In eight years of management, Br. Evilázio implemented an agile and transparent management model, focused on strengthening the University as a national and international reference
Foto: Giordano Toldo
After eight years leading PUCRS’s Higher Administration, Brother Evilázio Teixeira, current President of PUCRS, bids farewell to the position with a journey guided by innovation, courage, and transformation. In a transition ceremony, to be held on December 12, the current Senior Vice President, Brother Manuir Mentges, will take office as President, continuing the work of strengthening the University as a reference in education, research, innovation, health, and culture in Brazil and in the world.
“It is not a legacy, it is a shared creation. It is what we can do together. As a community, what we do, together,” reflects Brother Evilázio, stressing the importance of the collaborative work that guided his management.
Since the beginning of his term, Brother Evilázio promoted significant structural change. The first step was to implement an agile, transparent, and shared management model. In this plan, the 22 faculties were reorganized in seven schools (Humanities, Technology, Business, Law, Medicine, Health and Life Sciences, and Communications, Arts and Design), processes were optimized and the University’s economic and financial health was strengthened, and development programs for faculty, technicians and leaders were enhanced.
Recognition came over the years: PUCRS secured first place in the Ranking of Folha de São Paulo, recognized as the best private university in Brazil for the 5th consecutive edition.
Another important achievement was the creation of the PUCRS 360 Program, a movement of academic transformation focused on four pillars:
During the pandemic, the University remodeled the Sports Park, expanded health structures such as PUCRS’s Brain Institute (BraIns), with the development of the Center for Innovation in Advanced Therapies (CITA), strengthening comprehensive care and promotion of life.
In addition, with PUCRS Culture, the University became a hub of artistic expression, with events that attract thousands of people and reinforce PUCRS’s commitment with the valorization of culture.
“We pulse culture to the entire community and become a cultural hub of the state, providing space and a voice for all types of art, strengthening the regional and national artistic scene, depicted on the walls of our buildings and in the history of those who are symbols of our country’s culture,” says Brother Evilázio, recalling the project Galeria a Céu Aberto, an urban art intervention project on campus.
In innovation, PUCRS stood out for its courses aligned with the demands of the future, such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Sciences and International Relations. This vision placed the University in the best rankings of excellence, consolidating global partnerships and becoming a reference in academic sustainability.
Brother Evilázio believes the success of his management was driven by three values: attitude, courage, and agility. “In order to have attitude, one must have the courage to take decisions. And without agility, the world won’t wait,” he says. This mentality allowed PUCRS to overcome challenges like the high school graduates gap in Rio Grande do Sul, expanding the university’s reach across Brazil with a unique model of digital education.
It is only with a courageous and agile performance that PUCRS would have achieved, in 2024, the Great Place to Work (GPTW) certification, which defines the University as an excellent place to work.
The areas of environmental and social impact also stood out in the management of recent years: in 2024, the University inaugurated the first equipment in Latin America that directly captures CO2, with the capacity to remove 300 tons of CO2 annually. In addition, in the past years, several programs aimed at promoting education and diversity were launched, such as Somar Program, focused on the inclusion of people
with disabilities in the University, and the Raízes and Sementes Programs, which provide full undergraduate scholarships for Black, Brown, and Indigenous people, as well as those in situations of socio-economic vulnerability.
“In these eight years, the world needed us. In the midst of a global pandemic and climate crisis that marked our history, we were prompted to provide agile responses, united as a community to demonstrate the relevance and strength of our actions. We mobilized people. We were creative and tireless. We worked together with consistency, coherence, simplicity. And we didn’t only dream bold dreams; we had the courage to change them into reality. Or even better, into impact,” reinforces the President.
With the continuity of Br. Manuir Mentges in the leadership of the University’s higher administration, PUCRS reinforces its commitment to facing the challenges of the future, aligning academic excellence, innovation, and social responsibility in its mission. This transition not only marks a new institutional chapter but also a moment of reflection and fulfillment for Brother Evilázio Teixeira, who shares his perspective on the significance of this closing cycle.
“This feeling of fulfillment and learning is also a process of discernment, of knowing when to step aside and make room for others. I never defined myself by the position of President. One of my convictions is that external power is unimportant; it neither makes you better nor worse,” reflects Br. Evilázio, who sees in this decision a new moment in his life.
He also shares the legacy he wishes to leave behind: “I would like to be remembered as a kind person; a good, just, and simple man. For the decisions I made, always for the benefit of the community. But, above all, for what remains: personal relationships. To me, this is about shared love, not in a romantic sense, but as a cause. And what I will remember most is having fun.”
