Inauguration of the 2025/2026 academic year at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa. Thursday, 4 December at 10:30 a.m. at the Verdi Theatre. The programme and guests
“Opening new paths. Acting in the present, building the future” is the title chosen by the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa to inaugurate the 2025/2026 academic year. The ceremony, scheduled for Thursday 4 December at 10.30 a.m. at the Teatro Verdi in Pisa, is the first of Nicola Vitiello's term as rector: an opportunity to outline the programme that will guide the School in the coming years and to share its future objectives.
Opening new paths means believing in education and research as pillars of social and cultural progress; it means facing the challenges of our time by committing ourselves to transforming the world with scientific rigour and social impact.
The keynote speech will be given by Dr Benedetto Vigna, Chief Executive Officer of Ferrari.
The programme for the ceremony
After the opening by the Choir of Students of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, there will be greetings from Rector Nicola Vitiello and representatives of local, regional and national institutions, followed by speeches from representatives of the students, technical and administrative staff and research staff in the governing bodies.
This will be followed by the opening address by Rector Vitiello, in which he will affirm the need to “open new paths” for the university: strengthening the quality of research, supporting students, investing in innovation, promoting constant dialogue with the community and institutions, and building a Pisan system capable of acting as a true ecosystem of knowledge. A vision that brings together the present and the future, responsibility and vision.
The keynote address will be given by Dr Benedetto Vigna, CEO of Ferrari, on the theme “A true leader is never alone”.
This will be followed by a performance by the Mascagni Conservatory orchestra conducted by Maestro Luca Provenzani. Finally, Rector Vitiello will proclaim the start of the 2025/2026 academic year.
The ceremony will be presented by journalist Francesca Franceschi.
The statements
‘The inauguration of the academic year is an important opportunity for us to reaffirm the meaning of our work,’ comments Rector Nicola Vitiello. "Opening new paths means combining quality research, attention to people and the ability to dialogue with the local community, institutions and the world. The Sant'Anna School aims to increasingly become a place where knowledge translates into responsibility towards the country and openness to global challenges."
‘Participating in the inauguration of the academic year at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, the city where I spent my university years, is a great honour for me,’ comments Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna. "I will share what I have learned in my professional experience and my conviction that a true leader is never a loner, but someone capable of making others feel like protagonists. Their strength lies in listening, in being an inspiration and in keeping the pact with their team alive. This is how new paths are opened, learning from each other."
