100 Ideas for the Italian University

The Italian public university is in difficulty and will be even more so in the years to come. We spoke about this at the University of Padua, on the initiative of the School of Economics and Political Science, with the authors of the recent book 'Università sotto esame' (Il Mulino, 2025): Carlo Cappa (Tor Vergata) and Andrea Gavosto (Fondazione Giovanni Agnelli). Having exhausted the driving force of the PNRR, in a geopolitical crisis that is forcing governments to focus on external challenges, and in a context in which culture, and the centres that produce it, are globally under attack by right-wing neo-populist parties, Italian universities are facing a drop in revenue and competition, at unequal arms, from telematic universities. In Italia there are eleven of them: born in the early 2000s, they have experienced exponential growth since the Covid-19 pandemic. We are at a critical juncture: the choices made today will have a decisive impact for many years to come, not only on the university but on Italian society as a whole. However, the absence of a generalised public debate seems to show the lack of a widespread awareness of this issue.

The university plays an essential role in the civil, social and economic development of the country. It is an engine of innovation for the economy and renewal of the ruling class, it is the main pathway for social mobility (and, potentially, for territorial rebalancing and the 'right to stay' of the recent Letta Report). However, there does not seem to be much sensitivity in this regard, or at least the ability to support universities in this role, on the part of those who govern us. Of those who govern us now (many of our current rulers have not attended university at all) but also of those who governed us in the past, as Cappa and Gavosto rightly observe. The reforms that have followed one another over time, in fact, have been fluctuating and not very result-oriented, i.e. without precise objectives and resources, instruments and timeframes commensurate with them.

The picture that emerges from the data-rich analysis of the two scholars is somewhat pitiless and agreeable: (i) a first mission, teaching, which is not always delivered effectively, due to the lack of renewal of the teaching staff and teaching methods (and student numbers that are not always manageable); (ii) a second mission, research, which is not sufficiently characterised by "originality and uncertainty" (p.88); (iii) a third mission, public engagement, which ends up adding to an already high workload (including administrative work, sigh); (iv) insufficient support for the right to study.

In the face of the analysis, the two scholars propose a 'canvas' of possible corrective measures: adequate and predictable funding, incentives linked to performance, autonomy of the universities in terms of expenditure and recruitment, private organisation of lecturers, greater diversification of the educational offer and institutions, and even a rethinking of the legal value of degrees. Not all these proposals are equally convincing. For example, in the UK, the private status of university employees and their autonomy are leading to major distortions, mass layoffs, and rectors paid very generously for underpaid teaching contracts with few prospects. Not an example to follow, in short. But with this book we begin to put some ideas on the table and set the basis for a debate. We could also reflect on something else, such as whether it would be appropriate to limit public funding to public universities alone, also in order to respond to the low overall number of structured teachers, the problem of precarious employment and uncompetitive salaries (especially of PTA, but not only).

The debate on the future of the university should be broad and shared. One cannot think of putting a hand in the university without an active involvement of at least the main stakeholders - teachers, PTA and students. I remember the '100 ideas for development' meeting organised back in 1998 by Fabrizio Barca when he was Head of the Department for Development and Cohesion. Here, we need a similar initiative to think about how to relaunch the Italian public university. Tomorrow is already late.