Claudi Alsina: intelligence and generosity

The news of Professor Claudi Alsina's death has deeply affected me. A brilliant mathematician, a dedicated public servant, and above all, a teacher and friend who forever shaped my understanding of education, politics, and life, has passed away.

Claudi was one of those individuals who combined extraordinary intelligence with boundless generosity. A Doctor of Mathematics, a tireless popularizer of science, and the author of numerous books that brought mathematics closer to generations of students and the general public, he knew how to bring scientific rigor to any field in which he worked. His pedagogical skills were immense: he made the difficult easy and instilled a love for what many feared.

I met him in an institutional capacity, when he served as Director General of Universities alongside Minister Andreu Mas-Colell, during those crucial years in which Catalonia's first university law was drafted. His competence and vision were crucial in designing a modern, rigorous university system at the service of the country, and above all, a unique model that placed Catalonia on par with the world's leading academic powers. Claudio listened, analyzed, structured, and ultimately found the solution no one else had seen. He was, in the truest sense, an architect of ideas.

When I later assumed responsibilities in the field of Universities and Research, Claudi became Secretary General of the CIC, and our personal relationship blossomed into a friendship that has been, for me, a gift of life. He was at once a mentor, advisor, and confidant. His words were never banal; they always provided context, history, prudence, and a broad perspective that helped to understand challenges with serenity and ambition. In difficult times, he always found a way to transform complexity into an opportunity.

I will always remember the long conversations, often filled with laughter, in which we blended politics and mathematics as if they were two sides of the same challenge: seeking the truth and constructing meaning. Because Claudio was that: a person who built, who fostered growth, who illuminated.

The country has lost an exceptional scientist and a top-tier public administrator. I have lost a dear friend, a role model, and a good man. But his legacy lives on in the books he wrote, the institutions he helped build, and above all, in all of us who were fortunate enough to learn from him.

Thank you, Claudio, for everything. May you rest in peace.