The new academic year at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo kicks off on Monday, September 26, 2011, with 70 new first-year students. As in previous years, the group shows a notable diversity of nationalities, with students arriving from Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Ethiopia, Germany, Guinea, Hungary, Italy, Kenya, Malta, Mauritania, Pakistan, Switzerland, Tajikistan, and the United States. This brings the total from 55 up to 60 nations represented, an impressive figure for such a small school with a unique focus on food and food issues.
The first week on campus with focus on orientation and introducing the new arrivals to student life. On September 26 at 11:00 am, UNISG president Carlo Petrini and dean Piercarlo Grimaldi (starting officially on October 1) will give a welcoming presentation, along with university director Stefania Ribotta and the entire faculty and staff. The afternoon will include a discussion with Slow Food Italy president, Roberto Burdese, who will present the international organization.
September 27 will include a presentation of the academic program and various research projects, as well as the UNISG study manifesto, the didactic model, evaluation critera, and the overall structure of the three-year program, including the 2011–12 academic calendar (explained by Dr. Paola Migliorini). The students will also meet the UNISG Mentors, those professors who serve as points of reference for each area of study and year. These include: Linguistics (Dr. Giulia Bertolotto); Natural Sciences (Drs. Andrea Pieroni and Gabriella Morini); Agricultural and Veterinary Science (Dr. Paola Migliorini); Food Science and Technology (Drs. Giuseppe Zeppa and Luisa Torri); History and Anthropology (Drs. Simone Cinotto, Antonella Campanini, and Piercarlo Grimaldi); Regional and Social Sciences (Drs. Paolo Corvo and Giovanni Perri); Economics, Statistics, and Law (Dr. Claudio Malagoli); and Philosophy and Communications (Drs. Nicola Perullo and Pierluigi Basso).
During the morning of September 28, Carlo Petrini and Piercarlo Grimaldi will discuss the Pollenzo community and its identity, and relate accounts of the Po River Voyage and the Canto delle Uova (“the Song of the Eggs”) initiatives. Former and current students Carlo Fiorani and Ivo De Pellegrin will also be on hand with their own stories from the experiences. Non-Italian students will then take part in a meeting with a representative from the Al Elka service of Bra, an information center for foreigners resident in Italy. In the afternoon, Nicola Perullo will present UNISG’s Cultural Gastronomy Workshops and the Tutor Office will explain the Study Trip structure.
On September 29, the students will learn about the UNISG portal with the IT Office, as well as email and wireless technologies on campus and in housing. The afternoon will be devoted to the Student Association and the Alumni Association, as well as the UNISG Slow Food convivium and the Youth Network of Slow Food Italy.
Rounding out the week, during the morning of September 30, the students will tour Bra and the town market. The visit, organized by the UNISG Slow Food convivium, the Student Association, and Slow Food, will culminate in a collectively prepared dinner—an Eat-In—planned by the UNISG students themselves.
For more information, contact:
UNISG Communications Office
comunicazione@unisg.it