DARTMOUTH – University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Chancellor Robert E. Johnson awarded the Chancellor’s Medal to Portugal President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and the Chancellor’s Citation to Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa during the 34th annual Heritage Day of Portugal celebration at the Mass. Statehouse on June 11.
“UMass Dartmouth is honored to be the pre-eminent university in America dedicated to the study, teaching and sharing of knowledge related to the Portuguese-American experience,” Johnson said in a statement. “The economic and cultural bonds between our university, our region and the Portuguese-speaking world are vast, strong and filled with even greater potential.”
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According to the school, Dartmouth has one of the largest Portuguese populations in the nation. In recognition of that influence, UMass Dartmouth established educational partnerships with the University of São Paulo Institute of Oceanography in Brazil, the University of the Azores, the Nonagon Science and Technology Park in the Azores as well as the local business and government community in the Azores regarding the establishment of a technology incubator.
The day marked the recognition of multiple local ties to the southwestern European country, including honoring the contributions of Portuguese-Americans to the civic, cultural and economic life of Massachusetts as a whole.
In addition, aboard the tall ship Sagres, Johnson, de Sousa and Costa formally signed exchange agreements between UMass Dartmouth and multiple Portuguese-based higher education institutions – University of Algarve, University of Aveiro, University of Coimbra, University of Minho, University of Porto – as well as the Camões Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, the Portuguese government body leading that country’s study-abroad programming.
Such an agreement was the product of a February 2018 visit by Johnson to Portugal, where he met government representatives and school administrators while seeking to further cement the bond.
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.
