In 1995 Senator Giuseppe Degennaro founded the first private university of Southern Italy. Its name, Libera Università Mediterranea [Free Mediterranean University], reveals the goal of its founder: to establish a higher education institution in the middle of the Mediterranean area offering high-quality programs that could compete with other universities around the world.
From the very beginning, the faculty was selected among the best known and most prestigious Italian and foreign professors. The programs offered were focussed on the immediate market usability. The first steps, based on the values that animated the entire history of the University, were moved in the direction of important goals achieved thanks to the experience of men and women of culture, entrepreneurs, and businessmen.