On Monday, June 18, LUISS inaugurated Villa Blanc, the new headquarters of the LUISS Business School.
The historic villa has been returned to its original splendor after years of neglect and abandonment. After being purchased by Luigi Abete, then President of LUISS, the villa was restored over a period of five years, giving new life to the structure’s original art.
“We have been waiting for this moment for a long time, we have long wanted to transform Villa Blanc into a world-class cultural center,” explains LUISS Business School President Luigi Abete. “Reaching this objective fills us with pride, students and citizens can enjoy the fruits of the project which adds value to the community and the entire city.”
LUISS has long promoted the use and of abandoned historic properties to integrate the university into the city, from the former church on Viale Romania to the library on via Santa Costanza, to the residences in Via Lisbona and the LUISS ENLABS startup accelerator in Rome’s Termini Station.
A link between the past and the future was underlined during the inauguration ceremony: at the end of the Laudatio given by Paola Severino, Emma Marcegaglia, Giovanni Lo Storto and Luigi Abete unveiled a new plaque dedicated to Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. "Ciampi was an example for us all, capable of filling the most important roles of our country and performing his role with passion, morals and civil dedication,” declared Paola Severino. “He was passionate about legality and culture, and he always put the future of young people first. In the room dedicated to him, students can remember him and follow his teachings as an example.”
Prior to the ceremony, the LUISS Board of Directors, presided over by Emma Marcegaglia, nominated Professor Andrea Prencipe as Rector of Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli, and appointed Professor Paola Severino as Vice President of the University.
Former Deputy Rector and Full Professor of Economics and Innovation Management, Professor Prencipe is a global leader in the strategic management of technological and organizational innovation.
Professor Severino, Full Professor of Criminal Law and President of the School of Law, formerly acted as Head of the Department of Law, as Vice Rector, and most recently, Rector of LUISS University.