the rectors Manuel Palomar and Ampara Navarro they have returned to the University of Alicante (UA) the Faculty of Medicine that was taken from them in 1996 for a political operation. Quite a feat for an institution with just 43 years of history that is nonetheless the flagship of the province of Alicante.
I hope that with the decision of Ximo Puig to allow the UA to start the degree in 2023-24 definitively close an absurd chapter of our recent history. The UA and the UMH both have Law and can both have Medicine. Without major problem.
At this point, it no longer makes sense to dwell on the past and prolong a fake rivalry with the Miguel Hernández University (UMH). And it is that there are those who want to translate the rivalry of the cities of Alicante and Elche on both campuses. But in the case at hand, Medicine, it is something absurd because this discipline is taught in Sant Joan d’Alcacant for the UMH and in Sant Vicent for the UA.
Any liberal will agree that the better and broader the training offer for our children, the better for everyone. What’s more, competition between universities should favor a reduction in the prices of some careers that, like Medicine, are much more expensive than other degrees.
what they should do from now on both universities are to collaborate in everything they can to be more competitive in national and international rankings. And above all, more useful for the society that finances them through taxpayers’ taxes.
Last December the UA reported that in the Shanghai ranking (Academic Ranking of World Universities) was among the best 600 in the world, a ranking that especially values research. And the Qs World University, focused mainly on reputation, was ranked 800th worldwide, a position that this institution shares in the Times Higher Education ranking.
For its part, the UMH It boasts of being among the 200 best young universities in the world, according to the latest edition of the British ranking Times Higher Education (THE). Specifically, ranked number 151-200 worldwide and number 11 nationally, while at regional level it is only surpassed by the Universitat Jaume I (UJI).
With Medicine, both campuses have had the opportunity to agree to collaborate when it comes to launch a joint university degree, as requested by the Minister Carolina Pascual, and they haven’t. Now, they can learn from their mistakes and promote joint research platforms such as CENID, for example, which is led by the Diputación de Alicante. It is in your hands.