03 September 2025
Bilbao Campus
On 3 September, the University of Deusto celebrated the swearing-in ceremony of its new vice-chancellor and president of the Governing Board, Jesuit Francisco José Ruiz Pérez SJ, who succeeds Francisco Javier López Ariztegui SJ, after several years of service. The ceremony was presided over by the Provincial of Spain of the Society of Jesus and Chancellor Delegate of the University, Enric Puiggròs SJ, and was attended by members of the Governing Board, academic authorities, and representatives of the university community.
The Board is the body responsible for defining Deusto's university policy, determining its general lines of governance and promoting its image in society, in accordance with its identity and mission. It is made up of representatives from various academic, institutional and social spheres.
The spirit of Deusto
In his farewell speech, Francisco Javier López Ariztegui SJ recalled his time at the head of the Board as a time of service and collaboration with the university community. He stressed that Deusto «is much more than a crossroads», it is a place where people, young and old, companies and institutions, diverse cultures meet, exchange, enrich and grow. «It is the cradle of dreams and a forge for people». And, overarching all of this, he noted, «there is a spirit — the spirit of Deusto — that has guided 140 years of history». He concluded his remarks with a message of gratitude to the members of the Board of Governors and the Board of Directors as well as to the entire university community.
The new president, Francisco José Ruiz Pérez SJ, PhD in Theology and professor at the Faculty of Theology, has held management responsibilities at the University in recent years as dean of the Faculty and member of the Board of Directors (2018-2025). He has also taught Dogmatic Theology at the Faculty of Theology of La Cartuja (Granada). But his great career as a Jesuit has been spent in internal service. For more than 20 years, he has held positions of governance within the Society of Jesus.
First, he served as Provincial of the Bética Province (Andalusia and the Canary Islands) from 2004 to 2010, after which he was appointed Provincial of Spain. In 2014, all the Jesuit provinces of Spain were merged into a single entity, also called the Province of Spain, and he was appointed its Provincial. During his tenure, he devoted all his efforts to implementing this integration and establishing the best structures and relationships for the 1,100 Jesuits of the Province, its more than 200 institutions, and its thousands of collaborators.
In his speech, Francisco José Ruiz stated that «no path is entirely new, but rather a continuation of those that came before», and he expressed particular gratitude for the work of his predecessors, Javier López Ariztegui and Jesús María Eguiluz. He emphasised the importance of the Board as the «conscience of the university’s mission», ensuring that Deusto continues to be a special place where fundamental experiences take place for students. He reminded everyone that it must remain a place where «responsible freedoms, a passion for justice, and a courageous openness to questions of meaning and transcendence can take shape» — questions to which teaching and research always lead when guided by the Ignatian spirit. He concluded his remarks by also referring to the «spirit of Deusto», which is understood as a distinctive way of facing reality and recognising that things can be changed if they are meant to become better for people.
The Provincial of Spain, Enric Puiggròs, also expressed his gratitude for Javier López Ariztegui’s generous dedication over recent years and encouraged the new president to take on his role at a time shaped by the implementation of the new Apostolic Project of the Society of Jesus in Spain. He emphasised that university work must be rooted in love, hope, and collaboration as an essential foundation for addressing society’s challenges through plurality and cross-sector cooperation. He also noted that true fidelity to the Ignatian tradition is expressed through creative responses to the signs of the times and encouraged the University of Deusto to continue being an open space, committed to justice and capable of working in partnership with other institutions to contribute to deeper social transformation.
