a luxury, but the connective tissue that sustains societies, regions and generations” and argued that, in the face of technological advances, “it is important to remember the essential nature of human interaction and the connections we build.” For his part, Roger Pérez, representing the students from the Postgraduate Degree in Artwork Analysis, Documentation, Expertise and Appraisal, talked about the programme’s practical nature and recalled one of the phrases that left the greatest impression on them throughout the year: “In our profession, what matters most is the transition from anonymity to authorship.”

The humanities, essential for the future

The ceremony concluded with a closing address by Dean Laura Gandolfi, who invited graduates to reflect on a question that, in the words of the Holy Father, remains “the decisive question of our time”: "What does it truly mean to be human?"

The Dean praised the role of the humanities in an era defined by speed and complexity, recalling that “not everything of value can be measured” and that disciplines such as philosophy, history and art remain essential because they preserve “beauty, memory, love, truth and hope”.

Addressing the new graduates, she reminded them that the education they have received at the Faculty has given them “the ability to think, listen, discern and act responsibly” and encouraged them to place these skills at the service of society. "The world needs knowledge, it needs innovation and progress, but it also needs humanity. It needs people capable of seeing dignity in others, people capable of building bridges where others build walls, people capable of preserving memory without turning their backs on the future,” she concluded.

The ceremony ended with the traditional singing of Gaudeamus Igitur and the incorporation of the new graduates into the UIC Barcelona Alumni community, a network that will continue to support them as they grow as people and professionals.