Universidade Potiguar Wins Two Categories of the Santander Awards
Universidade Potiguar (UnP) won two categories of the Santander Universities Awards. The outcome put the region of Rio Grande do Norte on the map among the country’s higher education centers. Hosted by Santander Universities, the awards recognize the best ideas that are contributing to the growth or development of the local community and the country. The award ceremony took place on Nov. 19, 2015 in São Paulo, Brazil.
A total of 21 awards were delivered at the ceremony. From Brazil’s 900 higher education institutions, only 18 earned an award this year. “From this universe of higher education institutions, only two received more than one award, Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP) and UnP. This really shows that UnP is among the best in Brazil and is delivering programs of the highest quality to our students. The recipients of these awards are the examples the higher education system needs to follow,” stated Marcus Peixoto, president of UnP. The university was recognized for its work to support employment of alumni and for a survey the university will conduct on sustainable and profitable fishing.
UnP’s Employability Center, led by Professor André Lemos, focuses on helping students find full time jobs through internships and direct hiring. The work of the Employability Center has pushed UnP’s employment rates over the national average. The center was also recognized this year with the 2015 IEL Internship Award for developing the best practices in the field of internships from all of Brazil’s higher education institutions.
UnP’s Mossoró campus conducted the survey “Sustainable and Profitable Fishing in Pedra Grande (RN) and Rosado (RN).” The survey was led by Professor Tenessee Andrade Nunes and was recognized for its focus on incentivizing social and economic inclusion for local communities. They will receive $26,000 to carry out the work.
This was the 11th edition of the Santander Universities Awards. In 2015, there were 23,893 proposals representing 900 higher education institutions. The awards handed out $522,000 in cash prizes, as well as scholarships to attend Babson College in the United States, and mentoring from Endeavor and UniSol.
