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Università degli Studi di Catania | |
 | |
| Latin:Siciliae Studium Generale | |
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Established | 19 October 1434; 591 years ago (1434-10-19) |
| Rector | Prof. Enrico Foti |
Administrative staff | 1,623 |
| Students | 38,000[1] |
| Location | , Italy |
| Sports teams | CUS Catania |
| Affiliations | UNIMED |
| Website | www.unict.it/ |
 | |
TheUniversity of Catania (Italian:Università degli Studi di Catania) is a university located inCatania,Sicily. Founded in 1434, it is the oldest university in Sicily, the 13th oldest in Italy, and the 29th oldest in the world. With over 38,000 enrolled students, it is the largest university in Sicily.
The university was founded by KingAlfonso I of Sicily on 19 October 1434. A charter was granted after two royal councillors (Adamo Asmundo and Battista Platamone) convinced the king to accept the founding of aStudium Generale in Catania, with the papal recognition arriving ten years later fromPope Eugene IV (18 April 1444). Alfonso V with this gesture wanted to compensate the city (in which there had been recently established the royal court) for moving the Sicilian capital from Catania to Palermo. The activity of the Atheneum actually started a year later, in 1445, with six professors and ten students. The first four faculties were Medicine, Philosophy, Canon and Civil Law and Theology. Lessons were initially held in a building in Piazza del Duomo, next to theCathedral of Sant'Agata, and eventually moved to thePalazzo dell'Università in the late 1690s. This building remains the office of the rector of the university to this day. The first degree was awarded to Antonio Mantello, from Syracuse, in 1449. During the course of the 16th century, approximately 20-25 degrees were awarded each year. The university (which from the 16th century was referred to asSiculorum Gymnasium) was namedStudium Generale because it was the only entity that could release degrees equal to those released in the oldStudia ofSalamanca,Valladolid,Bologna and this contributed to spread envy in the other Sicilian cities that in culture and traditions didn't feel inferior to Catania. In 1934, the university celebrated its 500th anniversary with KingVittorio Emanuele III of Italy, and, in 1984 the 550th one.
In the early centuries of its existence, the university was administered by the Senate of Catania,[2] overseen by theViceroy of Sicily, with thebishop of Catania beingex officio Great Chanchellor. With a reform operated by the Viceroy in 1679 the authority of the Bishop prevailed: he had the control over the lecturers, the freshmen and students' curriculum. This led to various conflicts between the civil and religious authorities. From 1818 to the office of Great Chancellor was assigned to the president of the Great Civil Court, instead of the bishop.
Following the Italian higher education reform introduced by the law 240/10 and adopted by the University of Catania in its new statute, faculties have been deactivated and departments have been reorganized. The University of Catania now has 17 departments, the Faculty of Medicine, and two special didactic units established in the decentralized offices of Ragusa (Modern Languages) and Syracuse (Architecture).[3] that, additionally to the traditional assignments of scientific research, are in charge of the organization and management of educational activities. A special didactic unit is also the school of excellence "Scuola Superiore di Catania", a higher education centre of the University of Catania conceived in 1998 to select the best young minds and offer them a course of studies including analysis, research and experimentation.
| Department | Short name | Director | Field |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, Food and Environment | Di3A | Prof. Mario D'Amico | Agriculture |
| Economics and Business | DEI | Prof. Roberto Cellini | Economics |
| Law | LAW | Prof. Salvatore Angelo Zappalà | Law |
| Civil Engineering and Architecture | DICAR | Prof. Mattia Ignaccolo | Engineering |
| Electric, Electronic and Computer Engineering | DIEEI | Prof. Giovanni Antonio Muscato | |
| Mathematics and Computer Science | DMI | Prof. Orazio Muscato | Mathematical andComputer Science |
| Physics and Astronomy "Ettore Majorana" | DFA | Prof. Stefano Romano | Physics |
| Chemical Sciences | DSC | Prof.ssa Graziella Malandrino | Chemistry |
| Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences | DIPBIOGEO | Prof. Rosolino Cirrincione | Natural Sciences |
| Humanities | DISUM | Prof.ssa Stefania Rimini | Foreign Languages,Letters andPhilosophy |
| Medical, Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies “GF Ingrassia” | DGFI | Prof.ssa Antonella Agodi | School "Faculty of Medicine" -Medicine andSurgery |
| General Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialties | CHIRMED | Prof. Pierfrancesco Veroux | |
| Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences | BIOMETEC | Prof.ssa Maria Angela Sortino | |
| Clinical and Experimental Medicine | MEDCLIN | Prof.ssa Lucia Frittitta | |
| Political and Social Sciences | DSPS | Prof.ssa Francesca Longo | Political Science |
| Drug Sciences | DSF | Prof. Rosario Pignatello | Pharmacy |
| Educational Sciences | DISFOR | Prof.ssa Rosa Loredana Cardullo | Education |
| Architecture | SDSARCHITETTURA | Prof. Fausto Carmelo Nigrelli | Special Didactic Units |
| Foreign Languages and Literatures | SDSLINGUE | Prof. Fabrizio Impellizzeri | |
| Scuola Superiore di Catania | SSC | Prof.ssa Ida Angela Nicotra | |
| School of Italian Language and Culture | ITALSTRA |
37°30′13″N15°05′12″E / 37.50361°N 15.08667°E /37.50361; 15.08667
