Faculty of Law with new professors

Memories evoked among words of gratitude and commitment marked the speeches of the professors at the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra (FDUC) who took office on May 7th.

“This career, in many ways lonely, is a path that is not followed without support from others”, recalls Paulo Mota Pinto. The professor considers that the University of Coimbra (UC) “must have views beyond this beautiful Patio from where you can see much more than the curve of the Mondego, from where you can see the World”.

For Pedro Costa Gonçalves “becoming professor at UC means reaching the end of a long and arduous path”. “I can’t deny that I’m filled with a feeling of great joy at this time”, admits Pedro Costa Gonçalves, even after two years of being hired as a full professor.

As this is the highest level in a university teaching career, João Leal Amado considers the moment “a point of arrival for all of us”. He remembers the starting point as something that happened “by chance”, when he came across Professor Gomes Canotilho’s Constitutional Law manual. “It was this work that captivated me”, even before taking classes with the author. “This is what makes the magic of our profession, the idea that we can make a difference, sometimes without realizing it”, concludes João Leal Amado.

The covid-19 pandemic prevented the ceremony from taking place in due time, but did not cancel it. The inauguration of professors are moments that “are part of the tradition and prestige of the UC”, argues the Rector of the University of Coimbra, Amílcar Falcão.

“It is good to remember that the category of full professor is fundamental for the UC to be well represented in many places” that it otherwise could not be. In the last three years, the number of full and associate professors has increased “substantially” from 32% to around 50%.

To the most recent professors, Amílcar Falcão wishes them to perpetuate the “heavy and long legacy” of the Faculty of Law, so that it continues on its path of “success and national and international recognition.”