The Pelican

On the tabernacle of the church commissioned by Donna Javotte to pay homage to the University’s founder, there is an image of a pelican who injures itself while attempting to use its blood to extinguish the flames that were threatening the nest of its young. Interpreted as a symbol of paternal love, it was taken up by Ferdinando Bocconi in the 20th century in memory of his son – who died young – and included in the family coat of arms.

The image of the pelican has accompanied the entire history of the University, and since 1906 – when the Alumni chose it as the symbol of their association – it has been repeatedly used over the years. It was then represented in the Vademecum starting from 1947 and in the student guides in the 1990s, eventually becoming symbol of the Egea editorial series – "The Pelican’s Notes" – and later mascot of the University's sports teams. In this way, that original sense of "family and youth community" has been preserved and handed down.

Professor Giovanni De Maria is said to have proposed to the university the purchase of a live pelican as its mascot and the inclusion of the pelican in the center of the university's coat of arms. Neither proposal was followed up.