On-campus courses will start again at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in September, thanks to new proposals for the logistics and organization of educational activities to be implemented in order to ensure the safety of our students and staff. For those who cannot return or come to Pollenzo for a few weeks or months, due to COVID-19, the University guarantees the recording of all the lessons, many of which also in live streaming, and weekly online meetings with the teachers who hold the courses for discussion and in-depth forums.
The Rector, Andrea Pieroni, together with Carlo Petrini, President of UNISG, and Gianni Fogliato, Mayor of Bra, explained these methods and solutions during an online press conference, which was held in the late morning on Tuesday, 16 June.
The Mayor of Bra, Gianni Fogliato, introduced the conference by underlining the willingness of the local authority to “team up” with the university: “The Municipality of Bra responded willingly to provide the necessary support to educational institutions of all levels in the territory in this moment of difficulty. And therefore also for UNISG, by making new premises available in the city”.
This sentiment was echoed by the president of UNISG, Carlo Petrini, who said: “We will treasure the experience gained through distance learning, but we will reserve it for specific activities, such as the possibility of hosting presentations given by prominent figures from around the world.”
The Rector, Andrea Pieroni, continued: “Our university has always held craftsmanship and adaptability to be a distinctive feature.”
“Enrolment is going well. We trust that this data will permit us to start again with enthusiasm, optimism, and with the spirit we have always had.”
“At the end of September,” added the Rector, “a new Master Program dedicated to agroecology will start. In the meantime, the Master Programs which were interrupted in the past months will resume, and new ones will start in January.”
“Our educational offering has increased, and Pollenzo is well-oriented on a trajectory toward the future. Covid has made it clear to us how the ecological issue is increasingly important. This pandemic arises from an ecological disaster and the way to avoid new disasters will be to take this environmental situation very seriously, facing it and studying it: any Gastronome today must be aware of how to deal with this issue.”
Regarding the logistics, here are the main points of the reopening of the courses for all UNISG students, both newly and currently enrolled.
The academic calendar indicates that on-campus activities will start in early September. First, the admission test for the undergraduate applicants will take place, followed by the exam sessions for the current undergraduate and master’s degree students. The lessons for undergraduate, Magistrale, and Master students, however, will begin after the middle of the month.
Of course, in order to comply with the safety and health regulations, adequate spacing has been accounted for and therefore it was necessary to have new spaces to accommodate the students.
Thanks to the collaboration and the support of the Municipality of Bra and the CRB-BPER, UNISG students will be able to attend courses located in both Bra and Pollenzo.
Similarly, in Pollenzo the number of participants in the existing classrooms will be halved, and therefore conference rooms of the Agenzia di Pollenzo Hotel will be used. The classrooms of the Cascina Albertina building will be designated for workshops for the undergraduate students and the lessons of the Magistrale and the Masters students.
The chefs of the Tavole Accademiche (Academic Tables), the university’s dining hall, are planning to offer a takeaway menu which, upon reservation, will be prepared in boxes made of recyclable material and delivered to the students in the classroom, in order to avoid queues, long wait times, and crowding.
Access to and activity in the various UNISG laboratories will be permitted in accordance with the current regulations regarding the use of personal safety masks and protective glasses, which will be provided to students.
The library and the reading room can be used, as of now, by reservation and for a limited number of people.
In addition, great attention has been paid to resuming study trips, one of the fundamental and characteristic educational activities offered by the University in Pollenzo. The staff responsible for organizing the trips will be working with a new schedule, adapted to the required safety standards: trips can recommence again starting from October, to destinations in Italy, and later in Europe, if possible, with a reduced number of participants, divided into a larger number of groups.
Learn about our programmes…
