Speech delivered at the solemn session of the University Council (CONSUN), on the occasion of the conferral of the title of Professor Emeritus of the PUC-SP law school upon Prof. DR. Luiz Alberto David Araujo – august 18, 2025

Abstract

The speech addresses the conferral of the title of Professor Emeritus of the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo School of Law upon Professor Luiz Alberto David Araujo, highlighting his academic trajectory, his contribution to Brazilian Constitutional Law, and his formative role within the university. The text emphasizes his understanding of Constitutional Law as the structural axis of the legal system and as an instrument of social transformation, a perspective adopted since the early stages of his teaching career. It underscores the pioneering nature of his scholarly work, particularly in the incorporation of issues related to fundamental rights, social inclusion, and human dignity, at a time when such matters had not yet assumed a central place in legal doctrine and legislation. The speech also highlights the pedagogical dimension of his teaching, characterized by clarity of exposition, conceptual rigor, and careful attention to the human aspects of legal education, elements that have influenced generations of students. Furthermore, it draws attention to his role in graduate education through the supervision of master’s dissertations and doctoral theses, as well as to the relevance of his scholarly works in consolidating PUC-SP’s School of Law as a national reference in the teaching and research of Constitutional Law. It concludes that the awarding of the title of Professor Emeritus represents institutional recognition of a lasting academic legacy, marked by the combination of scientific excellence, social commitment, and legal humanism.