I hope from the bottom of my heart that all the people who work and study at our University and their loved ones will find at least some peace, and hopefully joy and happiness, in the upcoming Easter holidays, at such a difficult time for us all.
We take comfort in the knowledge that we all belong to a community that has put all its efforts and has been able to demonstrate, working relentlessly, that even in such a serious and increasingly complex health emergency, it can carry out its normal activities.
All the University’s members, without exception, have taken their responsibilities seriously and quietly, reflecting on their own daily lives disrupted by the emergency, and demonstrating a great spirit of collaboration. In this way, the difficulties encountered have been easier to deal with and, to a large extent, the best and most agreed solutions, albeit temporary, have been found.
During this period, the University of Verona has worked seamlessly thanks to the contribution of all those who have continued to carry out their work with dedication using new remote and distance learning methods: lectures have been delivered via distance learning for over a month now, our students are still able to graduate even if from home, exams are normally administered and taken online, and we are doing our best to guarantee that all internships are duly rescheduled and done, so that the quality of training, which our university system has been able to achieve, is maintained and possibly improved, specifically by adopting these methods, which are particularly innovative in the context of the Italian state universities.
Especially because of everyone’s commitment, and the fact that we face the problems together and with the encouragement of many people, I believe that we will overcome these difficulties, more determined than ever to bring our contribution as a University open to our city and our country. It is in a spirit of cooperation and solidarity that we will continue to disseminate our knowledge and culture, fostering respect for all living beings, and with the ultimate goal of contributing to improving our society for the future of our young people.
Special thanks go to the members of our academic community, but also to all those who work in our hospitals who, demonstrating the utmost spirit of service and high professionalism, have joined the front line in the fight against the coronavirus, which involves working in very difficult and dangerous contexts, both from a practical and, above all, human point of view.
Our thanks and all our support go to our medical colleagues, trainees and all the medical staff so that they never feel alone, and all together we can overcome this serious emergency, which is teaching us a lot. I am certain that the efforts being made will make us better.
Now is the time to stand together and united. Together we have fallen into this “whirlpool” and together we will come out of it more united than ever, with those who have shared our journey.
I would like to express my solidarity and sympathy with the people in our community who have been personally affected, or who have had their loved ones affected, by this pandemic. As your Rector I am here, and I have never been more proud to represent you.
Our University will rebuild its future in the knowledge that hard work will be needed, not only to catch up and solve the existing problems due to the inherited situation, also confirmed by the Ministry, but also for the difficult challenges ahead of us, once this pandemic is over.
If we stand together and manage not to be overwhelmed by the waves, we’ll move faster. Sailing into the wind or with the wind from the stern, it will always be better than not moving at all.
The Rector
Prof. Pier Francesco Nocini
