The second interview of the “Ciao Luiss!” series, aimed at giving international students insights about the Luiss “Guido Carli” University, is with Professor Raffaele Marchetti.
Prof. Raffaele Marchetti is Deputy Rector for Internationalization and Professor in International Relations at the Department of Political Science and the School of Government of Luiss University. His research interest concerns global politics and governance, hybrid and city diplomacy, transnational civil society, (cyber-)security and political risk, and democracy.
We asked Prof. Raffaele Marchetti to tell us more about the values and vision of Luiss University, as well as the advantages that the University offers to international students.
Prof. Raffaele Marchetti, what are the values and the vision of Luiss University?
Luiss University is a global university based in Italy. We strive for academic excellence but at the same time we also think that knowledge needs to be practically relevant. We have top scores; we engage and bring in the best students from many countries but at the same time we engage with external stakeholders. The relationship and the engagement with the private sector as well as with the public sector, in Italy and abroad, is very important for us.
What can Luiss University offer to its students in terms of international network and opportunities?
Luiss is a particularly internationalized university. We have many agreements with universities in Europe, in the Americas, in Africa, in Asia. When students come to Luiss they have the possibility to study here but at the same time they can take and the enjoy the opportunities that are offered by our large network of partners: from student mobility to double degrees and now even the last agreement we signed recently, our triple degree with George Washington [University] and Renmin University [of China].
So, students can study here and in other partner universities and get two or even three degrees. These are excellent opportunities for students, not only to be exposed to different academic communities and cultures, but also to live in different societies, and I think this is very important to develop the skills that are needed in order to navigate our global world.
What does it mean for an international student to study in Italy, and in Rome in particular?
Studying in Italy is a unique experience. Luiss is not only a top university: it is also based in Rome, which is a very special city. To begin with, [Rome] is the only city in the world that is the capital of two states, the Italian Republic, and the Holy See. But it is also a city that has a millennia-long history full of art, full of culture. I think that coming here gives the opportunity to students to become more culturally sophisticated.
The famous “Made in Italy” brand, typical of Ferrari, Valentino and many other fashion and luxury companies, in a way comes from a deep cultural context and I think studying here will give you the opportunity to become familiar with that kind of approach to life, that is a combination of sophisticated engineering with the search for beauty and aesthetic values in life. I think that Rome in that sense is a unique place and Luiss, really, is the door, the channel to that.
Ciao Luiss!
The video interview with Prof. Raffaele Marchetti is available on the YouTube channel of INDiplomacy, in English. Italian subtitles are available.
