Dr Josep Olives i Puig, the first dean of the Faculty of Humanities at UIC Barcelona, passed away in Menorca on 17 June at the age of 82. A philosopher by training, Dr Olives was instrumental in the creation and development of the Faculty of Humanities during its formative years from 1997 to 2011.

A doctor of Philosophy, Dr Olives had an extensive academic career linked to teaching and university management. As the founding dean, Dr Olives led the development of the Humanities degree curriculum and championed an academic project committed to dialogue and intellectual rigour, with particular attention to fostering an interdisciplinary team of thought responsible for cross-disciplinary humanities teaching at UIC Barcelona.

In the 2022-2023 academic year, he revisited the Faculty as part of the university’s 25th-anniversary celebrations to share his experience and insight on the institution’s early days with former students and fellow lecturers, as well as impart profound reflections on the current role of the humanities.

“With his passing, UIC Barcelona, and especially the Faculty of Humanities – where he leaves behind true disciples and friends – has lost a fundamental figure of its history.  He was a humanist thinker, a sage who faced the challenges of our time with great intellectual clarity, deeply exploring the true values of humanity,” said Dr Judith Urbano, dean of the Faculty of Humanities. “For him, the cultivation of the humanities was the cultivation of the individual. He championed the humanities as knowledge for the transformation and development of the human being and society. A unique voice in the closing speeches of UIC Barcelona at the end of the academic year. We already miss him greatly.”