View source for University of Pisa

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2011}}
{{coord|43|42|59.43|N|10|23|54.45|E|display=title}}
{{Infobox University
|name = University of Pisa
|native_name = Università di Pisa
|latin_name =Universitas Pisana
|image = [[Image:Unipi logo.jpg|200px]] 
         [[Seal (emblem)|Seal]] of the University of Pisa
|motto = ''In supremae dignitatis''
|mottoeng = The supreme dignity
|established =1343<ref name="collier">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Hall-Quest |first=Alfred Lawrence |editor=William D. Halsey |encyclopedia=Collier's Encyclopedia |title=Pisa, University of |year=1976 |publisher=Macmillan Educational Corporation |volume=19 |location=New York |page=81 }}</ref>
|type =[[Public university|Public]]
|endowment =
|staff =1,900
|rector =Prof. Massimo Augello
|students = 57,000
|undergrad =
|postgrad =
|doctoral =3,500
|city =[[Pisa]]
|country =[[Italy]]
|campus =[[Urban area|Urban]]
|newspaper =Numero Zer0<ref>[http://numerozero.unipi.it/index.php]</ref>
|free_label =Sports teams
|free =[http://www.cuspisa.it/ CUS Pisa]
|affiliations =[[ICoN (consortium)|ICoN]]<br />[[European University Association|EUA]]<br />[[Universities Research Association|URA]]<br />[[Partnership of a European Group of Aeronautics and Space Universities|PEGASUS]]
|website =[http://www.unipi.it/ Unipi.it]
|logo =
}}

The '''University of Pisa''' (Italian ''Università di Pisa''), is an Italian [[public research university]] located in [[Pisa]], [[Italy]]. It was founded in 1343<ref name="collier"/> by an edict of Pope [[Clement VI]] and is the [[List of oldest universities in continuous operation|19th oldest extant university in the world]] and the 10th oldest in the country.<ref>[[List of oldest universities in continuous operation]]</ref> The university is considered very prestigious and is currently ranked between 1st and 3rd places nationally, in the top 30 in Europe and top 300 in the world. It houses the [[Orto botanico di Pisa]], Europe's oldest academic [[botanical garden]], which was founded in 1544.

The University of Pisa is part of the [[Pisa University System]], which includes the [[Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa|Scuola Normale Superiore]] and the [[Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies]]. It offers a wide range of courses. The Computer Science course at University of Pisa is the first in the area to be activated in Italy.{{clarify|date=May 2012}} The aerospace Master of Science (MSc) courses<ref>[http://www.aerospacemasters.org/ EuMAS], [http://www.spaceatdia.org/ MSSE]</ref> are the first in Italy to be offered entirely in the English language.{{citation needed|date=May 2012}} The university has about 57,000 students (of which 53,000 are undergraduate and postgraduate studies and 3,500 are doctoral and specialization studies).

In the fields of [[philology]] and [[cultural studies]], the University of Pisa is a leading member of [[Consorzio ICoN|ICoN]], an inter-university consortium of 21 Italian universities supported by the [[Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (Italy)|Ministry of Education, Universities and Research]]. The University is also a member of the [[European University Association]], the [[Partnership of a European Group of Aeronautics and Space Universities]] network and the [[Cineca|Cineca consortium]]. It's the only university in Italy which has become a member of the prestigious [[Universities Research Association]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ura-hq.org/universities/index.html|title=URA Universities}}</ref>

Two Italian Presidents, five Popes and four Prime Ministers of Italy have been graduates as well as [[List of Nobel laureates by university affiliation|3 Nobel Laureates]] have been student, faculty or staff affiliates.

Pisa has an intense athletic rivalry with the [[University of Pavia]] which traditionally culminates in the Pisa-Pavia Regatta (''Regata Pisa-Pavia''), the oldest competition of this kind in Italy and second in Europe only to the [[Oxford Cambridge boat race]].

In 2011, the University of Pisa came in first place among the Italian universities, according to the [[Academic Ranking of World Universities]].<ref name="shanghairanking.com">[http://www.shanghairanking.com/Country2011Main.jsp?param=Italy ARWU Universities in Top 500 – Italy]</ref><ref name="intoscana.it">[http://www.intoscana.it/intoscana2/opencms/intoscana/sito-intoscana/Contenuti_intoscana/Canali/Universita-e-Innovazione/visualizza_asset.html?id=1112760&pagename=704617 Gli atenei toscani nella top world 500]</ref><ref name="lanazione.it">[http://www.lanazione.it/pisa/curiosita/2011/09/02/573833-universita_pisa_siena.shtml Le università di Pisa e Siena tra i primi 500 atenei al mondo at [[La Nazione]] ]</ref>

==History==
{{unreferenced section|date=May 2012}}
{{copy edit|section|date=May 2012}}
[[File:Palazzo alla giornata 11.JPG|thumb|250px|'''Palazzo alla Giornata''' on the riverbank Lungarno Pacinotti, home of the Rectorate]]

The University of Pisa was officially established on September 3, 1343.<ref name="collier"/> But a number of scholars claim its origin dates back to the 11th century.{{weasel-inline|date=May 2012}}

The first reliable data on the presence of secular and monastic schools of law in [[Pisa]] is from the 11th and the second half of the 12th century, a time when Pisa had already achieved a remarkable economic development. Further, the next century form the first documents that prove the presence of doctors of medicine and surgery.

The earliest evidence of a Pisan ''Studium'' dates to 1338, when the renowned jurist Ranieri Arsendi transferred to Pisa from [[Bologna]]. He along with [[Bartolo da Sassoferrato]], a lecturer in [[Civil law (legal system)|Civil Law]], were paid by the Municipality to teach public lessons.

The papal bull ''In supremae dignitatis'', granted by [[Pope Clement VI]] on September 3, 1343, recognized the ''Studium'' of Pisa as a ''Studium Generale''; an institution of further education founded or confirmed by a universal authority, the Papacy, or Empire. Pisa was one of the first European universities that could boast this papal attestation, which guaranteed the universal, legal value of its educational qualifications.

The first taught subjects were [[theology]], [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]], [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|canon law]] and medicine. In 1355 [[Francesco da Buti]], the well-known commentator of [[Dante]]'s ''[[Divine Comedy]]'', began teaching at the ''Studium''.

Pisa and its ''Studium'' underwent a period of crisis around the turn of the 15th century: the Florentines' conquest of the town led to the University's closure in 1403. In 1473, thanks to [[Lorenzo de Medici]], the Pisan Studium resumed its systematic development and the construction of a building for holding lessons was provided for in 1486. The building – later known as Palazzo della Sapienza (The Building of Knowledge) – was located in the 14th century Piazza del Grano. The image of a cherub was placed above the Gate ''Dell'Abbondanza'' (the Gate of Abundance), leading to the Piazza, still today the symbol of the University.

Following the rebellion and the war against [[Florence]] in 1494, the Pisan ''Studium'' suffered a period of decline, and was transferred to Pistoia, Prato and Florence. The ceremonial re-opening of the University, on November 1, 1543, under rule by Duke [[Cosimo I de Medici]], was considered as a second inauguration. The quality of the University was furthered by the statute of 1545 and the Pisan Athenaeum became one of the most significant in Europe for teaching and research. The chair of ''Semplici'' ([[botany]]) was held by [[Luca Ghini]], founder of the world's first Botanical Gardens, succeeded by [[Andrea Cesalpino]], who pioneered the first scientific methodology for the classification of plants and is considered a forerunner in the discovery of blood circulation. [[Gabriele Falloppio]] and [[Marcello Malpighi]] lectured in [[anatomy]] and medicine. [[Galileo Galilei]], who was born and studied in Pisa, became professor of [[mathematics]] at the Pisan Studium in 1589.

The University's role as a state institution became ever more accentuated during the Medici Grand Duchy period. A protectionist policy ensured a consistent nucleus of scholars and teachers: laws issued by Cosimo I, [[Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany|Ferdinando I]] and [[Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany|Ferdinando II]] obliged those who intended to obtain a degree to attend the Studium of Pisa. This period sees various illustrious figures lecture at Pisa, especially in the field of law and medicine.

The University's development continued under the Lorenas. They completed the construction of the astronomic observatory (a project initiated by the [[Medicis]]), as well as enriching the University Library with important publications. They helped develop the Botanical Gardens, and Natural Science Museum, and they established new chairs such as [[experimental Physics]] and [[Chemistry]].

The annexation of [[Tuscany]] to the [[Napoleonic Empire]] resulted in the transformation of the Studium into an Imperial Academy. The Athenaeum became a branch of the University of Paris and the courses and study programs were structured following the French public education model. Five new faculties were established ([[Theology]], Law, Medicine, Science and Literature), along with examinations, different qualification titles and graduation theses. In 1813 La ''[[Scuola Normale Superiore]]'' was established, as a branch of the ''[[École Normale Supérieure]]'' in Paris.

The Restoration wasn't able to cancel the effects of the Napoleonic experience. The first Congress of Italian Scientists was held in Pisa in 1839. Over 300 experts of various disciplines and 421 scientists discussed [[zoology]], [[comparative anatomy]], [[chemistry]], [[physics]], [[mathematics]], [[agronomy]], technology, [[botany]], [[vegetation physiology]], geology, [[mineralogy]], [[geography]] and medicine.

In 1839–1840 the Director of Education, [[Gaetano Giorgini]], brought about the most important reform in the University of Pisa by raising the number of faculties to six ([[Theology]], Law, Literature, Medicine, [[Mathematics]], and [[Natural Sciences]]). Giorgini also created the world's first chair of Agriculture and sheep farming.

In 1846 the ''Scuola Normale'' re-opened. Meanwhile, liberal and patriotic ideals were spreading at Athenaeum and a battalion of the University – composed of lecturers and students – distinguished itself in the Battle of Curtatone and Montanara in 1848.

During the Second Restoration, in 1851, [[Leopold II of Tuscany|Leopoldo II]] united the universities of Pisa and Siena in a unique Etruscan Athenaeum, motivated partly by economic reasons, but primarily for political control. The faculties of [[Theology]] and Law rested at [[Siena]], while those of Literature, Medicine, [[Mathematics]] and [[Natural Sciences]] remained at Pisa. Following the Florentine insurrection and the fleeing of the Grand Duke in 1859, one of the initial measures imposed by the Provisory Government was the restitution to the city of Pisa of its Studium with all six of its faculties.

With the birth of the Kingdom of Italy, the University of Pisa became one of the new state's most prestigious cultural institutions. The first European institute of Historical Linguistics was founded in Pisa in 1890. Between the second half of the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries the following prestigious lecturers taught at Pisa: the lawyers [[Francesco Carrara (jurist)|Francesco Carrara]] and [[Francesco Buonamici]]; philologists [[Domenico Comparetti]] and [[Giovanni D'Ancona]]; historians [[Pasquale Villari]], [[Gioacchino Volpe]] and [[Luigi Russo]]; philosopher [[Giovanni Gentile]]; economist [[Giuseppe Toniolo]] and mathematicians [[Ulisse Dini]] and [[Antonio Pacinotti]].

During the years of fascism the Pisa Athenaeum was an active centre for political debate and antifascist organisation. After the second world war, the University of Pisa returned to the avant-garde style of learning in many fields of knowledge. To the faculties of engineering and [[pharmacy]], established pre-war, were added economics, [[foreign languages]] and literature and politics. In 1967 the ''Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e Perfezionamento S. Anna'' was founded which, together with ''La Scuola Normale'', formed a highly prestigious learning and teaching centre.

Today the University of Pisa boasts 11 faculties and 57 departments, with high level research centres in the sectors of agriculture, [[astrophysics]]{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}, [[computer science]], engineering, [[mathematics]], medicine and [[veterinary medicine]]. Furthermore the University has close relations with the Pisan Institutes of the National Research Council, with many cultural institutions of national and international importance, and with industry, especially that of information technology, which went through a phase of rapid expansion in Pisa during the 1960s and 1970s.

==Organization and administration==
The University of Pisa consists of 11 schools and 57 departments. These schools offers several courses in their related field of study:
* Agriculture
* Economics
* Engineering
* Foreign Languages and Literature
* Law
* Literature and Philosophy
* Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences
* Medicine and Surgery
* Pharmacy
* Political Sciences
* Veterinary Medicine

PhD studies are instead usually offered and arranged by the departments. The lectures are mostly given in Italian, except for a number of courses at the faculty of foreign languages and literatures, some scientific programmes, such as the international MSc in aerospace engineering ([[Erasmus Mundus|EuMAS]]), the Master of Science in Space Engineering<ref>[http://www.spaceatdia.org/ MSSE]</ref> and the Master in Computer Science and Networking,<ref>[http://mcsn.sssup.it MCSN]</ref> jointly offered with [[Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e di Perfezionamento Sant'Anna|Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna]]. Students also have at their disposal a Language Centre, where they can attend courses of foreign languages, a Sports Centre (''Cus Pisa'') that arranges for many Sports Intramural Leagues and allows sports practice in almost all the disciplines available in Italy, and three University Refectories (''Mense universitarie''). The University of Pisa is not organized in the form of one unique campus, but its many buildings are scattered in the whole Pisa area, especially in the city centre.

==Rankings==
{{Infobox world university ranking
| ARWU_W = 102-150
| THE_W = 301-350
| UM_W = 
| QS_W = 314
| ARWU_N = 1-3
| THE_E =
| UM_E =
| QS_E =
}}
*In 2011, the University of Pisa came in first place among the Italian universities, according to the [[Academic Ranking of World Universities]] and within the best 30 universities in Europe.<ref name="shanghairanking.com"/><ref name="intoscana.it"/><ref name="lanazione.it"/>
*[[Times Higher Education World University Rankings]] rank University of Pisa among 300 best world universities<ref>[http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/ Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2011]</ref>
*[[QS World University Rankings]] has particular rankings on Natural Sciences (115), Arts & Humanities (148), Engineering & IT (168), Life Sciences (298)<ref>[http://www.topuniversities.com/institution/universita-di-pisa/wur/ QS World University Rankings 2011]</ref>
*The [[U.S. News & World Report]] places University of Pisa among world's 300 best universities.<ref>[http://www.usnews.com/education/worlds-best-universities-rankings/top-400-universities-in-the-world U.S. News & World Report College and University rankings 2011]</ref>
* The [http://www.researchranking.org/ European Research Ranking], a ranking based on publicly available data from the European Commission database, puts University of Pisa among the best in Italy and best performing European research institutions .<ref name="European Research Ranking 2010">[http://www.researchranking.org/index.php?action=ranking&year=2010 European Research Ranking 2010]</ref>

==Notable people==
{{directory|section}}

===Alumni===
Among the best-known people who have attended the University of Pisa are, in politics and government: Italian political leaders [[Sidney Sonnino]], [[Carlo Sforza]], [[Guido Buffarini Guidi]], [[Giacomo Acerbo]], [[Alessandro Natta]], [[Paolo Emilio Taviani]], [[Giovanni Gronchi]], [[Giuliano Amato]], [[Antonio Maccanico]], [[Carlo Azeglio Ciampi]], [[Marcello Pera]], [[Massimo D'Alema]], [[Enrico Rossi (politician)|Enrico Rossi]], [[Sandro Bondi]], [[Fabio Mussi]], [[Maria Chiara Carrozza]] and [[Enrico Letta]]; Haitian President [[René Préval]]; Nicaraguan President [[Adan Cardenas]]; Prime Ministers of Greece [[Ioannis Kolettis]] and [[Diomidis Kyriakos]]; Prime Minister of Somalia [[Ali Mohammed Ghedi]]; Deputy Prime Minister of Albania [[Spiro Koleka]]; Ambassador [[Marcello Spatafora]].

In theology: Popes [[Leo X]], [[Paul III]], [[Urban VIII]], [[Clement IX]] and [[Clement XII]]; Chief Rabbi [[Elio Toaff]]; Cardinals [[Pietro Accolti]], [[Francisco de Remolins]], [[Benedetto Accolti the Younger]], [[Francesco Martelli]], [[Bandino Panciatici]], [[Francesco Barberini (1597-1679)|Francesco Barberini]], [[Cesare Borgia]] and [[Giovanni Battista Tolomei]]; Archbishop [[Giovanni Battista Rinuccini]].

In science: astrophysicists [[Paolo Farinella]] and [[Franco Pacini]]; biophysicist [[Clara Franzini-Armstrong]]; mathematicians [[Giovanni Salvemini]], [[Vito Volterra]], [[Cesare Burali-Forti]], [[Guido Zappa]], [[Giovanni Ceva]], [[Salvatore Pincherle]], [[Carlo Somigliana]], [[Aldo Andreotti]], [[Giuseppe Lauricella]] and [[Luigi Fantappiè]]; physicists [[Antonio Pacinotti]], [[Luigi Puccianti]], [[Temistocle Calzecchi-Onesti]], [[Eligio Perucca]], [[Adolfo Bartoli]], [[Nello Carrara]], [[Vasco Ronchi]], [[Franco Rasetti]], [[Ennio Candotti]] and [[Luca Gammaitoni]].

In other fields: botanist [[Giovanni Arcangeli]]; tenors [[Francesco Rasi]] and [[Andrea Bocelli]]; egyptologists [[Ippolito Rosellini]] and [[Gianluca Miniaci]]; fashion model [[Tania Bambaci]]; film directors [[Mario Monicelli]] and [[Paolo Virzì]]; historians [[Camillo Porzio]], [[Mario Rosa]] and [[Carlo Ginzburg]]; librettist [[Giacinto Andrea Cicognini]]; philologist [[Gian Biagio Conte]]; philosophers [[Francesco Cattani da Diacceto]], [[Eufrosin Poteca]], [[Giovanni Gentile]], [[Aldo Gargani]], [[Anna Camaiti Hostert]] and [[Jiyuan Yu]].

* [[Emilio Bizzi]] (1933–), neuroscientist
* [[Vincenzo Chiarugi]] (1759–1820), physician
* [[Enrico Fermi]] (1901–1954), physicist, winner of the 1938 [[Nobel Prize in Physics]]
* [[Galileo Galilei]] (1564–1642), physicist
* [[Hugo Kronecker]] (1839–1914), physiologist
* [[Guido Pontecorvo]] (1907–1999), geneticist
* [[Francesco Redi]] (1626–1697), physician
* [[Carlo Rubbia]] (1934–), physicist, co-winner of the 1984 Nobel Prize in Physics

Among the best-known people who have attended the University of Pisa are Nobel Laureate in Literature [[Giosuè Carducci]]. Other notable alumni are:

*Italian Constitutional Court Judge [[Sabino Cassese]]
*agronomist [[Nazareno Strampelli]]
*anatomist [[Atto Tigri]] 
*art historian and curator [[Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev]]
*civil engineer [[Henry Willey Reveley]]
*civil servant [[Bruno Ferrante]]
*computer scientists [[Roberto Di Cosmo]], [[Luca Cardelli]], [[Elisa Bertino]] and [[Luca Passani]]
*diplomats [[Carlo Andrea Pozzo di Borgo]]
*economists [[Luigi Bodio]] and [[Paolo Malanima]]
*engineer [[Giacinto Morera]]
*intellectual [[Adriano Sofri]]
*international civil servant [[Francesco Cappè]]
*journalists [[Lando Ferretti]] and [[Tiziano Terzani]]
*jurists [[Giovanni Lami]], [[Piero Calamandrei]], [[Remus Opreanu]], [[Francesco Carrara (jurist)|Francesco Carrara]] and [[Antonio Cassese]]
*linguists [[Stefano Arduini]] and [[Luigi Rizzi (linguist)|Luigi Rizzi]]
*manager [[Pier Francesco Guarguaglini]]
*mathematicians [[Bonaventura Cavalieri]], [[Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja]], [[Enrico Betti]], [[Guido Fubini]] and [[Christopher Hacon]];
*naturalist [[Gaetano Savi]];
*physicians [[François Carlo Antommarchi]]
*poets [[Vincenzo da Filicaja]], [[Giovanni Battista Guarini]] and [[Mauro Nervi]]
*psychiatrist [[Silvano Arieti]]
*racing car and engine designer [[Carlo Chiti]]
*surgeon [[Andrea Vaccá Berlinghieri]]
*writers [[Margaret King]], [[Pietro Citati]], [[Francesco Domenico Guerrazzi]] and [[Antonio Tabucchi]].
*zoologist [[Enrico Hillyer Giglioli]]

===Faculty and staff===
Among the prominent scholars who have taught at the University of Pisa are, in science: mathematicians [[Benedetto Castelli]], [[Giovanni Alfonso Borelli]], [[Alessandro Marchetti (mathematician)|Alessandro Marchetti]], [[Luigi Guido Grandi]], [[Eugenio Beltrami]], [[Ennio De Giorgi]], [[Leonida Tonelli]], [[Sergio Campanato]], [[Enrico Bombieri]], [[Corrado De Concini]] and [[Claudio Procesi]]; physicists [[Giulio Racah]], [[Carlo Matteucci]], [[Gian-Carlo Wick]], [[Bernard H. Lavenda]] and [[Roy McWeeny]].

In other fields: poets [[Giovanni Pascoli]] and [[Valerio Magrelli]]; writer [[Bernard Comment]].

*anatomists [[Marcello Malpighi]] and [[Lorenzo Bellini]]
*chemist [[Robert Schiff]]
*computer scientist [[Egon Börger]]
*economist [[Giuseppe Toniolo]]
*engineer [[Corradino D'Ascanio]]
*historian [[Pasquale Villari]]
*jurists [[Bartolus de Saxoferrato]], [[Baldus de Ubaldis]], [[Francesco Accarigi]] and [[Carlo Costamagna]]
*pathologist [[Angelo Maffucci]]
*philosophers [[Armando Carlini]], [[Ugo Spirito]] and [[Arnold Davidson]]
*physicians [[Paolo Mascagni]] and [[Pietro Grocco]]
*zoologist [[Enrica Calabresi]]

* [[Luciano Bianciardi]], journalist, translator and writer of short stories and novels
* [[Philippe Buonarroti]], 18th century [[Egalitarianism|egalitarian]] and [[Utopian socialism|utopian socialist]], revolutionary, journalist, writer, agitator, and [[Freemasonry|freemason]]; he was mainly active in France
* [[Mauro Cristofani]], [[linguistics|linguist]] and researcher in [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]] studies
* [[David Levi (Italy)]], Italian-Jewish poet and patriot
* [[Lorenzo Magalotti]],  philosopher, author, diplomat and poet
* [[Girolamo Maggi]], 16th century scholar
* [[Jože Pirjevec]], [[Slovenes|Slovene]] historian from Italy, one of the most prominent diplomatic historians of the west [[Balkans]] region, and member of the [[Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts]]

==In popular culture==
The University of Pisa is mentioned in the film [[Don Juan (1926 film)|Don Juan]].

== See also ==
* [[Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa]]
* [[Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies]]
* [[Pisa University System]]
* [[École Normale Supérieure]]
* [[Superior Graduate Schools in Italy]]
* [[List of Italian universities]]
* [[List of medieval universities]]
* [[Pisa]]
* [[ICoN (consortium)|ICoN Interuniversity Consortium for Italian Studies]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.unipi.it/ University of Pisa Website] {{it icon}} {{en icon}} {{zh icon}}
* [http://www.spaceatdia.org/ MSSE – Master of Science in Space Engineering] {{en icon}}
* {{CathEncy|wstitle=University of Pisa}}

{{Ita Uni}}
{{Universities Research Association}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pisa University}}
[[Category:University of Pisa| ]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Pisa|University]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in the 14th century]]
[[Category:1343 establishments]]