Learn as an Enquirer, Act as a Leader with Luiss, One of the World's Top-ranked Universities, in Rome

Ornella Barra (Chief Operating Officer – International di Walgreens Boots Alliance) e Andrea Prencipe (Rettore Luiss)

Luiss Guido Carli celebrated in the Aula Magna of the Campus, the inauguration of the 2022-2023 Academic Year. In the presence of its Top Management, it conferred the Doctorate Honoris Causa in Management on Ornella Barra, Chief Operating Officer – International of Walgreens Boots Alliance. It was a seminal year for the University, under the many goals achieved and the international awards obtained, which consolidate its value in teaching, research, sustainability and employment.
During the Ceremony, Ornella Barra gave a Lectio Magistralis entitled “Doing business: the importance of values”. “Be happy with the goals achieved but keep looking around, seize the opportunities that present themselves to you and don’t wait for them to knock on your door, go and look for them! Find new challenges every day to grow and improve, and consider each goal as a starting point for new growth. Look at the world with a positive and creative approach, without being limited by the barriers of the ordinary and the consolidated, work with passion, nurture your curiosity and always be courageous in whatever profession you are going to undertake; be protagonists of your future!”, said Ornella Barra.
“Ornella Barra is an example of a courageous entrepreneur open to international challenges. Such an entrepreneurial and international mindset must increasingly characterize the leaders of the future: at Luiss, male and female students experiment with innovative learning models that enable them to build their toolbox to investigate, interpret and act on the real world, and above all to reinvent or invent professions. A toolbox that has paradoxical characteristics: it must be rich, but at the same time half-empty; protected but open; efficient but also ready to accept new challenges”, said the Rector Andrea Prencipe.
The General Manager Giovanni Lo Storto commented: “Our daily life, in times that require increasing speeds of adaptation and flexibility, calls for open and inclusive leaders who know how to deal with the complexity of today’s reality. At Luiss we encourage students to question themselves, learning that in life there are no predefined formulas that are valid in every context. Volunteering activities, ESG laboratories, soft skills and sports, these are the transversal experiences of life large learning that enrich the curriculum and profile of our students to prepare them for a constantly evolving job market”.
Luiss Guido Carli recorded a new record in admission applications this year with an 18% increase for Bachelor’s, Single-cycle and Master’s degree courses compared to the previous year. The University continues its growth in teaching and research, increasingly consolidating itself as a reference point for a cosmopolitan community connected to the working world. The employment rate of graduates one year after graduation is confirmed at 94%, with peaks of 97% for the Department of Economics and Finance. Furthermore, the international trajectory is strengthened with a student population comprising 88 nationalities and with a network of 315 partner universities in 64 countries and 58 double degree programs and structured partnerships, involving approximately 2,300 students in outgoing and incoming mobility programs this year from nearly 10,000 subscribers.
“The constant rise of Luiss in national and international rankings testifies to the growth that the University has achieved by consolidating its role at a global level. Our University is at the forefront of creating, through higher education, strategic knowledge networks in the Europe-Mediterranean-Africa axis, thus contributing to strengthening the future ruling class of these countries. It is essential to continue investing in training, to reactivate the social lift, reduce gaps and guarantee the same opportunities to all “, said President Vincenzo Boccia.
During the Ceremony, Ornella Barra was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Management for her extraordinary managerial talent, combining competence, entrepreneurship, international vision, innovative leadership and corporate social responsibility.