Berklee Valencia Receives Corporate Social Responsibility Award from Universitat Politécnica de Valencia

Berklee’s campus in Valencia, Spain, was honored with the Corporate Social Responsibility Award at the 16th Consejo Social awards of the Universitat Politécnica de Valencia (UPV). The campus was recognized for its projects that use music to help integrate people who are from underserved communities or at risk of social exclusion.

Clara Barberá, director of Student Affairs, Diversity and Inclusion, accepted the award on behalf of the campus at a ceremony held on May 9, 2019. The Consejo Social awards promote cultural, economic, and social collaboration between UPV and other Valencian institutions.

"Our goal is for our students to be academically prepared for their careers while they carry out social work during their stay in Valencia,” says María M. Iturriaga, the campus’s executive director. "We are very grateful to the UPV for recognizing Berklee’s commitment to the Valencian community.”

Berklee’s commitment to Valencia includes presenting more than 100 concerts each year, awarding grants to Valencia students, collaborating with local academic institutions, and promoting multiculturalism, diversity, inclusion, and gender equality across the region. The office of Student Affairs, Diversity and Inclusion also works with the UPC’s vice chancellor of social responsibility on initiatives that foster collaboration between both schools and with the Valencia community.

Plastic-Free Playlists, a group composed of First-Year Abroad students, performed during the ceremony. The project, which began as an initiative of the campus’s United Nations Senior Ambassador Program for Sustainable Development Goals, was founded by Sierra Cornell with Anne Noor Schepers, and received Berklee’s Diversity Grant.