He admitted feeling “fortunate” to have enjoyed the three pillars of academic life, especially teaching
“For being an example of broad vision and excellence,” “for having made decisions that shaped our lives,” “because much of this institution’s prestige is owed to him,” “for being an essential part of UVigo’s identity…” For all these reasons, the School of Telecommunication Engineering and the entire University of Vigo paid tribute this Monday to professor and former rector Domingo Docampo Amoedo (Redondela, 1954). After an intense professional career —“in which I had the opportunity to enjoy the three pillars of academic life: research, administration, and above all, teaching,” as he emphasized— he now begins a new stage: his retirement.
“The School will always be your home”
The ceremony, chaired by rector Manuel Reigosa, gathered a large audience in the assembly hall of the School of Telecommunication Engineering. Many teaching colleagues, students, and technical, administrative, and service staff from different UVigo centers attended the event to accompany someone who had served as Director of the School of Telecommunication Engineering (1988–1990), Director of the Department of Communication Technologies (1991–1993 and 1996–1998), and Rector of the University of Vigo (1998–2006).
In his speech, Docampo fondly recalled his beginnings as a teacher at the then newly founded School of Telecommunication Engineering, with special affection for Aníbal Figueiras, the school’s first director and Doctor Honoris Causa by UVigo, who passed away three years ago: “He was my mentor and friend, and I learned a great deal from him throughout my academic career.” He expressed feeling “grateful for all that was said here today” and “very fortunate” to have lived such experiences, especially those related to teaching —an activity through which he “sought to spread a passion for knowledge, for learning, and above all, for understanding.”
Opening the event, rector Manuel Reigosa affirmed that “Domingo’s career has undoubtedly shaped this institution —for the better— helping us embrace modernity.” He added, “He was a giant capable of propelling the University of Vigo forward, a person with charisma, vision, and leadership.”
Next, the school’s current director, Rebeca P. Díaz, briefly reviewed Docampo’s career as a teacher and academic leader, sharing her own perspective as a former student. “He was a professor who trained many generations of students at the school, with remarkable ease of communication in the classroom,” she noted, adding, “For all of us who are part of the school, it was a source of pride that he was twice elected rector by the university community.” On behalf of the entire EET, she congratulated him on his retirement and reminded him that, though a new stage begins, “the School will always be your home —a place where you are welcome to return whenever you wish.”
“He sowed and nurtured the seeds of the School of Telecommunication Engineering”
Speaking on behalf of the first graduating class of the school, UVigo professor Fernando Pérez González —the first PhD student under Docampo’s supervision— recalled, “For those of us in that first cohort, which started exactly 40 years ago, Domingo was not like the teachers we had in high school: he was highly motivating, willing to deviate from the script when needed, and intellectually challenging.” He also remembered how Docampo strongly encouraged those pursuing doctoral studies and academic careers to spend long research stays abroad to expand their knowledge. “I had the privilege of going to the University of New Mexico to work on a research line he had started with Professor Chaouki Abdallah, who is also present here today, and both became my thesis supervisors.”
When asked about Docampo’s defining qualities, Pérez González did not hesitate: “broad vision and pursuit of excellence.” He added, “He sowed and nurtured the seeds of the School of Telecommunication Engineering, and we owe much of the school’s prestige to him.”
Video tribute from the first graduating class
The voices of the school’s alumni also came through a video tribute from members of that first graduating class, now professional colleagues. The recurring word in their messages was ‘thank you’ —for his legacy, his guidance, and with warm wishes for his retirement. Those who lent their voices to this special tribute, promoted by the school’s student delegation, included José Luis Alba Castro and Artemio Mojón, both full professors at the University of Vigo; Jesús Cid Sueiro, full professor at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid; and Miguel Armesto Herbella, CEO of construction company San José.
“In 1991, you decided to bring professors from New Mexico to teach doctoral courses here —a decision that went far beyond an academic opportunity and changed my life,” recalled Alba Castro. Armesto Herbella expressed pride at having had “the privilege of witnessing the birth of the School of Telecommunication Engineering as a student, and seeing the enthusiasm and determination with which that young professor, whom we admired so much, carried the project forward.” Artemio Mojón, for his part, highlighted Docampo’s leadership “during an extraordinarily intense period.”
“He didn’t just administer a university —he built a vision and a future for it”
Professor Óscar Rubiños, from the School of Telecommunication Engineering and former vice-rector under Docampo’s administration, recalled his tenure as rector. In his address, he revisited various reflections from the university community about that period and the principles that guided their work.
“I want to share some ideas people reminded me of recently: Domingo was the architect who shaped the physical and intellectual structure of the University of Vigo —a rector who didn’t just manage a university, but built a vision and a future for it. With him at the helm, it felt like the ship had a clear course and was sailing at full speed.” Rubiños thanked him for allowing him to be part of that academic adventure: “We all shared a common vision of what a university should be —one that the people of southern Galicia, and Galicia as a whole, could feel proud of.”
The ceremony also featured speeches by Professor Antonio Artés, full professor at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and founding member of Docampo’s research group, and Chaouki Abdallah, rector of the Lebanese American University (LAU) and Docampo’s longtime research collaborator during his stays at the University of New Mexico. Both shared numerous anecdotes and emphasized his passion for teaching and research, “always bringing new ideas and perspectives.”
Source: Duvi, Faro de Vigo, Atlántico Diario