| 
Welcome message
24th Award Ceremony of the World Cultural Council
José Antonio González Treviño
Rector of UANL
Ceremony held in the University Theater, Mederos Campus
Monterrey, N. L. Mexico
24 November 2007 at 18:00 hrs
It is a great privilege for the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León to host the twenty-fourth award ceremony of the World Cultural Council and to welcome all of you to the university tonight.
|
Rector Ing. José Antonio González Treviño |
The UANL acknowledges the work that the World Cultural Council has done over the years and shares many of its precepts, in particular that of recognizing people who have developed knowledge and worked creatively for the good of mankind - a mankind that faces new challenges day by day and finds solutions in education, mainly in higher education.
The 21st century that we are entering will be characterized as the age of the knowledge society. Knowledge becomes the added value of a country’s productive activities. Furthermore, lifelong learning is now talked about, presupposing an inclusive model of education and knowledge, covering everybody in society. At this time of educational change, the role played by universities, like the UANL, and institutions, like the World Cultural Council, in new contexts, is more than evident.
The Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León is working to the full, immersed in a society which is increasingly demanding and to which we respond in a relevant manner, as we do tonight on hosting this major award ceremony.
We would like to express our alignment with the aims of the World Cultural Council and our commitment as a university: to increasing the positive use of knowledge, our understanding regarding the evolution of the world and culture, and to fostering fraternity among people and nations.
Tonight the Albert Einstein World Award for Science will be given to an eminent scientist: Professor J. Fraser Stoddart from the University of California-Los Angeles.
Professor Stoddart has been recognized by the World Cultural Council for his outstanding work and contributions in the field of chemistry and molecular nanotechnology. He is also recognized for the impact of his work in education as, through his teaching, he has shared his experience and knowledge with young scientists and has inspired them to carry on.
And the Leonardo da Vinci World Award for Arts will be given to Anne Moeglin-Delocroix, Professor of Philosophy of Art at the University of Paris I, who is acknowledged for her brilliant career as a lecturer in this area, as well as her role as Director of the Research Unit of Contemporary Philosophy and Philosophy of Art. Through her research she has managed to have a genre of expression which had lain in oblivion brought to the attention of the community of artists and critics.
With these prizes, we also of course remember the illustrious scientist Einstein, who revolutionized knowledge in the field of science, and the artist De Vinci, who left a legacy for mankind in his work. Both Professor Fraser Stoddart and Professor Anne Moeglin-Delcroix have contributed to the progress of the world, fathoming fields of knowledge which have provided a better perception of our surroundings. And that is why mankind now thanks them for their dedication and persistence. I offer them my most sincere and warmest congratulations.
The maximum seat of learning of Nuevo León reiterates its commitment to spread art, culture and values, thereby allowing for a fairer and more equitable society, and supports the aims of the World Cultural Council of fostering fraternity among people and nations, seeking understanding among all, based on respect for ideology, opinion, race, religion and gender.
Lastly, I would like to congratulate and acknowledge 10 university researchers who have stood out in the different fields of science and who will receive a special recognition from the World Cultural Council. The university is proud of their work in the creation and application of scientific knowledge at the service of mankind. I would also like to thank all of you for your presence in our country and in our home, the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, whose doors will always be open to you.
Thank you very much.
|
