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Memoria de Responsabilidade Social 2010/2011

HOW DO WE WORK?

SOCIAL

RESPONSIBILITY

CHAPTER 4

The USC’s treasured social commitment makes it a University that is involved in the economic and social development of its neigh- bouring environment, concerned by the global issues that affect societies throughout the world. Achieving sustainable development and accepting and implementing its social responsibility are the objectives inherent in USC’s social mission that affect both its internal management and its relationship with its diverse stakeholders.

USC’s social commitment is channelled not only through university extension activities (culture and sport) but also in the quest for quality teaching, research and services, as well as in the support (economic and educational) provided to its students and the concern to improve their skills through complementary training, facilitating

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Social Responsibility Report 2010/2011 UNIVERSIDADE DE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA

HOW DO WE WORK? SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

graduate inclusion in the job market, encouraging University participation and integration (volunteering, integration, social work), the sustainable development plan and internal social responsibility policies (equality, work-life balance, transparency and good governance). Each of these programmes has generated significant impact on the university community and society.

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HOW DO WE WORK? SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY STUDENTS

1. STUDENTS

Students are our raison d’être. Given the declining population, in a context where we are competing with other educational institutions to capture students, we must strengthen initiatives such as the A Ponte programme, that enable us to demonstrate our capacity to train professionals who are fully prepared to face the current demands of the job market to our potential future alumni. We are also responsible for articulating or collaborating with other bodies to create mechanisms that allow under privileged families and ta- lented students to access university studies, as well as to support the educational process of students who need it, both through tutorials and by providing orientation, which is particularly necessary given the changes that adapting to the EHEA has implied. In 2011, the USC published a practical guide for students covering residency, academic performance assessment and study plans being phased out.

As part of this educational process, we and our professors are committed to applying the best techniques and methodologies in order to achieve the best results, in particular to encourage teaching innovation through new technologies, and to support greater student participation in their education, as set out in the new Student Statutes.

It is also fundamental that we guarantee the integration of and equal opportunities for anyone who wishes to study at USC. The University Participation and Integration Service plays a key role in this area, along with the University community’s commitment to volunteer activities.

Furthermore, USC tries to facilitate and improve the University community’s study and working conditions by providing students with University Halls of Residence and the network of cafeterias and university restaurants, as well as by awarding study and local transport grants.

Finally, USC does not simply try to provide students with the skills and abilities to be able to compete in the jobs market, but also to encourage the values of citizenship and responsibility that apply both in the professional world and life.

1.1. A Ponte Bridge Programme between secondary schools and the USC

This programme aims to inform high school students about ac- cessing university, providing guidance and information, answering any questions about which subjects to study and what grants might

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be available, so that they can make a responsible decision about studying at university. The programme’s key emphasis lies in pre- sentation talks at the schools. In 2009-10, 11,221 students and in 2010-11, 11,000 students participated in these talks which were given at over 170 centres.

The programme also covers the organisation of USC / Secondary School day meetings at the USC: ‘Adelante’ (Get Ahead) - 39 USC centres opened their doors to 1,745 secondary students in 2009-10 and 36 centres welcomed 1,513 students in 2010-11.

In the 2010-11 period, USC significantly increased the number of meetings held with the management and guidance departments of Galicia’s secondary schools. In 2008-09, 169 centres were involved, in 2009-10 240 centres were involved and in 2010-11, 213 centres were involved.

1.2. Grants

USC collaborates in managing the study grants awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and also offers its own grants for 3rd cycle and postgraduate students.

1.2.1. Ministry of Education and Science (MEC) Grants for 1st and 2nd cycle studies

In absolute terms, the number of grant applications and grants awarded increased in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 academic years, although there was a slight decrease in the percentage of successful grant applications. The total amount awarded also increased.

Ministry of Education Grants for 1st and 2nd Cycle Studies

Academic year Grant applications Grants awarded Total amounts (thousands of euros)

2008-09 9,584 6,610 24,336.43

2009-10 10,588 6,610 23,827.36

2010-11 10,640 6,865 25,409.83

In terms of the type of support granted, the increase in the number of grants in all categories (except the residence grant) with regard to 2008-09 should be highlighted.

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1.2.2. USC’s own grants and subsidies

USC offered its own grants to promote the education of PhD students by paying for 3rd cycle matriculations and subsidies for contract work, as well as to encourage the consolidation of competitive research groups, but had to reduce its efforts in comparison with previous years.

3rd Cycle Matriculation Grants Awarded by USC

Course Nº grants awarded Amount (euros)

2008-09 70 44,593.09

2009-10 25 11,973.65

2010-11 4 2,408.99

In 2010 and 2011, postgraduate grants were offered abroad for master’s degree, PhD and research studies. In 2011, the Social Council distributed 126 Ministry of Education grants for final year students to start research.

The initiatives belonging to some of the official qualifications also stand out, such as the AISTI grants for online Master’s Degrees in Information and Knowledge Society.

Finally, the overall guidelines establish a series of exemptions from matriculation costs for official qualifications for students from large families, students with disabilities (33% or more) and the victims of terrorism and gender-based violence.

1.3. Additional tutorial support

The educational support programme for students also includes additional tutorial support for those students who have nearly finished their studies but have difficulty in passing some subjects. This programme, which is aimed at students who have passed 80% of the core and compulsory credits necessary to graduate in the new programmes or at least 20 compulsory subjects in the old programmes, aims to provide them with the guidelines they need to satisfactorily improve their learning. In the 2010-11 academic year, 192 students used this programme, of whom 46 passed the final round of exams for any remaining subjects before the degree is awarded, and 91 passed in the June round of exams.

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1.4. Innovation in teaching: ICTs

The promotion of innovation in teaching entails encouraging the use of USC’s virtual campus and participation in innovative education projects and annual teaching innovation competitions. In addition, the USC began publishing quality teaching materials for students.

Teaching staff prepared educational units that are made available to students. For example, in 2011, staff at the Lugo Campus prepared 24 educational units.

Other notable initiatives include encouraging the use of English in the classroom, for example in the official master’s degrees in the Technical School of Engineering at Santiago de Compostela or in the Faculty of Business Management and Administration at the Lugo Campus, or the use of new resources and educational spaces, such as the Simulation Unit that opened at the Nursing School in 2010, which is unique among Galicia’s universities.

In this period, the virtual campus continued to be used (all of the USC’s official 1st and 2nd cycle qualifications have been available on it as of the 2007-08 academic year) as a key educational resource for teaching. In 2011, work to develop the USC’s virtual campus into a platform exclusively based on open software was begun.

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1.5. Inclusion and equal opportunities

The respect for and attention to diversity and the development of active policies for incorporating and including students with special needs are two of USC’s main principles and lines of action. Likewise, it is also our duty to achieve a more just, more equal society, which is an area where various awareness-raising initiatives targeting the University community and the general public are carried out.

In addition to the University Participation and Integration Service (SEPIU), the Inclusive Campus project allows USC to work with the ONCE foundation and Repsol to create a space where ex- periences can be shared through academic, sporting and cultural activities that publicise the opportunities USC offers students with special educational needs.

1.5.1. Including students with special needs

In order to carry out inclusive activities and normalise the situation of people with specific educational needs, USC hires personal assistants for highly dependent students. During the 2010-11 academic year, a total of 29 students received support from the University Participation and Integration Service, which either hired personal assistants or sign language interpreters or provided personalised technical support, which led to a considerable increase in the number of students that received specific assistance from the service.

The 27 places reserved for students with disabilities within the University Halls of Residence Service (SUR) were fully occupied.

In 2011, USC also adapted three work and reading places at the Concepción Arenal library to suit people with disabilities.

1.5.2. University Halls of Residence Service Grants

Places at the University Halls of Residence are subsidised according to the applicant’s disposable income in accordance with five categories. These places are not subsidised for students whose income exceeds a certain amount. During the 2010-11 period, a total of 937 people, received these subsidies, for a total value of €1,448,217.

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Places Filled and Places Subsidised at the University Halls of Residence

2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Nº of vacancies filled in the University Halls of

Residence 1,173 1,083 1,107

Nº of places subsidised in the University Halls of

Residence 1,055 906 937

Total value of subsidised University Halls of

Residence places €1,574,487 €1,213,119 €1,448,217

1.6. Integration in the job market

To contribute to student and graduate integration in the job market, USC provides a personalised careers advice service that is managed by the Enterprise and Employment Support Services (SAEE). The Self-Employment department distributes information and encourages a culture of enterprise in the university community and the Career’s Advice department provides services to support its user’s integration in the job market. The USC also provides various elective subjects to enable students to acquire professional skills and promote their employability.

The University must also encourage student’s direct contact with the jobs market, promoting professional internships and strengthening career guidance and employment programmes.

In 2011, the Lugo Network of Career’s Advice Technicians, comprising technical staff from the ASFEM-AFAMMER, Caritas Diocese of Lugo, Cogami, Red Cross, Down Lugo, FADEMGA, FAXPG, FEAFES Galicia, Gypsy Secretariat Foundation and the Career’s Advice Department of the Lugo Campus was established at the USC. It is a forum for meeting, discussion and work between third sector organisations, coordinated with the USC, to examine mutual strategies, models and working methods in detail in order to improve their work and achieve greater efficiency.

1.6.1. Career’s advice

The Career’s Advice Department (AOL) provides the resources that students and graduates need to start working. This department’s principal objectives include providing USC students with guidance, support and training in effectively seeking work and to collaborate in bringing the university and business communities together.

In the 2010-11 two-year period, the number of guidance in- terviews increased significantly (1,440 from February 2010 to January 2011) in the Santiago Campus as did the number of participants in training activities (567 people participated in 40 activities

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during the same period). USC also collaborated in organising the Employment Forum for Physics, Maths and IT students and the Bu- siness Forum for IT Engineering students.

1.6.2. Encouraging self-employment

The Self-employment Department provides a comprehensive service to all members of the University community with questions about self-employment and how to set up a business. The actions to encourage self-employment were stepped up at the Santiago Campus, passing from 141 in 2008-09 to 215 in 2009-10, although the number of beneficiaries remained steady (approximately 150).

That said, the number of awareness-raising beneficiaries reached 4,067 and 3,373 respectively. 450 self-employment actions were carried out on the Lugo Campus, along with 35 publicity and 23 awareness-raising actions, reaching over 2,800 beneficiaries.

1.6.3. Internships in companies and institutions

Internships allow students to make initial contact with the world of work and the reality of business. USC encourages placement programmes for students and graduates through the University Social Council, the Galician Business-University Foundation (Fundación Empresa-Universidad Gallega - FEUGA) and the Euro Practicum Programme. Official graduate and postgraduate qualifications as

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well as USC’s own programmes also give students the opportunity to carry out placements.

The Social Council managed internships involving 946 students in the 2010-11 academic year (over 73% of interns were women), which obtained 8,514 credits for participants. 309 graduates (67%

women) and 52 students also carried out Feuga supported internships.

Business Internships Managed by the Social Council

2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Nº of students who carried out internships in companies 1,133 892 946

% Women 72.46 73.99 73.57

Number of credits granted 11,512.5 8,683 8,514

Business internships Managed by Feuga

Graduates Students

Total % Women Total % Women

2008-09 287 71.4 54 77.8

2009-10 251 72.9 58 63.8

2010-11 309 67.0 52 67.3

The Euro Practicum programme, managed by the Vice-rectorate for Coordination and Planning at the Lugo Campus, continues to receive high demand. The growth in the number of graduates who register and are suitable for the selection process is notable, although the number of grants approved fell.

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HOW DO WE WORK? SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY STUDENTS Euro Practicum III

November 2006 - May 2008

Euro Practicum IV November 2008 -

May 2010

Euro Practicum V July 2010 - May

2012

Number of applicants registered 283 374 482

Number of suitable applicants 117 271 355

Number of interns 42 51 34

1.7. Accommodation, restaurants and transport

In the 2009-10 and 2010-11 academic years, 1,100 places in Uni- versity Halls of Residence were available (1,083 and 1,107 places were taken up in each respective year). 27 of which were reserved for university community members with some kind of disability.

There are also a total of 25 price-controlled University restaurants and cafeterias spread out between the Santiago and Lugo Campuses. Part of the cost of local transport to the University is subsidised. The total budget for this latter reached 24,000 euros in the 2010-11 academic year.

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HOW DO WE WORK? SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

2. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

The USC tries to provide its staff with an adequate working environment where they have access to all the resources needed to perform their tasks according to the established criteria of quality, efficiency and effectiveness and with health and safety guarantees.

Furthermore, USC is firmly committed to training its staff, not only to improve their skills and competences for their professional activities, but also for their personal development and growth.

USC also provides its employees with a range of social benefits, guarantees fairness and equality in staff selection and promotion processes and enforces their right to receive information about and participate in governing decisions by establishing a permanent dialogue with union representatives.

All these premises determined HR policies to a great extent during 2010-2011, to attain the previously mentioned objectives in addition to staff satisfaction.

2.1. Training

USC has established a training programme for Teaching and Re- search staff and a programme of training actions for Administration and Service personnel in order to promote their professional development, improve their professional skills to enable them to perform satisfactory work and also to acquire new skills.

In 2010 and 2011, 69 and 107 classes for Teaching and Research staff were given to 979 and 1,371 participants respectively (56 classes were given to 841 participants in 2009). These courses are usually complemented by additional courses within the framework of the agreement established for promoting Administration and Service staff. The largest number of courses was offered in operational subjects (Galician language, economy, legislation, IT, foreign lan- guages, libraries, academic management, quality, new technologies, infrastructures or town planning and maintenance).

2.2. Equality

USC’s commitment to encouraging equal opportunities, gender equality and an absence of discrimination was formalised in its Strategic Plan for Gender Equal Opportunities 2009-11, the results of which are currently under analysis and will be distributed among the university community. Under this plan, in the 2010-11 period the Office for Gender Equality promoted various actions to include

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gender considerations in complementary staff and student education programmes such as educational courses and various activities (exhibitions, film programmes). In 2010, the 1st USC award for introducing a gender perspective into teaching and research was launched and it was repeated in 2011. In 2011, the Interdisci- plinary Centre for Feminist Research and Gender Studies (CIFEX) received an honorary mention recognising its history of research and the pioneering nature of its gender studies. In 2011, the Office for Gender Equality published the “Guide to Non-sexist Language”

in collaboration with the Linguistic Standardisation Service.

Within the framework of its institutional commitment to a work-life balance, USC carries out a primordial service through the Breogán Infants School. In 2010 and 2011, 92 and 94 school places and 67 and 57 lunch places were provided.

Places Available at Breogán Infants School

2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Number of school places 97 92 94

Number of lunch places 55 67 57

In 2011, at the Lugo Campus, subsidies for 0-3 year old children to attend school (the “baby cheque”) were also formalised, giving USC staff financial support to pay for city nursery or infants schools.

In 2010 and 2011 the USC ran the CampUSC Summer Camp in Santiago, for 3 - 12 year old children of members of the University community and participants in the University’s summer courses, the USC Deportiva Foundation and also of the general public. The programme is designed as a sporting, cultural, socio-educational and leisure activity to enable USC working parents to balance their professional and family life throughout the summer. In Lugo, members of the university community benefited from official discounts at the Lumieira CUP urban sports centre camp for children aged between

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6 and 12 years, thanks to an agreement with the A.D.C. Lumieira Lugo association.

2.3. Selection and promotion, remuneration and social benefits

The USC’s selection and promotion processes are rigorous and transparent and, when a member of staff is involved, will always involve the participation of a staff representative.

Moreover, the USC also carefully manages the transparency and equality of staff remuneration and social benefits, meaning that there is no gender discrimination and women and men are paid exactly the same in a single professional category.

USC’s concern for its staff is also shown in the highly appreciated and broad variety of benefits made available. These benefits exceed those established by the law and include refundable advances, pension schemes, financial support in case of incapacity to work or for training, nurseries, etc. Furthermore, specific programmes are offered to Administration and Service staff, such as the holiday exchange programme or a life insurance policy. In 2010, the USC also approved a broad programme of social services for retired USC teaching, research, administration and service staff.

Average annual growth in the pension payments made during this report period stood at approximately 19%.

Progress in Pension Plan Payments

2009 2010 2011

Value €230,149.44 €266,885.85 €326,815.82

The holiday exchange programme for Administration and Service staff is warmly welcomed by our staff, who covered nearly all of the places offered at other universities (554 of a total of 560 places occupied in 2011).

The cost of the life insurance policy for Administration and Service staff was reduced.

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History of the Life Insurance Policy

2009 2010 2011

Cost to USC €150,486.03 €192,401.18 €127,259.18

2.4. Health and safety

In 2011, the USC’s risk prevention policy was modified to ground it in the four basic principles: the value of people as its central axis, integration of preventative management in everyday life, participation and the consideration of risk prevention as a key requirement for achieving quality in academic activity. The Risk Prevention at Work Plan was also updated.

The processes carried out by the Risk Prevention Service were certified according to UNE-EN-ISO 14001 standards. University Halls of Residence, the Breogán Infants School and the Institute of Ceramics have implemented an occupational health and safety management system certified as complying with the OHSAS 18001 standard.

2.4.1. Safety at work

In 2010-11, 3 new initial risk assessments, 40 updates of initial risk assessments and a total of 30 specific hygiene, ergonomics and psy- chosocial assessments were carried out.

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HOW DO WE WORK? SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Development of General Preventative Activities in Figures

2009 2010 2011

Nº of risk assessments submitted to the Health and Safety Committee (CSS) for opinion*

Initial risk assessments 5 2 1

Updates to initial assessments 13 18 22

Nº of specific assessments per area

Hygiene 8 4 7

Ergonomics 12 5 3

Psychosociology 7 3 8

* CSS: Health and Safety Committee (Comité de Seguridad y Salud)

USC analyses and tests the equipment used in the workplace in order to identify characteristics that may not comply with regulations, adopts the necessary corrective measures, verifies their implementation and issues the approval certificate. In 2010-11, 244 pieces of equipment in the various centres and departments were upgraded to comply with regulations.

With the aim of achieving a high level of protection and safety and avoiding emergency situations or at least minimising their con- sequences, new self-protection plans were implemented at 3 centres and updated at 37 centres in this period.

The USC also aims to consolidate a culture of prevention through training. It carries out various training sessions in risk prevention and emergency equipment. Following the decline in risk prevention training in 2008 and 2009, the number of hours of training given increased in 2010 and 2011. Training in emergency equipment decreased slightly in 2010, a trend that was reinforced in 2011.

USC also has a Radiology Protection Service and a Protocol for the Prevention and Solution of Psychological Harassment in Profes- sional Relations.

2.4.2. Health Protection Service

The Health Protection Service periodically performs preventative, personalised check-ups on all University staff upon request of the interested person or third parties.

In the 2010-11 period, standard periodic check-ups increased notably (523 in 2010 and 476 in 2011) as did initial check-ups for new employees, while there were significant reductions in check- ups requested by staff or third parties.

The University’s Health Protection Service continues to employ students on work placements for three-week periods.

In addition to the above-mentioned activity, in the framework of this culture of prevention, various early diagnosis campaigns

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were carried out as well as various vaccination campaigns, which were extended to most of USC’s staff, although less people were vac- cinated than in previous years.

The preventative practices performed at the university mean fewer accidents at work. However, 14 accidents on the way to and from work and 11 accidents at the work place occurred in 2010, increasing the number of days off work due to an accident to 1,486 - a figure that decreased to 259 days in 2011.

2.5. Trades Union representation

In 2011, the second Collective Agreement for Galician University Teaching and Research Staff was signed, regulating employment relations for Teaching and Research staff, contracted research employees and contracted student researchers, and included researchers hired under the Parga Ponda, María Barbeito and Ramón y Cajal competitive programmes as well as university PhD student contracts for the first time.

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HOW DO WE WORK? SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY QUALITY ASSURANCE

3. QUALITY ASSURANCE

The USC’s quality commitment covers all of its areas of activity:

teaching, research, transfer of knowledge, management and services.

We have therefore acquired a firm commitment to improving our activity, understanding that this must be carried out in a dynamic manner and as part of a constant quest to answer the latest social requirements and expectations; in order to achieve excellence and be a benchmark university at national and international level.

The current process of adapting to the EHEA forces the Uni- versity to have mechanisms that guarantee its quality. The guidelines set out in the “Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area” (ENQA, 2009, 3rd edition) establish the criteria for internal and external quality control at Uni- versities.

Our internal quality assurance obliges us to implement a quality policy that covers both our educational programme and the members of the university community in order to implement a strategy of continuous improvement across all of our activity. This internal quality guarantee is also reflected in the establishment of procedures and processes that guarantee the monitoring of university activity in all fields (academic, research, relations with society and management).

In parallel, the procedures rolled out by the quality assurance agencies make it easier to externally review, evaluate, monitor, verify and evaluate our activity. This allows us to gain accreditation for our programmes and the institution itself, to publish independently verified information, to protect users and to periodically evaluate USC activity.

After completing the evaluation of all the EHEA adapted qualifications provided by the USC under the Verifica programme of the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA) in 2010 and 2011, the USC began to develop parallel procedures to enable the implementation of the processes necessary to internally guarantee our academic activity and educational programme.

3.1. Centre Quality Management

In collaboration with the Agency for the Quality of the Galician University System (Agencia para la Calidad del Sistema Univer- sitario de Galicia - ACSUG), the National Agency for Quality As- sessment and Accreditation (ANECA) developed the Fides-Audit programme to guide universities in designing the Internal Quality

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Assurance System (SGIC) and including activities already developed to guarantee teaching quality. In 2010, the USC’s Governing Board approved the Quality Assurance Systems of 15 centres that took part in the ACSUG Fides-Audit’s third call for proposals and the 8 that passed in 2009 obtained the Audit certificate. During 2011, the USC finished drafting the Quality Assurance Systems of all of its centres and the 15 systems under the previous call for proposals obtained the approval certificate.

The centres whose Quality Assurance Systems were successfully approved are beginning to implement the internal assurance system and quantification, analysis, improvement and results publication activities of the educational activities carried out at each centre.

Since 2009, in order to facilitate Quality Assurance System management so that they become a useful tool, an IT application is being developed to help centres manage their SGICs at the USC.

Since 2011, in parallel, the USC works with the deans and centre directors to restructure the Quality Assurance System so as to make it more useful and effective for each centre. This review considers the fact that numerous management processes at USC are centralised, meaning a simplification of Quality Assurance System activity at each centre and facilitating quality management at centres so that efforts can focus on analysing internal development activity and the results of the centre’s educational programmes to move towards the adoption of improvement actions.

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3.2. Quality education programme

The commitment to quality teaching must fall under the framework of an integral educational process, understanding that the search for quality implies not only guaranteeing that teaching staff perform their responsibilities in a manner that meets student expectations, but also that the university itself provides all of the means necessary for achieving optimal results through that process at the disposal of teachers and students.

USC implements several actions in order to provide high quality teaching and systematically evaluate the results obtained, allocating resources to improving teaching activity. In addition to efforts to formalise the design and implementation of quality assurance programmes at USC centres, all qualifications have been institutionally evaluated under the Agency for the Quality of the Galician Uni- versity System’s Institutional Assessment Programme.

The USC also carries out periodic and systematic evaluations of student and teacher satisfaction with the education provided, with the aim of planning actions that allow us to continue improving the quality of teaching and meet the expectations of these two stakeholders. USC also issues periodic reports on teaching quality, which are made publicly available.

In 2010 and 2011, student satisfaction with teaching surveys and the data-gathering process were modified in line with the requirements of new qualifications in the framework of the EHEA.

The questionnaire was debated by the entire university community and implemented during the 2011-12 academic year. In parallel, the process of automating the data-gathering process for this survey was begun - an IT application is being developed to gather this information more efficiently and sustainably. This application will also enable us to obtain the survey results and aggregations and to issue results reports to professors.

In this same 2010-11 period, the USC carried out two experi- mental programmes to evaluate the activity of Teaching and Re- search staff (Docentia). In these programmes the evaluation model is adjusted to consider the improvement proposals made by all actors participating in the programme and the recommendations made by the Agency for the Quality of the Galician University System’s external assessment committees concerning the model and its implementation.

In 2011, all USC qualifications presented their Monitoring report (Monitor programme) concerning the 2009-10 and 2010-11 academic years, in accordance with the model set out by the Agency for the Quality of the Galician University System for the external assessment of the implementation process of the EHEA official qualifications, which reflects an analysis of the implementation of the

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qualification and the corresponding improvement proposals (the Modifica programme). This report is the tool upon which renewed accreditation of the USC’s official qualifications will be based (the Acredita programme).

The PhD programmes are also involved in the quest for quality and applied for the certificate of excellence (the Mención programme) that recognises their scientific-technical and educational quality, like the research groups or departments that carry out PhD education. This recognition means that they are included in a programme network that acts as an international benchmark in terms of performance and results. 15 USC PhD programmes obtained this recognition in the 2010-11 academic year.

3.3. Public tender process for improvement actions

In order to encourage the development of activities aimed at improving teaching quality within USC, grants are awarded every year to provide centres with additional resources to stimulate their commitment to quality and, especially, the execution of activities aimed at moving forward with the process of building the EHEA.

The grants awarded in 2010 and 2011 helped finance improvement activities aimed at improving teaching competencies, providing academic and professional guidance for students, refurbishing facilities for educational purposes and acquiring technological and IT equipment. These processes involved 22 and 24 USC centres and had a budget of €430,887 and €151,00 respectively.

3.4. Quality management

USC’s Academic Qualifications and Programming Management Service, Academic Management Service and Complaint Mana- gement Office were awarded a certification issued by the Spanish As- sociation of Standardisation and Certification (AENOR) according to the UNE-EN-ISO 9001 standard. This certification was first obtained in 2005 and has been successfully renewed on an annual basis up to now. This certification proves USC’s commitment to the continued improvement of its services and the efforts made to meet the needs of its users. USC’s end goal is to consolidate its privileged position as a benchmark and prestigious university in Europe, a position that incorporates its concern for improving quality into all its activities.

As proof of USC’s concern for the quality of its academic management, the “Overall USC alumni satisfaction survey” implemented in 2006 assesses user satisfaction with the attention they received in

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the various academic management processes, among other things.

The results reflect progressive improvement in user satisfaction in the areas assessed in recent years (registration, credit conversions, adaptations, certifications, qualifications) with the exception of complaints management.

In 2011, the USC’s Radiation Analysis Laboratory (LAR-USC), supported by the USC Vice-rectorate for Social Responsibility and Quality renewed the ISO 9001:2008 certification for its Quality Ma- nagement System in designing and performing environmental radiation analysis in liquid and gas states, and the USC’s Encoro del Con Hydrobiology Station renewed its Europe 200+ Seal of Com- mitment to Excellence from the European Foundation for Quality Management.

3.5. Quality information systems

Many of the programmes being implemented to guarantee quality are based on the existence and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative information and indicators (monitoring, competitive financing, verification, excellence, etc.).

Although the USC regularly obtains indicators concerning its activity, in this period it has started to systematise a procedure to obtain data that will both automate data gathering and make the process sustainable, such as the adaptation of its definition to the new standards.

During the 2010-11 academic year, the USC joined the Integrated University Information System (Sistema Integrado de Información Universitaria - SIIU) supported by the Spanish Ministry of Edu- cation for gathering all university information. This system serves as the basis for obtaining university indicators that will be used for the external evaluation of USC in all quality processes.

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HOW DO WE WORK? SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY EXTERNAL REPUTATION

4. EXTERNAL REPUTATION

At the USC we are aware that, in a global society, we must encourage the international projection of our activity. This is why the USC is intensively active in internationalising ourselves and in cooperation, which led to the creation of the USC International portal in 2010, which channels all information about USC’s external reputation.

Our European Union financed projects deserve a special mention. The USC leads and participates in Tempus projects in North Africa and Asia as a member, and also coordinates four ERASMUS Mundus - External Cooperation Windows with Ibero- America and Central Asia and participates as a member in three Universities in Asia, Central America and the Middle East. Mo- reover, it coordinates Galician researcher mobility through the Eu- raxess programme of the Galician Centre for Researcher Mobility (Centro Gallego de Movilidad de Investigadores).

In addition, the External Relations Service manages student, Teaching and Research and Administration and Service staff mobility to other universities throughout the world, coordinating 2,200 people. In 2011, all of this activity implied costs of €1,896,541.48 and meant that USC is among the leading Spanish universities in terms of mobility and university cooperation.

4.1. Mobility

In accordance with our goal of achieving an international reputation for both our academic programme and our students, USC encourages the movement of its students by establishing mobility agreements with most Spanish and European universities and creating new links with universities in Asia and America.

USC students can take undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral studies and carry out academic and research exchanges thanks to the many exchange and mobility programmes available.

These include the ERASMUS lifelong learning programme, the exchange programme with US and Puerto Rican universities belonging to the ISEP network, the Suiza programme, the SICUE/

Seneca programme, the ERASMUS Mundus programme and bi- lateral agreements. In 2010, a specific call for proposals for mobility to English speaking countries outside the EHEA was organised.

The LLP Erasmus programme for exchanges at universities in 29 European countries continues increasing the number of universities with which it has established exchange agreements (425 in 2010-11). This is by far the programme that USC students demand and use most for studying abroad. In the 2010-11 and 2011-12

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HOW DO WE WORK? SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY EXTERNAL REPUTATION

academic years, the number of exchange agreements signed and alumni exchanged increased exponentially. The majority of participating students were again women.

The LLP-ERASMUS PROGRAMME

2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Number of exchange agreements signed 820 1.250 1.661

Number of universities 353 388 425

Number of European countries 26 28 29

USC students exchanged Total 444 524 758

% Women 67.6 67.7 62.3

Foreign students hosted Total 645 521 750

% Women 68.5 69.7 76.7

The USC developed various actions in this period to improve our institution’s appeal to foreign students and improve their integration. In 2010, USCasa (USC house), a portal dedicated to students looking for flatmates, was created through the international student association ‘Enxebre Compostela’.

In 2010, International Day was launched, celebrated on the Santiago and Lugo Campuses, as a day where foreign students showcase their universities and cultures.

4.2. International cooperation

The internationalisation of the universities is one of the keys in con- tinuing to advance enterprise and knowledge transfer. The USC is being particularly active in university development cooperation projects. In this sense, USC holds a leading position with over fifteen annual AECID projects, five ERASMUS Mundus External Cooperation Windows (EM-ECW) projects, four Tempus projects and two own training programmes for doctorate staff and collaboration between teaching staff (http://www.usc.es/internacional).

Through these projects, the USC contributes to the modernisation of the structures and university studies in America, Africa and Asia, while helping to explore interesting projects in those countries.

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HOW DO WE WORK? SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY COMMUNITY RELATIONS

5. COMMUNITY RELATIONS

The University Participation and Integration Service promotes university community involvement in social volunteering actions and collaborates with various social work organisations in carrying out various campaigns to raise student and general awareness on environmental and social issues as well as the problems in our society.

In addition, many of the USC Centres and research groups carry out activities that have a positive impact on society.

As part of the University extension activities, USC carries out numerous cultural and sporting activities that not only target the university community, but also the whole of society.

USC has also committed to teaching values and encouraging proactive attitudes in terms of society, the environment and enterprise.

5.1. Social volunteering

In the 2010-11 two year period, the Volunteering Office activity increased significantly, reaching record figures in terms of the number of programmes carried out (68), people assisted (1,474) and volunteers involved (411) in the 2009-10 academic year.

During these years, the USC signed several collaboration agreements for carrying out social voluntary programmes and for the organisation of training, awareness-raising and guidance activities with regard to cooperation, volunteering and problems affecting our society, such as personality disorders, Down’s syndrome, fair trade and so on.

Finally, the University Participation and Integration Service continued to work with various institutions on various awareness- raising campaigns.

5.2. Culture

The University is also involved in the social and cultural life of the cities where it operates. As a result, during 2010 and 2011, USC continued its role as a cultural and scientific catalyst at the Santiago and Lugo Campuses.

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During this period, USC promoted the development of several lines of action with the aim of increasing and diversifying its cultural programme, its international reputation and the valorisation of its heritage. Theatrical and musical activities, exhibitions, training programmes and summer courses were, in many cases, mainly aimed at encouraging, disseminating and promoting cultural participation and education, not only of the university community, but also of Galician society as a whole. The cultural activities carried out were at similar levels to the previous period, while summer courses decreased in the 2010-11 two year period when compared against 2008-09.

The Museum Building (Edificio Museo) and House of Knowledge (Casa del Saber) were inaugurated at the Lugo Campus in 2010.

This building, which is annexed to the Lugo Campus Vice-rectorate for Coordination, is a new space for culture and knowledge in the historic centre of the city.

In 2011, the USC achieved the European CampUSCulturae project with co-financing of 4.5 million euros from the European Commission’s Culture Programme in 2010. It is the first time that a Spanish University, as project coordinator, has achieved a subsidy of this scale under the Culture programme. This interdisciplinary and transversal initiative involves the Faculty of Communication Sciences and the USC Library, the ICT department and the Re- search and Technology Office (OIT), as well as universities and cultural institutions from Bulgaria, Iceland, Poland, Germany and Portugal. The project’s main areas of action and content include an International Library, the International Museum of Illustration, the Intercultural Centre and the International Centre for Creativity.

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Also in 2011, collaboration agreements were signed with the City of Culture and Santiago de Compostela Cultural Association, to facilitate the dissemination of the activities they carry out among the university community, to facilitate their participation and to promote the organisation of joint activities.

5.2.1. Cultural training activities

During 2010 and 2011, various courses on dramatic art, contem- porary dance, photography, singing and music, along with other programmes aimed at commemorating relevant dates, were carried out in the field of cultural education.

The summer courses confirmed their status as one of the channels through which the University’s educational activity is extended, not only in time, but also to society as a whole, and not just in the cities where its campuses are located, as these summer courses occur throughout Galicia. In 2010, 38 courses were carried out, with 1,667 matriculated students and in 2011, 39 courses were given to 1,566 matriculated students.

5.2.2. Concerts, exhibitions, theatre performances and other cultural activities

USC is actively committed to disseminating culture by organising and collaborating in numerous activities, from concert series, fes- tivals, exhibitions, theatre and cultural performances to conferences and seminars that arouse great interest among the university community and Galician society.

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5.2.3. Music library

The USC’s Music Library, which is open to the general public, carries out remarkable activity in promoting and disseminating music through sound and image lending services and by making several rooms available to users for individual or group listening sessions.

In the 2010-11 two year period, its resources continued to increase, incorporating a new format - projectable artwork. However, the number of registered users and the music library’s general activity in terms of the number of CD loans and listing sessions decreased dramatically, following a trend that began in academic year 2008-09. Nevertheless, 60 musical projections were carried out in 2011, almost double that of previous years.

5.2.4. The Ramón María Aller Astronomy Observatory

The Ramón María Aller Astronomy Observatory performs a particularly important job, in trying to bring the world of astronomy and the role of the observatory closer to the university community and society through the Programme to Extend the Culture of As- tronomy (Pecas).

The activities carried out in the framework of Science Week 2011, included the participation of numerous people of all ages, confirming the dissemination of scientific knowledge as one of the Observatory’s main lines of action, in addition to research and university teaching.

In 2011, the USC Observatory was one of the four Galician centres to receive FECYT support during the tenth anniversary of this State Foundation.

5.2.5. Luis Iglesias Museum of Natural History

In 2011, the new building to house the Museum that had been sheltered in the basement of the Faculty of Chemistry in the Vista Alegre site was completed by the Santiago Consortium. With this new location, the USC’s Luis Iglesias Natural History Museum becomes an efficient transmitter of science to society, combining its permanent collection with temporary exhibitions, strengthening the educational department and use of new technologies. It will also include one research and another educational area for welcoming group and school visits. The museum will provide an overview of biodiversity and geodiversity, paying particular attention to the marine world and Galicia. It will also include a library and audi- torium.

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The renovation and equipment of the Vista Alegre site has now been completed by the museum, which shares this space with other cultural and university facilities, such as European House (Casa de Europa), the School of Advanced Musical Studies (Escuela de Altos Estudios Musicales), Centre for Higher Studies (Centro de Estudios Avanzados) and the Authors’ and Publishers’ Society (Sociedad General de Autores - SGAE) Building.

Due to the move, the Museum was only open between January and July 2011, but nevertheless maintained practically the same visitor numbers as in previous years, with 172 centres, 10,328 students and members of the general public visiting. In 2010, under the general heading ‘Biodiversity,’ a temporary exhibition and a workshop were organised to publicise the importance of the Natural History Museum’s collections for the conservation and knowledge of biodiversity, its definition and the value of conserving these specimens for current and future research. 68 centres and 14,585 students visited the temporary exhibition while 200 people took part in the workshop.

5.2.6. Programme of visits to the USC’s Historical and Artistic Heritage Sites

Under the framework of the Universidad Viva project, this programme continued to attract the interest and curiosity of numerous visitors, mostly tourists or congress and USC institutional event participants, achieving a total of 3,265 visitors in 2010 and 2,859 in 2011.

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5.3. Sports

The USC has 36,890 square metres of sports fields and facilities in Santiago de Compostela and also provides the opportunity to participate in competitions and at numerous sports schools.

Multi-purpose sports facilities, which can be accessed with single entrance tickets, books of tickets or reservations, allow people to use a 6 lane, 25 metre indoor swimming pool, four open-

air tennis courts and a grass hockey pitch. In addition, the USC has one full size football pitch or two transversal 7-a-side pitches, one official 400 metre athletics track, a sports centre where handball, 5-a-side football, volleyball, reduced basketball and badminton can be played, as well as fitness rooms, martial arts rooms and a chess room as well as multi-purpose rooms.

The USC has 28 sports schools, including routes through Galicia and Compostela, therapeutic swimming, aqua-gym, mother and baby swimming classes and relaxation activities such as yoga, tai chi and pilates. The USC also has schools for fitness and competitive activities such as aerobics and step classes, athletics, dance, taekwondo, tennis, archery, therapeutic gymnastics and chess.

In addition to all this, the USC’s Sports Service enables people to participate in various Galician and Spanish championships, in tennis and swimming schools and University football (all forms), basketball, handball, traditional sports, volleyball, rugby and hockey leagues.

The university community can also participate in team sports by joining the USC Club’s athletics, judo, karate, swimming, orientation, taekwondo, tennis, chess, football and 7-a-side veterans teams.

The fact that a large number of those who use its facilities are not members of the university community demonstrates the civil service vocation behind USC’s sporting activities - USC’s sporting activities are “for all, for the general public”.

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The USC Sports Department includes services for groups at risk of social exclusion, people with disabilities and the elderly, in addition to its conventional services. The sports services therefore acquire a dimension of spaces that facilitate socialising and inclusion.

Record figures were achieved in terms of the number of people registered for training and leisure activities in the 2009-10 academic year (7,193) and in the number of registered sports players (555), although the number of sports facility users with a membership card decreased from 5,600 to 4,529.

5.4. Values education

In addition to cultural and sports activities, the USC offers courses and activities that encourage citizenship, social responsibility and commitment, as well as training to improve employability and to raise environmental awareness.

The University Participation and Integration Service (SEPIU) organises several courses and training days for volunteers to enable them to improve the service provided through the organisations in which they collaborate and to achieve greater use of their activities.

Another important element of the USC’s complementary training is that dedicated to improving employability. Increasing the chances of finding a job not only requires specific actions carried out by the Career’s Advice and Self-Employment Departments, but also comprehensive planning that includes improving student employability in terms of their academic curricula by encouraging their participation in training activities, courses and workshops aimed at acquiring the necessary skills for carrying out their chosen professional activity.

To promote increased environmental awareness among the general public, the Office for Sustainable Development organises and participates in formal education activities (four in 2010 and six in 2011, three of which were organised by the Office for Sustainable Development itself), as well as non-formal education events (parti- cipatory seminars, visits, exhibitions, etc.).

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6. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

In 2003, the University of Santiago de Compostela approved its strategic Sustainable Development Plan featuring actions to preserve the University’s environment. These activities are structured in three axes and were reinforced by new strategies promoted by the University’s management team, as set out in the International Campus of Excellence, Campus Vida and the USC’s 2011-20 Strategic Plan.

The Sustainable Development Plan Coordination was established to coordinate the USC’s work to support sustainability in 2004 with the principal objective of designing, planning, implementing and evaluating the USC’s various actions in this field. In November 2011, this coordinating structure became the Office for Sustainable Development, a technical and administrative unit defined within the University organisation chart, as part of the Vice-rectorate for Social Responsibility and Quality.

The Sustainable Development Plan (PDS) has three axes:

• Block 1: Generation of environmental knowledge and education.

• Block 2: Environmental planning, management and assessment.

• Block 3: Environmental dissemination, awareness and involvement.

In April 2011, under these three axes, the USC implemented the USC in Transition Project, through which intensive environmental education, publicity and awareness activities are being carried out, targeting the entire university community. Some of these actions are primarily destined towards training target recipients such as interns and Sustainability Development Plan coordinators at the centres as well as Monte de la Condesa and the Fonseca Halls of Residence users. The second planned action targets the Monte de la Condesa and the Fonseca Halls of Residence users to involve them in a parti- cipatory waste management project. The third block will be carried out by the coordinating staff of the Sustainability Development Plan.

This project also includes several activities, for example a forum at the Lugo Campus Intercentre Library to announce the concept of the “Community in transition” in interaction with the audience.

The main objective of the second block of the Sustainability Development Plan is to promote and develop practices aimed at maximising the benefits and reducing the environmental risks of university activities. Projects carried out in these two years fell into six fields of action: energy management, water management, waste management, sustainable mobility, environmental footprint and certifications and accreditations.

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• Energy management: the efficiency of the co-generation system increased notably in the 2010-11 period, as the me- chanical problems of previous years were solved, leading to an increase in the USC’s consumption of natural gas and a reduction in our need for external electricity supplies. The co- generation system also produces heat energy, allowing us to minimise boiler room fuel costs. However, it is not enough to guarantee the heating needs of our centres. Since 2007, priority has been given to natural gas when replacing obsolete equipment due to its lesser environmental impact, which is also why USC’s use of natural gas in its power supply has increased. In this way, the quantity of greenhouse gases related to energy consumption has been continuously reducing for years.

• Water management: the water used at USC is supplied through the city networks of Lugo and Santiago de Com- postela - as a result waste water is processed by these town councils. The Sustainable Development Plan (PDS) tries to

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promote sensible water use, which has enabled us to reduce consumption at the Santiago Campus with regard to 2009.

• Waste management: the Office for Sustainable Development reviews the number and location of bins for separating non- toxic waste, identifying new needs and submitting formal re- quests to town councils. However, the number of generic waste containers decreased in 2010-11. Authorised bodies hired by USC manage Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and other types of waste.

The Hazardous Waste Management Unit (which is part of the Risk Prevention Service) is responsible for managing such waste generated at research labs and centres. In comparison with the 2009 increase, in these two years the total annual quantity of hazardous waste generated at the USC decreased 3%.

• Sustainable mobility: this section includes the “Study of USC Transport Habits,” carried out by the Office for Sustainable Development since 2007. It shows university community members’ preferences when travelling to their place of study or work and reveals a significant decrease in motorised transport in 2011.

An especially noteworthy initiative within the sphere of sustainable mobility is the Bike-lending Scheme, which has been organised since 2006-2007. In the 2010-11 two-year period, the number of losses or deteriorations decreased slightly.

• Ecological footprint: a study on the USC’s environmental impact is carried out every year. This study’s main indicator is the ecological footprint, which serves as a means of evaluating the environmental cost of a specific way of life. The Office for Sustainable Development designed a specific methodology to adapt its calculation to the daily activities carried out at the university. The data (see chapter 5) shows an increase in our footprint in recent years.

• Certifications and accreditations: the USC has certified various Risk Prevention Service processes as UNE-EN-ISO 14001 compliant as well as various activities of the Institute of Ceramics (UNE-EN-ISO 14001:1996). This institute has also implemented a system of environmental management that complies with the requirements of the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS).

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