It was a sold-out day on Tuesday, 7 October, in the auditorium of the Rectorate of NOVA University Lisbon, on the Campolide campus, where the inauguration ceremony of the Rector, Paulo Pereira, took place. He is the tenth to hold the position in the (just over) 50-year history of the institution. ‘NOVA is a young university, and our journey has only just begun. (…) But NOVA is not built on isolated leaps or solitary gestures. It is built as it has always been built by the collective strength of its community,’ he emphasised in his speech.
As the first researcher to take on the highest position at NOVA, Paulo Pereira made a point of reminding everyone that ‘the university is much more than a place where people teach and learn. It is a space where we are entrusted with the extraordinary responsibility of educating free citizens. Not just good professionals, but women and men committed to building a better world. This is perhaps our greatest challenge.’
In addition to the Rector, the new rectoral team also took office at an event open to the academic community and institutional partners, which began, as usual, with the Academic Procession, followed by a speech by the President of the University’s General Council, Luísa Ferreira.
‘As we begin a new cycle in the life of this University, we are challenged not only to preserve what we have built, but to design what we can still become, always in pursuit of excellence. The University is, by nature, a space for transformation: of ideas, of people, of societies,’ she said, before concluding: “Today is a day of celebration and renewed hope. As a former student and assistant at this institution and current President of the General Council, I am reassured to know that NOVA is in good hands and that its future will continue to be built by those who know it, respect it and want to see it grow.”
Accompanying Paulo Pereira at an event also marked by the music of the Beatles – living up to the fact, already acknowledged in NOVA Talks Sala de Imprensa, that the band’s hit Come Together serves as the motto for his term of office – the new rectorial team took office, composed of: Cecília Roque, Vice-Rector for Research and Advanced Training; Emília Monteiro, Vice-Rector for Teaching, Academic Life, Health and Quality; Isabel Rocha, Vice-Rector for Innovation, Value Creation and Global Affairs; Manuela Aparício, Pro-Rector for Educational Innovation; Elsa Peralta, Pro-Rector for Culture, Social Impact and Communities; Catarina Fortuna, Pro-Rector for Heritage, Infrastructure and University Campuses; João Dias, Pro-Rector for Administrative Innovation, Digital Transformation and Communication; José Branco, Pro-Rector for Institutional Development and Fundraising; Júlia Seixas, Pro-Rector for Sustainability; and Ana Rita Marante, Administrator.
