Our Dean for Academic Affairs & Student Experience shares his vision on how to further enhance the student experience at ESCP

Prior to taking on the role of Executive Vice-President and Dean for Academic Affairs and Student Experience, Francesco Rattalino was the Dean of ESCP’s Turin campus, where he implemented a number of initiatives to boost the student experience. Under this new mandate, he is capitalising on his local experience while leveraging the collective expertise of the student experience teams from all campuses. This approach aims to develop a cohesive vision for the student experience across all of ESCP’s campuses.

In developing Turin’s new campus, a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of the city, Rattalino experienced firsthand the pivotal role of community engagement: “In Turin, we started with a handful of students and professors, so leveraging the sense of community with the School’s stakeholders, starting from the employees and the students, was key. This also involved actively reaching out to entrepreneurs, business communities, and academic institutions, while maintaining strong connections with alumni.”

Enhancing community engagement will continue to be a key component of Rattalino’s approach.

Outlining the LIGhTS strategic plan unveiled by ESCP’s Dean, Leon Laulusa, Rattalino emphasised the imperative of furthering the hybridization of competencies for future academic experience. “As a business school, we cannot entrench ourselves in business studies alone; we need to enrich the student experience, and the hybridization of studies allows just that," Rattalino explained. 

He sees dual degrees with schools of law, mathematics, finance, and engineering as well as new partnerships as key components in the strategy to enhance the ESCP learning experience.

"Signing new agreements with other schools and faculties, such as the one we recently signed with French university Paris I for their art history course, is part of this developmental process. Working in a diverse academic background is key for students.” 

In the pursuit of academic innovation, Rattalino also outlined plans to diversify and enhance educational offerings within ESCP. "We plan to increase the number of specialisations, introduce majors in the Bachelor’s programme and offer new specialised master’s degrees, such as the newly launched MSc in Luxury Management." 

Founded over 200 years ago, ESCP is the oldest business school in the world, with innovation ingrained in its core. "Innovation has always set us apart,” Rattalino emphasised. “We have a strong entrepreneurial spirit that has allowed us to adapt throughout the years."

This innovative approach is further underscored by the School's European model: "Our European model forces us to be agile and adaptive. We continue to change the way we teach, always actively adapting to students' needs," he explained.

When it comes to evolving with new student needs and behaviours, Rattalino is paying special attention to the technological transformation underway. “Staying at the forefront of education involves leveraging technology for knowledge content and increasing student engagement with professors to foster critical thinking. ESCP's commitment to a small-size class model and the renewal of the teaching body contributes to its ability to stay close to emerging technologies and trends.”

Addressing a substantial challenge, Rattalino also highlighted the importance of preparing students for the future of work with generative AI. "A significant challenge ahead is generative AI, and we need to ensure our students master AI rather than be mastered by it," he stressed. 

Aligned with the School’s humanistic values, Rattalino and his team are approaching the ESCP student experience with a keen awareness of the societal and environmental transformations also impacting the world of business and higher education. 

Valentina Tabacchi, Federal Director for student experience at ESCP, outlined the key areas she and Rattalino will focus on to ensure a cohesive, well-rounded student experience: 

"Supporting the wellbeing of our students, addressing mental, physical, and digital aspects of health, is a top priority for us," affirmed Tabacchi. “To achieve this, the School is committed to providing mental health services, counselling for every student with at least three sessions per year, and stress management programmes across all campuses.” 

Tabacchi also highlighted that over 60% of students come from different nationalities: “Because diversity and inclusion are core values of the School, we are actively organising workshops around racism, and allocating 9 million euros to scholarships. Beyond financial support, our commitment extends to ensuring inclusiveness in all facets of student life, including student associations, sports, and alumni meetings.”