I would like to warmly welcome you to the large family of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, a university that has trusted young people for over a century. Father Gemelli, our founder, always expressed this belief in his speeches. I would especially like to recall this passage from his speech at the inauguration day of the 1951/52 academic year: “I am convinced, and this is the educational policy I follow, that we must trust young people, help them, support them, and understand them.”

This trust, therefore, commits us to providing you with a university experience capable of accompanying you into the future and contributing to your professional, cultural, and personal development. This is why our educational offer, which is high quality even in an international context, has as its objective “to educate towards a long and integral view.” Our degree programmes are characterised not only by their content solidity but also by their innovativeness and take into account the continuous social changes and the evolving world of work. At the same time, they place particular emphasis on interdisciplinarity. All this is done with the priority of caring for each newly enrolled student in order to enhance his or her experience in beautiful, welcoming, functional, and technologically advanced spaces. Starting this year, the Polo San Francesco in Milan has been added to our historical premises. This area, which once housed a Napoleonic-era barracks ‒ built on the site of an ancient 14th-century Franciscan convent ‒ is now available to students. It is an investment in the future, your future.

Every day in your education, all of us professors and lecturers are called upon to impart technical skills and methodology to each of you and discuss cutting-edge topics with you, following a century-old tradition that is committed to enhancing ethical values, developing critical thinking, and fostering interpersonal relationships. Above all, we are strongly focused on promoting the integral formation of the person, enabling you to make the most of your talents. Attention to the individual, the alliance between generations, and the desire for innovation based on our roots are the fundamental elements of an identity that Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore intends to preserve and renew.

A distinctive feature of our understanding of the educating community lies in the contribution that each component offers to the life of the University, as we journey together. I therefore invite newly enrolled students to get involved in university activities, also for the benefit of others, by making themselves available as tutors, representatives of university bodies, members of peer and review committees, and student associations. I encourage you to undertake this journey with increasing and passionate participation, taking advantage of the many opportunities that Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore makes available ‒ from internships to international and volunteering experiences ‒ to enrich your personal and cultural growth. Here, indeed, one comes first and foremost to study, but also to engage with the reality, to forge lasting bonds, to imagine something that does not exist, and yet whose urgency and importance one perceives.

In order to strengthen my connection with all of you, I intend to provide a space where to regularly meet and engage with those who wish to have moments of dialogue and discussion, thereby fostering a relationship that can help me understand and respond to your needs and suggestions. A first tool to get to know and appreciate your chosen University and Faculty is this guide, which contains all the main information. The course syllabi, along with other news and updates about the University’s initiatives, can be found on the website https://studenticattolica.unicatt.it/.

I wish every student an enthusiastic and satisfying university journey, encouraging you all not to give up in the face of the commitment and effort required to achieve the goals ahead.

Thank you for choosing Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. I am proud to be part of this great family and to contribute to writing its history.

Elena Beccalli