Environmental Office
SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY AT UNIVERSIDAD EUROPEA DE MADRID
The Laureate International Universities, the largest worldwide university network, maintain a strong commitment to Social Responsibility (SR) in the 20 countries in which it is present. In Spain, Universidad Europa de Madrid has fully undertaken this commitment by positioning Social Responsibility as one of the fundamental bases of its educational model.
OUR OBJECTIVES:
- To make values training a cross-disciplinary objective throughout the entire educational process of our students.
- To make all the members of the university community aware of the importance of responsible and committed behavior towards society and the environment.
- To promote the participation of the whole university community in different activities of a social and environmental nature.
- To encourage the responsible use of resources and social commitment in each of the Schools and Departments that make up the University.
- To set up different activities of a social and environmental nature within our business management model (Corporate Social Responsibility).
OUR SERVICE
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CENTRE::
The Social Responsibility Centre - a meeting place open to everyone who is committed to the environment and to social justice - is responsible for coordinating activities between all the University Faculties, Schools and Departments, such as:
- Awareness and social and environmental training activities. We regularly organize thematic cycles on awareness in collaboration with Non-Profit Organizations (NPO) and other educational institutions in coordination with all the University Departments.
- “University for Development” Program. Within the framework of the Graduation Project or the practical exercises that form part of some courses, we enable our students to carry out in situ research as part of cooperation for development projects in Southern countries or in social intervention projects in Spain.
- Volunteer Programs. We try to ensure that all interested students are able to show their commitment to society through social intervention programs (accompanying persons with disabilities, literacy of immigrants, help for children in vulnerable situations, etc.) carried out in collaboration with NPOs or organizations such as Amnesty International.
- International volunteer programs. We have set up our own volunteer programs in Morocco, Columbia and Senegal, exclusively maintained by the University students. There is an assessment service for all those students who are interested in taking part in these programs.
- Values training program for teachers. It is so important to train our students in the importance of values as well as the teachers who form part of the faculty of all the degree programs given by the University.
- Social entrepreneurship. Every year we grant the prestigious UEM Young Social Entrepreneurs Award in collaboration with the International Youth Foundation and the University Career and Placement Office,
DISABILITY UNIT
Disabled students have all the technical and human resources available to them so that they are able to obtain their educational objectives during their period at the University, by means of personalized support and help. The objective of the Disability Unit is to support the student during three important stages as they pass through Universidad Europea de Madrid: on entering the university, accompanying them during their studies and their incorporation into the job market. Also, in keeping with our philosophy of equal opportunities and design for all, we promote the continuous improvement in accessibility to the physical environment and to the media through various actions.
OUR COMMITMENTS
First environmental campus
At Universidad Europea de Madrid we are aware of the need to actively work towards the protection and care of our environment in which we carry out our activities.
The SIGMA Project (Sistema Integral de Gestión Medioambiental [Integrated Environmental Management System]) was created as an initiative to develop a working philosophy which is based on commitment to the environment. In 2007 this allowed us to become the first Spanish University to receive certification that its entire university campus meets the requirements of the ISO Standard 14001:2004. In March 2008 we managed to extend the scope of this certification to include the La Moraleja campus. Our system for Environmental Management includes the permanent commitment to improve energy efficiency and to make best use of raw materials at our facilities.
The report on Corporate Social Responsibility:
Every year we publish a report on the activities coordinated by the Office for Social Responsibility. From 2010, we will publish a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report based on the international GRI model (Global Reporting Initiative), with the aim of stimulating dialogue between interest groups and promoting transparency in our management of our students, employees, suppliers, other universities and society in general.
With the publication of this document, we hope to reaffirm our public commitment to transparency towards the stakeholders, to meet the demands of the market, to consolidate the trust in the organization from both an internal and external point of view and to help the integration of CSR in our management.
Research Lines and Groups
“Values and Social Responsibility” has become one of the five lines of priority research supported by our institution. This support for the social initiatives taken by our teachers is focused on training research groups such as MATICES (Modelos de Aplicación de Tecnologías de la Información Contra la Exclusión Social [Models for the Application of Information Technology Against Social Exclusion]) at the Polytechnic School, CSR at the School of Business and Law, cooperation for development with Ethiopia shared by the Schools of Architecture and the Polytechnic and the Schools of Health Sciences, etc.
CONTACT DETAILS:
http://www.uem.es/responsabilidadsocial
Oficina de Responsabilidad Social [Social Responsibility Center]
91 211 52 23
Unidad de discapacidad [Disability Unit]
91 211 52 23
C/Tajo, s/n.
Villaviciosa de Odón. 28670 Madrid
Despacho A 138