27 February 2014 - Philippine Ambassador to Portugal Philippe Lhuillier made a visit to the Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal's oldest university on February 12 as part of the cultural diplomacy campaign of the Embassy to visit Portugal's various educational and research institutions for the purpose of establishing contacts and exploring possible cooperation between academic institutions of both countries.
Ambassador Lhuillier was warmly received by Dr. Joaquim Ramos de Carvalho, Vice-Rector for International Relations. Dr. Carvalho mentioned that the University is an intrinsic part of the country's history highly regarded by the Portuguese being the venue of the Royale Palace of Portugal's early monarchy. The University was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List on June 22, 2013.
The Ambassador was given a tour of the university premises which include a huge central library, a botanical garden, stadiums and other sports facilities, an astronomical observatory, a publishing house, a private chapel, a theater, and many support facilities such as dining hails and studying rooms. In addition, the University manages several museums and other cultural organizations, including a science museum, a museum of sacred art and an academic museum.
Ambassador Lhuillier thanked the Vice Rector for his warm accommodation and for his positive response to the idea of establishing a framework for closer cooperation and collaboration between the University of Coimbra and the Silliman University on areas of mutual interest.
Established in 1290, the University of Coimbra is presently organized into eight different schools according to a wide range of fields, granting Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate degrees in arts, engineering, humanities, mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences, sports and technologies dispersed in the university's 21 buildings. With a student population of 23,000, the University of Coimbra is one of the most cosmopolitan universities in Portugal hosting one of the largest communities of international students in the country. A Filipino student is currently taking his Ph.d studies in the university. END