The Vice-Chancellor of the Portuguese Catholic University took part yesterday in the solemn blessing and awarding of diplomas at the Braga Regional Centre. He emphasised the role of education in a changing world.
The new pro-rector of the Portuguese Catholic University - Braga, Paulo Dias, said yesterday at the solemn session to bless and hand out diplomas to the finalists of the 2023-2024 academic year that they ‘symbolise the hope’ that education has the potential to face the great challenges of today's world.
In his first public ceremony after taking office on 15 November, Paulo Dias assumed that he intends to continue the close, people-centred work carried out over the last 13 years by his predecessor, João Duque.
The pro-rector told dozens of young people who finished their 1st and 2nd cycle courses last academic year, accompanied by family members, colleagues and teachers, that the Catholic University has ‘the capacity to train leaders with a social, political and environmental conscience’.
At the same ceremony, the vice-chancellor of Católica, Isabel Vasconcelos, argued that in today's times, ‘marked by profound transformations’, knowledge is essential for ‘moulding a fairer and more inclusive future’. According to the vice-chancellor, Católica, which was recently recognised as the most entrepreneurial higher education institution in the country, has been able to provide ‘comprehensive training and prepare students to intervene in society’.
In the case of the Braga Regional Centre, which includes the faculties of Theology and Philosophy and Social Sciences, Isabel Vasconcelos pointed to the more than eight thousand graduates over the last 30 years. In her speech, the vice-chancellor highlighted the ‘Ser Cuida(i)doso’ project, led by Catarina Vieira da Silva, a lecturer at the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences, one of the winners of the V Uniservitate Symposium, which took place on 7 and 8 November in Rome.
The event brought together Catholic universities from five continents to take stock of the first five years of this network's activities and reflect on the transformative impact of service-learning on universities, students and communities.
Tatiana Ferreira, who is currently studying for a master's degree in Gerontology, also took part in the symposium, sharing her learning from this project, winner of the Uniservitate prize in the Southern Europe region.
