L'Università Iuav di Venezia e il suo Rettore Alberto Ferlenga esprimono i migliori auguri al  Presidente Amb. Umberto Vattani e al direttore Prof. Carlo Giupponi per i 25 anni di attività di VIU.

Come soci fondatori siamo convinti che la funzione complementare e di supporto di VIU rispetto alle Università veneziane continui a costituire una opportunità importante per i nostri studenti e che il ruolo di sviluppo dell’internazionalizzazione svolto in questi anni completi quello svolto a Venezia da Iuav e Ca’ Foscari e, allo stesso tempo, presidiando l’isola di San Servolo e facendone un centro di iniziative artistiche e culturali, assicuri frequentazione e uso sostenibile ad un luogo importante della città. Auguri dunque per altri 25 anni di proficua attività.  

One of the great pleasures I have had as Rector of the University of Lausanne is the discovery of Venice International University in its stunning location, on the San Servolo island in the Venice laguna.  Venice International University now groups twenty universities from all parts of the world, which work together to offer, every year, opportunities for their students and faculties to learn, think, and teach about global problems, and to spend a semester rich in interactions with fellow students and colleagues from the entire world. For the University of Lausanne, this has meant some 25 students and 10 faculty members spending one or two semesters at VIU in the last few years, and many faculty members participating in various forms of summer teaching (summer schools, graduate semainrs and so forth). 

Covid-19 has struck hard on universities depending heavily on students and faculty coming from abroad, but VIU has raised to the challenge and passed with flying colors: classes were rapidly transferred on line, but more importantly, the possibility of combining distant learning with on site classes quickly imposed itself as a way to expand greatly VIU's reach among the students and faculty of its member universities. It may be complicated (albeit delightful) to move to Venice for an entire semester, it is a much easier affair to spend there a few days or weeks.   

With the increasing awareness of the need to achieve, urgently, social and environmental sustainability, VIU's emphasis on these issues is more topical than ever. And what better fitting place than Venice, one of the most amazing, beautiful, and visited cities in the world, but also one of the of most threatened by climate change and the rise of oceans, to host programs focused on global challenges and, put simply, our future. 

Professor Nouria Hernandez
Rector, UNIL

VIU to me is not just a campus or a university. For me, VIU is a sanctuary where professors and students alike can work and study in a vibrant, international setting, yet on a quiet island and away from the distractions of a busy everyday life. VIU’s worldwide network of partners creates a diverse environment and enriches the exchange of knowledge with new perspectives and cultural perceptions. This combination makes VIU and its programs so unique. For the future, I am confident that VIU will keep expanding the students‘ learning experiences. I hope it will continue its scope with harvesting the potential of what the city of Venice with its rich cultural heritage has to offer, and by further expanding the curriculum with its successful themes that cover as diverse topics as the societal challenges of our times, literary studies or globalization.

A few words about VIU:

“VIU is an international university composed of a consortium of twenty-one renowned universities from across the globe, which makes it rather special in the academic environment. The partner universities exchange knowledge and ideas by developing, promoting and organising shared multicultural, international, interdisciplinary academic and research activities, thereby contributing significantly to new forms of teaching, common research results and strategic goals of internationalisation. The University of Ljubljana has been a proud member of this strategic partnership since 2018 and has used it to expand its operations within the wider international environment.

We are very pleased to ascertain that VIU efforts have been acknowledged and that, within these programmes, VIU fulfils the globalisation values we highlight. Despite the coronavirus crisis, our students tell us that VIU is placing great emphasis on establishing a genuine feeling of connectivity. And that is precisely what we all need the most in these unpredictable times. This way we can all become better and stronger.

I am convinced that universities will play an increasingly important role in solving global challenges, and therefore support connectivity, cooperation and mutual assistance is making our common future a reality. I wish VIU at least another twenty-five years of exceptional success and, first and foremost, excellent partnership – as it has been to date.”

Best regards, Igor