University of Porto celebrated 111 years with the whole city

26 March, 2022

The solemn session of the University Day was the highlight of the March 22nd celebrations, which were then opened to the community, through several parallel events.

Held in the Rectory’s Noble Hall, with live broadcast on the YouTube channel of the University of Porto (U.Porto), the Solemn Session began at 3 pm, with the traditional academic procession, led by professors with doctorates from the educational institution.

Once inside the room, Fernando Freire de Sousa was responsible for initiating the ceremony, in what was the first intervention of the former President of the North Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-N) on University Day, in his capacity as President of the General Council of the university.

Luís Braga da Cruz, president of the Board of Trustees, Ana Gabriela Cabilhas, student representative, and Maria de Lourdes Zilhão, worker representative, also passed through the pulpit.

This was followed by the intervention of the guest speaker, a role that this year fell to the multi-awarded writer and poet, researcher and retired professor from the Faculty of Letters of the University of Porto (FLUP), Ana Luísa Amaral, recently awarded the prestigious XXX Rainha Sofia Prize for Iberian-American Poetry.

The closing speech was given by the rector, António de Sousa Pereira, who made the annual balance of the university’s activities and addressed the future challenges facing the institution.