Professor Rita Cucchiara, the new Rector of Unimore
A formal and well-attended ceremony today marked the conclusion of professor Carlo Adolfo Porro’s term as Rector and the beginning of professor Rita Cucchiara’s leadership at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Held in the Great Hall of the Teaching Services Centre of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, the event brought together the University community to witness the symbolic investiture of the new Rector — a gesture that sealed the institutional transition at the head of Unimore.
The ceremony marked the traditional handover of office, closing six years under the leadership of Professor Porro and inaugurating the new term of professor Cucchiara, Full Professor of Computer Engineering in the “Enzo Ferrari” Department of Engineering.
Taking place on the morning of Friday 31 October in Modena, the ceremony was attended by academic staff, technical and administrative personnel, students, and representatives of local civil and military institutions.
Wearing the rector’s gown, professor Porro opened the event with a speech reviewing the six years of his mandate, which began in 2019 — a period characterised by major challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic, and by a strong commitment to strengthening the University’s staff and infrastructure, expanding study programmes, attracting funding for research and innovative teaching, and fostering a close relationship with students, local communities, and the wider university network.
At the end of his address, the Rector symbolically handed over to his successor the rectorial gown bearing the University seal, a gesture that traditionally marks the beginning of a new term of office.
Following the investiture, professor Rita Cucchiara took the podium and officially assumed her role as Rector, beginning her six-year term (2025–2031) at the helm of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. The event took place in an atmosphere of continuity and renewal, reflecting the deep connection between Modena’s academic heritage and a new chapter focused on research, education, and international collaboration.
“To lead an institution as historic as the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia is both a great honour and a profound responsibility,” said professor Rita Cucchiara. “For over eight centuries, Unimore has been a place where knowledge and civic values—democracy, ethics, peace, and inclusion—are cultivated and shared. To serve such a community means helping to shape the future. My aim will be to innovate while preserving, through research that makes a real impact, through international partnerships, and through teaching that inspires and supports new generations. We must help students find their path—through guidance, mentoring, and attentive listening—so that they can thrive, not just arrive. I believe in working hand in hand with our cities, with the local economy and society, in the power of collaboration across disciplines, and in a modern, proactive, and digitally minded organisation. I want a university that is open, balanced, and inclusive, where everyone feels part of a shared purpose: to create public value through knowledge, innovation, and collective responsibility.”
Reflecting on his years in office, professor Carlo Adolfo Porro commented: “Bringing a term to a close means handing over a legacy that belongs to the whole university community. These six intense and transformative years—marked by unexpected challenges and profound change—have shown me the strength, competence, and humanity that run through Unimore. I have seen a vibrant, multidisciplinary community that knows how to respond to difficulties, seize opportunities, innovate, and put knowledge at the service of the common good. I am deeply grateful to everyone who brings life to our University day after day—academic and professional staff, students, researchers, and all those who work alongside us in the region and beyond. Their dedication, generosity, and trust have made this journey possible. Universities thrive on continuity and renewal, on memory and momentum. Today I hand over the baton to Rector Rita Cucchiara , confident that she will lead Unimore with both energy and sensitivity. I know our community will support her, as it has supported me, with the same sense of belonging and shared purpose that is the true strength of our University.”
Categorie: International - english, Notizie_eng
Articolo pubblicato da: Ufficio Stampa Unimore - ufficiostampa@unimore.it