Bocconi Inaugurates Its 125th Academic Year in the Name of Opportunity

The Opening Ceremony of the Academic Year remains a key event in the University’s institutional life. Featuring speeches by Andrea Sironi, President of Bocconi University; Giulia Gambardella, student representative on the University Board; Riccardo Taranto, Managing Director; Francesco Billari, Rector; and Gita Gopinath, Gregory and Ania Coffey Professor of Economics at Harvard University, the 2026–2027 ceremony offered an opportunity to reflect on the role of education and philanthropy in building a more open society capable of creating opportunities.

At the heart of the event was social mobility, together with a question that concerns the entire community: to what extent do people’s circumstances at birth continue to shape the opportunities they encounter throughout their lives?

“Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. That is why simply opening doors is not enough. We must ensure that talented people know those doors exist, are able to walk through them and, once inside, find the conditions they need to stay, grow and make a difference. Social mobility and excellence are not competing objectives: a more open society makes better use of its talent and creates greater value for everyone.” _{— Francesco Billari, Rector}

Philanthropy plays a decisive role in this commitment. The progress of the Bocconi. A Place for the Future campaign, presented during the Opening Ceremony, reflects the engagement of an international community of Alumni, individuals, companies, foundations and institutions whose investment in the University’s development projects helps expand opportunities, generate new knowledge and create a tangible impact on society.

Between 2021 and 2025, thanks to the support of more than 6,700 Donors, Bocconi raised €90 million. Since the beginning of 2026, over €20 million in new philanthropic commitments has been added, bringing the total raised to more than €110 million and the community of supporters to 7,000 Donors since 2021. These figures reflect not only the campaign’s growth, but also the confidence of an ever-expanding community in the University’s development plans and in its goal of raising €200 million by 2030.

Student support is one of the main areas to which the funds raised are allocated, accounting for 47% of donations. During the 2025–2026 Academic Year, more than 380 students benefited from Donor support. Among first-year students, 136 began their Bocconi journey thanks to philanthropic funding.

Philanthropy also contributes to the advancement of research, Faculty and the campus. Today, Bocconi’s philanthropic ecosystem supports 24 endowed Chairs and Professorships, 9 research Centers and Labs established through donations, and 56 philanthropically named spaces across the campus.

The backdrop to the Opening Ceremony was We Made It, the message chosen by Bocconi to mark its 125th year and celebrate the journey made possible by the contribution of its community. It means not only “we succeeded,” but, above all, “we built it together.” This perspective also ran throughout the ceremony, highlighting the role played by individuals, families, Faculty, institutions, Alumni and Donors in creating opportunities for personal growth and social mobility.

A university cannot overcome every inequality on its own, but it can choose not to limit itself to selecting talent that is already visible and instead work to ensure that more talent has the opportunity to emerge. With the support of its philanthropic community, Bocconi renews its commitment to making education not the confirmation of a predetermined destiny, but the beginning of new possibilities.