A Community That Chooses to Be Present: Alumni and Donors Take Center Stage at the Inauguration of the 2025–2026 Academic Year

The inauguration of the 2025–2026 Academic Year, with addresses by President Andrea Sironi, Rector Francesco Billari, and European Investment Bank President Nadia Calviño, was both a moment of reflection on the role of the university in contemporary society and a celebration of the strength of the Bocconi community.

The Rector recalled that "this university is not only a place of learning, but a collective project, built every day by those who choose to be part of it" highlighting the value of philanthropic support which, between 2021 and 2024, generated nearly €70 million. Testifying to this commitment is a community of over 146,000 alumni worldwide, more than 3,000 active donors in 2024, and a continuously expanding network driven by a shared principle: giving back and supporting knowledge as a common good.

Among the most significant moments of the ceremony were the remembrance of historian Achille Marzio Romani, the announcement of the winners of the 2025 Bocconi Alumni Awards, and expressions of gratitude to the individuals and companies that have chosen to place their trust in our University.

Donations support a system of financial aid that allows one in three Bocconi students to receive some form of economic assistance each year. At the same time, donor contributions fuel research and innovation: today, 7 laboratories established through donations are active, along with 2 research centers and 24 named Chairs, including the recently established Enel Foundation Chair in Competitiveness and Transition (entrusted to Francesco Decarolis) and the Harvey Chaplin Chair in Distribution, Channel & Experience Management (supported by Campari and assigned to Sandro Castaldo).

Philanthropy, alumni, and community remain the levers that strengthen Bocconi’s mission: to look to the future with responsibility, in the conviction that - as the Rector reminded us - "every well-made choice is an act of trust in tomorrow."