‘I thank you for your confidence, which includes both an appreciation of past performance and an assessment of future risk. I affirm that we will continue with ambition on the path of contributing to the transformation of the world through science and education.’ These were the words of the President of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Isabel Capeloa Gil, at the investiture ceremony for the President and her Rectoral Team, held on 15 November at the Cardeal Medeiros auditorium in Lisbon.
At an event that brought together the academic community and various guests, Isabel Capeloa Gil said that ‘Universidade Católica Portuguesa, as an institution of the Portuguese Church, is aligned with a model of social justice and inclusion, which means striving for dialogue instead of polarisation, for equity instead of inequality, for justice, betting on a project of hope for the common good‘’.
For the UCP President, ‘this mission implies constant dialogue and collaboration’, but she assured that this ‘dialogue does not necessarily imply consensus, because the university is not a place for conformism’. She added that the university ‘cannot fail to be profoundly universalist, with all the risks that such awareness entails’.
During her inauguration speech, the UCP President announced new projects for the next term, centred on three axes: ‘talent development and retention (career development and the training of new leaders); the renewal of the pedagogical model and the development and expansion of infrastructure’.
Isabel Capeloa Gil also announced the launch of ‘five new transversal initiatives’: Pedagogical Transformation and Technological Literacy; Excellence for Science and Society; Smart and Sustainable Campus; Longevity and Innovation; and New Humanities.
In a final mention, the President addressed the students, encouraging them to be ‘ready to embrace the opportunities that our extraordinary global world offers, always cultivating infinite curiosity and imagination’.
António Leitão Amaro, Minister of the Presidency, was invited to the ceremony and emphasised ‘the moral, humanist and universalist project’ of the UCP, as well as ‘the role it plays in the transmission of tools in technological and humanist training and in the multiplicity of areas of science that are cultivated here’.
The Patriarch of Lisbon and Chancellor of the Universidade Católica, Bishop Rui Valério, closed the ceremony by emphasising the institution's responsibility in building a path of peace.
‘It's only when we take a fresh look at human beings that we can find the true path to peace, prosperity and hope. In this regard, any university, but in particular a Universidade Católica, has a very important and, dare we say it, irreplaceable role to play,’ he said.
The Chancellor emphasised the importance of those who graduate from the Universidade Católica Portuguesa ‘becoming protagonists on the various fronts of Portuguese society and beyond these borders’ and ‘becoming seeds of Hope for our world’, he concluded.
The investiture ceremony also included the swearing-in of the new rectorial team.
Peter Hanenberg, Vice-Rector for Research and Doctoral Education, Isabel Vasconcelos, Vice-Rector for Teaching and Pedagogical Innovation, Miguel Athayde Marques, Vice-Rector with responsibility for Infrastructural and Strategic Development, Fernando Ferreira Pinto, Vice-Rector for Legal Affairs, Margarida Mano, Vice-Rector for Continuous Improvement and Development, and José Manuel Pereira de Almeida, Vice-Rector responsible for Social Responsibility, Inclusion and Pastoral Affairs.
A new Vice-Rector has joined the team, Nelson Ribeiro, responsible for Transformation, Collaboration and International Affairs.
Pro-Rectors Aires do Couto, Pro-Rector of the Viseu Regional Centre, and Isabel Braga da Cruz, Pro-Rector of the Porto Regional Centre, as well as Administrator Helena Brissos de Almeida, also took over from the outgoing rectoral team. Paulo César Azevedo Dias also took office as Pro-Rector of the Braga Regional Centre. Céline Abecassis-Moedas also joined the new team as Pro-Rector for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
The ceremony was broadcast live on UCP's Youtube channel, which you can watch here.
