interprovincial consortium. On 3 March 1965, Minister of Public Education Luigi Gui signed the decree of recognition of the Gabriele D'Annunzio Free University of Abruzzo, named after the Italian writer and poet from Pescara. The registered administrative offices of the university and the rectorate were established in Chieti, along with the faculty of letters and philosophy; Pescara included the faculty of commerce and economics with an adjoining foreign languages and literatures course; the faculty of law was instituted in Teramo. Professor Renato Balzarini was elected as the first Rector of the university and chaired the first meeting of the board of trustees, which was originally composed of fourteen members. The opening ceremony of the first academic year took place in Pescara on 19 March 1966, in the presence of the Minister Luigi Gui. During the following years, the university saw the inauguration of the faculty of medicine and surgery in Chieti, the institution of the faculties of architecture in Pescara and political sciences in Teramo. In addition, the course of foreign languages and literatures was finally established, after it definitely separated from the faculty of commerce and economics. In December 1979, Professor Aldo Bernardini was elected Rector. Expansion In April 1982, D'Annunzio Free University became state-supported, following the approval of the Senate of the Republic of Italy. It preceded the opening of the faculties of pharmacy, veterinary medicine, and natural sciences, which were placed in three provinces of the region. The seal of the university was inspired by a sculpture of Pietro Cascella located in the campuses of Chieti and Pescara; it reproduces the stylised form of the head of the Roman goddess of wisdom Minerva, placed on a simple base and bearing the words "Università degli Studi G. D'Annunzio", upon which the acronym "Ud'A" is superimposed. In June 1985, Professor Uberto Crescenti was elected Rector. In the following years, D'Annunzio University saw increased emphasis on research, reorganization of administrative structure and construction of new facilities, leading to the establishment of the Museum of Biomedical Sciences and the opening of a research and training hospital. On 20 February 1988, Minister Giovanni Galloni inaugurated the Viale Pindaro campus in Pescara. The faculties based in Teramo separated from D'Annunzio University in 1993, establishing the University of Teramo. The Institute of Hospitalisation and Treatment for Scientific Purposes was launched at D'Annunzio University by Minister of Health Rosy Bindi in early 2000. The Continuing