The Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa awards diplomas to the students who have completed their course of study. A day of celebration, looking to the future

It is a moment of celebration and sharing, which seals a training course that has lasted for years; but it is also a moment in which to look to the future, towards new challenges and new goals.
The Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa awarded First Level, Second Level, Licence and Doctorate degrees to the students who completed their respective courses of study (135 in total: 68 First Level, Second Level and Licence students; 67 PhD students). The ceremony took place on Saturday 15th February starting at 10.30 am in the Aula Magna at the main campus. Present were the Rector Sabina Nuti, the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences Anna Loretoni, and the representative of the PhD Coordinators Fabio Iraldo. During the ceremony, Margherita Cassano, President of the Supreme Court of Cassation of the Italian Republic, gave a speech on the topic of ‘Education as a social duty’, and Chiara Criscuolo, Principal Economist at the International Finance Corporation, gave a speech on the topic of ‘Policies for Research and Development’.

The statements

‘It's a time of farewells and new beginnings. The slogan of this year's Sant'Anna School was ‘Arrival is a new beginning’ and this is also the message we want to give to our students who today are closing one path but opening another, where they will have to make the skills learned during these years of training available to the community,’ says the rector Sabina Nuti.

‘The School does not only train graduates but above all people whose values, such as respect, the ability to resolve conflicts in a non-violent manner, and inclusion, will inspire their professional path and beyond. In such a difficult historical moment, marked by crisis and war, we need people who are capable of bringing these values to the world’ says Anna Loretoni, Dean of the Social Sciences Department.

‘A very significant journey is coming to an end. In recent years, thanks to the funds that have arrived from the PNRR, we have increased the number of scholarships available by about 40%. Now we need a new push from the institutions and the business world. Without this support, we risk returning to the previous numbers,’ commented Fabio Iraldo, representative of the PhD coordinators.

Margherita Cassano, president of the Supreme Court of Cassation, spoke during the ceremony. This was her message to the students of the School: ‘This day marks the fulfilment of a dual purpose: the assumption of a responsibility, which is first and foremost civil and institutional; and the assumption of a commitment, namely to give back to the community everything you have learnt during these years of study and training, to help our democratic system grow’.