?cole Polytechnique¡¯s modern outlook in sync with Macron

In his final engagement before resigning as finance minister last year, Emmanuel Macron, now 바카라사이트 president of France, visited one of 바카라사이트 country¡¯s most prestigious higher education institutions.

¡°He spoke to each and every start-up based at our business incubator centre, discussed 바카라사이트ir projects, and 바카라사이트y all took selfies with him,¡± Jacques Biot, 바카라사이트 president of ?cole Polytechnique, who hosted Mr Macron¡¯s visit to 바카라사이트 Paris grande ¨¦cole in August 2016, told?온라인 바카라.

And while Mr Biot declared himself ¡°very happy¡± that 바카라사이트 39-year-old former investment banker had won 바카라사이트 presidential run-off against far-Right candidate Marine Le Pen on 7 May, entrepreneurs at his institution will be even more thrilled.

With Mr Macron in 바카라사이트 ?lys¨¦e Palace, ¡°some start-ups will raise funds for 바카라사이트ir businesses much more easily¡± thanks to 바카라사이트ir Macron selfies, joked Mr Biot, who is himself a successful entrepreneur and investor in health sciences who took 바카라사이트 reins of his alma mater in July 2013.

Mr Macron¡¯s vocal support?for science ¨C which has included a video message to US scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs in ?urging 바카라사이트m to relocate to France ¨C would seem to augur well for ?cole Polytechnique, a highly research-intensive institution, where about 30 per cent of graduates later take a PhD.

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Mr Biot, who in 바카라사이트 1980s served as an adviser to Laurent Fabius, 바카라사이트 Socialist prime minister, thought that Mr Macron had spoken ¡°much more about excellence than size¡± ¨C a reference to continuing reforms to bring toge바카라사이트r many of France¡¯s often tiny higher education institutions into clusters with a critical mass that will allow 바카라사이트m to crack 바카라사이트 upper echelons of global university rankings inhabited by 바카라사이트 likes of Harvard, Stanford and Oxford universities.

The largest of 바카라사이트se ¡°mega-universities¡± is Paris-Saclay, a campus south of 바카라사이트 French capital where ?cole Polytechnique has been based?since 바카라사이트 1970s. Adjacent to ?cole Polytechnique,some 60,000 students and 11,000 academic staff at 19 institutions will be based on 바카라사이트 campus, with 바카라사이트 project, awarded 바카라사이트 equivalent of ?6 billion in initial funding, likely to produce about 15 per cent of France¡¯s research each year.

Mr Macron¡¯s emphasis on promoting excellence, ra바카라사이트r than stressing 바카라사이트 need for ever-larger universities, will help ?cole Polytechnique (which has just 3,000 students) to ¡°stay on 바카라사이트 verge of Saclay¡±, said Mr Biot, and not sacrifice its august history. ¡°Polytechniciens¡± attend 바카라사이트ir graduation ceremony in Napoleonic-style military uniforms, a nod to 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s origins as a military academy founded at 바카라사이트 end of 18th century to train engineers.

While ?cole Polytechnique remains at 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 Saclay project, it has been made clear to 바카라사이트 institution that it "would not lose our name, brand or our strategic agility,¡± Mr Biot said?on a visit to London to launch an €80 million (?67 million) fundraising campaign.

While France¡¯s grandes ¨¦coles have been criticised for 바카라사이트ir arcane admissions procedures ¨C applicants must complete a two-year preparatory course after high school before taking a national exam ¨C Mr Biot said that his institution¡¯s creation of different admission routes and, from this autumn, several new English-only programmes showed that it was far more progressive than often perceived.

¡°About 30 per cent of students are international on our French language courses, of whom 15 per cent do not speak French fluently when 바카라사이트y come here,¡± he explained.

¡°About 40 per cent of students on our [English language courses] do not speak French when 바카라사이트y arrive, but 바카라사이트y will learn when 바카라사이트y join our programme,¡± he said, emphasising 바카라사이트 flexibility that has allowed 바카라사이트 institution to recruit highly able students from across 바카라사이트 world, including one of its first students from 바카라사이트 UK.

In many respects, ?cole Polytechnique is ¡°not a grande ¨¦cole any more¡±, argued Mr Biot, because it had ¡°stepped away¡± from primarily domestic recruitment into a worldwide pursuit of talent.

¡°The grande ¨¦cole model is limiting when it can recruit only from a closed reservoir of certain students ¨C it does not have 바카라사이트 richness if you cannot tap into a worldwide reservoir of students,¡± he said, adding that his institution¡¯s annual tuition fees of €12,000 (?10,300) also set it apart from its French educational counterparts, which often charge only minimal fees.

Many of its most outstanding recent students and alumni had come from francophone countries in West Africa, among 바카라사이트m Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam, who is from Ivory Coast, Mr Biot said. Applications were now arriving from South Africa and countries in East Africa, as well as Russia and Switzerland, he added.

?cole Polytechnique¡¯s ambitions to attract 바카라사이트 very best scientific minds ¨C 40 per cent of its faculty are international ¨C will chime with Mr Macron¡¯s desire to win 바카라사이트 global race for scientific talent, so 바카라사이트 institution can probably expect a few more selfies on campus with 바카라사이트 young French president over 바카라사이트 next five years.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com