Page 35 - Investing in Bergamo EN

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The University was founded in 1968 as the Institute of Foreign Languages and
Literature. The Faculty of Business and Economics was opened in 1974 and the faculty
of Engineering was opened in 1991. The following year, the university became public.
Among the short-term projects is the creation of a university hostel inside old barracks
located in the centre of Bergamo. In 2013, the rector Stefano Paleari was elected
President of the Conference of Italian University Rectors.
After a period of sustained growth, the University now has nearly 20 thousand students,
which is considered an optimal number in the relationship between quality of learning
and costs. In 2013, over 2,500 students graduated, of which about one quarter in
economics and 315 in engineering.
The University consists of seven departments (Foreign Languages, Literature
and Communication Studies, Economic and Business Sciences and Quantitative
Approaches, Management, Information and Production Engineering, Engineering and
Applied Science, Law, Humanities and Philosophy, Human and Social Sciences) with
14 three-year degree courses, 1 single-cycle master’s degree (5 years) and 15
degree courses (2 years). Of the latter, one is taught entirely in English (Economics
and Global Markets) while four are taught in Italian and English: Management
Engineering, Planning and Management of Tourism Systems, Management,
Finance and International Business, Clinical Psychology for Individuals, Families
and Organisations (www.unibg.it).
Almost 4,800 of those who obtained a degree in 2013 were from Bergamo, just
under half of those entered the labour market. Economics and Engineering have always
been the most popular courses with enrolments of around 15%.
The activity of the University of Bergamo is accompanied by the Fondazione Pro
Universitate Bergomensi (chaired by the “Cavaliere del Lavoro” Emilio Zanetti) through
which private individuals finance the research activities and deserving students with
honour study loans. The pro Universitate recently contributed to the development of
the engineering laboratories, which currently supports its internationalisation activities
(University of Augsburg, Linz, Missouri, Novgorod, Stuttgart). In 2014, a collaboration
was launched with Harvard University, which involves the exchange of students and
teachers according to the theme of “smart cities.” A collaboration is also in the process
of being established with the Max Planck Institute.
Confindustria Bergamo participates in the Foundation, and has funded some specific
training activities dedicated to industrial sectors (among which, textiles). It also
contributes to developing the market of placements and collaborates with the University
on ongoing training in companies.
The Luberg Foundation (chaired by the “Cavaliere del Lavoro” Domenico Bosatelli) was
founded in 2008, which is the association of graduates of the University of Bergamo
(over 30,000). It has the aim of spreading the culture of professional and business
services and to the growth of the territory.