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BSE Opening Ceremony with NYU's Professor Thomas Cooley
BSE welcomes new students with an opening ceremony that included Professor Cooley discussing the current issue of the Demographic Deficit.
The BSE officially inaugurated the 2015-2016 academic year on Monday, October 19 with a ceremony hosted by Caixa Bank, one of the sponsors of BSE. The ceremony included a lecture by Professor Thomas Cooley of New York University’s Stern School of Business, who spoke on the topic of ‘The Demographic Deficit’.
Welcoming the new masters students to the BSE were Enric Fernandez Martinez, Head of Bank Strategy at Caixa Bank Research; Dr. Pelegrí Viader, Secretary General UPF; Lluis Quintana, Vice-Rector for International Relations UAB; Antoni Castellà, Secretary for Universities and Research Generalitat de Catalunya and Professor Ramon Marimon, Chairman of the BSE’s Board of Trustees.
BSE surpasses expectation
Mr. Fernandez Martinez addressed the students by stating that the high expectations of the BSE have been met and surpassed even in though economic conditions.
Taking advantage of this academic opportunity
Dr. Viader encouraged students to take advantage of their year at BSE in order to read, study, write essays and discuss. He advised students to take advantage of this opportunity. Mr. Quintana also recommended that students should take advantage of this new academic experience, the new colleagues they will meet and the new country they will live in. He commented that there is no guarantee that students will enjoy every part of it, but hopefully it will help to change them for the better. Professor Marimon introduced Professor Cooley by explaining that BSE can learn from other institutes that are based on the principle of excellent research, which NYU has accomplished this for quite some time.
The Demographic Deficit
Professor Cooley addressed the current issue of the demographic deficit, summarizing that it is a potentially very significant headwind for economies to face. His lecture also addressed the policy options of encouraging immigration, increasing female participation in the labor force and reviewing retirement and pension policies.
Mr. Castellà concluded the ceremony by quoting the Scottish physicist James Dewar, "Minds are like parachutes – they work best when they are open" so open them.
After the ceremony, students and faculty were invited to interact with Professor Cooley and Mr Fernandez Martinez over refreshments.
This year, BSE welcomes its largest student attendance to date with 263 talented graduates from 56 countries. The opening ceremony congratulated the students for being part of the institute as well as welcomed them to BSE.