On Friday, December 14, 2012, the Faculty of Administration and Social Sciences held its Teaching Excellence Awards Ceremony.
Faculty members, coordinators, and academic staff were in attendance to hear remarks from the Dean, Dr. Gaston Labadie, as well as from the faculty members and heads of this year’s award-winning departments.
“While I believe we are all accustomed to the work and development of the school, this has been a year of intense work and collective effort, and I want to begin by saying that this would not be possible without the contributions made by everyone—not just the award recipients,” said the Dean.
He also paid tribute to the late professor and agricultural engineer Daniel Conforte, “a pioneer and founder of the business program and the agribusiness graduate programs at the school.” Conforte passed away in February in New Zealand and will be honored in March 2013 at the faculty. “I want to remember him because Daniel played a leading role in the early days of the Graduate School and also in the undergraduate business program,” said Labadie.
The Dean also spoke about the Business School’s internationalization efforts, noting the addition of more than 40 foreign faculty members and the arrival of students from Harbin Normal University in China who are pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish. “This significant step toward internationalization is complemented by the outstanding students from top-tier universities who are joining us. And the number of our students going abroad to top-tier institutions is very encouraging,” he said. “It is the work you do every day that makes it possible to consolidate these projects, and I want to invite you to reflect on the challenges we face in teaching the new generations and adapting to new technologies.”
Awards Ceremony
The first award was for “Teaching Excellence in Graduate Programs,” which was presented to Nicolás Gambetta, Academic Coordinator of the Graduate Programs in Accounting and Taxation. Labadie highlighted the young age of this professor, who began teaching at the school in 2007. “But in 2009, he began teaching in the graduate programs in Accounting and Taxation, as he holds a master’s degree in the field,” he added.
“2012 has been a very important year for me. Until October of last year, I worked as an audit manager at KPMG; I did that for ten years alongside colleagues and former bosses whom I hold very dear and whom I’m also seeing here today. And starting in November, I began working full-timein academic coordination for the Accounting and Taxation program ,”said the professor, visibly moved as he received his award. “Our mission is to shape students’ careers and develop leaders in various fields,” he added.
The Dean then presented Alejandro Abisab with the award for “Teaching Excellence in University Programs.” He recalled how the professor began his teaching career in short-term courses and, due to his outstanding performance, went on to teach in university programs. The Management Accounting professor thanked the administration of Universidad ORT Uruguay the recognition, his fellow faculty members, his colleague Beatriz Piriz—who introduced him to the university—and his family.
The award for “Excellence in Short-Term Programs”went to Mauricio Granoche, who emphasized that teaching was a “passion and a responsibility” for him and thanked the entire university for the award. “To be honest, I wasn’t expecting it; I’ve only been working here for a short time,” he added.
Labadie then highlighted the progress made in research, noting that “the quantity and quality of research continue to grow year after year.”
Flavia Roldán, who holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Carlos III University in Madrid, was this year’s recipient of the “Research and Academic Production” award. The professor expressed her desire to maintain this pace of productivity and thanked the university for supporting this “pillar” of teaching: research.
The professor, recognized for his “career and contribution to the faculty,” was once known as the “class rebel” during his student days, according to the dean, who was his graduate school professor. “It’s good to recruit critics to see if they put their words into action. And he did,” he said of Professor Carlos Souto, adding: “They’re rewarding me for having fun. I grew up and learned.”
Finally, the “Outstanding Department of the Year” award went to the Department of Auditing. According to Labadie, what set it apart was the “exceptional performance of its faculty.”
Just before the awards ceremony came to a close, Álvaro Scarpelli, professor of Auditing, said that the award was “a surprise, a joy, and a great encouragement.” He added that he was accepting it on behalf of the 14 faculty members and “the outstanding professionals in the department.”