The new rector Antonino Zumbo: "Honored for this position. May the city and the Mediterranean grow together with this university. Each project feeds on prospects to prosper".

"Consider your seed: you were not made to live like brutes but to follow virtue and knowledge" (Divina Commedia, Inferno, Canto XXVI, 118-120). Dante Alighieri, universally recognized as the father of the Italian language in that "republic of letters" which was Florence in 1300 and which preceded the birth of the Italian state by more than five centuries, consecrates the importance of a common language, which deprives the variegated and extraordinary dialects, and its extraordinary essence as a vehicle of knowledge, beauty, memory and identity, values that permeate the essence / seed of humanity. That vulgar Florentine, the most illustrious of the vulgar, was forerunner of the language of Italy, a unitary country only in 1861, whose name was born right here in the South. According to Antiochus of Syracuse (Dion. Halic., I, 35), and also according to Aristotle, the prince of wine lineage, Italo, who governed the extreme territory of the peninsula between the Strait of Messina and the gulfs of Squillace and Sant'Eufemia, in his honor wanted to call this strip of land just Italy (cf. Treccani) . Both Ancient History and Universal Literature seal the presence in Reggio Calabria of one of the three Universities for Foreigners established in Italy. The only one in the South. Together with that of Siena, the oldest one in Perugia, from the Eighties, thanks to the intuition of the Honorable Giuseppe Reale, who also gave impetus to the Francesco Cilea Conservatory and the Academy of Fine Arts, to Reggio Calabria, the Calabrian city of the Strait, the heart of the Mediterranean, the University for Foreigners was established which bears the name of Dante Alighieri.
The reason is soon clear, reading article 3 of the statute of the same University. The primary purpose of the institution consists, in fact, in the promotion of the wonderful Italian language in the world: "The University aims to spread, through its teaching and research activities, the knowledge of the language, literature, art , of the culture and political, social, legal and economic institutions of Italy in all their forms of expression. To this end, it constantly updates its action to the changing socio-economic conditions of the country and its internationalization needs ».
Since 2007 recognized by the Miur decree (17 October 2007, n. 504) as a "legally recognized non-state university, university education institution with a special system", the "Dante Alighieri" University for Foreigners was founded with the support of the consortium made up of the Municipality and Metropolitan City (at the time the Province) of Reggio Calabria, the Chamber of Commerce and the local committee of the Dante Alighieri company, the latter no longer part of the consortium itself. The Calabria region also supports the University with the amount due under the national legislation on the Right to Education and, since 1988, also with a specific law. For some time, the training body Mnemosine has also been included among the supporting members, accredited by the Miur, based in Santa Margherita di Belice in the province of Agrigento.
Following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Professor Salvatore Berlingò, the new rector, Professor Antonino Zumbo, who took office last February a few weeks before the lockdown for the CovID-19 emergency, is committed to honoring the new post with passion and dedication.
"Given the ancient bond that unites me to this young and promising university, where I have taught for a long time, and its peculiarity as a University committed to the dissemination of Mediterranean Culture, Integration and the Italian language, this assignment - commented the new rector Antonino Zumbo - at the peak of my career, honors me deeply. I am grateful to Professor Salvatore Berlingò for the trust he has placed in me in proposing my name as his successor. I hope to be up to the path he has taken to guarantee this University authority and perspectives; this is the path on which I undertake to continue with a spirit of service. The University for Foreigners 'Dante Alighieri' of Reggio Calabria is refining its specificity over time, orienting its educational offer on Social Sciences with an attentive eye on interculturality and integration. An imprint that is a reflection of the vocation of Reggio Calabria, center of gravity of the Mediterraneo. In fact, every university is called to honor its dual responsibility towards its natural recipients, that is, students, and towards the community that welcomes it. If the University grows, through the expansion of the educational offer and its roots in the territory, progress and well-being find lymph in it. Reggio Calabria and the Mediterranean can and must grow together with this University ", underlined the new rector Zumbo.
Professor of Classical Philology, Classical Dramaturgy, History of Philology, from 1983 to 2015, in the degree courses of the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy (from 2013 Department of Ancient and Modern Civilizations) of the University of Messina, Antonino Zumbo began contributing to the prestige of the University for Foreigners "Dante Alighieri", which he now leads as rector. In 1998 he began teaching classical literature in the Advanced Training Course for teachers of Italian language to foreigners, the beating heart of the institution around which the 'University has flourished over the decades.
In 2015 he was transferred from the University of Messina to the 'Dante Alighieri' University for Foreigners of Reggio Calabria where, as full professor, he taught Classical Philology for a long time in the master's degree course in "Interpreting and linguistic mediation", modulating teaching according to the segment of the history of the classical tradition in modern literature. Deputy Rector since 2010, last year the appointment as Rector arrived. The inauguration ceremony last February preceded the suspension of all activities in presence at the University by a few weeks, due to the health emergency.
"Thanks to the contribution of all the technical-administrative staff and the teaching staff, without which no goal would have been reached and no goal would be imaginable - explained the rector Antonino Zumbo - we were able to reorganize ourselves immediately, guaranteeing distance learning for all courses and graduation sessions, albeit at a distance. We have also faced, drawing from our budget, and thanks to the generosity of some private individuals, some situations of particular economic hardship aggravated by the health emergency, thus guaranteeing the right to education otherwise compromised. We have also ensured the summer courses of Italian Language and Culture of the Higher Education and Orientation School for Foreigners, which each year allow about 1500 foreign students to obtain the Italian Language certification that can be spent internationally. This summer, for obvious reasons, the numbers have been lower but we have decided not to limit our training offer, guaranteeing students this possibility and maintaining, albeit at a distance, the original teaching of our University, created precisely to spread the knowledge of the Italian language in the world. This School, in which the Italian language is taught to foreign students from June to September, also trains foreign teachers for the teaching of the Italian language in the Higher Education course. The start of these courses, running every year from January to June, for 2121 has currently been scheduled for April ", explained the new rector Zumbo who, almost immediately after taking office, found himself having to lead the institution in an extremely delicate situation.
The new year finds us ready to face the widespread climate of uncertainty that the health emergency imposes. Registration is open for the three-year and master's degrees and for our foreign language courses. Obviously, the restrictions due to the health emergency require us to organize remote lessons and exams, guaranteeing face-to-face lessons, and in compliance with the protocols drawn up by the Ministry of Health, only for freshmen ", explained the new rector Zumbo.
Also active this year, the three-year degree courses in "Mediator for Social Cohesion in Europe" and "Psychological sciences and techniques" (this is delivered at a distance regardless of the health emergency) and the master's degree courses in "Policies for innovation and social inclusion "(formerly" Planning and management of social policies and services in the Mediterranean area ", course running out)," Interpreting and Intercultural Mediation ". Degree courses that last year attracted the interest of 1200 students, of which about 250 were foreigners. This percentage of 22% is an important result achieved that stimulates us to operate with ever increasing enthusiasm.
In particular, the degree course in "Mediator for Social Cohesion in Europe" is the result of consultation between the Ministry of University and Research and the Ministry of the Interior, shared by the prestigious Community of Sant’Egidio, recently awarded for the meritorious experience of the humanitarian corridors.
Since last spring, courses of Arabic, Chinese, French, English, Neogreca (the only examination center authorized in Calabria to issue this certification), Russian, Spanish, have been carried out remotely, active and open to all Italian and foreign students. In fact, our University is also home to the "Dante Alighieri" University Language Center (CLADA).
A more substantial participation of foreign students is recorded in the summer months when, from Latin America
(mainly natives), Europe (Russia, Hungary, Ukraine, Poland), Mediterranean Africa (Egypt), come to Reggio Calabria to follow the Italian Language and Culture course of the Higher Education and Orientation School for Foreigners, the spearhead of the training offer of the "Dante Alighieri" university. At one time, the nationalities of origin also included Libya and Tunisia, Syria, China, Sri Lanka, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"Teaching and now holding this prestigious position makes me particularly proud. I have always lived experiences of great humanity in this University and I can testify to the beauty released by the encounter between young students of different cultures, languages and histories. They become ambassadors of the Italian language and culture in the world and this constitutes a great patrimony for us all. Not the only one. In fact, I invite you to reflect on the economic impact of their presence on the territory as well as on the contribution and cultural contamination of which these young people are heralds. Unfortunately this year we will have to sacrifice sociality almost completely, with the hope that we will soon return to live our university life by meeting in presence ", commented the new rector Zumbo.
The foreign presence is therefore highly qualifying for the territory, as well as for the University, which reserves free registration for foreigners, precisely to encourage participation and guarantee the right to study. "We are aware that we do not have a student residence, that we cannot count on logistical services or facilities that can offer food and accommodation for those who come here from abroad to learn and train. Therefore, registration is free, as it has facilitated access to learning, and represents our contribution to their education. The University thus includes and does not exclude, practicing, despite the lack of income, a choice considered virtuous. No intent, therefore, to discriminate against other students. Obviously, looking rightly beyond the pandemic, we hope to see the membership of foreign students grow but we are also very interested in intercepting Italian students and Reggio students returning from other universities. Offering competitive training would be an opportunity to relaunch our territory where young people would have a reason to stay and to be formed here ", highlighted the new rector Zumbo. "From this point of view, the three-year International Doctorate in 'Global Studies' is also worthy of not, now in its third cycle and having already hosted eighteen students selected with a national call. An initiative implemented with the support of the Ministry of Education and the Calabria region which, with European funds, finances scholarships. This path foresees that each student stays abroad for a whole year at a university affiliated with ours. A great opportunity for students to be able to create others, since we firmly believe that this University insists in a place with a natural vocation to host it and that this confers an added value of inestimable importance for the entire community. We trust that the Institutions will concretely realize this and support us ", underlined the new rector Antonino Zumbo.
"The resource that this University can constitute calls everyone without distinction, local authorities, teaching and administrative staff, current and potential partners, to a serious and constant commitment, to an effective and far-sighted collaboration. Otherwise the University will not be able to express its abilities to its best and to exploit its immense potential. If I had to identify - declared the new rector Zumbo - a long-term priority objective, focusing on a more competitive University, I would indicate the strengthening of the educational offer, through internationalization teaching and research, the enrichment of teachers in terms of creative planning, their implementation in order to guarantee the sustainability of the courses, the introduction of new degree programs that cannot be superimposed on those already existing in Calabria and Sicily: a view of synergistic and active collaboration also with the other Calabrian universities of Reggio Calabria, Catanzaro and Cosenza. The short-term objective could, however, be to identify a new location. We are currently renting in a beautiful and ancient building which, however, in a perspective of growth is no longer sufficient for the desired developments. On the day of my inauguration, recalling the Roots of the future as the inspiration for the action of this University, I intended to emphasize the need for prospects to prosper. Aware of how firm and deep roots are needed to build the future, albeit with greater responsibility, we renew our commitment to achieve new and stimulating goals and embrace new challenges we are taking on, in this particularly crucial and delicate historical moment ", concluded the new rector Antonino Zumbo.