Antonio Servadei was the first Rector of the University of Udine. A former Professor of Agricultural Entomology, he also served as Dean of the Faculties of Agriculture at the Universities of Sassari and Padua. He was a member of the Technical Committees of the Faculties of Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Philosophy, and Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences, which contributed to the foundation of the newly established University of Udine.
A renowned insect scholar, Servadei was appointed President of the Italian National Academy of Entomology in 1978, the highest national scientific and cultural institution in the field.
Servadei, a well-known entomologist, was the first rector of the Friulian University.
On December the 6th, 1978, pursuant to Article 5 of DPR 102/78, the academic body of the University of Udine convened for the first time. Thanks to his scientific authority, academic experience, and administrative skills, Antonio Servadei was immediately chosen to lead the new university.
Freed from commitments at his previous university, Servadei enthusiastically accepted the role and, within less than a year, with the support of the Ministry and the University Consortium, tackled the initial challenges. During his tenure, the Statute was approved, new faculty members were selected, competitions were held for academic and technical-administrative staff, and contacts with local authorities were established to organize the logistical arrangements for the Faculties. While Agriculture, Science, and Letters started from scratch, the Faculties of Languages and the two-year Engineering program continued activities already underway as a branch of the University of Trieste since 1968 and 1973, respectively.
Drawing on his experience at the Universities of Sassari and Padua, where he had held positions as Institute Director, Dean, and member of the Academic Senate, Servadei managed the transition of the already active Faculties with vision and competence, laying a solid foundation for the launch of the new Faculties envisaged by the Statute.
Born in Bologna on August 15, 1908, Servadei graduated in Agricultural Sciences in 1930 with top honors under the guidance of Guido Grandi. After specializing in Entomology, in 1938 he obtained a position at the Agricultural Entomology Station of the Ministry of Agriculture in Florence, later becoming deputy director. After military service, from 1948 he lectured at Sassari and in 1950 became full professor. Called to Padua in 1951 due to his reputation as an entomologist and organizer, he continued to dedicate himself to research and teaching with great passion.
During his final lecture in Padua in January 1978, Servadei declared: "As naturalist by vocation and profession, I will continue, as long as my strength allows, to investigate the hidden and astonishing manifestations of insects, striving to penetrate the truths of life with the same enthusiasm as in my early years." Even as Rector of the University of Udine, he found time for his scientific passion, dedicating hours and days to observing insects in meadows, woods, and mountains.
For his fundamental contribution during the early years of the University of Udine, the Academic Senate unanimously decided on October 10, 1986, to dedicate the Experimental Agricultural Company to him, ensuring that his name and legacy remain linked to agricultural research and its close connection to the land.