After more than six months of closure, on Monday 28th September 2020, the headquarters of the Mountain University – Centre of excellence of the University of Milan located in Edolo – reopened its doors to students, with an introduction to university life specially designed for new undergraduates. Masks, spaced seats, temperature control, hand sanitation, quota access for students present and live online video transmission for those who have decided to follow remotely: this is how the new Unimont academic year began.
Prof. Anna Giorgi, director of the Ge.S.Di.Mont. Research Center of UNIMONT and, as of October, coordinator of the Degree Course in “Conservation and Sustainable Development of Mountain Areas” welcomed the new students.
To choose Unimont as a training path also means deciding to measure up to life in the mountains, and the characteristic location of Unimont – in the mountains of Lombardy – is among the first strengths of the educational programme offered by the Centre: the mountains must in fact be addressed by working directly from local territories, which must be experienced and interpreted for the specificities that make them unique, transforming resources into value and wealth in a sustainable way; a process possible only through the competence, professionalism and innovative approach of those who will live and work in the mountains in the future– today’s young students. A unique and distinctive training experience, which Unimont has decided not to give up on, in order to avoid compromising the high-quality standard of its teaching.
During the meeting, the students received all the information necessary to start this new route in the best possible way: from information on services for students with SLD explained by Raffaella Zanchi, to those on University Tutors provided by Prof. Alberto Tamburini, together with a presentation of the extracurricular training activities offered by the Val.Te.Mo Association by Dr. Luca Giupponi as well as essential information on the use of the University Library, thanks to the guidance of Dr. Roberto Moretti, and finally all practical information on the University provided by Stella Pedrazzi, head of the secretariat of the UNIMONT centre.
After the welcome event, new undergraduates faced the first lesson of their university career: General and Inorganic Chemistry together with Professor Stefania Mazzini of the University of Milan. Thus, teaching at Unimont starts again in mixed mode, in full compliance with health and safety rules. In addition to the ordinary rules – mask, distance, frequent hand sanitization, no gatherings, booking of attendance in the lecture room via the app and temperature measurement before entering the buildings – sense of personal responsibility and respect for the rules are added as further prerequisites for access.
