Prof. Dr. Adolfo Ignacio Calderón, a permanent faculty member of the Postgraduate Program in Education at PUC-Campinas, has been included in the list of nominees to join the Higher Education Chamber of the National Council of Education (CNE).
The official list of these nominees was made available by the Ministry of Education through Ordinance MEC No. 715, dated September 16, 2026. The nominations are the result of a consultation conducted by the MEC with various civil entities operating in the fields of science, culture, and education.
These institutions had been accredited by Ordinance MEC No. 664, dated August 12, 2026, to submit lists with three candidate names aimed at reconstituting both the Basic Education Chamber and the Higher Education Chamber of the CNE.
Criteria for Nominations
As established in Article 3 of Ordinance MEC No. 664/2026, the selected names must belong to Brazilian citizens of impeccable conduct who have dedicated significant services to the fields of education, science, and culture. Inclusion on the official list marks a phase in the appointment process for the new council members and demonstrates PUC-Campinas' involvement in national debates about the future of higher education, recognizing the academic and institutional contribution of its researchers.
Prof. Dr. Adolfo Ignacio Calderón expressed his satisfaction with the nomination, stating that it reflects a journey built together with colleagues, students, research groups, and the university itself. He emphasized that, regardless of the outcome, being on this list is already an important recognition of the work developed in the area of educational policies and evaluation.
Function of the CNE
The National Council of Education is a collegiate body linked to the Ministry of Education, responsible for normative, deliberative, and advisory functions to the Minister of Education. Specifically, the Higher Education Chamber is dedicated to analyzing issues related to undergraduate and postgraduate courses and also participates in defining and monitoring guidelines for higher education in Brazil.
Academic Background
Adolfo Ignacio Calderón holds a doctorate in Social Sciences from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP) and completed a post-doctorate in Educational Sciences at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. He works as a permanent professor in the Postgraduate Program in Education at PUC-Campinas and is a Productivity Scholar of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).
At PUC-Campinas, he leads the Group for Evaluation, Policies, and Educational Systems (GRAPSE), which is registered in the Directory of Research Groups of CNPq. His research covers topics such as academic governance, university rankings, higher education policies, postgraduate studies, and the institutional organization of science, focusing on educational and institutional evaluation.
In 2016, he received an award as a researcher during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of PUC-Campinas, representing the field of Human Sciences for his contribution to strengthening research and postgraduate studies. Furthermore, he serves as the financial director of the Brazilian Association of Educational Evaluation (Abave), where he was also part of the Scientific Council between 2016 and 2022. He is a member of the Board of the Forum of Higher Education Management in Portuguese-Speaking Countries and Regions (FORGES), coordinating the thematic axis of Higher Education Quality.
His experience includes participation in advisory and evaluation activities related to CAPES, CNPq, FAPESP, and Inep. He served on the Indicators Commission for the Education Area at CAPES and on committees for the CAPES Thesis Award. Currently, he also collaborates with the Advisory Council of the Folha University Ranking.