Changes in the leadership of the Universitat de València directly impact the future of higher education in the region. The new rector, elected under updated rules, will set the university’s strategy for the next six years. This decision affects students, faculty, administrative staff, as well as research projects and international partnerships.
Voting results
Juan Luis Gandía (Ontinyent, 1965), professor at the Department of Economics and Accounting, has become the new rector of the Universitat de València. According to El Pais, he received over 62% of the votes in the second round, ahead of Ángeles Solanes, vice-rector for international affairs, who obtained 37.6%. Gandía secured victory in all electoral colleges, a rare outcome for this type of election.
In the first round, held on March 3, four candidates competed for the position of rector. In addition to Gandía and Solanes, the list included Carles Padilla, Doctor of Philology, and Fran Ródenas, professor of social work. However, only the two leading candidates advanced to the second round, where the winner was decided.
Election structure and new rules
A total of 57,919 members of the university community took part in the voting. The universal weighted voting system took into account the opinions of all groups: teaching staff, students, technical and administrative employees, and early-stage researchers. The greatest weight belonged to College A — faculty with permanent contracts, who accounted for 51% of the votes. Students, the largest group by number, had a 25% share, while the remaining votes were distributed among the other categories.
Under the new Higher Education Law (LOSU), the rector is elected for a single six-year term with no possibility of re-election. This innovation changes the approach to university governance and requires candidates to have a clear strategy for their entire tenure. As El Pais notes, similar systems are already in place at several Spanish universities and influence the dynamics of election campaigns.
Professional trajectory and priorities
Juan Luis Gandía is a graduate and Doctor of Economics from Universitat de València, winner of a distinguished achievement award. Over 34 years at the university, he has held leadership roles, contributed to curriculum development, and led projects introducing innovations in teaching. His academic interests focus on the impact of digital technologies on corporate transparency, the quality of financial reporting, and the analysis of non-financial data.
In his professional career, Gandía served on the board of directors at Caixa Ontinyent and was a member of its executive committee, as well as participating in Asepuc. Within the university, he was Vice-Rector for Economics, Infrastructure and Information Technologies. Since 2009, he has been a member of the university senate.
Context and implications
Gandía’s victory marks the first time a representative of the Tarongers campus has become rector. This event may shift the balance of interests among faculties and influence resource allocation. The new rector faces the challenge of implementing reforms in a limited term, without re-election, requiring swift and effective decisions.
In recent years, Spanish universities have increasingly faced the need to update their management models. For example, a woman was recently elected head of a university in Galicia for the first time, sparking considerable public discussion and debate over new approaches to university governance. Learn more about these changes in our article on the elections at the University of Santiago — a historic precedent for Spanish education.
In recent years, Spain has seen a trend towards renewing university leadership and implementing new governance principles. In 2025, similar changes took place at Universidad de Granada, where a new rector was elected for a single term. In other parts of the country, competition among candidates is growing, while student organizations are becoming more active participants in election processes. These shifts reflect a drive for greater transparency and efficiency in managing higher education institutions.
