The Doctor in Applied Linguistics and Communication Languages, a graduate of the Social Communication program at UNR, received the title Doctor Honoris Causa.
In an emotional ceremony at the University Cultural Space, UNR awarded its highest degree to Dr. Carlos Scolari, a distinguished communication scientist and the graduate with the highest recognition achieved by the School of Social Communication. This mention, approved unanimously by the Superior Council, seeks to honor Scolari's career in the study of new forms of communication born from the spread of the world wide web. In turn, this recognition is part of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the program.
The ceremony was presided over by the Rector Franco Bartolacci, the dean of the Faculty of Political Science and International Relations Cintia Pinillos, who acted as godmother, and Mg. Fernando Irigaray, who read the laudatio. Also present were the director of the School of Social Communication Néstor Taborda, the director of the Center for Research in Mediatizations (CIM) Sandra Valdettaro and members of the university community.
“It is a great pleasure to be able to present you, on behalf of the UNR community, the title of Doctor Honoris Causa, the highest distinction that our University grants,” said Rector Franco Bartolacci, and congratulated the School of Social Communication and the Faculty of Political Science “for this very timely decision to celebrate 50 years of history, of so much struggle, love and passion for communication, for the University, for science, recognizing one of the best exponents.”
Bartolacci considered that “today we come to recognize a way of thinking and doing the world that challenges, moves and mobilizes our community. That way of moving, that testimony of life that reflects the values and principles that our institution embraces and that we defend.” For the Rector, being able to recognize his career “is a synthesis and an expression of what the Argentine public university system produces, creates and builds; that is to say out loud and publicly what we are, what we have historically built, what we defend and what we want to be.” Bartolacci thanked Scolari for his story, his testimony and that loving bond with the UNR community, “for always being part of this that is your home and allowing us, in an extremely delicate moment, to be able to tell what we do, how we do it and why it is important to defend it.”
For her part, the dean of the Faculty of Political Science and International Relations, Cintia Piillos, said that “it is an honor to be the godmother of this distinction because Dr. Scolari has national and international recognition for being one of the most outstanding exponents in the field of communication.” She added that his academic production is an essential reference for the discipline and he is one of the most frequently cited authors in research papers and in the bibliography of undergraduate and graduate programs in Spanish-language courses.
“Carlos is part of our community, his story is also the story of the career and of the recovery of democracy, of what that generation meant, which did so much so that today we can be here and have a career that is celebrating 50 years,” he said. “He graduated from our school, he was a teacher and he is also a formal member of our community through the CIM.” For Pinillos, this distinction is one more way of celebrating 50 years of the Social Communication career at this University, “recognizing those people who outlined our discipline and who also contributed with great commitment to the construction of the Public University.”
“In these difficult times, we must realize that Carlos' career is also proof that the Public University in those early years of democracy trained professionals who had enormous potential to become outstanding people in the international arena. This is also a political act of defense of the Public University because it recognizes that the University with unrestricted admission trains professionals of Carlos' stature.”
The Director of the Master's Degree in Interactive Digital Communication, Fernando Irigaray, read the laudatio in which he referred not only to Scolari's academic career but also to personal anecdotes that denote the researcher's loving bond with this University.
Scolari taught at the UNR, the University of Vic and the Pompeu Fabra University in Spain. He was a visiting professor, lecturer and workshop organizer at universities in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, the United States, Canada, Portugal, Switzerland, Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Finland, Poland, Austria and Estonia. His most notable scientific contributions have been in the semiotics of interfaces and interaction processes.
“Carlos, with his vast academic work, is a reference in almost all the Schools of Communication, Journalism and Design in Latin America,” said Irigaray, highlighting that there is no higher education, tertiary or university, undergraduate or graduate degree that does not include at least one of his publications in its programs.
“A son of the Public University, he makes us proud for his work in the different scientific and academic fields in the world. Carlos does not forget his origins, he rescues and values them by maintaining a continuous relationship with our community,” he said. He is currently a member of the CIM of the Faculty of Political Science, a member of the Academic Council of the Latin American Chair of Transmedia Narratives, a Professor of the Doctorate in Communication, a prominent and regular speaker at academic events organized by the School of Social Communication, the Master's in Interactive Digital Communication and the Doctorate in Social Communication of the UNR.
Visibly moved, Irigaray said: “Today we are here to honor Dr. Carlos Scolari with this academic distinction, the highest that this institution of higher learning awards. On the 50th anniversary of our beloved School of Social Communication, we decided to award the most recognized of ours in the academic field at a global level, our graduate.”
Finally, Carlos Scolari said: “I am very excited, it is an honour, a pleasure to be here. Thank you for the recognition and the welcome.” He then confessed that he had always distrusted those academics whose CVs proclaim that they have received dozens of honorary doctorates. “I think it is better to give it to people outside the scientific and academic world who have been characterised by their social commitment or have made contributions to culture or art,” he said, adding: “I also thought it was a recognition that comes to you in old age, but I feel young.” Finally, he gave a lecture entitled “Communication in ten phrases.”
Journalists: Victoria Arrabal and Gonzalo J. García/Photographer: Karen Roeschlin