Foreign affairs 2019 09-10

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ENRICO LETTA

Dean

Paris School of International A airs, Sciences Po

Former Prime Minister of Italy

Shaping

Global Actors

for a More

Secure World

What encouraged you to take up the position as dean
of the Paris School of International A airs (PSIA) at
Sciences Po in September 2015?
By 2015, PSIA was already recognized as one of the
world’s leading professional schools in international
affairs. With my experience in European politics and
public affairs, I was eager to contribute to PSIA’s out-
standing, multilingual community, which is designed
to train and shape global actors to understand and
respond to the complexities of our world. Our approach
of combining theory and practice is, from my per-
spective, essential when training tomorrow’s leaders
and changemakers. By bringing together the best and
brightest students from across the globe with world-
renowned faculty and practitioners, PSIA has created a
space that fosters dialogue, understanding, and, most
of all, action for the twenty-fi rst century.

What new projects and innovations have you
instigated during your time as dean?
A fi rst priority was to further develop the school as a
platform for public debate. We launched our Youth
and Leaders Summit in January 2016, which has
become an annual conference for leading interna-
tional affairs personalities to engage PSIA students

in an open dialogue about a major global policy.

In November 2018, PSIA students and faculty were

important contributors to the Paris Peace Forum, a new

initiative spearheaded by French President Emmanuel

Macron. Through such events, PSIA students have the

chance to challenge world leaders and engage with

global policy directly.

We have also launched new, collaborative initiatives

relating to economic diplomacy and science diplomacy

with our university and institutional partners. Our

aim is to contribute and raise awareness of the study

of these important fi elds and to develop world-leading

training for students and professionals.

As you prepare to celebrate PSIA’s tenth anniversary,

what is your vision for the next decade?

Our aim in the coming years is to ensure that PSIA

goes from strength-to-strength. We are all proud of

what PSIA has accomplished so far—notably, our top-

three global ranking for international studies, from the

2019 QS World University Rankings. This is the result

of continuous improvement to our curriculum, our

collaboration with leading university partners, and,

of course, our ability to attract incredible students

from across the globe.

Degrees and courses at PSIA will continue to evolve,

including in response to student feedback, to ensure

we provide the most relevant and effective training so

that our graduates learn to understand, navigate, and

engage with a complex world, with a view to making

it a better, more secure place.

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