A donation from the Horta Osório family will enable the establishment of an annual award for the best student in the Management Program, valued at 15,000 euros, corresponding to the tuition fees for the three years of the degree.
The Horta Osório family has donated 1.5 million euros to the Portuguese Catholic University (UCP) to support the development of the new Campus Veritati, described as “a structuring project for the institution’s future.”
The family donation from António, his wife Ana, and their children Maria, Margarida, and Pedro includes, in addition to an auditorium on the new campus named after the couple, the creation of a future chair on mental health within the Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management, as well as the establishment of an annual prize for the best Management student, worth 15,000 euros, equivalent to the tuition fees for the three years of the program.
According to the Rector of the Portuguese Catholic University, Isabel Capeloa Gil, “This gesture by the Horta Osório family represents a decisive contribution to the sustainable and innovative growth of the University, reinforcing UCP’s commitment to educating responsible leaders who will make a positive impact on society.”
The signing and presentation ceremony for this donation took place this Tuesday at UCP’s Rectory in Lisbon. This financial contribution is part of the “Together we shape the future” campaign for the construction of Campus Veritati, envisioned as “an academic space of excellence designed to address future challenges by promoting knowledge, innovation, and service to the community,” the University stated.
António Horta Osório was the first student of the Management and Business Administration Program at the Portuguese Catholic University to graduate with an average grade of 18 out of 20.
“It is a way of giving back what I received and contributing to ensuring that the University continues to educate future generations with the same excellence, values, and university spirit that so greatly influenced me,” said António Horta Osório.
“The Portuguese Catholic University was where I began my academic and professional journey and where I forged bonds of friendship and knowledge that have accompanied me throughout my life,” stated António Horta Osório, quoted in a press release.
“This donation, made together with my family and inspired by the challenge presented by Rector Isabel Capeloa Gil, for whom I hold great esteem and trust, is a way to give back what I received and to help the University continue forming new generations with the same excellence, values, and academic spirit that deeply influenced me,” the former banker emphasized.
While still in his second year of studies, after completing the Econometric Models course with a grade of 19 in the oral exam, Horta Osório was invited by the course coordinator, Professor Fernando Adão da Fonseca, to serve as a teaching assistant for the same subject the following year, UCP detailed. At just 20 years old, he thus began teaching practical classes.
After graduating, Horta Osório served as an assistant professor in several courses, including Basic Management Tools and Marketing Research. From 1991 and for five years, he taught Applied Corporate Finance in the MBA program at the Portuguese Catholic University.