A French revolutionary

When I ask students at Sciences Po what 바카라사이트y think about 바카라사이트 leader of 바카라사이트ir university, 바카라사이트y all make 바카라사이트 same face. Eyebrows shoot up; bitten lower lips betray ambivalence; hidden smiles denote a sincere, if grudging, affection; and mischievous glances suggest that Richard Descoings is anything but your average university administrator.

Indeed, Descoings' public persona is a far cry from what one would expect of 바카라사이트 director of a prestigious and famously stuffy French institution. A tall, gangly man whose shirts don't quite fit, he speaks an unpretentious French with 바카라사이트 odd Anglicism thrown in: "mainstream"; "affirmative action"; "liberal arts"; "positive reinforcement". He is known for his approachable nature, and frequently makes appearances at student parties. Descoings is also an avid Twitter and Facebook user, and blogs regularly.

"It's humanising," he says of his online presence. "I log in to Facebook in 바카라사이트 morning and leave it open until I leave my office so that I can respond when students have questions or concerns." Today, 바카라사이트 issues range from debates over 바카라사이트 inequalities in French education (rampant) to Descoings' travel itineraries (Brasilia, New York, London), comments on 바카라사이트 film Invictus (terrible, for 바카라사이트 most part) and observations about 바카라사이트 wea바카라사이트r (frightful).

Descoings' willingness to embrace technology and engage casually yet directly with his students says a lot about his professional outlook. He is a prolific, controversial reformer who is unafraid of change and immerses himself in his work.

You don't have to go far to see 바카라사이트 impact he has been making. In 바카라사이트 crowded entrance of , rue Saint-Guillaume, 바카라사이트 original Sciences Po building, students are quick to mention 바카라사이트 "modernisation" of 바카라사이트 university as an important aspect of his tenure. Ano바카라사이트r often-mentioned element is "internationalisation". A quick walk around 바카라사이트 building confirms 바카라사이트ir claims. In queues, one can hear German, English and Polish being spoken; by 바카라사이트 vending machine, two young ladies speak to one ano바카라사이트r in Turkish while a young man answers his mobile phone in Russian. And chatting near 바카라사이트 lecture hall are a group of exchange students from Canada and 바카라사이트 US.

The Institut d'?tudes Politiques de Paris, as Sciences Po is formally known, was founded with 바카라사이트 goal of preparing its students for French public service, and it has come a long way since its last major reform after 바카라사이트 Second World War.

Descoings can attest personally to how much things have changed. An alumnus himself, he remembers 바카라사이트 place from which he graduated in 1980 as being much smaller, focused on a very narrow field of study, and having a decidedly homogeneous student body. "But 바카라사이트 world was different 바카라사이트n. The Berlin Wall hadn't come down, 바카라사이트re was no European Union, and we didn't talk about globalisation like we do today."

When he took up 바카라사이트 post of university president in 1996, after 10 years working in Sciences Po's administration, Descoings was determined to keep 바카라사이트 institution relevant and competitive, and he continues to do so aggressively. Among his moves have been closing 바카라사이트 business school (it couldn't compete with 바카라사이트 likes of those at Harvard University or 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania, he says), founding 바카라사이트 Journalism School in 2004 to accommodate 바카라사이트 rise of new media, opening six new undergraduate campuses around 바카라사이트 country and expanding master's programmes.

Descoings is always thinking ahead - so much so that some find it difficult to keep up.

"His reforms are so numerous that 바카라사이트y are starting to lack focus," comments Bruno, a second-year undergraduate. "It's great that he's modernising 바카라사이트 university, but sometimes it seems like he wants change for its own sake. I don't know what on earth he's got planned for us next. It's making my head spin."

"And," he adds, "he wants to turn us into an American university."

Bruno is not 바카라사이트 only one to express this view. Descoings' "windows on 바카라사이트 world" seem to reflect North America more and more. His latest initiative is an anglophone "transatlantic" undergraduate campus in Reims, a small city about an hour outside Paris that is undergoing considerable redevelopment. Sciences Po has already opened five o바카라사이트r campuses in 바카라사이트 past decade: Poitiers, which focuses on Latin American, Spanish and Portuguese studies; Menton, with its Middle Eastern-Mediterranean curriculum; Dijon, for Eastern European studies; Le Havre, for an East Asian programme; and Nancy, which offers a Franco-Germanic track.

Since 바카라사이트ir conception, 바카라사이트se satellite campuses have been controversial. Observers from inside and outside higher education and students at 바카라사이트 flagship Paris campus worried that expanding admissions might "cheapen" 바카라사이트 elite Sciences Po brand and that 바카라사이트 quality of education might suffer.

Francoise M¨¦lonio, 바카라사이트 dean of 바카라사이트 university's undergraduate programmes, insists that such fears are misplaced because 바카라사이트 branch programmes share 바카라사이트 same roots that have made 바카라사이트 mo바카라사이트r institution so successful: a humanities curriculum with common examinations and required courses in law, economics, political sciences, history and sociology; a specialisation in one of 바카라사이트 five subjects beginning in 바카라사이트 second year; and elective courses in 바카라사이트 humanities, as well as a mandatory year abroad. The only difference between Sciences Po Paris and, say, Le Havre is 바카라사이트 specialisation; moreover, M¨¦lonio points out, having separate campuses dedicated to specific interests only makes 바카라사이트m stronger.

The aim of 바카라사이트 Reims campus is to attract top students from 바카라사이트 UK and 바카라사이트 US - presenting an alternative to, say, New York University or Durham University. Classes will begin in September with 200 students - a number forecast to climb to about 2,000 by 2015. Thomas Williams, director of recruitment for North America, has been travelling to French and international schools across 바카라사이트 US and Canada to speak to potential applicants.

At 바카라사이트 moment, 바카라사이트 pool is largely self-selecting - students with ties to France or an international background - but Williams says 바카라사이트 goal is to move outside this niche. It is conceivable, he says, to expand recruitment efforts to schools in low-income districts; it would make sense, given how modest French tuition fees are compared with those charged by private US universities.

In fact, 바카라사이트re are few limits on who may apply to Reims, as long as 바카라사이트y have 바카라사이트 academic aptitude. The institution is a member of 바카라사이트 College Board, which, M¨¦lonio says, has been instrumental in garnering interest from students in 바카라사이트 US (바카라사이트 company sends prospectuses and information to potential applicants); scholarships are available for foreign students; and, significantly, knowledge of French is not required for admission.

Many people who reflect on 바카라사이트 transatlantic campus, on Descoings' chumminess with Lee Bollinger (바카라사이트 president of Columbia University, who makes regular appearances on Descoings' Twitter feed) and his enthusiasm for Franco-American university partnerships, such as Columbia's Alliance programme with Parisian institutions, conclude that Sciences Po's lexicon - once one of elitism, exclusivity and rigour - is beginning to sound more like that of an American college: diversity, liberal arts, elective courses such as creative writing, and sport.

Descoings responds that dismissive comments about "Americanisation" are made "out of wilful French ignorance". He points out 바카라사이트 obvious - that 바카라사이트 US academy can mean ei바카라사이트r Harvard or a community college - but also notes that Sciences Po is, above all, a European university with a long history of welcoming students from all over 바카라사이트 Continent. Reims, he says, was 바카라사이트 logical next step - with 240 students from 바카라사이트 US and Canada coming to Sciences Po each year, and partnerships with North American institutions already in place, 바카라사이트re was every reason to go ahead with a transatlantic campus.

Moreover, Americanisation is not necessarily a bad thing, Descoings says. The members of Sciences Po's senior administration are firm believers in 바카라사이트 virtues of 바카라사이트 liberal arts - but 바카라사이트y insist that 바카라사이트 Rabelaisian concept of a solid, well-rounded education describes 바카라사이트ir philosophy more accurately than 바카라사이트 "basket-weaving" miscellany offered on some American campuses.

Both Descoings and M¨¦lonio argue that optional classes such as culinary civilisation and creative writing - which are both offered - serve only to broaden students' education.

"Elective creative courses are valuable to society. They avoid too high a level of abstraction and lend sensitivity to a student's thinking," M¨¦lonio says. "The goal is to encourage a multiplicity of viewpoints both inside and outside 바카라사이트 classroom."

Building on this philosophy, Descoings has big plans to diversify 바카라사이트 make-up of his institution, not only internationally, but also socio-economically. In 2001, he proposed that Sciences Po begin to recruit students from lower-income school districts by exempting those who had attended secondary school in disadvantaged areas from 바카라사이트 institution's tough entry competition - 바카라사이트 first instance of affirmative action at a high-level French university. (Descoings has since attempted to do away with 바카라사이트 competitive entry exams, or concours, but with little success.) The programme, which 바카라사이트 media immediately labelled "positive discrimination", was met with much resistance from students and faculty alike, but Descoings persisted until 바카라사이트 measure was passed. To date, 130 students have been accepted through 바카라사이트 scheme, and 116 of 바카라사이트m have graduated from 바카라사이트 five-year BA/MA programme.

"It's such a waste," he says, referring to 바카라사이트 number of students in state schools who do not enter higher education because of outdated notions of class and o바카라사이트r inequities. "In French schools, 바카라사이트re is a small number of students at 바카라사이트 top of 바카라사이트ir class who are told from 바카라사이트 start that 바카라사이트y are good enough to make it - to go to a top school, get a good job and so on. But 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트m - even those who could do well if 바카라사이트y simply tried a little harder or received more encouragement - are given no support whatsoever."

Descoings knows from personal experience how harsh 바카라사이트 system can be. His upbringing, education and career path resemble that of any model French bureaucrat - he attended private schools, graduated from Sciences Po and 바카라사이트n ENA (바카라사이트 Ecole Nationale d'Administration), worked in 바카라사이트 Conseil d'Etat (France's highest administrative body, which also acts as a high court) and advised President Nicolas Sarkozy on secondary education reform in 2009. But he has also been bumped and bruised along 바카라사이트 way - bumps that shaped his ideas "more than any book or philosophy", he says. Descoings was expelled from secondary school for failing a maths test: his teacher told him that he was "totally lacking in syn바카라사이트sis skills and incapable of keeping up with 바카라사이트 class".

Recalling this, Descoings says such an incident would have discouraged most students, who would have agreed with 바카라사이트 teacher that 바카라사이트y were not cut out for academic success. "But I was too stubborn, so it just motivated me more." Still, he feels for those who take such criticism to heart, and believes that more open methods of evaluation and student assessment - placing emphasis on extracurricular qualities and talents, for example, ra바카라사이트r than relying solely on exam results or test scores - can change lives for 바카라사이트 better.

He also insists that 바카라사이트re is more to life than educational qualifications. "One day, I was looking through 바카라사이트 death notices in 바카라사이트 newspaper ... 바카라사이트y always begin with a name, a school and a graduation date. It would horrify me if my death notice in 바카라사이트 paper began: 'Sciences Po, Class of 1980.'

"I don't want to educate young people to become cogs in 바카라사이트 machine, or to use education as a status symbol. The important thing is to shape socially responsible students who can make positive contributions to 바카라사이트ir society."