Luisa Lambertini, how have these first months been?
«Very intense, but they gave me the opportunity to get to know the university. I was welcomed very warmly and I saw several things that I believe we can work on together to move USI forward».
She said she came here to listen and learn. What have you learned so far, and what, if any, do you believe you still need to learn?
«The details are probably many and too many (each university functions in a unique way). I rolled up my sleeves trying above all to understand what the strong and weakest points of USI are, to get to know my colleagues and the administrative staff, and to understand what the challenges of the territory are, because universities must also interface and undertake those activities that are relevant to the region in which they live».
You have had very different university experiences, Italian, American and Swiss. Which of these influenced you the most?
«The experience in the United States was important for understanding how research is done and how it should be valorised – what the tools are, how to form a department, the quality criteria... The Swiss one was fundamental for understanding the structure of this Country, how universities interface with society and institutions, its multiculturalism and its multilingualism».
Is it possible to define a "Lambertine style" in running a university?
«I work a lot at the table with everyone, I always try to start initiatives from the bottom, with the contribution of at least a good majority, I don't particularly like hierarchies, I like to work for specific purposes, I go straight enough for my road and I don't stop in front of obstacles: when I have a project or an idea in my head I push them until they completely convince me that it shouldn't be done».
Don't you mind seeing work you started at the Polytechnic University of Lausanne (EPFL) being carried forward and finished by someone else?
«No, I just have to be grateful to the EPFL for putting me in the best conditions to face this new challenge».
What was the profound reason, right, that convinced Luisa Lambertini to accept this challenge, that is, to manage a university that was all in all small and peripheral, with no tradition?
«Exactly the challenge. The USI it is a small but special university, where there is really the possibility of doing something. Large universities are like trains whose route is substantially mapped out and well defined, but here the environment is much more malleable. Furthermore, USI also has some excellence, and its geographical position between Zurich and Milan is very interesting».
What particularly struck you about USI?
«There are some special skills. Let's think of the Academy of Architecture, which is truly the node between Switzerland and Italian culture, a unique marriage and a success story. We also have affiliated faculties and institutes staffed by people with incredible research capabilities. Let's also not forget that when USI was founded the Faculty of Communication Sciences was one of the first of its kind, a far-sighted choice. Not to forget the Faculty of Informatics, ranked third in Switzerland behind the two polytechnics, and the Faculty of Economic Sciences, whose Master's in Finance is in the top 30 worldwide, and the newly affiliated Faculty of Theology, which next academic year celebrates its thirtieth anniversary».
Where this university not only can, but must improve?
«USI has grown in its almost thirty years of existence at a very high rate, but its institutions have not kept pace. Let's talk about the way a university works. Our services have remained very small compared to USI's current size. It will be necessary to invest in these processes, in order to bring them to the level of its research. Another thing I noticed is that there are structural funnels: we are in Italian Switzerland, we obviously have to give courses in Italian, but there are few Swiss students who speak Italian. The challenge therefore, given that research is done here and done well, will be to be able to attract students from other universities and not especially from Italy».
USI is perhaps the only Italian language university outside the Italian borders: is this uniqueness a handicap or an asset?
«It's an asset but we have to be agile and not put too strong constraints on ourselves, otherwise they will suffocate us. It is right to be the University of Italian Switzerland, in which Italian culture and language are part of the fundamental fabric, but we must also be pragmatic and understand that certain courses must be given in English - master's courses compulsorily, with exceptions - because this guarantees mobility, not only of the students who come to study here, but also of the Ticinese who study here, who must be able to obtain a bachelor's degree and then move elsewhere for a master's degree, or vice versa».
Is USI's lack of attractiveness to students from the rest of Switzerland just a question of language or also of perception of the quality of its teaching?
«The question of language certainly plays an important role, but above all it is a national tendency to stay and study in one's own linguistic region. A study by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) highlights that only 5% of German-speaking and French-speaking Swiss undertake studies at a university in a Swiss linguistic region other than their own. In general, German speakers remain in Swiss-German universities, French speakers in Swiss-French universities. The situation is a little different for Italian speakers given that the offer of studies at USI is more limited, we do not offer all disciplines, and that good knowledge of French and German is necessary in the Swiss world of work. Changing these habits is a challenge, attracting students from other linguistic regions is not just difficult for us, it is difficult for everyone. In fact, another significant fact emerges from the FSO statistics: Swiss universities attract students from other countries more easily than from other national linguistic regions. At USI the English language can help and at master's level we need to make ourselves better known, focusing on quality and offering interesting, important and relevant courses. I would like USI to be a leader in training».
We often hear it said that school, at its various levels, must above all prepare young people for the world of work. Do you agree?
«University and school in general must prepare you for life, for careers that start today but we don't know how they will evolve. Things change, and very quickly. There are a myriad of professions today that didn't exist twenty years ago. It is also possible that artificial intelligence (AI) will reduce not only manual activity, as robots and computers have already done, but also intellectual work, so what we really need to teach our students and our students is how to learn and how to evolve: learning to learn, in short, and always remaining open. Continuous training is something that will become increasingly important, which is why I would like USI, not just SUPSI, to take on an increasingly stronger role in this field».
Are the cries of alarm against AI really justified?
«It is a fact that artificial intelligence can also be used for negative purposes. This does not mean that it can also be used for positive purposes. It must therefore be embraced not uncritically, but in a context in which there are very precise rules and limits, decided and imposed after deep reflection. This is also a field in which research and universities can help, not only by developing this technology, but also by defining the ethical and social context in which AI operates and is used».
At the beginning you spoke of a university connected to your territory ready to take on its challenges and needs. Which ones are they?
«Until twenty years ago, Ticino had a couple of leading sectors, which however today have undergone a downsizing. At the same time, however, just to give two examples, the biomedicine center and the Faculty of Computer Science were born, which created a series of related activities and startups, with repercussions on the whole of society and all economic sectors. There are also global challenges that will have effects on our region as well; it will therefore be necessary to develop, in collaboration with the Canton and the existing entities therein, specific projects on economic, environmental and social sustainability in which our researchers will be able to participate and contribute».
Would you like to have one more Faculty? If so, which one?
«I can think of many, but we will first have to see if there are the resources to create it. However, I must be honest: at the moment the great challenge is biomedicine, a faculty which has much higher costs than the others and which must be consolidated and developed. This is the goal at the moment. I think other initiatives could be developed in collaboration with other Swiss universities, trying to find points of intersection between what USI and other universities offer. It is clear that in the long term having a Polytechnic in the Italian language could be interesting, as already hypothesized by Prof. Martinoli who held this role before me, but the feasibility of this project is not clear».
In this sense his experience and his contacts in Lausanne could be useful…
«I think so, although I noticed that there are very close contacts here, especially with Zurich. With Lausanne there is still a bit of distance, which I hope can be reduced».
Projects for your students?
«I would like to give a little more life to the university campus. Even the EPFL, when I arrived in 2007, was empty at 5pm; fortunately over time, structures have arisen inside and around it and today there is always life, even on Saturdays and Sundays. And it's important, because there are students who come here, they are alone and they need to have the opportunity to create a community. This also has positive aspects for the city, and this is why I have already mentioned it to the Lugano Municipality».
She was an Italian handball national team. What did high-level sporting activity give you?
«First of all, I had a lot of fun. It also makes you understand how to compete, when you need to be fierce and when to take a step back. Like all team sports you also learn that you don't go anywhere alone, and to live and coexist for weeks with people who are different from you».
So do you consider yourself a team player?
«Yes (without hesitation)».
Is it also competitive?
«Yes (without hesitation)».
Beyond this, how would you define yourself?
«I like to joke and I always try to be in a good mood, showing the positive side of myself, I'm a bit intense but I'm trying to learn to hold back words when they want to escape. I'm a good foodie, even though I learned to cook when I left Italy and my mother was no longer there. Unfortunately, cooking well takes time, which I lack most of the time. I'm also trying to become a vegetarian».
How do you say you have little free time?
«I still have a passion for sport (tennis, running, cycling, walking with the dog...), which relaxes me, I read, even if less than I would like, and I try to see friends».
As rector she will mainly have administrative duties. Won't you miss the academic part?
«A lot, but I was very clear: I don't intend to stop doing research and teaching. Naturally not as before, but I don't intend to stop also because I consider them fundamental aspects for a rector, who otherwise loses contact and mentality».
Without going into the merits of your predecessor's resignation, what relationship have you established so far with the University Council and DECS?
«I said it from the beginning: I am happy to come to USI to work as rector and I am ready to work with everyone within the limits of their respective responsibilities and skills».
The stakes are therefore clear for an all-female triad: rector, prime minister and state councilor. Perhaps a worldwide unique. In your opinion, could this all-female management lead, for better or worse, to particular dynamics?
«It is indeed a unique situation, an intersection that can open up many possibilities. I have already stated that I will work to ensure that USI promotes women's careers and increases the percentage of women in the academic staff, because from this point of view we are a little behind. I guess this situation can help».
Women are the majority of students, men are the majority of professors. How do you explain this evolution?
«Certainly the difficulty of combining academic life and family life plays a role, but also the fact, especially in certain faculties, that university life is traditionally male. Unfortunately, the magic wand doesn't exist, and I certainly don't have it; However, I have seen how some universities have tried to respond to the problem. You need to have flexibility, and structures that can help you combine your professional and private life. I also personally believe that there should be at least two women on the notice boards».
