CLEACC, a Quarter Century Old But Still Keeping up with the Times

It is a unique course that combines the mathematical and quantitative rigor expected at an economics-centered university like Bocconi with some humanities, because culture is a strong point of Italy and Europe in general, and that is precisely why we need to train people who can manage and enhance it. The CLEACC (Bachelor of Economics and Management for Art, Culture and Communication) turned 25 years old, and to celebrate it, the University organized an event, "25 Years of CLEACC-Working Cultures," which was also an opportunity to bring together alumni, faculty and students and celebrate together the richness and diversity of the careers embraced by CLEACC’s alumni.

“We had previously celebrated the 10th and then the 18th anniversary of CLEACC,” says Stefania Borghini, associate professor of Bocconi's Department of Marketing and director of the course, “but this time we wanted to do something different. Less space for institutional speakers and more for alumni. A way to testify to the contribution our graduates have made and are making in management, culture and the arts to society. To explain first of all, as the title ‘Working Cultures’ implies, what it means to work in the arts and what role culture plays in society.”

An event divided into two main moments, one part reserved for ‘senior’ alumni, who took the stage to speak about their experience, and one for younger alumni who in a series of masterclasses dialogued with students talking about themselves and their entrepreneurial successes, sometimes still in their infancy.

“CLEACC trains graduates to work in different fields by giving them a common foundation,” Borghini resumes, “because there are so many avenues one can take. And they are constantly changing as new players appear on the scene, such as, for example, artificial intelligence. Or the circular economy. Changes that force the degree program to adapt in order to stay relevant.” Which is what it managed brilliantly, one would say. Because the students, who attended in large numbers, were able to appreciate directly from the alumni themselves what it means to graduate from CLEACC after 5 years, after 10 and after 25, to see the career paths and replicate them in a sector, the cultural sector, that is fundamental to the Italian and European economies. “25 years after its inception, CLEACC has no real competitors in Italy and Europe, at least in the top universities with which Bocconi likes to compare itself. There are many specialized courses for this or that cultural profession, for art, for creative professions, for film, fashion, design and more, but none so wide-ranging.” A difference also remarked upon by Antonella Carù, full professor of the Department of Marketing and Dean for Development and Alumni Relations: “A comparison rich in insights and never banal, a panel of guests united by the ability to manifest critical thinking and be actors of change in a natural way, without presumption. All of them capable to act in depth while coming from very different backgrounds and realities. And, above all, capable of conveying this passion of theirs in passionate and engaging speeches.”