Music was one of the first highlights, with a marching band making its way through the center after regular classes ended. At the same time, the Exhibition Hall opened a photographic display featuring images of the faculty and documents from the University Archive, including old teaching certificates signed by Alfonso XIII or issued during the Second Republic.
The program also moved beyond the classrooms. During the morning, organizers held sports workshops, tote bag activities, traditional games, dance sessions and events related to Aragonese dress. These were joined by guided tours of a building that is part of the center’s own recent history and has housed the entire educational community since 2014.
REUNIONS AND MEMORIES OF 25 YEARS
The celebration sought to bring together people who have been part of the faculty at different stages. “We want it to be an emotional, warm day, a chance to meet, chat and relive experiences,” said Dean Santos Orejudo. The day also includes a roundtable with alumni, professors and staff to recover memories from this quarter-century.
Rosa Bolea, rector of the University of Zaragoza, described the event as “a day of pride” for the institution. She highlighted the major changes the faculty has undergone in teacher training, the introduction of new master’s degrees and, above all, the boost to research, which has helped place the education field among the most prominent internationally.
Among those who returned to the center was Elena Mazas, a former student of Music Teaching and current principal of a school in Zaragoza. She experienced the former faculty, the move to the new building and the adaptation of the studies to the degree system. She remains linked to the University through her doctoral studies and advocates maintaining contact between the faculty and schools through internships and educational projects.
FROM EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Another prominent figure at the event is Eduardo Suñén, who has been linked to the center since 1992 and received the Faculty of Education-25 Years Award. Suñén shared the recognition with all technical, management, administrative and services staff. He also vividly remembers the 2014 move: “We went from a 5,000-square-meter building to one measuring 17,000 square meters.”
The faculty’s history began in the 2001-2002 academic year, when the former University School of EGB Teacher Training was transformed by adding a degree in Educational Psychology. At the time, there were around 1,800 students and 90 professors. Today, there are nearly 2,200 students and more than 220 faculty members, following a profound transformation of degrees, facilities and research.
The anniversary program has also looked toward today’s educational challenges, with a lecture by Cristian Ruiz on artificial intelligence and education. In the afternoon, the event continues with a talk on emotional intelligence, a roundtable discussion of memories, guided tours and a concert by the Zaragoza University Symphony Orchestra, bringing 25 years of history to a close with music and memories.
