Ricardo Marcelo Fonseca | Foto: Marcos Solivan/Sucom UFPR.
A word from the Dean
The Federal University of Paraná is the alma mater of Paraná society. Generations from 20 to 90 years of age proudly recognize it as a formative place where they were prepared for their life, their profession or the sciences, the place to understand and situate themselves in the world. It has been over 100 years of a history marked by countless challenges — the first being the foundation of the University itself, the result of the joint efforts of society and political forces.
Today, our century-old university is facing new challenges. And one of the most instigating is undoubtedly being open to difference; and with this to grow and be a protagonist, from and with its plurality, making use of the vocation — present from the beginning — of being the reserve of the best education for those who sit in our benches, of being the repository of intelligence and creativity, of being the place of lights.
Our wealth is and must be our plurality and diversity. This has been and must continue to be our goal: to be an inclusive, plural, and open university. To keep it attuned to the demands of the unequal society in which we live, and contribute to reduce this inequality. To welcome the wealth of knowledge, the multiplicity of ideas, ideologies, and conceptions — because if the university becomes dogmatic, if it claims to have only one voice, devaluing any other timbre that doesn't sound familiar, then it will certainly be the beginning of the end for this place, which should be the main generator and disseminator of knowledge in its most plural and tolerant sense.
The university must be a place for words, dialogue and knowledge. At no point can it give up being the place of quality — both in the production and reproduction of knowledge, so that we have immense quality in research, teaching, and extension.
We need to grow, we need to be a reference, we need to aim to be a reference.
So I appeal to our entire university community: let us dream big, let us assert our role as the main locus of knowledge, let us also seek our leading role in the public debate; let's translate all this into quality in the training of our students, quality in the production of knowledge, technology, and innovation.
Let us do this by reclaiming our social role, which must never be forgotten, and by reaffirming our immense pride in belonging to this institution and in building Paraná's leading higher education and research institution day by day. And let this not be confused with elitism: we must simply make what society expects of us blossom, and we must do so with our best energies and our greatest competence. That is the satisfaction we owe our society, that is our destiny. Let us stick to it!