IULM's new (and first) dean is a professor of theater, Valentina Garavaglia

As of Nov. 1, 2024, Valentina Garavaglia, full professor of Theater in the Faculty of Communication atIULM University in Milan, will assume the position of Rector of the university, succeeding Professor Gianni Canova, who has led IULM since 2018. The appointment took place Wednesday, July 31, during a meeting of the Board of Directors chaired by Professor Giovanni Puglisi. The Board chose Garavaglia based on the trio presented and proposed by the Academic Senate, entrusting her with the leadership of the University for the six-year period 2024-2030.

Under Professor Canova’s leadership, IULM University has experienced significant growth in both quality and quantity, with a 20 percent increase in enrollment and the inauguration of four new Degree Courses, to which two more will be added starting in September. Garavaglia is therefore called upon to consolidate and continue this growth.

Born in Milan in 1974, Valentina Garavaglia is married and the mother of 14-year-old twins. A graduate in Modern Literature from the University of Milan, she joined IULM in 2010. Since then, she has conducted studies and research on the history of theater and the role of the performing arts as a tool for education and individual expression, with a focus on theater in prison. In addition to his academic activity, Garavaglia has had an intense theater career, artistically coordinating festivals and projects in prestigious Italian and international theater institutions. In 2015, he won the 20th edition of the Luigi Pirandello National Theatre Prize with his work L’epimero e l’eterno: l’esperienza teatrale di Gibellina (Bulzoni).

With Garavaglia’s appointment, IULM University further distinguishes itself with a female presence at the top: in fact, Dr. Raffaella Quadri has been the University’s Director General since 2017. Moreover, the University has for years had the highest number of women professors among full professors, associates and researchers, with a female presence of 47 percent. Valentina Garavaglia’s arrival as Rector now marks a new chapter for IULM.

“Professor Gianni Canova,” commented Professor Garavaglia, “delivers to us a virtuous and innovative model of Campus, a place not only to attend but above all to live. Continuing in the wake of that experience, taking care of the values and community that animate this Institution, will be among the main goals of my mandate.”

IULM's new (and first) dean is a professor of theater, Valentina Garavaglia

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