On Thursday 16th February, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice inaugurated the 2016-2017 Academic Year at the Malibran Theatre, the 149th since its establishment.
The ceremony opened with the welcoming speech given by Rector Michele Bugliesi, followed by the institutional welcome by Elena Donazzan, Officer for education, training, work and equal opportunities for the Veneto Region, and by Ermelinda Damiano, President of the Council for the Town of Venice,
Rector Michele Bugliesi’s speech touched on a series of points recalling the objectives of Ca' Foscari's Strategic Plan and the important results achieved last year. The Rector then launched an appeal to the government in order to focus the centre of its agenda on investing in education:
“The university has an essential role as a place able to respond to the fundamental requests and challenges of our time, and the search for knowledge as a key instrument for growth, innovation, and sustainable and peaceful development. We need more resources for the right to study, resources that can give stable employment prospects to young researchers, with salary curves that ensure (without varying the total expenditure) a higher wage in the first few years of their career. We need new and simple procedures and an efficient ministry, that sends data about the budget, about the resources that we can use to employ researchers in time that we can organize an employment plan. A ministry that allows us to implement the direct calls in a timely manner and using methods that guarantee competitiveness. Ultimately, we need a government agenda that puts development of human resources at the centre, particularly in the sectors of higher education and research.”
During the ceremony, the Representative of Technical Administrative Staff Carlos Alberto Melero Rodriguez and the President of the Assembly of Students, Cristina Manzone, participated.
Guest of the ceremony Ignazio Musu, Emeritus Professor of Political Economics at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, gave a Keynote Address on the “Economic Effects of Digital Technology”.
Present at the inauguration of the Academic Year were Rectors and delegates from numerous universities: Alberto Ferlenga, Rector for the IUAV University; Rosario Rizzuto, Rector for the University of Padova; Massimo Carpinelli, Rector for the University of Sassari; Maurizio Fermeglia, from the University of Trieste; Paolo Lugli, Rector for the Libera Università di Bolzano; Barbara Poggio, on behalf of the Honourable Rector from the University of Trento; Rosa Anna Giaquinta, on behalf of the Honourable Rector from the University of Udine; Marina Pizzi on behalf of the Honourable Rector from the University of Brescia; and Gino Mariotto, on behalf of the Honourable Rector from the University of Verona.
Also taking the stage was ERC Starting Grant researcher Sabrina Marchetti, who illustrated her own field of research in a speech entitled “The rights of housewives: Example of a ‘global’ research”.
On the theme of innovative education, Vladi Finotto - Rector's Delegate for intellectual property, self-entrepreneurship and technology transfer – presented “An innovative didactic experience: the Active Learning Labs”.
As per usual, prizes were presented during the ceremony: Prizes for Research 2016, Prizes for Education 2016 and Prizes for Student Merit.
The ceremony closed with the proclamation of the Academic Year to the tune of Gaudeamus Igitur.
