The SIS is set to become a European reference point for international studies. Presidents Mattarella, Napolitano, Sassoli, Amato and other protagonists of the international political and economic scene visited these rooms. With 30 professors and more than 500 graduates, it is still the only institution in Italy offering post graduate programmes in international studies. Its state-of-the-art research is focused on the environment, Europe, human rights and international security.
The anniversary will be celebrated by the two-day conference that kicked off at Palazzo Prodi. In the afternoon, the "Bruno Kessler" honorary professorship will be awarded to jurist and international relations expert Anne-Marie Slaughter
More than twenty years have passed since the School of International Studies came to life at the University of Trento as an interdepartmental facility for postgraduate studies. And ten years have passed since it was transformed into an actual Centre of the University of Trento. The University celebrated this milestone with a two-day event that started this morning in the Auditorium of Palazzo Prodi, the school's headquarters since 2012.
The School of International Studies is still the only university institution in Italy that exclusively offers master's degrees and doctoral programmes. All courses are taught in English and, in general, the school has a multidisciplinary approach to the study of international relations. The School has an ambitious goal and, given the results achieved in these twenty years, it is within reach: to become a reference point for international studies at European level. Based on the latest Almalaurea data, in fact, the graduates of School of International Studies, on average, are more easily employed, have more job opportunities abroad and get better salaries than their peers with a similar degree from another Italian university.
With a teaching staff of 30 scholars with different disciplinary backgrounds, today the School offers a wide range of programmes including three master's degrees and a PhD. More than 500 students and nearly 100 PhD students have graduated from the SIS, and each of them has an extraordinary story to tell. "Many of them hold important positions around the world, in business consultancy and in international organizations, in diplomacy and in the private sector, NGOs and academia", explains director Stefano Schiavo. "They are our best advertisement and some of them will be with us tomorrow to tell about their experience and talk to students".
The SIS achieved another important goal last year: it became an affiliate of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA). "It is the first – and so far only – Italian institution to become a member of this small group of institutions that are the best in the world. Over the years, the School has built a rich and extensive network of academic and non-academic partnerships, including universities, think tanks, research centres and private companies. Thanks to these collaborations, we have increased the number of opportunities that we can offer to current and prospective students, and the quality of our research".
About the conference – The conference started this morning with an opening address by director Stefano Schiavo who left the floor to Massimo Egidi, former rector of the University of Trento, who remembered the first steps of the School, and then to Lorenzo Dellai (former president of the Autonomous Province of Trento), and Paolo Collini (former rector of the University of Trento and director of the School of International Studies).
The programme continued with a discussion table on the future of the School with Flavio Deflorian (current Rector of the University), the Councillor for Education, University and Culture of the Autonomous Province of Trento, and the members of the Steering Committee of the SIS Camilla Lunelli and Alice Rubini. "We celebrate an important date – rector Deflorian said – but the School has a great future ahead. Its strength is its ability to plan using an interdisciplinary approach, both in education and in research. This is a one of a kind strategy in the university system and in the Italian legal system. Its success can inspire other innovative initiatives".
Special guests – In its twenty years of activity many scholars and public figures of the economy, international relations, leading institutions, have visited the School to hold seminars, classes or guest lectures. The first that come to mind are the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, who awarded an honorary degree to Antonio Megalizzi in July last year, who was a student of the School of International Studies, together with the President of the European Parliament David Sassoli; Giorgio Napolitano, President emeritus of the Republic; Vaclav Klaus, former President of the Czech Republic. The last two were awarded the title of SIS Honorary Professors. But among the many other names to remember are also Giuliano Amato, Filippo Grandi (UNHCR High Commissioner), Cuno Jakob Tarfusser (judge of the International Criminal Court), Lamberto Zannier (High Commissioner on National Minorities of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe), Fatou Bensouda (chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court) and Yash Ghai (Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Cambodia on human rights).
The special guest on this occasion was Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America and professor emerita of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University, who in the afternoon will receive the title of "Bruno Kessler" honorary professor from the School of International Studies.
Collaborations at the local level – The international dimension of the SIS does not mean it cannot collaborate with local entities. A series of collaborative agreements have been initiated with research institutes, organisations and centres, to promote education and research cooperation, student mobility for internships, and staff mobility for research, teaching and dissemination activities. The joint projects organized periodically with the partners include conferences, training modules and workshops offered to the students of the School.
A virtuous example is the collaboration with the Mezzacorona Group to deepen the dynamics of international markets, the framework of international relations and the European institutions. The agreement takes the form of an annual award for the best thesis on issues of mutual interest to the two institutions, including environmental, social and economic sustainability, climate change, international trade in agriculture and food products and food security. The Prize is awarded on the occasion of the Rotari Lecture that is organized annually by the SIS in October.
Among the other main partners of the School are other important institutions and businesses in the area, such as the OECD Centre in Trento, Trentino Sviluppo, the Centre for International Cooperation, EURAC Research, the Europe Service of the Autonomous Province of Trento, Iprase del Trentino.
At the national and international level, the collaborations include the Institute of International Affairs (IAI), the Center for International Policy Studies (Cespi), the Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units (CoESPU), the Center for European Policy Studies and Intersos. The SIS is the only Italian academic institution to be part of the OSCE Network.
Anne-Marie Slaughter awarded the "Bruno Kessler" Honorary Professorship
Anne-Marie Slaughter is CEO of New America and Professor Emerita of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the American Philosphical Society. She has held important positions within the US State Department during the Obama administration and was the first woman to head the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.
New America is a major US think tank that focuses on public policy issues, including national security, technology, infrastructure, health, gender, energy, education.
Her publications cover a wide range of topics, ranging from international relations to international law, from the gender gap to work-life balance, from the role of the courts in national and European systems to the role of democracy in the United States and the transformation of society.
She contributes to several high-profile newspapers and magazines, such as the Financial Times (as contributing editor), the Atlantic, Project Syndacate.