First day of class at the new School of Public Affairs

On 31 August 2015 at Sciences Po, the new School of Public Affairs welcomed its inaugural class of students. Guest speaker Pascal Lamy, the former General-Director of the World Trade Organization and a Sciences Po alumnus, gave the inauguration speech before the school’s 600 students hailing from 40 different countries.

During his address, Pascal Lamy tackled the complex notion of common good. How can we define the common good today? Who are those responsible? Hear more from Mr. Lamy, the school’s Dean Yann Algan and students from around the world on the video.

The new School of Public Affairs at Sciences Po aims to educate a global community of professionals who understand multiple layers of governance. Headed by economist Yann Algan, the school is based on one hope and one conviction. The hope: to develop a sense of the common good among students who will construct the world of tomorrow. The conviction: Sciences Po, with its longstanding experience in training public- and private-sector decision-makers, is the ideal place to bring this hope to life.