Inauguration of the 2025/2026 Academic Year

Inauguration Ceremony for the 2025/2026 Academic Year

November 11, 2025, 10:30 a.m., Aula Magna "A. Quistelli"

During the ceremony, Father Paolo Benanti was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Law and Economics.

The Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria  inaugurated the 2025/2026 academic year by awarding an Honorary Doctorate in Law and Economics to Father Professor Paolo Benanti , one of the most authoritative voices on the international scene of artificial intelligence ethics.

The event, of particular scientific and cultural importance, represented - in the well-attended Antonio Quistelli Aula Magna - an important glimpse into the future, not only for the vision of that highly interconnected world that Father Paolo Benanti conveyed in his lecture on "Algorithms for Social Growth" , but also for the University of Reggio's recognized ability to meet the challenges of research and innovation, in an increasingly close relationship with the local community and society.

This is the value of the Third Mission that Rector Giuseppe Zimbalatti particularly emphasizes. " At this solemn moment, which sees us honored as a Mediterranean University to confer the highest academic title on a scholar of such human and scientific caliber, we proudly reaffirm our achievements in recent years with the firm desire to strengthen our growth path, which places the quality of education at the heart of our teaching mission. A process of innovation in our educational offerings ," Prof. Zimbalatti reiterated in his inaugural speech, " to respond to the needs of the region and promote competitive advantage in both the scientific and teaching fields, generating socio-economic benefits . "

The last three academic years have seen significant results : five new degree programs—three undergraduate and two graduate —have been launched, strengthening the humanities, engineering, and sports fields, and 60 active training programs have been launched, including three joint programs with the University of Catanzaro. Furthermore, the University Prison Center has been enhanced, underscoring the University's investment in social services. The facility, now fully operational, will be welcoming its first graduates in 2027. 

" We were the first in Italy to experiment with the Italian Erasmus program. New enrollments ," Zimbalatti emphasized, "  have increased by over 5% compared to last year and by approximately 25% compared to two years ago, and we expect to do better by the end of the year.  A significant statistic is that over 60 percent of our students are women, placing us among the most virtuous universities in terms of the gender gap. Furthermore, in the latest CENSIS report, ranking small Italian universities, we rank 6th overall, with a point of excellence in the Scholarships category, where we achieved first place, thanks to the fundamental contribution of the Calabria Region, which allows us to reach 100% of eligible applicants .  "

Virtuous economic and financial management, confirming Mediterranea's financial, economic, and equity solidity. 

In the background, a clear and defined future, marked by the progress and energy of the modern city, just as suggested by the work of the great Reggio Calabria native Umberto Boccioni, " The City Rises."  " We like to associate this complex image with our idea of ​​a rising city, also feeling the University increasingly as its own. It's a metaphor for a city that wants to evolve, despite being forced to confront factors that slow its growth. Our mission has much to do with a concept of synergistic, shared, and above all, sustainable development; therefore, today we are attempting—with stubborn determination—to relaunch this challenge: to build, together with all the local stakeholders, a "Reggio Calabria University City" that rises and elevates. Our action is already projected in this direction with initiatives that involve the local community and that are, in effect, potential levers for the development and valorization of the aforementioned concept ," concluded Prof. Zimbalatti.  

Further conveying the image of an inclusive academic community that leaves no one behind were the testimonies of Isabella Scardino, president of the Student Council , and Elias Ashiek, a student in Agricultural Sciences and Technologies and winner of the UNICORE 6.0 scholarship . The latter is a story of sacrifice and passion, which brought him from Sudan to Mediterranea, where he found a moment of humanity and appreciation for his person and his skills. Ester D'Urzo, an administrative officer at Università Mediterranea , also contributed to the discussion .

Preceding the solemn conferral of the Honorary Doctorate to Father Benanti, Massimiliano Ferrara , Full Professor of Mathematics for Economics, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, delivered a laudatio . He emphasized the convergence between Father Benanti's algorithmic thinking and his research on the mathematical roots of trustworthy artificial intelligence, a testament to the fruitfulness of interdisciplinary dialogue. " An essential dialogue between science, technology, and ethics that Benanti himself is promoting with extraordinary effectiveness ." 

The motivations, written by Professor Massimo Finocchiaro Castro, Director of the Department of Law, Economics and Human Sciences , highlighted “ the importance of critical dialogue on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in the service of the common good and Father Benanti's commitment to ensuring that technological development is always oriented according to criteria of responsibility and justice, and towards the common good” .

 " I thank the Università Mediterranea and its Rector, Giuseppe Zimbalatti, for this great honor; and Professor Ferrara for his Laudatio. Artificial intelligence   ," Father Benanti emphasized , " is profoundly transforming social, political, and legal dynamics, raising crucial questions about the separation of powers, one of the cornerstones of liberal democracies. The challenge of this era, then, that which can set the clock right, is to write a new chapter in ethics that, written by humans, can tame computational power . "

The ceremony concluded with Calabria Regional President Roberto Occhiuto expressing his pride in the outstanding work carried out by Mediterranea, Rector Zimbalatti, and Calabrian universities. "Calabrese universities can help us overcome our region's many problems; they can build the necessary antibodies. I am grateful to Università Mediterranea and Rector Zimbalatti, who is enhancing the quality of the Reggio Calabria University, whose name is powerfully prophetic and embodies increasingly important current challenges. I was struck by Elias Ashiek's story, which captures the essence of a community committed to real needs. We will continue to support our university system," assured the Calabria Regional President, recalling the amendment on the Mediterranea campus signed by the Honorable Cannizzaro, "because strengthening knowledge hubs represents the first and best investment we can make, also useful for retaining our young people .   "