Alma Mater Multicampus hosts the celebrations of the 2019/2020 academic year

The traditional ceremony for the opening of the 2019/2020 academic year will take place simultaneously in the campuses of Cesena, Forlì, Ravenna and Rimini, celebrating both the 932nd academic year of the University of Bologna and the 30th anniversary of the Romagna Campuses.

academic year 2019/20

On Friday 15th November, the University of Bologna will celebrate the beginning of its 932nd academic year. This year the ceremony will simultaneously include Romagna’s university campuses.

“Future perspective” is the fil rouge of the events organised in the Romagna Campuses with the aim of raising awareness, among both the academic and the citizens’ communities, about themes such as intellect, internationalization, heritage and contemporary society 500 years from Leonardo da Vinci’s death.

The Rector’s parade will be hosted in the Aula Magna of the new Cesena Campus. Rector Francesco Ubertini’s inaugural speech will be live-streamed to the other campuses. Representatives of the students’ body and of the technical-administrative staff will also have their speeches live-streamed. After this, each campus will host its own ceremony with parades, hosts and plenary lectures.

The inaugural ceremony will take place at Cesena Campus (Aula Magna - via Università, 50) at 16.00. The celebrations will be opened by the Rector with his speech, followed by the students’ and technical-administrative staff’s representatives. Then Valentina Ercolani, University of Bologna Alumna, will take the floor. Finally, the main host, Marino Sinibaldi, published author and radio speaker, will give a plenary lecture focusing on “The adventures of the intellect”.

“This is a special year for the University of Bologna, as it marks the 30th anniversary of our Romagna expansion. Expanding to Romagna represented a farsighted decision, whose benefits are enjoyed today by the University and will be enjoyed in the future. Indeed, the fact that competitiveness of local enterprises is linked to knowledge sharing has never been more evident”, says Rector Francesco Ubertini. “I wish this to become a new tradition at the University of Bologna, periodically shifting the celebrations for the new academic year from Bologna to the Romagna campuses”.

Massimo Cicognani, president of the Cesena Campus, will make the closing remarks. “This ceremony acknowledges the success and quality of the university project in Romagna. In this context, in which form and content match, the Rector decided to celebrate the beginning of the academic year in a decentralized campus. This importantly shows that what we have achieved during these 30 years goes beyond easing the workload of the central seat. These 30 years represent a radical change on many levels: from University management, to the cities involved. The University of Bologna has changed Romagna, and Romagna turned the University of Bologna into a true regional multi-campus athenaeum”, says Cicognani.

After the inaugural speeches live-stream, the other campuses will follow their own schedule. In Forlì, Luca Mazzara (Forlì Campus President) will address the audience and give the floor to Stefano Focaccia (Forlì Campus Alumno). Finally, Anna Maria Giordano, Rai Radio 3 speaker and journalist, will give a plenary lecture with the title “From Seattle to FridaysForFuture – a new global order”.

In Ravenna, Elena Fabbri (Ravenna Campus President) will give her academic greetings, then former student Francesca Sangiorgi will address the audience. Finally, Antonio Forcellino, artist and restorer, will talk about “Restoration as Instinct” in his speech.

Rimini Campus President Sergio Brasini will open the floor and present Annalisa Spalazzi (Alumna). Finally, Rimini Campus guest, Riccardo Iacona, will give a plenary lecture about “The Glass Dilemma”.

The whole ceremony will be available via live-stream on this page, while the University of Bologna social media profiles will constantly be updated with the highlights.

Published on: 05 November 2019