Inclusion, diversity, openness 

Over 400,000 people tuned in on social media for the start of the new 2020-2021 academic year at Luiss 

With a keynote address by Ilham Kadri, CEO of Solvay 

A guide to sustainability for shaping the society of the 21st century 

 Today, Monday, November 9, the 2020–2021 academic year kicked off at Luiss Guido Carli, the Free International University of Social Studies. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also joined via video link, following the day's proceedings and bringing them to a close.

The university’s leadership attended the ceremony: President Vincenzo Boccia, Vice President Paola Severino, Rector Andrea Prencipe, and General Director Giovanni Lo Storto.

At the heart of the speeches, watched live by thousands of students, were the themes of inclusion, openness to others, and diversity: these are the guiding principles for the generations that will shape the society of the future. Indeed, universities will play a fundamental role in defining new social, economic, political, and environmental priorities that will guide the development and growth of nations in the 21st century, as highlighted by Funmi Olonisakin, Vice-Chancellor of King’s College London, in her inaugural address: “Universities must dismantle hierarchies of identity to transform 21st Century Society.” Businesses will then have the task of supporting this momentous change, as highlighted by Ilham Kadri, CEO of Solvay – a chemical company and leader in circular economy processes – in her Lectio Magistralis: “A learning journey through inclusion and diversity,” which outlines a new vision for sustainable development.

 At such a delicate time for our country, study, research, skills, and a focus on others are essential tools to counter the widespread uncertainty and disorientation. International openness and the promotion of student autonomy, which is the prerequisite for their freedom, are at the core of a university that has demonstrated extraordinary organizational resilience during the pandemic. 

 In fact, Luiss has never stopped, and it has even continued its international expansion, with over 310 exchange agreements in more than 60 countries and 47 dual-degree programs – including the one recently signed with King’s College London – and a record number of applications from foreign students, up 133% compared to 2019.

Furthermore, the University is increasingly focused on achieving gender balance within its scientific community: 46% of researchers and assistant professors  are women, and the number of female professors on the Academic Senate is steadily rising. This is a significant push toward diversity, strongly supported by Rector Andrea Prencipe, who described the innovative teaching methods of the Luiss educational model, with a focus on the role of interdisciplinary connections in the digital age: “We have launched interdisciplinary and international programs in the Social Sciences with the aim of fulfilling the vision of Luiss’s founding fathers: we grow and innovate by recomposing, not by deconstructing. The foundation for meeting the challenges of the future lies in the intersections: between artificial intelligence and ethics, between legal and political knowledge, between behavioral sciences and economics, between the arts of management and the management of the arts, and between renewing what already exists and generating new ideas.”

Luiss, whose digital transition last March was recognized as a global case study by the American giant Cisco, has embraced a path of smart philanthropy, investing in the right to education, support tools for startups, and new educational trajectories. This year, the university awarded over 1,000 scholarships to both first-year and current students, demonstrating its strong social commitment to students and their families facing challenges. Additionally, it launched a revolutionary project: 42Roma Luiss, the first entirely free coding school that uses a disruptive model to train digital professionals.

 “If we want to fully harness this revolution,” said General Director Giovanni Lo Storto, “ we must develop new learning pathways that enable students to grow in distinct but deeply interconnected areas, because we are convinced that the strength of the humanities must increasingly integrate with the scientific and economic disciplines.”

 “We'll have to learn to explore, to go with an open mind to where knowledge and skills intersect.” This is the invitation that the President of Luiss, Vincenzo Boccia, extended to all the university’s students: “because we must study, delve deeper, never take anything for granted, listen, reach out, and honor our word. The more the world around us reveals its vital complexity, the greater the need for strong, visionary leaders.”

The ceremony concluded with a speech by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

To watch the ceremony again, click here