The Spirit and Commitment of the University of Coimbra marks the Day of the UC

^{Translation by Diana Taborda}

The University of Coimbra (UC) celebrated its 732nd anniversary on the 1st of March. The solemn ceremony took place at the Great Hall of Acts (Sala dos Capelos) and included the delivery of the 2022 UC Prize to António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General.

According to the UC Rector, Amílcar Falcão, the Prize amount of 25,000 EUR will be fully delivered to the Instituto Universitário Justiça e Paz. The Rector adds “This donation will help the institution overcome many of the difficulties faced during the pandemic and be able to continue to help those in need.”

António Guterres said: "It is with great pleasure that I join you today, on the 1st of March, to celebrate the 732th anniversary of the University of Coimbra, one of the most prestigious national institutions and probably the only one in our country that combines tradition with innovation and history with the future". The laureate praised "UC's commitment to the goal of carbon neutrality by 2030", noting that "this spirit and this commitment are needed now more than ever, at a time when we are facing an unprecedented confluence of enormous challenges".

According to UN Secretary-General, "Education is one of the most noble and important missions to which one can aspire". For more than seven centuries, the University of Coimbra has honoured this mission, constantly reinventing itself to respond to the challenges of our country and our world". António Guterres firmly believes that "it will continue to do so, at a time when the magnitude of our challenges is unprecedented".

The current Secretary-General of the United Nations “has always shown a spirit of non-acceptance of injustices, poverty and social inequalities”, claimed Pedro Costa Gonçalves, UC faculty and representative of the awardee at the ceremony. As for the timing of the award of this Prize, the UC professor ensured that “it ends up being an act at the right time”. "It is not only for what he says, nor only for what he does, but above all for what he is, António Guterres is an Exemplary Man", he added.

The UC Prize is a partnership with Santander and “an example of cooperation between the institutions”, says the President of the Santander Portugal Foundation, Inês Oom de Sousa, further adding that the connection between the two is a way to "decisively support inclusive and sustainable growth".

After two years of pandemic and with "a legitimate sense of accomplishment and improbable victory, the UC has shown that it is alive and able to reinvent itself in the face of the greatest adversity and to grow beyond its limits", said the President of the UC General Council, Gabriela Figueiredo Dias, who also said that "the challenge does not end here". The current global moment calls for " full unity, strong cohesion, determination and an extraordinary sense of purpose to strengthen the values of civilisation and peace".

Along the same lines, the Rector of the UC announced that the university is " open to welcome war refugee students from Ukraine" and that the Refugee Support Fund has been activated. As for the future of the UC, Amílcar Falcão's speech highlighted the science and research carried out over the past year, as well as important upcoming events. The underfunding of higher education and future projects submitted to the Recovery and Resilience Plan were also mentioned.

Amílcar Falcão also left "a word of hope and confidence to the entire academic community: We were here to resist the pandemic, and we will be here for whatever is necessary. We have been in the past, we will be in the present and we will be in the future. This is the identity of the UC".

For the first time, the recently established UC Works Council (CT/UC) took the floor on University Day. The coordinator of the body referred to the honour and responsibility of the position. António Trindade pledged that the UC Works Council would "contribute to an organisational climate that promotes professional satisfaction, personal well-being and the balance between work, and personal and family life".

The coordinator of the CT/UC underlined that the goal is to bring all the staff closer together and to create a culture of identity and a feeling of belonging to the UC community".