Whats the University of Palermo like?
In a nation of remarkably undistinguished universities (according to The Economist, not one is presently ranked among the world’s hundred best, not even Bologna, Normale-Pisa, Sapienza-Rome or Milan’s Bocconi), the University of Palermo stands out as an enduring exemplar of unabashed mediocrity! Professors, who view their tenured positions as mere sinecures, are rarely available to meet with students during office hours, student services are almost inexistent, exam sessions and classes are often crowded to the point of chaos, bureaucracy and bureaucratic delays crippling, degree programmes poorly formulated, the main “campus” and other buildings lacking in capacity (with lectures sometimes held in local movie theatres) and inadequately maintained. Cronyism and corruption are the norm; almost everybody in the administration and among the tenured faculty is a political appointee, with members of the numerous political parties (and even Opus Dei) competing for positions and perks.
