Time for Welcome Days

5,000 ITALIAN AND INTERNATIONAL FIRST YEAR STUDENTS ARE ATTENDING FACE TO FACE AND ONLINE ACTIVITIES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EVERYTHING BOCCONI'S SCHOOLS HAVE TO OFFER. AND MUCH MORE

The University is starting up again, though it never really stopped. But seeing the campus fill up with people, albeit with restrictions, precautions and safety regulations to protect the health of everyone, is a cause for hope and joy. The occasion is the Welcome Days event (see the complete program), the University's traditional way of welcoming and introducing itself to around 5,000 Italian and international first-year students, who will start their new adventure at one of the three Bocconi Schools: the Undergraduate School, the Graduate School or the School of Law. Events will be held in person but will also be available online for anyone who cannot be in Milan, with welcome addresses from the Rector, Gianmario Verona, the School Deans, Annalisa Prencipe, Antonella Carù and Pietro Sirena, Program Directors and the Heads of the various services that will support students throughout their university career. "We are excited to be back on campus and also a little emotional after the months of the lockdown," says the Dean of the Graduate School, Antonella Carù, who inaugurated this edition of Welcome Days with online activities on 24 August. "We worked hard to create a hybrid and flexible teaching model, which will also allow students who are not yet physically on campus to have an educational and engaging experience."

In addition to attending mathematics pre-courses during Welcome Days, first-years will be able to learn more about the many extracurricular activities the University offers, from sports, both competitive and amateur, to student associations, a rich and diverse microcosm that encompasses a wide variety of topics. An event reserved for first-year Graduate School students will be held in the Via Roentgen Aula Magna on 8 September at 6pm. The guest speaker will be Silvia Candiani, Bocconi alumna and Managing Director of Microsoft Italy, who will discuss her personal history and career starting from her years on campus.

"The semester that is about to begin will require a great deal of commitment from everyone and a good dose of flexibility," says the Dean of the Undergraduate School, Annalisa Prencipe, addressing not only first-year students. "We must be ready to change from activities in person to activities online with adaptability and an innovative spirit. It will be a challenge but also a great opportunity for learning and innovation," she adds. "This edition of Welcome Days," explains Pietro Sirena, Dean of the School of Law, whose welcome activities will begin on Monday 7 September, "are also an opportunity to celebrate the return of students, faculty and staff to the campus and to share the determination of each of us to enthusiastically explore new teaching and research methods."



by Davide Ripamonti
Translated by Jenna Walker