First Activities of the Academic Year 2022/23 at Natolin

The Academic Year 2022/2023 began at Natolin on Monday, 12 September. The first event - as is tradition - saw the students of the David Sassoli promotion attend the Start of the Academic Year event in the Aula Copernicus, wherein the various arms of the College of Europe in Natolin (including staff members) were presented to them individually.

This was followed by the yearly photo ceremony (with national flags) on the lawn, and lunch in the newly-constructed Winter Garden, at the invitation of the Vice-Rector, Mme Ewa OŚNIECKA-TAMECKA.

The early days of the students’ stay were nonetheless characterised by a rigorous academic schedule. The schedule included a variety of academic pursuits, punctuated by the first classes of Professor Richard BUTTERWICK-PAWLIKOWSKI's course, ‘History of Central and Eastern Europe in the 19th and 20th Centuries’ (Monday and Tuesday).

Throughout the week, the students were also able to participate in a variety of sessions coordinated by the Development and Innovation Office, including the following Natolin Nests activities:

  • Energy and Climate Nest High-Level Lecture with Mr Yaroslav DEMCHENKOV, Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine: Energy Resilience in the Time of War: challenges, threats and opportunities. Lessons learned (Tuesday)
  • Migration and Human Rights Nest Seminar: Introduction to Migration and Climate Change (Wednesday)
  • Media and Disinformation Nest Discussion: Introduction to Media and Disinformation (Wednesday)
  • Digital and Security Nest Discussion: How technology may impact international security? (Thursday)

Also this week, some students sat the yearly entry tests to advanced courses of the first semester, and on Friday, the Languages and Intercultural Dialogue Office (LIDO) offered a presentation on its services and placement tests for language-study selection (an important feature of the Natolin study experience throughout the entire academic year).

Despite the rigour of the initial days, the students were offered ample opportunity for recovery and convalescence from the intense schedule, through a variety of initiatives offered by the Student Affairs and Professional Development Office.

These included an Integration Game evening on Tuesday, a presentation of the facilities and the package offered by the unit (Wednesday), and a planned social barbecue with staff and students’ engagement on Friday, to mark the conclusion of a highly-active week following the completion of the day's final classes.