Pisa, 9th January 2019. The Deans of the Faculty of Humanities, the Faculty of Sciences and the Department of Political and Social Sciences of the Scuola Normale Superiore, together with the representatives of the Professors, Researchers and Temporary research Assistants, Students, and the Technical-Administrative Staff elected in the Governing Council have, in the past few days, been given  a mandate, with overwhelming majorities in the respective electoral bodies, to express themselves in favour of the motion of no confidence in the Director which was to be voted upon today by the Governing Council.

All the members wished to express their growing unease at the important strategic choices made by the Director during his mandate that were not adequately discussed in form and content, thus violating a long tradition of democracy and participation. Already in December 2018, the Student Assembly decided to present to the Governing Council, through its representatives, a motion of no confidence in the Director; the Assembly of Researchers and Temporary research Assistants and that of the Technical-Administrative Staff had approved statements critical of the Director’s actions and 85% of the Professors of the Scuola signed appeals to the Director to resign his office as quickly as possible , with the aim of restoring a balance and a sense of belonging to a community that has always been the hallmark of the Normale.

These requests have remained unanswered, and we have today reached the planned meeting of the Governing Council in which the motion of no confidence was to be voted on.

The Governing Council therefore:

• Takes note that the Director considered it appropriate, given the clear stance of all the members of the Scuola, to avoid a final useless test of strength by resigning.

• Deplores the tendentious and instrumental media campaign aimed at interfering with the natural internal dialectic of the Scuola.

• Condemns political interference in the internal choices of the Scuola, reaffirming the primary role of university autonomy.

• Confides in the fact that with this act the SNS can close a troubled and unprecedented page in its history, hoping at the same time that this represents a first necessary step towards recovering that harmony, sense of sharing and serenity essential for the life and development of the Scuola.