25 years ago... today
Institutional Communication Service
21 October 2021
8:30 am Students greet each other - many meeting for the first time - and take their seats in the classroom to attend classes on their first day of university. It is an ordinary start to the academic year, except that it is not just the first day for the students: it is the very first day of an entire university. It is 21 October 1996, and, with the start of the first courses, Università della Svizzera italiana is officially born. Our USI.
384 first-year students begin their journey at USI, and thus begin the journey of USI, in two locations and three Faculties: 120 at the Academy of Architecture, on the Mendrisio campus; 160 at the Faculty of Communication Sciences and 104 at the Faculty of Economics, on the Lugano campus.
21 October 1996 marks a historical date: 150 years after Stefano Franscini's vision, and in the year that marks the 200th anniversary of his birth, the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland has its own - long dreamed of - university.
Read more on the birth of USI
- History of USI >>>
- First moments >>>
- Opening Ceremony >>>
- Press coverage (in Italian):
Corriere del Ticino >>>
La Regione >>>
Giornale del Popolo >>>
Watch the videos on USI first moments
Find below several videos that trace the first day of USI and the history of the University, including some footage taken from the RSI 2016 feature on the occasion of USI's 20th anniversary.
#USI25 #USIsU #21October96
